When [Deadline] couldn’t find a replacement control module for his Masterbuilt electric smoker, he could have just tossed the thing in the trash. Instead, he decided to come up with his own system to take over for the smoker’s original brain. Basing it around the nearly 40 year old Commodore 64 probably wouldn’t have been our first choice, but it’s hard to argue with the end result.
![](https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/c64smoker_detail.jpg?w=400)
At the most basic level, controlling an electric smoker like this only requires a temperature sensor, a relay to control the heating element, and something to get those two devices talking to each other. But for the best results you’ll also want some kind of a timer, and an easy way to change the target temperature on the fly. Connecting the relay and temperature sensor up to the back of the C64 was easy enough, all he had to do was write the BASIC code to glue it all together.
This hack was made considerably easier thanks to the fact that the Masterbuilt’s original controller interfaced with the smoker by way of a couple relatively well documented connectors. So instead of having to mess with any of the mains voltage electronics, he simply had to bring a wire in the connector high to fire up the smoker’s heating element. This bodes well for anyone looking to replace the controller in a similar smoker, with a C64 or otherwise.
In the past we’ve seen some very impressive custom smoker controllers that look as though they could easily be adapted for use with these commercial units. Though the true smoke aficionados might prefer building the entire thing to their exacting specifications.
Commodore 64 is a good machine for curing dead animals, the shellac coating on the PCB attracts cockroaches that collect inside and the heat dries then nicely.
Good little factoid for cheapskates to file away when their SO is agitating for a spendy nail job … “Shellac attracts cockroaches dontyerknow…” :-D
Maybe you should find a more appropriate way to handle your cockroach infestation.
Handled, I just leave the solder pot going when I’m out for the weekend, fumigate with lead. ;-)
My parents live in a forest and have fought wood roaches for years. They won the fight when they got the top from an old John Wayne movie to get rid of roaches by “smoking them out”. They closed the damper on the fireplace for a bit and went outside. Roach free! No exterminator fee!
lol what nail polish could possibly still contain shellac
It’s a “what’s old is new again” deallie, all the rage round here at double or triple the price of normal.
Lest ppl think I just make crap up https://lovelynailsalon.ca/services-pricing/ Not being a real expert on feminine grooming that looks like a fairly cheap one, dunno if they’re any good or not, it’s a random, try yelp reviews if you’re seriously looking.
How long will a Commodore 64 burn, and isn’t the smoke toxic?
My old Commodore 64 power supply does an excellent job of smoking out my house. Hmmmm I love the smell of burning capacitors in the morning.
Once the voltage regulator goes, the whole unit becomes a smoker…briefly.
Last one I fixed the 5V line was nearer 9 & it’d taken out the color sram & the cia that handles the kb :(
Next up: use Pentium 4 and save on heating elements.
If you want to keep it 8 bit, you could lodge 2 woodchips at a time, 1 each side of the 7805 on an early ZX Spectrum while you’re making it work hard.
Amazing! Great job. š
What I find most amazing about this is that he DIDN’T use an arduino!
But this is one case where it would have been close to perfect. Okay maybe and ESP8266 so the smoker an have a web interface.
This looks like a job for an Arduino.
Despite definite path to ‘The Big BBQ’ for not using a real mans wood fired smoker ; it’s a good use of two things that didnt end up in landfill.
“Connecting the relay and temperature sensor up to the back of the C64”
The Github page seems to suggest that the temperature sensor at least is wired to the joystick port, presumably to the ADC in the SID, so technically at least part of it is in the *side* rather than the back.
Yeah – Good catch. Although you can see Deadline hook the temp sensor to the joystick port (our character ‘Clicky’ protests this fact) Then temp is indeed grabbed of the SID… So more just a misspeak than anything.
Was it just me or did anyone else think maybe the built-in temp sensor was likely off by 8x-10x (110.49, 88.39) and simply adjusting the resistor/program would have still got a close enough result.
I was thinking the same, but I already had the same issue with a thermostat. voltage dividers are most accurate when both resistors have the same value so all he had to do was measure the resistance of the sensor and choose a matching resistor.
By the time the C64 loads the smoker controller you could have cooked spaghetti. After making the noodles from scratch. ;P
We use the amazing 1541 ultimate to direct inject the program into memory, so instant load times. This is a 2020 C64 afterall.
There are lots of affordable PID units that can handle a masterbuilt electric smoker. Save the C64 for playing Moon Patrol
A ZX80 would have been a better choice, for it overheats on its own and you don’t need the grill anymore :-D
Seriously though, great and fun idea. I’d be tempted to add some sprites representing cooking food, and some SID-generated noises in that sense :-D