How to test a temperature probe?

[eulipion2]

I turned my Auber PID off between my mash and boil yesterday, and when I turned it back on I got the flashing "orAL" error which apparently signifies an issue with the probe (from The Electric Brewery), probe cable, or PID. After copious swearing and a little Google-Fu I put a jumper between terminals 4 & 5, changed the probe type from 21 (RTD) to 5 (thermocouple), and was able to go into manual mode to complete my boil (the ability to do so further signifies a probe issue).

Today I did a continuity test on my cable with a multimeter and it seems like everything is okay. Is there a similar method to test the probe? I don't know what's connected to what inside the probe.

First mechanical issue in 4 years, I guess I became a little complacent. Still, I wish my car had similarly sparse maintenance needs!

Thanks!

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Cant help with problem but the connection at the probe should unscrew and there should be 2 or 3 wires soldered down. You could check for bad connection there. Its what I did when I was trouble shooting my pid.

 

[LarMoeCur]

I had very similar issues. I had some loose or broken solders where the wire connects to the quick release fitting. Even with Stainless wire and heat shrink support the weight of the connector slowly started to fracture the solder. They would work fine. Then you would bump a cable and the PID would error out. Disconnect and reconnect the cable it would work again for a short while. Holding the cable in my hand the multi-meter would check said they were fine. I had to take them apart and re-solder the connections.

 

[eulipion2]

I had very similar issues. I had some loose or broken solders where the wire connects to the quick release fitting. Even with Stainless wire and heat shrink support the weight of the connector slowly started to fracture the solder. They would work fine. Then you would bump a cable and the PID would error out. Disconnect and reconnect the cable it would work again for a short while. Holding the cable in my hand the multi-meter would check said they were fine. I had to take them apart and re-solder the connections.

Curious. I was starting to go a little crazy looking for a short or a break. I took the probe apart and everything looks right. I'd hate to tear apart the cable (Electric Brewery finishes them very nicely), but resoldering is cheaper than replacing it. Of course, I could just order a new probe and cable, fix whatever's damaged and keep as a backup. It will be my luck that I'll do all that and it'll turn out that the PID is faulty.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Curious. I was starting to go a little crazy looking for a short or a break. I took the probe apart and everything looks right. I'd hate to tear apart the cable (Electric Brewery finishes them very nicely), but resoldering is cheaper than replacing it. Of course, I could just order a new probe and cable, fix whatever's damaged and keep as a backup. It will be my luck that I'll do all that and it'll turn out that the PID is faulty.

Mine turned out the be the PID. Auber gave me no credit after a whopping 12 hours of use. I bought a Mypin for half the price and did nothing else but swap it out and the system is working fine for years. If it were me instead of driving myself crazy I'd just by a $25 Mypin and swap it out. The holes in the box are the exact same size so no modifications are needed. Worse case your out $20..not a big deal. I wouldn't waste my money on another Aubrins pid

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

when I turned it back on I got the flashing "orAL"

Thanks!

Flashing for oral is a sign it's been neglected and needs proper servicing....been there

 

[eulipion2]

Mine turned out the be the PID. Auber gave me no credit after a whopping 12 hours of use. I bought a Mypin for half the price and did nothing else but swap it out and the system is working fine for years. If it were me instead of driving myself crazy I'd just by a $25 Mypin and swap it out. The holes in the box are the exact same size so no modifications are needed. Worse case your out $20..not a big deal. I wouldn't waste my money on another Aubrins pid

I was actually looking at the Inkbird PIDs. A few dollars more than the MyPin, but I've been happy with other Inkbird products. Is the wiring the same across all these?

Flashing for oral is a sign it's been neglected and needs proper servicing....been there

Yeah, with the repeated flashing it seems like it's really demanding some rather specific "attention".

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

I was actually looking at the Inkbird PIDs. A few dollars more than the MyPin, but I've been happy with other Inkbird products. Is the wiring the same across all these?

QUOTE] Its been awhile, They may or may not have been replaced in the same pin but the wires were the same...it was a 5 minute swap. The same size hole was key. I didn't want to start redoing the box.

 

[eulipion2]

Ah, yeah. Need to read more closely, apparently

Although, do you (or does anybody else) know if the same is true of the Inkbird units? Is there an industry-standard wiring system for PIDs?

 

[sw_reijnders]

you can check all your connections like this:
disconnect your temperatureprobe from your PID and put your multimeter to Ohms.
measure the resistance between the 2 wires
a PT100 temperature probe should have 100 ohms at 0°C and around 108 ohms at room temperature.
So if you measure that the probe is okay.
If you measure an open contact (somewhere), check all connections and eventually measure direct on the pt100.

 

[eulipion2]

Well, everything seems to work as it should when tested individually, including troubleshooting/testing steps from both Auber and The Electric Brewery. Rather than order more expensive parts I ordered a cheap replacement probe. I'll wire it both through the existing cable and directly to the PID. If both of those work, I'll know the problem is the old probe. If a direct connection works, but the cable doesn't, it's the cable. Assuming the new probe is in proper working order, if nothing works, it's the PID. Easy peasy.

