Well I am looking at a way to make my smoker operate proportionally to the motors.. However simply ataching it to the board where the motors are, or to the motors may cause more current draw and we all know how the HL boards do not like that.

So I have El Mod. The instructions call for the wires for the motors from the HL board go to the El Mod board and then wires from the El mod board go to the motors. Essentially I have been told that the draw of the motors is then on the El Mod Board and not the HL board.

Therefore.. If I hook up the smoker to the HL board, to the wires for the motor, the increased draw should not be as danaging because the draw of the motor is on the El Mod board and at the same time I get proportional current supply to the smoker, hopefully giving it proportional output.

DOES THIS MAKE SENSE GUYS???

Thanks

KT

This guy has the prototype for the proportional smoke generator. Check it out:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_5800130/tm.htm

Glad to know there is another British Columbian tanker here.

KT,
I would set it up then measure the current flow through the various stages before I really got on it. I assume you'll have to pick either the left or right side channel. I believe the HL smoker is not unidirectional like my fan system so you should get smoke output in both forward and reverse.

I don't believe it will work because the HL smoker puts out little if any smoke below 6V. At slow-med speed and at idle you will have no smoke. When you are wide open you will have smoke. I could be wrong.

[sm=idea.gif]Here's an idea. Before you jeapordize your ElMod's I would hook up your smoker to a motor channel on your HL board but disconnect the motor. That way you wont blow the board and you can get an easy idea of the smoke output at various speeds.

cycle down about 3 posts on the main page where pscartozzi nailed the entire system down pat.

Uh, Perry ? You'll be needing a marketing manager soon . . . . . I'll be happy to do it - a 60/40 split !!! What do you say ???

Ralph

I prefer payment in Cheeto's and CO2 cartridges

Cheeto's yummy.

Could you leave the heating element hooked up to the full battery voltage, and use a drive channel to power the pump motor? I'd think the response of the motor should be more proportional than the heater. If overloading the HL board was an issue, perhaps using a pair of diodes and a FET to isolate the actual power feed would work. This might even work with a fan providing the airflow.

D.

Thats a GREAT idea!!!....

You can use a double throw switch to control both the fan/motor and the heating element... since they will be two seperate systems...