New software version

[abmet]

Weber updated June version their site
.
Version 2350 (Available 10/2)

General device enhancements and bug fixes for improved product performance

 

[whoareya]

Something must be going on either with my control panel or app/firmware, as after initiating shutdown tonight (although it had cooled down and done what it was supposed to do) the panel had frozen on the shutdown message and never displayed the it's now safe to turn off your Smokefire after 45 minutes. Had to just switch it off at the power switch.

Another thing I noticed during the cook (only because I was in front of it at the time) the temp was at 375F and cooking away, but the screen suddenly went blank for a second or 2 and went to the screen that you get when you first switch it on. I had to reset the temp to 375F on the dial it hadn't lost any temp, but if I hadn't been there, can't say if it wouldn't have done, before I had noticed iyswim

Definitely seems a thing going back to the start up screen now, at least for me after shutdown and not the it's safe to turn it off now message that used to appear?

Did a pizza last night and showed the start up screen after the shutdown was completed again...

 

[Riddle4x4]

I just finished an 8hr cook on beef ribs. I had some issues after I deactivated smokeboost where I no longer had control of the temperature adjustment from the app. It would tell me that I needed to start the grill first before I could change the temperature. The grill was clearly still running and it never had issues with its own temperature management.

When I went out to adjust the temperature manually, it acted like I was setting the temperature for the first time during startup. After that, I could adjust the temperature from the app for a little while.

I happened to walk outside once to check on the grill and I saw the SF screen blank out and reset. It didn’t shut off the grill and it remembered the same temperature it was originally set at.

While none of these problems effected the actual cook, it does seem odd.

 

[Bruno]

I had the app problem, couldn’t adjust temp for app.

 

[AHoneyman]

I am wondering if this is a variation of the problem that I described here.

https://www.weberpelletgrills.com/threads/weber-cs-records.547/

 

[bbqking]

Well I did a couple pork buns and as I took the first one off, and changed the probe, it disconnected, and would not reconnect to my phone. It held temp and finished the second toast but, I had to cook it down, then power cycle and it connected again. My WiFi took a fart dive about the same time, so it might have just been that. I also noticed when reconnecting it asked if I wanted to use WiFi for greater distance control with the app?

 

[Dassman5]

I went through an extended smoke/ cook today, and everything seemed to work fine except the WiFi connectivity. I have the Weber connect app on both my Android phone and my iPad iOS device. For some reason it kept switching back and forth between devices, and when one was connected via WiFi, the other would connect only via Bluetooth.

It took a while to figure it out as one device was showing the previous set point, said it was connected, yet could get the latest set points while the other device had it.

I am going to play around tomorrow with both the SF and phone/iPad to figure out what is going on...it appears to be a function of new enhanced connectivity options and Crossed wires between multiple devices.

Fortunately dinner turned out okay, and I never lost manual set-point control.

 

[AHoneyman]

Folks, I have asked PrimeOne to delete the thread where I blasted CS. I was not acting appropriately at that time. I am included a message that I have sent to Weber and they are currently investigating the problem.

OK, folks, it just happened again. That is three times since the app/OS/firmware updates. Three hours into a rib run, my SF magically lost the temp set point. Note in the attached photo that the temp set point is now displayed by three dashes. The actual temp set point had been 275. There had been no texts, no phones calls, nothing. I had just finished a spritz of the ribs, walked back into the house, and went to check how much the temp had dropped because of the spritz, which took all of 2-3 minutes. I just happened to notice the dashes and went back outside to input a temp set point. You can not do from the app. Once you input the temp set point on the SF controller, everything is good and the run continues. If you do not notice it or are away from your SF, the temp starts dropping until it believes that it is either out of pellets or that the pellets are not burning. This puts the SF into the shutdown mode with an E3 error. That is what happened to me on Friday and left my cook fermenting at 100 degrees in the sun. That was right before I bite the CS agent. Yes, I was inappropriate but frustrated (no excuse, I have to own it). Each time the pellet hopper has been full, no bridging, etc. No electronic activity other than the app running. Also notice that I have both Bluetooth and wifi. I do not know what else to say. Later, alh.

 

[Captainmike]

I don’t know if you saw my response on that thread, nonetheless I too am in contact with Scott (K). Responded quickly and said they are looking into it.

 

[AHoneyman]

I don’t know if you saw my response on that thread, nonetheless I too am in contact with Scott (K). Responded quickly and said they are looking into it.

Yes, I did. He is aware that there are other issues with the SF being not responsive to the app and the controller going wild.

 

[Dassman5]

Yes, I did. He is aware that there are other issues with the SF being not responsive to the app and the controller going wild.

Following...hat is one of the classic issues between PID programmers and the operators who need love with their “logic”.

Off topic, but : I once ran a huge wastewater treatment plant where a PID controller was designed to distribute flows equally to four tanks. The programmers had the concept correct, except they programmed the PID to each tank to start at Zero flow at a starting balance point. Results...all input valves closed against a 20 million per day flow and slowly began to balance the flows between themselves...Result: sewage overflowing the feed channels to the tanks aNd over 1 million gallons overflowed the channels and were flowing down the entrance road and into the receiving stream across the road until an instantaneous override cancelled the program...TRUE STORY!

Moral of the story: No good program goes unpunished, and every programmer in our company had to go into the field run their own program and deal with the results. Beta testing at its best!!!

