Firmware Update for Pit Boss Pro Series 850?

[Schvoontz]

I called Pit Boss support. Funny thing, the website was down for all registrations. The representative assured me that the website and product registration page will be functional again "soon". Don't get me wrong, by the way. The rep was a GREAT guy... even though he could only provide vague information that didn't really help a lot.

We discussed the issue with the huge temp increments on the Pit Boss Pro 850. I asked him if there was an update coming for the 850. He said that for some reason, people who bought the 1150 got what they wanted in the form of an upgrade that allows for 10 degree heat control increments. He also said that 850 owners had better not hold their breath for a firmware upgrade that would allow for finer temp control.

He sent me a new controller, but it was exactly the same one, and it has the same huge 25 and 50 degree temperature jumps as the old one.

I am SO disappointed. I would have recommended this grill to anyone who asked. However, I will certainly not recommend ANY Pit Boss product to any of my friends or acquaintances. The fact that they built such a nice grill, only to have it not really function... And then to ignore all of the 850 owners who just want a new firmware flash to allow for 10 degree increments. It's so sad. I believe that it'd take Pit Boss devs about 5 minutes to write a bit of code that would fix this issue.

I'm going to sell this thing and get something else. The temp increments are a drag, but what's even worse is knowing that Pit Boss is totally ignoring us by the thousands. Way to go, Pit Boss. Way to go.

'Byeeeeeeeeee.

 

[Schvoontz]

I wanted to add another example of this situation (getting shipped an old board again). Thanks to this thread, I was able to get PitBoss support to help (the 2nd person I spoke with was super helpful and was like "yea, no problem...we'll get that sent out"...the 1st guy was clueless and said it didn't exist).

After ~1 week wait, my new 850 board arrived and I just finished installing it. Unfortunately, it is the exact same board that I had in there already (part #: 80146; (L01)) and does not have the 10 deg. increments. I just got off with PitBoss support and the 1st person I spoke with was super helpful and confirmed it looked like they mistakenly sent me the old board & were putting in a new order to send me out the correct one now. She mentioned they were "cycling through them" and someone made an error. She also confirmed that the new board is the same part #: 80146, so I expect that is part of the problem/confusion. You would hope they had a new part # to track the new boards. Fingers-crossed I get the correct one this time...will report back in a week or so.

*I bought my PB850PS2 from Lowe's on July 1st, 2021*

Yup. Exact same experience here. Suuuuper bummed out. Pit Boss, take the measly amount of time it would take to write a firmware flash for this controller and make this right, please. This issue is really a drag, but what really burns my bacon is that they just ignore us. All of us. The aggravation comes not so much from the problem itself.... the aggravation comes from being treated like garbage.

 

[Schvoontz]

I think we 850 owners need to start pressuring Pit Boss to the point they concede that their controllers need to be updated like the ones on the 1150. Maybe with enough calls about that temperature GAP, the missing NEEDED temperature settings they might get something going. I like to cook at 250* a lot and when set to 250* it really is only at 220* - 230*, so I play the same game you do to try to keep 250* , turn up to 300* (gets too hot) then turn down to 250* (really 230*) just to maintain 250* App Assist told me that they probably will eventually but it won't be for a while. So maybe WE need to push them a little harder.
If we had 10 degree increments, that would solve the problems like we are having.

It appears that a lot of us have called Pit Boss, to no avail. This is ridiculous. NINE THOUSAND VIEWS, six pages of responses, tons of customer service experiences that did nothing for anyone, identical controllers with the same problem sent to us over and over again.... What a slap in the face.

 

[Jaybod]

It appears that a lot of us have called Pit Boss, to no avail. This is ridiculous. NINE THOUSAND VIEWS, six pages of responses, tons of customer service experiences that did nothing for anyone, identical controllers with the same problem sent to us over and over again.... What a slap in the face.

Some have gotten the 10 degree increments..I know I have a controller that I sent in to pitboss and was returned while I'm away on holidays. I was told that it has been re programmed to the 1p degree increments. However I won't be able to confirm this until I install it when I am back on the weekend. There is also another person on here that has gotten there's changed as well. It all comes down too which agent you get when you call in

 

[Schvoontz]

Some have gotten the 10 degree increments..I know I have a controller that I sent in to pitboss and was returned while I'm away on holidays. I was told that it has been re programmed to the 1p degree increments. However I won't be able to confirm this until I install it when I am back on the weekend. There is also another person on here that has gotten there's changed as well. It all comes down too which agent you get when you call in

It'd be great if someone who has a working controller could perhaps post a part number so that we can all get our brand-new grills fixed. I haven't seen anyone post here that they have found a true solution with a new controller part number, or post a picture of their 850 controller set to a temperature of, say, 235 degrees. Either or both would be fantastic.

 

[Jaybod]

It'd be great if someone who has a working controller could perhaps post a part number so that we can all get our brand-new grills fixed. I haven't seen anyone post here that they have found a true solution with a new controller part number, or post a picture of their 850 controller set to a temperature of, say, 235 degrees. Either or both would be fantastic.

From what I have heard is the part number is the same. I believe the one guy that got his programmed to the 10 degree did state that the part number is still the same but when the controller is turned on it showed a different firmware number

I can try to post that picture of the temperature if mine has been programmed correctly when I am back from holidays

 

[Jjsaustin]

I was told they do not have a firmware update for the 850, only for the 1150.

Maybe that's the real story and why they end up sending out the controller??

 

[Jaybod]

I was told they do not have a firmware update for the 850, only for the 1150.

Maybe that's the real story and why they end up sending out the controller??

I do believe they have the capability to change the temp increments on the 850. However all the new 850 are coming this way already so there is away for it to happen. Perhaps they just don't feel like recoding all the controllers?

 

[Jaybod]

So yes it can be programmed. Got back from holidays reprogrammed controller was delivered installed tonight and van see it goes by 10 degree up to 300 degrees. I am trying to post a picture but says file to large

 

[Jaybod]

 

[Jaybod]

View attachment 1582View attachment 1582View attachment 1582

There is the pic set to 230....talk to your pitboss agents cause it can be done

 

[Boats]

I do not recall when I started smoking, probably somewhere in the 80's. The pellet smokers are a new adventure for me though. Last week I smoked two pork shoulders in the 1150. I set the temp at 230f and let her go for 15 hours. I should have trimmed a bit more as when done I had more of a fat mess than normal, my fault. I should have set the temp a little lower and reduced the time by an hour or two for a better product. Interestingly, the left side of the smoker produced less heat than the right side resulting in a higher internal temp for the shoulder on the right and it was the larger of the two. This was done in Alaska over a cool night (50's out). It will take a few such adventures to learn this particular machines idiosyncrasies. They all have them.

 

[MikeInFla]

Yep, there is a learning curve when using pellet smokers. Once you get the hang of it it's easy.

 

[Boats]

Yep, there is a learning curve when using pellet smokers. Once you get the hang of it it's easy.

I like what I'm seeing and I think this 1150 is going to be a great deal of fun, at least for half the year. I suspect in Florida ya all ha a lot more of the year to play with. Now I need to figure out how to "smoke" baked goods. Meatloaf was an adventure.

 

[MikeInFla]

I like what I'm seeing and I think this 1150 is going to be a great deal of fun, at least for half the year. I suspect in Florida ya all ha a lot more of the year to play with. Now I need to figure out how to "smoke" baked goods. Meatloaf was an adventure.

baked good are easy but again you have to play around with it a bit. I have done banana bread several times and baked a homemade blueberry pie. It's a lot of fun to use.