Operating The Auber Instruments Controller

So, how does the Auber Instruments controller perform in operation?

The real test of any temperature controller is how it performs at low temperatures. The reason for this is that the device can only make the cooker hotter. The cooker has to cool off on its own, and a cooker is much more willing to cool off at 450 degrees than it is at 225 degrees. So, the controller has to be a little more subtle and clever to control the lower cooking temperatures so as not to get the fire so hot that the cooker can't cool off fast enough.

The controller did a very good job of controlling temps at low, medium and high temperatures, hitting the targets within 1 degree or less and maintaining the targets within plus or minus 2 degrees or less:

Accuracy   Swing  Low Temperature   -0.5° ± 1.5° Medium Temperature +0° ± 2.0° High Temperature -1.0° ± 1.0°

Auber Instruments Temperature Control Results

As you can see, the Auber Instruments controller did an excellent job at low, medium and high temperatures. When initially taking the cooker to the low temperature, there was a 15-degree overshoot, but the cooker settled down to the target temp and then started cycling ± 1.5°. Other controllers have taken a number of up and down cycles to zero in on their final temperature. There was no overshoot on the medium and high temperature tests. The controller took the cooker to the desired temperature and then settled into the cycle shown in the table. Truly impressive results.

But as we often like to point out, this kind of control isn't even necessary. Compare our results with the Auber Instruments controller to your average kitchen oven, which is doing good if it keeps your oven within plus or minus 25 degrees. Even an expensive oven won't come close. We've said this many times, so we'll say it again and show you again how our $2000+ JennAir Dual Fuel Cooker performs when set to 300 degrees. (Since we paid $2000+ for this cooker, we're going to flog this chart for all it is worth.):

$2000 JennAir Temperature Control Results

One final word here about the performance: The results we are reporting in this section of the review were obtained using the unit with the factory-set parameters. We'll report on the results obtained using the Auto-Tune function (where the controller tries to "learn" your cooker and adjust its parameters automatically) later in the review.

A few things we'll point out about using the Auber Instruments controller:

• When you are done cooking, it is best to remove the blower to prevent moisture condensation from getting into the blower.

• A frequently asked question about temperature controllers is whether or not you should leave the blower installed all the time and if so, how do you control air flow when you aren't using the unit. The blower and door adapter pop in and out quite easily and there is really no reason to leave the blower installed. Just pop the adapter in when you want to use the controller and then remove it when you are done.

• Placement of the pit probe can be important. You want it located near the meat so that the Auber Instruments controller is controlling the temperature at the location of the meat, not somewhere else. However, the probe must not touch the meat and should be at least an inch or two from the meat. If the meat influences the temperature of the probe (especially when the meat is first placed in the cooker and is cold), obviously the controller will be sensing a false pit temperature and will therefore compensate to the detriment of the desired results.

• We heard from a reader who was having trouble using the unit in very cold weather. He contacted Auber instruments and was told that the unit will not work below 15°F and works best above 32°F. For operation below these temperatures, they suggested buying a small wood birdhouse and running a 5 watt light bulb into it. The wires all run out the bird hole. The birdhouse can hang from the smoker and provides a little more weather protection for the controller. We imagine that other arrangements with plastic boxes and nightlights, etc. might work as well.

"Ultra" High Temperature Performance

One unique feature of the Auber Instruments controller is the mini SMP connector which allows you to connect T, R, J, B, S, K, E and Wre3/25 thermocouples. No longer are you constrained to the thermocouple provided by the manufacturer and its attendant temperature limitations. Also, it isn't uncommon on BBQ discussion boards for persons new to devices like the BBQ Guru, Stoker and Auber to ask if they can control their cooker at 750° when they are cooking steaks. Of course, the answer is that you don't need a device like this to control the temperature when cooking steaks, but since we now have the ability, we decided to see how the Auber controller performed at 750°

We used a Thermoworks WD-08467-64 high temperature (2500° F) flexible ceramic fiber-insulated probe connected to the Auber controller. The blower was installed as normal, and the top vent of our cooker was left off. Here's a graph of what happened:

Cooker temperature vs. time with controller set to 750°

Essentially what happened was the blower couldn't provide sufficient air to the cooker to get it up to 750° It took about 15 minutes to get the cooker to 580°. At that point we used a "wiggle rod" to give a shake to the fire grate and the temperature creeped up to about 620° where it again stalled. At this point, we removed the blower to allow the natural draft of the cooker to raise the temperature close to the target of 750°. When the temperature got to 730° we replaced the blower, and as you can see, the temperature immediately started dropping.

So, again, you really don't need a device like this to control charcoal cookers at such high temperatures, but if you decide to try, you need a larger blower than comes with the unit. (Auber does have a 10CFM blower available for about $56.)