 

[golfindia]

I have PT100 probes from Auber that have developed issues due to corrosion on the tiny pins on the probe plug. Every other brew I have to plug/unplug some of them a dozen or so times to "wipe" them clean so they will register correctly.

 

[eulipion2]

I have PT100 probes from Auber that have developed issues due to corrosion on the tiny pins on the probe plug. Every other brew I have to plug/unplug some of them a dozen or so times to "wipe" them clean so they will register correctly.

Interesting. So you just plug/unplug repeatedly until it eventually corrects itself? My probe is from The Electric Brewery, but I imagine they're similar. I haven't tried repeated back-to-back plug/unplugs, but at this point it's worth a shot.

 

[golfindia]

Interesting. So you just plug/unplug repeatedly until it eventually corrects itself? My probe is from The Electric Brewery, but I imagine they're similar. I haven't tried repeated back-to-back plug/unplugs, but at this point it's worth a shot.

Yep. If I plug them in and they read ridiculous temps, I plug them halfway in and work them in and out a few times. Then I wiggle them a little to make sure I did It enough. I hate those type plugs.... They don't have enough tension between the skinny pins and their socket to be reliable.

 

[eulipion2]

Here's an odd question: should the probe generate heat? My basement is sitting at around 59°-60°F, but when I plug the probe in, the temperature inside the tee increases to 67°-68°, which I have verified with another thermometer. Is this typical?

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

When you figure it out post it. I'm curious

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Yep. If I plug them in and they read ridiculous temps, I plug them halfway in and work them in and out a few times. Then I wiggle them a little to make sure I did It enough. I hate those type plugs.... They don't have enough tension between the skinny pins and their socket to be reliable.

I have PT100 probes from Auber that have developed issues due to corrosion on the tiny pins on the probe plug. Every other brew I have to plug/unplug some of them a dozen or so times to "wipe" them clean so they will register correctly.

Before I replaced my PID it was reading crazy numbers. You say you plug it in and out over and over to wipe it clean. Wouldn't that actually be somehow resetting the pid? A wire and probe is just a wire and probe, no "brains" there. It would seem like the issue would be the PID being wiped clean in this case. If it happens again the next time it would go back to the default broken PID setting?

No idea really it just seems to make sense

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Double post

 

[eulipion2]

When you figure it out post it. I'm curious

According to Kal at The Electric Brewery, no, it is not typical. He suggested trying a new probe, cable, and/or PID (so, basically everything...)

So I pulled the trigger on a new probe and cord from Auber (a little cheaper than TEB), and a silicone RTD socket cover to keep water out during cleaning. Unfortunately it's too late to cancel the cheap-o probe I ordered yesterday, so at least I'll have it for diagnostic purposes.

If the new gear doesn't work, it's the PID. Nothing like a system-wide refresh.

 

[eulipion2]

Auber order arrived today. Turns out it was the cable. So I have an extra probe, and don't need to replace the PID. Glad that's settled. Back to brewing!

 

[doug293cz]

To test a three wire RTD probe, measure the resistance for the three different combinations of lead pairs. The two same colored leads should measure about 0 ohms, and between the odd colored lead and either of the same colored leads should measure about 100 ohms. If any of the readings are significantly higher than this you have a bad cable or probe. If the cable is separable from the probe, measure both with and without the cable. That will tell you if the problem is the cable or the probe. Bad w/ & w/o cable means probe is bad. Bad w/ cable, but good without, means cable is bad.

Brew on

 

[augiedoggy]

Was the cable you were using braided stainless like these?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/RTD-Pt100-...672326&hash=item52037126bd:g:6XgAAOSwz~paRhDN

I had many of the same issues with the cheap stainless braided pt100 cables (regardless of vendor or price) they appear to all be the same cheap chinese cables (and sensors) that have such tiny wires they break very easily.
I replaced mine with teflon shielded cables a few years ago which are much stronger and less likely to become shorted. they come with a detachable pt100 sensor for around $20 shipped and im my opinion they are better than the other style commonly found on ebay for $7-12 shipped which appears to be the same ones auber sells for much more.

These are the ones I bought only with the teflon cable. https://www.ebay.com/itm/RTD-PT100-...096642?hash=item28194be742:g:U6gAAOSwO~VaU1QR

However these have braided fiberglass with stainless overbraid which appear more robust than most stainless braided cables.

 

[eulipion2]

Was the cable you were using braided stainless like these?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/RTD-Pt100-...672326&hash=item52037126bd:g:6XgAAOSwz~paRhDN

Yes, very similar to that. The Auber cable is a little thinner than the one from The Electric Brewery, but I don't know what the actual wires are like without cutting into the damaged cable. I'll get there eventually.

These are the ones I bought only with the teflon cable. https://www.ebay.com/itm/RTD-PT100-...096642?hash=item28194be742:g:U6gAAOSwO~VaU1QR

Thanks! I'll keep these in mind. I have no intentions of going back to propane, so I'm sure I'll need one in the future.