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When Should the Controller be Tuned?
If the PID parameters we provided are not working for your liking, you can use the
auto-tuning function to let the controller to determine the PID parameters automatically.
Auto-tuning function (it’s often known as self-tuning) can automatically optimize the PID
parameters based on your system. The auto-tuning function will heat up your cooker
then let it cool down, repeating this heat/cool cycle several times. Based on the response
time of the whole cooking system, the controller will calculate and set the PID
parameters for your cooker.
Figure 28. Auto-tune
Before using the auto-tune function, you must set the cooking equipment up in the exact
configuration it will be used. For example, to tune a rice cooker, place the sensor in the
room temperature pot filled with water and plug the cooker into the controller. If the
cooker has its own thermostat or power control, turn both as high as they’ll go. Set the
controller to the appropriate power level (see next Section). Turn the controller and
cooker on, and enter the desired set point temperature closed to your normal cooking
temperature.
To activate auto-tuning, enter Control Config menu. Go to parameter "Auto-tune" and set
it to ON then exit the menu. the display will flash alternately between normal display and
auto-tune notification (Auto-tuning Please wait…), which indicates auto-tuning is in
progress. When the display stops flashing, the auto-tuning is finished. Now, the newly
calculated PID parameters are set and are used for the system. The new parameters will
store in the memory even the power is off.
You should always write down your old PID parameters before fine tuning your controller.
This way if something goes wrong, you can always go back to your old PID parameters.
Or you can use factory reset feature (note 21) to reset all the parameters. The water
amount in the pot should be the same volume as you would have normally used.
Basically, you must setup your cooking system close to your actual cooking environment.
The duration of auto-tuning depends on how fast the system is responding to the heating
