Blind person seeking controller!

[Blind Egghead]

Hello pitmaster club I am actually legally blind using adaptive technology on my phone and computer and handheld magnifier's to read the temperature gauges and such. I've been cooking on a large Big Green Egg for over 23 years and I am having a drum cooker built by Hunsaker that will have three-quarter inch ball valve for a temperature controller.

I understand people will say you do NOT need a temperature controller for a Big Green Egg or a drum cooker however, me being legally blind I feel it would be nice to be able to monitor my cooks on my phone using voiceover or a magnifier.

The controllers I am considering are Flame Boss 500, FireBoard 2 Drive or Pro and Thermo Works Signals with bellos fan.

Trying to make sure the controller is accessible for the blind/visually impaired and I know 100% Flame Boss 400 or 500 definitely is.

Concerns on each:

Flame Boss 500

If I want the FlameBoss, I have to buy a second fan with a separate adapter to fit both BGE and Hunsaker (3/4" threaded ball valve) which is frustrating as I thought I can just have two adapters and move the fan back-and-forth.

The only other thing I do not love about the FlameBoss is there probes are only rated up to 420° where as Thermo Works and FireBoard have some that go up to 570° and 700 with of course the FireBoard pro can go up to 1100°

Is it true I can purchase thermal couples with higher rating say from Thermo Works and use on a FlameBoss 500?


FireBoard 2 Drive or Pro

The problem with the FireBoard 2 or Pro is they do not have a three-quarter inch ball valve adapter meaning I would have to get another adapter to connect a 1 inch to a three-quarter which seems less than ideal to me.

Tech Support is not 100% sure if it is accessible for the blind or visually impaired. However, I did install their app on my iPhone and it seems to work fine with my voice over(screen reading tool). I do love the giant display on the unit, especially if you toggle and only show one channel at a time!

I've read some complaints that, although FireBoard is rocksolid, their probes are less than desirable. But then again, I understand people purchase probes from ThermoWorks to use on their fire boards.

ThermoWorks Signals w/Bellos fan

I have an old ThermoWorks Smoke thermometer I've been using for years with a handheld magnifier with no problem. I don't know how the signals would work with the app and accessibility.

Thermo Works tells me they do have a three-quarter inch ball valve adapter and I can keep my adapters on each unit and simply move the fan to whichever one I want to use.

Although seems like a very solid product, I don't like the idea that you need a separate power supply for the bellos fan, which seems cumbersome to me.
I do not like that. It constantly shows four channels at a time making it difficult for me to see even using a handheld magnifier. I wish there was a way you can toggle back-and-forth from one channel at a time similar to FireBoard.


Would certainly love any advice on which controller could be best for me. Currently, I am leaning to the FlameBoss 500 especially if I know I can purchase thermal couplers from say Thermo Works that would work on the FB 500. I'd like to get the ones that are competition, real skinny needle for small meats, as well as some of their higher rated cables that can go up to 720°.

Also, Flame Boss has a deal if anybody purchases a FlameBoss 500 through the end of this year and puts "FBT" in check out, you can get a free FlameBoss thermometer valued at $60 for free! And this device is also accessible for the blind/visually impaired.

Thank you for listening to me ramble and look forward to your advice!
Joey

[LA Pork Butt]

I cook on a Big Green Egg and have used BBQ Guru’s PartyQ which doesn’t have a WiFi capability and is essentially a blower. I currently use Smobot which I like a lot, because it isn’t a blower, but it controls temperature by adjusting the top vent and drafting air through the bottom vent. It is WiFi capable and comes with two meat probes.

[Blind Egghead]

I've heard wonderful things about the Smobot but I'm looking for one controller that can be interchangeable between a Big Green Egg and a Hunsaker drum smoker.

[Bob K]

I’ve used an Auber, a PartyQ, the Thermoworks with bellows, the original FireBoard, and the FireBoard 2. Obviously it’s been a journey, lol, but the journey is over. All the fans and controllers do pretty much as advertised but the FireBoard has IMHO the best app and user-friendliness features, its probes are as good as thermoworks, and you can have up to 6 probes. Definitely FireBoard 2 for me. Pro version lets you use the fancy K thermocouples, but that’s unimportant to me.

[Blind Egghead]

I really like the FireBoard however, they told me they do not have an adapter to fit the three-quarter inch threaded ball valve. And then not knowing if it is definitely accessible for the blind or visually impaired makes it even more difficult. So not sure what to do or if there is a workaround of getting an adapter to make it fit my three-quarter inch threaded ball valve.

[Bob K]

Fairly common issue, lots of different sizes out there. You can definitely find a reducing adapter. Home Depot or McMaster-Carr. As for visually accessible, I’m sorry, I don’t know. But I imagine that, like most apps, you don’t know until you try it. I can tell you that the FB base unit has the largest LCD display of any of them, in terms of the size of the numbers.

[Donw]

Not sure what apps or devices you have but I often make use of the Fireboard skill for Alexa which allows me to ask my Fireboard what my probe temperatures are and the Alexa app responds using voice to read them to me. I use it when monitoring an overnight cook so I can stay in bed instead of having to get dressed and go outside during the night.