Greetings loyal Four-Thirtiers.....
Picture the scene, the last weekend of a sizzling summer, the last chance to impress friends with a traditional Texas BBQ party, the last chance to cook that perfect medium steak without it ending up more well done than a well done thing…
But wait a minute, what temperature do I need? How do I tell if it’s cooked? Uh oh, stress levels rising and….. Cheezeboiger, Cheezboiger, Cheezeboiger, Cheezboiger.... Once again it's burger time at the "Chez Smith".
If only I’d had access to a quick and easy way to check for the perfect cooking temperature. If only I’d known about the new 430BOOST-ADS1118 BoosterPack.
This nifty little BoosterPack features the ultra-low-power ADS1118 16-bit sigma-delta ADC to provide a precision thermocouple temperature measurement solution. The BoosterPack also includes a backlit 16x2 LCD display, an office-annoying buzzer, a K-Type thermocouple and an MSP430G2553 MCU which is pre-programmed with a nice demo example so you can get up and running straight away measuring temperature and creating setpoint threshold alarms.
This combination would be the ideal starting point for a great grilling partner by adding a food grade thermocouple probe and ensuring the unit is properly tested and calibrated.
What other uses are out there for this combination? How about an automated coffee warmer management system, or a crayfish environmental monitoring system (Bobby Crayfish would clack his claws at this one....)
Full MSP430 "sauce" code is available for this recipe, enabling a quick starting point for your own projects, there is also a useful precision thermocouple measurement application report which gives some great pointers on how the ADS1118 can be used to create a thermocouple interface.
For full details and documentation on this great new BoosterPack please click the following link 430BOOST- ADS1118 and for details on how to cook a great steak ask a chef.
Stay tuned & happy grilling
~ Dave "Cheezeboiger" Smith
