Professionally engineered, SmartPID is a high-tech, programmable temperature and process controller for the DIY community.

Compared to a basic on/off thermostat, SmartPID is an “open platform” that can collect temperature from multiple sensors, apply programmable control logic, and drive different loads with a precise PID algorithm.

Not only can SmartPID control any thermos-regulated process, heating or cooling, it can be used for a number of applications throughout your home, both locally and remotely. You can easily access your process and log data from the web browser on a desktop over Wi-Fi or a smartphone via a dedicated app, which is ideal in case of critical situations that involve alarms and triggers.

The brainchild of Davide Arzarello, SmartPID is a must-have for Makers, do-it-yourselfers, tech enthusiasts, as well as professional engineers seeking an affordable process controller. It’s 100% Arduino-compatible: just plug the SmartPID USB port into your computer and program the board using the Arduino IDE.

SmartPID is neither a simple controller nor a thermostat: it is an “open platform” in which the resources and I/O can be used for a variety of applications and in a variety of environments. The idea behind SmartPID is to develop an ecosystem of “vertical” applications on top of a common set of features, providing tools for people who would like to develop their own applications or hack existing ones. The two main apps included are the smart thermostat and smart brewing app, with a successful crowdfunding campaign, the company hopes to expand the controllers versatility into a number of vertical applications on top of the SmartPID platform.

With its process automation, SmartPID makes everything from homebrewing and winemaking to aquarium maintenance to oven temperature more precise, powerful, and flexible. Want to learn more? Check out Arzarello’s campaign on Indiegogo!

[Jason] learned a lot by successfully automating this meat smoker. This is just the first step in [Jason’s] smoker project. He decided to begin by hacking a cheaper charcoal-fed unit first, before setting his sights on building his own automatic pellet-fed smoker. With a charcoal smoker it’s all about managing the airflow to that hot bed of coals.

[Jason] started by making sure the bottom was sealed off from stray airflow, then he cut a hole into the charcoal pan and attached a length of steel pipe. The opposite end of the pipe has a fan. Inside the pipe there is a baffle separating the fan from the charcoal pan. The servo motor shown here controls that valve.

The pipe is how air is introduced into the smoker, with the fan and valve to control the flow rate. The more air, the higher the temperature. The hunk of pipe was left uncut and works fine but is much longer than needed; [Jason says] the pipe is perfectly cool to the touch only a foot and a half away from the smoker.

With the actuators in place he needed a feedback loop. A thermocouple installed into the lid of the smoker is monitored by an Arduino running a PID control loop. This predicts the temperature change and adjusts the baffle and fan to avoid overshooting the target temp. The last piece of hardware is a temperature probe inside the meat itself. With the regulation of the smoker’s temperature taken care of and the meat’s internal temperature being monitored, the learning (and cooking) process is well underway.

There are many, many smoker automation projects out there. Some smokers are home-made electric ones using flower pots, and some focus more on modifying off the shelf units. In a way, every PID controlled smoker is the same, yet they end up with different problems to solve during their creation. There is no better way to learn PID than putting it into practice, and this way to you get a tasty treat for your efforts.