The NI Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) platform gave BMF Cooks another tool in the BBQ pit when they went to competition at the 2010 Austin Rodeo. By monitoring the temperature of the various meats as they cooked in addition to providing temperature gradient information inside the pits, NI WSN measurement nodes enabled the cooks to supply rodeogoers with delicious, perfectly-cooked BBQ that was worthy of second place in the 29th annual Austin Rodeo BBQ competition.
BMF Cooks is a collection of NI Employees that have turned their love of BBQ into a non-profit organization benefiting an Austin-based youth scholarship fund. This is their 5th year competing at the Austin rodeo, and their highest finish so far in the competition.
The LabVIEW-powered application used a combination of WSN-3212 thermocouple measurement nodes and WSN-3291 outdoor enclosures to monitor eight temperature channels on each of the two BBQ pits. A conveniently-placed computer monitor allowed hungry patrons to view cooking temperatures and pit temperatures while they were served their dishes. The newly-released NI 9792 Programmable WSN Gateway used an integrated web server to publish the temperature data to the web, so that patrons could monitor the status of the meats on their smart phones while roaming the fairgrounds, alerting them when the freshest round of BBQ was ready to be served.