Auto-Tune Performance

As explained earlier, the Auber Instruments controller has a manually-initiated Auto-Tune function which attempts to "tune" the controller to your individual cooker. The controller will heat the cooker up to about 15-25° above the current target cooker temperature. It will then let the cooker cool to about the same amount below the current target temperature. It then heats the cooker back up to the higher temperature and allows it to cool to the lower temperature one more time. When the cooker reaches the lower temperature the second time, Auto-Tune turns off and the controller starts to bring the cooker up to the set temperature. The two times we ran Auto-Tune it took 10 and 18 minutes to run it.

After seeing the excellent results of this controller at all temperatures using the factory-set parameters, you might wonder why we wanted to run Auto-Tune. Well, of course, to see if it made things even better and to report the results to you. We ran Auto-Tune with the unit set to 300 degrees for the purpose of measuring its effect on general performance. The results were ever so slightly more impressive. The unit was able to keep the temperature at 299.5°, ± 0.5°.

Of course, as we reported earlier in the Open Lid Detect section, Auto-Tune had an adverse effect on the performance of the controller when it comes to recovering from an open lid situation. So, based on our experience, we would recommend not using Auto-Tune unless the controller just can't seem to control your cooker. Open lid situations are better without Auto-Tune and the normal performance of the controller is already very very good without Auto-Tune.

Some other considerations regarding Auto-Tune:

• The procedure tunes the controller using the target temperature you have set. You may find you need to run the Auto-Tune again if you wish to use a different temperature.

• The procedure also tunes based on current conditions such as the ambient temperature and your vent settings. During the procedure it is measuring how fast the controller heats up and how fast it cools off. Anything that changes these two factors will change the way Auto-Tune sets the control parameters for your cooker.

• Of course it should be obvious that if you use Auto-Tune on one cooker, you should run it again if you use the unit on a different cooker with different operating characteristics.

Compared To The BBQ Guru NanoQ

The following table shows you a comparison of the specifications and performance for the Auber Instruments controller versus the BBQ Guru NanoQ.

	Auber Instruments	BBQ Guru NanoQ
Pit Temperature Range	-328° - 2372° F	50° - 475° F
Claimed Control Accuracy	None	±5° F
Measured Control Accuracy	Low:   -0.5° ± 1.5° Med:   0.0° ± 2.0° High: -1.0° ± 1.0°	Low:   +1.0° ± 7.0° Med:  +0.75° ± 1.5° High: +1.0° ± 1.0°
Display	4-position 7-segment red LED	None
Pit Temperature Adjustment	Numeric input with 1 degree increments	Button with 5 degree increments
Power Loss Recovery	Yes	Yes
Probe Type	Thermocouple	Thermocouple
Probe Cable	Armor braid	Armor braid w/ fiberglass insulation
Probe Maximum Temperature	550° F	1000° F
Open Lid Detect	See review	Yes
Adaptive Control Algorithm	Yes, manual, settings retained (Auto-Tune)	Yes, automatic, settings lost
Pit Temperature Capture	No	Yes
Blower Running Indicator	Yes, red LED	Yes, red LED
Audible Alarms	2	None
Integrated Flashlight	No	Yes
Temperature Probe Options	Any thermocouple with mini SMP connector	Only supplied probe
Blower Options	6.5 CFM	4, 10 or 25 CFM
Blower Damper	Automatic, open or shut	Manual, variable setting
Power Options	120-240 VAC or 12 VDC	120-240 VAC or 12 VDC
Price (Note 1)	$144.50	$184
Pricing of the NanoQ assumes the purchase of a system unit, a Pit Runner 4 CFM blower and an adapter for a large Big Green Egg. Pricing of the Auber Instruments controllers is for a package for a large Big Green Egg.

Auber Instruments or NanoQ?

The obvious competitor to the Auber Instruments controller is the BBQ Guru NanoQ. Both models are low cost, and both models only control the temperature of your cooker. So which one should you choose?

As usual, it all depends on what you want. With the NanoQ, you get rugged build, better temperature probe cable, more blower choices, Open Lid Detect and automatic Adaptive Control. Of course, you pay about $40 more for all that.

On the other hand with the Auber Insturments controller you get the ability to set a target temperature within 1 degree, a bright and VERY usable display, far easier method to set the target temperature, 2 audible alarms, and the ability to use about any thermocouple probe you wish.

Both units are more than accurate enough to give you the kind of control you want for your cooker, so the choice really comes down the features of the two units.

Summary

If you were lucky enough to buy one of these units when it was on sale for just under $100, you got yourself a pretty good deal. Even at the current price, these units are certainly tempting for anyone looking for a basic temperature controller for their cooker.

Contact Information

Auber Instruments
730 Culworth Manor
Alpharetta, GA 30022

770-569-8420
404-291-6298

www.auberins.com