Cook stove controller on electric smoker?

Thermodisc makes the ones you're looking for. They sell mostly to appliance OEMs, so the unit price in quantity will be right. OEM & quantity are the important concepts here! They supply samples, though, so they might sell you one. Or give you one if you ask nicely.

Hmmm...more sources--this time on the institutional rather than industrial side:

Have fun!

Thanks for the replies, but most of what I saw is out of my price range. This is a smoker that was given to me and I'm trying to build the heat control for cheap. It doesn't have to have the thermostat control on it. If I can just "turn it down" like a dimmer switch does a light bulb I would be very happy. I have the surface controls from an electric range and would like to figure out how to make these work. I have a few friends who would like to do the same with theirs and it would be great if I could just make a few extension cords with dimmers in them that would work for them. Any suggestions on making the stove controls work? Thanks!

snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote:

These things are just a bimetal strip and a contact. The knob bends the strip closer or farther away. I imagine the problem is the heater on the strip is sized for 240v. It may be easier to go buy a 120v "hot plate" control. They are not that expensive at the appliance supply

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Or you could use a standard light dimmer, with the correct power rating. It is after all a resistive device.

Take a look at the price of a 1500 watt dimmer. :-(

Ed

Take the triac out of a cheap one and replace it with one (with heatsink) of the appropriate rating and gate sensitivity (to match the original). Replace the filter inductor with one capable of taking the new maximum current.

Or just make your own from scratch - it is only half a dozen components and the wiring (other than mains safety) is not critical.