 

[Captainmike]

Following...hat is one of the classic issues between PID programmers and the operators who need love with their “logic”.

Off topic, but : I once ran a huge wastewater treatment plant where a PID controller was designed to distribute flows equally to four tanks. The programmers had the concept correct, except they programmed the PID to each tank to start at Zero flow at a starting balance point. Results...all input valves closed against a 20 million per day flow and slowly began to balance the flows between themselves...Result: sewage overflowing the feed channels to the tanks aNd over 1 million gallons overflowed the channels and were flowing down the entrance road and into the receiving stream across the road until an instantaneous override cancelled the program...TRUE STORY!

Moral of the story: No good program goes unpunished, and every programmer in our company had to go into the field run their own program and deal with the results. Beta testing at its best!!!

Yikes! Love beta testing in the real world! In my facility, not as bad as millions of gallons of wastewater by any means, but our conveyance systems took a ton of real world tweaking. Not PID controls but same concept from paper/program to field install.

I think all us early adopters can agree, Weber did not beta test enough with their own test units and perhaps still is not, depends on how widespread the issue is really. I do think they need to do a better job vetting updates, maybe run multiple, long cook programs. Set a certain amount of hours in different temperature ranges as required test cycles. I ruined a prime brisket this weekend, not completely but a 1/3 of it. $78 cut. And delayed dinner with guests. It’s not like they don’t have units to test in the real world and vet these updates/parts.

This scenario seems to stem from the controller. The controller connects to the combination motherboard/IO board via canbus. That explains why when the controller locks up and flakes out the grill keeps running. All the I/O (amb probe, glow plug, fan, auger motor, pellet sensor) run into the board which at the heart of it is an ARM based microcontroller. Firmware loads into there, and software in the controller unit. I believe there is a “handshake” back to the controller at a predetermined amount of time; the microcontroller pings the controller. If it doesn’t receive that ping it goes into shutdown. I have witnessed it before when my control locked up couple months ago on a long butt cook. Right as I got to the SF (I was 7 min down the road, noticed my probe stopped showing up in app) it started shutting down. Everything was fine when power cycled and happens another time. I have a replacement controller and motherboard because of it. Similar now with what we’re seeing but the “- - -“ setpoint display and “pair Smokefire” is a key difference. I had my moment of frustration myself.

 

[Dassman5]

Yikes! Love beta testing in the real world! In my facility, not as bad as millions of gallons of wastewater by any means, but our conveyance systems took a ton of real world tweaking. Not PID controls but same concept from paper/program to field install.

I think all us early adopters can agree, Weber did not beta test enough with their own test units and perhaps still is not, depends on how widespread the issue is really. I do think they need to do a better job vetting updates, maybe run multiple, long cook programs. Set a certain amount of hours in different temperature ranges as required test cycles. I ruined a prime brisket this weekend, not completely but a 1/3 of it. $78 cut. And delayed dinner with guests. It’s not like they don’t have units to test in the real world and vet these updates/parts.

This scenario seems to stem from the controller. The controller connects to the combination motherboard/IO board via canbus. That explains why when the controller locks up and flakes out the grill keeps running. All the I/O (amb probe, glow plug, fan, auger motor, pellet sensor) run into the board which at the heart of it is an ARM based microcontroller. Firmware loads into there, and software in the controller unit. I believe there is a “handshake” back to the controller at a predetermined amount of time; the microcontroller pings the controller. If it doesn’t receive that ping it goes into shutdown. I have witnessed it before when my control locked up couple months ago on a long butt cook. Right as I got to the SF (I was 7 min down the road, noticed my probe stopped showing up in app) it started shutting down. Everything was fine when power cycled and happens another time. I have a replacement controller and motherboard because of it. Similar now with what we’re seeing but the “- - -“ setpoint display and “pair Smokefire” is a key difference. I had my moment of frustration myself.

Fortunately I have never had an issue of either lock-up or lock-out, but vagaries of PID control logic, especially the no-go function of the “D” function is more than enough to muck up the output logic when dealing with the offset timing of solid fuels (pellets) compared to liquid (gaseous) fuels. Add to that WiFi input, or the lack thereof as well as delays in input feedback and you have the potential for a muck-up. But I am convinced that the smaller ex4 is less prone to those vagaries.

 

[Captainmike]

Fortunately I have never had an issue of either lock-up or lock-out, but vagaries of PID control logic, especially the no-go function of the “D” function is more than enough to muck up the output logic when dealing with the offset timing of solid fuels (pellets) compared to liquid (gaseous) fuels. Add to that WiFi input, or the lack thereof as well as delays in input feedback and you have the potential for a mick-up. But I am convinced that the smaller ex4 is less prone to those vagaries.

I actually think the PiD logic is working just fine, really well in fact. I’ve never had an issue with flame out or not able to reach temps since the May update, unless I just had badly forgone cleaning the firepot too long. Actually seems even better recently.

I think there are issues, maybe me, Ahoneyman, whoareya, and Riddle are a representative small sample, with the connect controller itself. Maybe new or now easier to identify common threads that have been there with the new software update. Time will tell and it will be interesting what Weber has to say. I do like that their response this time was to not just ship another part, I mean for me at least everything is new except the cook box itself

 

[JpsBBQ]

Knock on wood, but mine has been performing better than ever. Quicker to get heated up and quicker to change temps. Hope this is not an indicator of what lies ahead for me. Good luck and keep us posted.