Ready to get this party started... with tons of help of course

kosmokramer said:

Any help or visuals would be great! Im sinking over here...lol. quick question, i didnt see it on the bcs wiki, what hardware requirement are there for the bcs? I pick this touchscreen up for 40 bucks. 233 mhz on windows nt

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BCS runs in your web browser. I use a Atom based computer, sort of like the early generation net books. Any current browser is preferred. I wouldn't run as old as your thinking though. The browser will bog the machine down. On top of that the JavaScript and Java will slow it down more. The BCS isn't fast, but it will be faster than your computer. If you want a cheap touch solution, check eBay for an android tablet, most any could work.

Ahhh thats a bummer, i picked this up with hopes of mounting it to my rig

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221013893292?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

kosmokramer said:

Ahhh thats a bummer, i picked this up with hopes of mounting it to my rig

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221013893292?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

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Since you have it coming, certainly give it a try. You may even be able to upgrade the board. MiniITX setups are small enough you may be able to swap out board and go from there.

kosmokramer said:

Ahhh thats a bummer, i picked this up with hopes of mounting it to my rig

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221013893292?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

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Maybe even try loading Linux or BSD on it. I managed to extend the life of an old AMD AthlonXP (10 years old) for another 6+ months until I moved and lost the ram.

I havent used linux/unix in about ten years since i was in the af. Guessing it a bit more user friendly than it used to be by now? Do you know of any free linux os?

kosmokramer said:

I havent used linux/unix in about ten years since i was in the af. Guessing it a bit more user friendly than it used to be by now? Do you know of any free linux os?

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I only bother with Ubuntu anymore. Easiest to setup, but it may still be too much.

okay so i have a tone of parts and need to get building,,, heres what i have so far...


all (at least most) of the stainless parts for keggle conversions
1 1/2 of the 3 keggles polished
2 25a ssrs
2 40a ssrs
10" heat sink (eta tomarrow)
2 Contactors
2 10 cables with l6-30 plugs
1 enclosure
bcs 460 and 3 probes (eta any day)
CISCO LINKSYS WIRELESS-G WRT54G2
dryer outlet
2 march 809's
outlets and sockets for everything
19' 10/3 with gfi built in

Think i have it all except fot the termials strips, fuses, fuse holders, and resistors... Anything im missing?

kosmokramer said:

Think i have it all except fot the termials strips, fuses, fuse holders, and resistors... Anything im missing?

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silicone tubing and QD's...Grains and hops?

Looks like you are ready to go. have fun with the build.

Bsquared said:

silicone tubing and QD's...Grains and hops?

Looks like you are ready to go. have fun with the build.

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got stainless camlocks from stainless brewing
26' silicone from more beer last weekend
and a fresh sack of grain while i was there! buying grain for 35 a sack makes me happy to live in cali...lol


been meaning to pm you B....I still want to incorporate that jbox into my panel but the one i got is only 16 x12.... im waiting for the bcs and router to get here this week but im determined to fit it all

kosmokramer said:

got stainless camlocks from stainless brewing
26' silicone from more beer last weekend
and a fresh sack of grain while i was there! buying grain for 35 a sack makes me happy to live in cali...lol


been meaning to pm you B....I still want to incorporate that jbox into my panel but the one i got is only 16 x12.... im waiting for the bcs and router to get here this week but im determined to fit it all

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oh,,, and i have 11 ponds of columbus
3 pounds citra
2 pounds centenial
1 chinook
1 perle
1 saaz
4 northern brewer
1 siachi ace
amd a bunch of small 1 oz packs


i need this to be done for some serious brewing!

Finally got a chance to get a bit done







Before blast and paint

Looking good.

hatrickwah said:

Looking good.

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thanks!... figures, as soon as im ready to get this all together back on 60 hour a week.






Hopefully I can have this done by the weekend so i can finish polishing and drilling my kegs so they can go to my buddy's for tiggin. I cant wait!

Finally making progress










this lil fella wanted to watch...lol

kosmokramer said:

F

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First, How F'n hot was it outside when you welded that up, and second NICE job Those kegs look really good!

third What is this piece of equipment in this picture? is that for cutting or bending?

Bsquared said:

First, How F'n hot was it outside when you welded that up, and second NICE job Those kegs look really good!

third What is this piece of equipment in this picture? is that for cutting or bending?

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Ahh man... it was prettywarm. The center supports are still only tacked, i couldnt get myself to go out and finish the welding yesterday... i just may have to put the project on hold till next week. The picture u commented on is a bandsaw to cut steel. I have a chop saw that i used when i made the gate in the background but the bandsaw just make neater cuts so i figured what the hell.

