I've just posted a new firmware update to the TCB and OP Config (
v0.93.60) that adds some new functionality to the smoker. On the
Motors tab of OP Config you will now see a smoker
Type selection. The default selection is
Combined Heat & Fan which is the same as before, to be used with stock Heng Long/Taigen smokers, but there is now a new option called
Separate Heat & Fan.
This new option is for those who wish to control the fan and heating element independently. Under this arrangement the heating element will be plugged into the SMOKER output on the TCB (and will receive full battery voltage). The fan should then be plugged into the AUX output which the TCB will reserve for its use (manual aux control functions will be disabled when you select separate heat and fan). One limitation of the AUX output is that it only provides 5 volts so you should select a suitable fan (but there are many 5v case fans available online).
The
Experimental smoker type is for my own testing and you should not use it, it will do nothing. It will be removed in a later release.
When the separate type is selected you will see additional options for setting the heating element level at idle, fast idle, and max throttle speeds. Most will probably want the heating element on at 100% for all throttle speeds but the ability is there to adjust it if you want.
is also an additional option called
Preheat time which becomes available that will allow you to specify a length of time in seconds that the heating element should be powered before the tank engine is started. Set this option to 0 to disable preheating or if you don't want an engine start delay. Otherwise if a preheat time is specified, when you start the engine with whatever trigger you have assigned to that function, the heating element will immediately be turned on to full power (battery voltage) and an optional pre-heat sound will be played as a notification (User Sound 2 if using the Benedini TBS Mini or "preheat.wav" if using the Open Panzer sound card). After that length of time has passed, the engine will automatically start and the smoker fan will then turn on.
Some users have also requested the ability to have "inverse" smoker output, such that more smoke is generated at idle and less at full throttle. To accomplish this simply set the Idle speed to some percentage higher than Max speed, for example you might have Idle = 90%, Fast Idle = 100% and Max = 50% or something along those lines.
I hope some find this useful. As always, let me know if you have any questions.