They say "low & slow is the way to go".

I had built a simple Smoker controller in a previous instructable. For V2 it's time to go big.

I had posted a Wifi Meat Thermometer here before. I figured why not combine that with the smoker controller.

I got this car diagnostic meter at a swapmeet and decided to make it into a new Monster Smoker Controller.

Step 1: Gut It!

My favorite part of most projects is taking it apart. I save any scraps that wont be reused this time.

Who knows what they may get used for later.

i use these little divided drawer organizers to keeps the screws separate.

Also helps to have a cookie sheet on you table to work on top of. It catches the screws that fall.

I actually use an old cargo tray from a car.

Step 2: The Meters

I bought this cool software from Tonne Software that lets you make Meter Faces. They have a free version that only does one scale.

One of the meters had a few stress cracks in the case but they both worked great. A little cement melted those cracks shut.

After you design your meters just paint the old faces or flip them over so you have a blank slate.

I use 3M Sprayment but any contact cement should work. Just be sure your face plate is clean....

Step 3: Power Relay

My smoker draws 12 Amps so I went for some large parts here. I used a 240V 45Amp solid state relay mounted to the bottom of the case. I ground a section on the aluminum case flat and used some heatsink grease for good measure.

I used a simplex AC outlet and a recessed plug with some 12Ga wire leads.

The hole saw I use is a little large for the outlet so I 3D printed a ring to take up the extra space...

Step 4: Connectors and Switches

At first I thought I would put the connectors on the front but then I realized I had some nice round switches that would fit there. I drilled a few extra holes and put switches from one side to the other.

A Unitbit makes short work of this but does drift a bit if you're not careful.

For the thermocouple I used some binding posts and for the meat probes I use these locking connectors.

I found a new slide switch to fit the existing hole in the front panel. I cut LCD slots that covered up hte remaining holes. I 3D printed some nice bezels for these.

I only added one pilot light but its an RGB led..

Step 5: Assembling It

Everything went together pretty easily. I used the same code as in the previous instructables. (see links in intro). I just added a pwn output to drive the meters. i scaled them so 97% pwm pins the needle to the end. I like to know when things go wrong....

Only difference is I didn't use a Linkit. I opted for a another atmega 328. Now I will probably go back and add the wifi. It really was nice to have. Or maybe I'll start on V3...