Now i need to figure out where to drill all my holes in the kegs. This part has me worried because if i screw it up now i waste the kegs and all that polishing time...any pointers on where to position the holes?

I think there is a lot of opinions about where to punch or drill the holes for you ports, and it really comes down to your set up. But my advice would be to aim for the center of the flattest portion of the keg, between the ribs. You are going to have the couplers Tig welded in so it should turnout really nice.

you might want to consider using a greenline punch to make your holes too.

My main concern was putting the ripple element too low and not being able to thread it into the coupler or the diptube hitting the element

I know they are a little pricy, but Rota-broaches work really well, I use them all the time at work, so I have a couple of sets. Clean holes without all the hassle of a step drill.
Me personally, I just went with about 2" up from the first rib. I wasn't too overly concerned with placement as I am going to be recirculating the water in my HLT. I was more concerned with having enough room for my herms coil to sit in there. As far as the boil kettle goes, same thing, not a huge concern for me because I don't have to recirculate through it, I am just boiling there. I did my HLT first and did a test session with it with water only to make sure all was good before I did my BK, that way if I did want to change something, I only had to fix one!! Ha ha
Hope this helps!

a bit extra...lol $1 a foot if anyone is interested. Should put it my outlet tomarrow then i can check my cp

its aliiiiveeeee. click for video

You're on the home stretch! Nice job, that's looking really sharp.

I'd be interested in coming to check it out once you're up and brewing with it. I've worked on several gas rigs, but I've not had a chance to check out a fully electric system first hand.

Those are the shiniest keggles I have seen....You must work for the steel company that sels them to Anheiser haha beautiful!

JonW said:

You're on the home stretch! Nice job, that's looking really sharp.

I'd be interested in coming to check it out once you're up and brewing with it. I've worked on several gas rigs, but I've not had a chance to check out a fully electric system first hand.

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Thanks Jon and you are more than welcome to stop by anytime your in the area....(26% brew on tap!)... couldnt have done it without your help and experiences...

version 2.0 will have the butcher block and be automated like yours!

NewBrewB said:

Those are the shiniest keggles I have seen....You must work for the steel company that sels them to Anheiser haha beautiful!

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all the dents are hidden on the backside...lol, like 6 hours per keg in polishing, the first was fun and the other too sucked progressively worse,,,,lol I just need to drill them out now but im apprehensive to ruin all the polish work,,,lol

Kosmo - You have dimension for that stand or did you just wing it?

Fritztheelephant said:

Kosmo - You have dimension for that stand or did you just wing it?

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I owe the stand to JonW, I added the corner supports and arm for panel mount

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/single-tier-3-pump-bcs-462-automated-rig-204705/index3.html

Do you recall the thickness of the square tubing that you used?

Fritztheelephant said:

Do you recall the thickness of the square tubing that you used?

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I used 2x2x1/8 thick. It runs 19 bucks for 20 foot section over here. I bought 3 pieces and have like 10 feet left over after the corner gussets and panel mount

Back from the welder late this evening... tomarrow is cleanup and assembly of the keggles.

99% finished! Just need to write the bcs processes and fix a couple small bugs but almost there. This has been a long road

That looks great! In looking back through your thread, I saw you were asking about an alarm buzzer on the BCS. Don't know if you ever got that figured out, but I just did a write up on how to do it at the BCS forum. http://www.embeddedcc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1766

I noticed your pumps are mounted under the shelf. I like the idea of keeping them out of the way but I also like being able to dump mine out to drain them. Am I missing something in your design?

NewBrewB said:

I noticed your pumps are mounted under the shelf. I like the idea of keeping them out of the way but I also like being able to dump mine out to drain them. Am I missing something in your design?

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Nope! You found one of the flaws i did not account for. As soon as i uncoupled the camlocks i had water everywhere. I was at morebeer friday though and noticed they had mounting plates which were basically a stainless piece o sheet with bent edges so the it can be affixed to the stand and the pump itself just slides in and out.

When i build version 2.0 i willl probably incorporate that into my desjgn

JonW said:

That looks great! In looking back through your thread, I saw you were asking about an alarm buzzer on the BCS. Don't know if you ever got that figured out, but I just did a write up on how to do it at the BCS forum. http://www.embeddedcc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1766

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Thanks jon... i have learned alot from your postings. If you are ever in the inland empire feel free to hit me up to check it out