The steam system cost a corny keg, a water heater element, a safety valve, and a bunch of electronics that could be replaced with solid state/analog components. It's pretty inexpensive.
I am about 85% complete on my 1 tier stand and my plan is to shift over to AG in the near future. Watching the process is 1000 times better than reading about it. The videos have helped me understand a couple things that I needed to have cleared up for me.
Any chance that you have the schematic/plan for the steam generator? Even better, a complete parts list? I would love to build one.
I saw parts before, now I'm just waiting for the video set once you get your yurt/hut together and your dream system "mostly done"!
You are an idol! Maybe the food network could do a "homebrewers idol" show?
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In Primary: Belgium Chimay clones.
In Secondary: Braggot, pale ale, end of the world white.
Conditioning: Mead, Cider, braggot, Belgium Wheat.
On Tap: Clones, Chimay Blue, Red, Porter, malted cider.
Bottles: Far, far, too many to list.
I don't post the code for my rig because I don't want the liability if someone misunderstands it, uses it to control a steam system, and accidentally blows himself up.
FWIW, it's very simple. I don't use PID. It's just simple on/off control with temp/pressure differentials to prevent short cycling.
FWIW, it's very simple. I don't use PID. It's just simple on/off control with temp/pressure differentials to prevent short cycling.
This is basically what I wanted to know. I understand the liability issue. I just wanted a more in depth look at your process. I'm a mechanical engineering student and have a pretty firm grasp of the physics that goes into building a steam powered rig but my coding skills are close to nil. Luckily, my roommate is a EE/Comp Eng who is also interested in brewing. So hopefully he can help me out with the computer aspects when he gets back from coop.
Although my rig doesn't look simple, I applied as much of the KISS principle as I could when making each component. As a whole, the rig is overcomplicated. However, no single part is all that cosmic, including the code. I don't even use the laptop anymore, nor do I use a networked computer for displaying data like I did for a while. I keep it all contained on the microcontroller, again, to keep things simple.