new system build and need input

Got all the parts needed for the circuit except the power supplies. China's slow boats are getting faster haha. Setup a bread board with the circuit on it and am going to run some tests on it to make sure my calculations for current draw etc. are correct before I plug it into my DAQ card and blow out the I/O's on it (my nodal analysis is a little rusty and don't quite trust it). Have to wait until I go back to work after the 1st or the power supplies show up, which ever comes first to fire it up and test it out. If all works out I will be building the circuit board and wiring the system up for initial automated tests by sometime next week. This will get me partially automated. Just the temp and the pumps right now. The valves will have to wait until I can buy some electric ones.

Got the power supplies! I did the test circuit and I was right had to adjust I/O input resistor to 1.5K ohm to reduce input current draw to acceptable level. While doing all this, I decided to use the DAQ as an address input to the PLC. This way I can setup the ladder logic to use a sequence of the input switches to determine whats on or off on the rig and still use the DAQ to monitor the thermalcouples at the same time and makes it easier to control the whole thing in labview. So far I am wiring the interface board together, writing some ladder logic to test my address theory, and wiring the whole thing together on the PLC. Once this is all done, I should be ready to run some tests on the whole assembled rig except for the electrovalves which I haven't purchased yet. They will be the last part of this assembly.

Did the ladder logic and it works as planned so I have 16 outputs that I can control by what address I present on the 8 inputs. I also got interface board almost finished. Here is a picture of it. I am now working on updating the schematic to show the new wiring configuration and will post that as soon as I am done with that. Will post some more progress later.

Here is the updated schematic.

got some bad news today as I was testing the setup noticed thermocouples were not registering any temp values. Turns out the DAQ card is not working properly so I have to get another one. Bummer. But on a lighter note, got the PLC mounted to the electronics bracket along with the interface board and the two power supplies and am starting to wire it all together. I got a bead on another DAQ I can use so I will let everyone know if it goes through or not.

Here's a picture of the electronics cradle with the PLC and interface board installed. Now I have to put the 18 relays that the PLC will control on it also and then mount it under the diamond plate of the rig.

Good news! Got another DAQ for 100.00 off ebay. It should be here sometime next week. With it installed I should be controlling the PLC and monitoring the temps by end of next week. I also ordered a couple relays and bases so I can start laying out the 18 relays on the electronics cradle and they should be here by this weekend. This thing is getting close to done.

Success! I received the DAQ today and installed it in my PC and it works! So far I hooked up the PC to the "electronics cradle" and ran the software to verify it controls the PLC correctly and that is all good. PLC is switching like its supposed too and the thermocouples are reading temps. So all is left is to receive the relays I ordered and wire them into the circuit and install the elctro valves but I still have to order them. Once this is done the rig will be ready to cook beer with full blown automation!

Fine tuned software today it works great. Also ordered the relay bases, so when they get here I will wire them up and install the relays. This thing is getting close to done enough to cook a batch.

got the software done. Here is a picture of the front panel. If anyone interested in using this software let me know. I can send you a copy of the executable.

Why do you need a burner under the mash tun?

Here are the final schematic drawings and ladder logic for the PLC. Sorry about the quality of pictures this site only likes certain size files for types and gif's seem to load the best.

Well people here is the finished control unit assembly. Now all that's left is to mount it under the diamond plate on the rig and wire it to the controls themselves. Hopefully I will have that done by the end of the week and be ready to do a trail run with water only.

Holy ****.

What language is the EXE? VB?

The GUI is in labview which runs the interface board which switches latched inputs to the PLC which controls the relays for all my motors and valves etc.

Just to update I mounted the control unit to the bottom under the diamond plate and wired it up. This thing works great! I ran just water through it yesterday to test the whole process and it passed (execpt for two little leaks I gotta touch up my pipe sweating skills). Now I have to make a beer with it. The fireflies work great. I get a flame everytime. I also have put in thermalcouples in the burner area to monitor temp from the flame. If I don't get the response I want from the thermalcouples it shuts the gas off as a safety precausion although the burners have ignited everytime so far but you can't be to safe. Here's a picture of the whole rig. I still have to buy the valves for it so until then I have to switch them manually. When I sell off the last PLC I got I will be able to get them.

As for the burner under the mash tun it's for step mashing and heating up the water to mash in temp.

I will let you know how the first beer went in it and update you when I get the valves in.

Here are some more pictures.

more pictures

Not sure which valves you were looking for or if you got them yet but these here are Belimo TR24, SS 1/2" solenoid ball valves for ~$50.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trk...3&_nkw=belimo+tr24&_sacat=0&_from=R40&afsrc=1

Thanks for the info on the valves. They look promising

Well the last PLC sold so now I will be able to buy the valves! Will update when I get them in and installed.

I hope all the stuff under the diamond plate gets some sort of enclosure....in the midst of hectic brewing days, I have successfully overflowed my HLT, Mash Kettle, Boil Kettle, Fermenter(s), and usually some sanitizing and waste buckets too. On my most recent brew, I overflowed the HLT, BK and MK all in the same day.....trying to do too much at once....oops.

diamond plate is one solid piece and overlaps the frame a bit I have spilt plenty on it already testing and it just rolls off the plate onto the floor so I think it will be ok for now.

Plus the electronics are under the HLT I hope I don't have a problem heating up water on that side of unit.

Just put the valves on order from ebay. Soon I will be totally automated!

Woohoo! DHL delivers fast got my valves and soldered them in. All I have to do now is wire them to the relays and test them out. That will be done here real soon! Picture and results to follow.

Well here it is! All done and tested and ready to make beer. I installed the valves and finalized the build today. Tested out all functionality etc. and it works great!

Have enjoyed watching your progress reports for your brewery.

Are you doing the temperature/burner control algorithm in the PLC?

Did you end up having to shell out the bucks for the thermocouple module? Any reason you chose TC vs. RTD probes?

Great build and great narrative!

I used the labview QUI to control and monitor the ignition process and the TC's that sense if a flame is present so if it doesn't lite then it shuts down the gas. Instead of buying a TC module for the PLC I found a PCI slot DAQ for a fraction of the price of the TC module that I installed in the PC that reads all 7 TC's and through my interface board I made, controls the inputs to the PLC. The program in the PLC turns on outputs according to what input was flipped on by the DAQ. I went with TC's because they were easy to work with and readily available.

Looks awesome! Great job!

Well I won this barrel from Bubba's Barrels from the vendor give away. Any thaughts on what to do with it? 43 gallons is pretty big.

Use it as a base for some solera-style blending.

What's solera-style blending? Do you need the burner to do that?

Sorry I didn't see the burner. Solera is the method of blending sherry. Usually you'd use a wooden cask of some sort (actually you'd use three). Traditionally there would be one cask with old, one with intermediate and one with new brew. Blending works like this: remove a portion of the old cask for bottling or consumption. Then top of the old cask with brew out of the intermediate cask. Top off the intermediate cask with brew from the new cask. Top off the new cask with wort.
See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solera
With one 43g barrel you could do some modification of that procedure to keep a really old brew going, which is what I would do if I had the room and barrel for it.

that sounds cool but that would be alot of beer and I feel I would not be able to drink that much to keep it going like that. I'd have to get all my friends over all the time to drink it. Hey wait that sounds fun too! PARTY!!!!

That was the next suggestion I was gonna add: just brew a bbl of beer together with some buddies.
But, returning to the solera idea: you wouldn't have to bottle a lot at a time, just replace what you've taken with fresh wort and the rest can continue to age - that's the beauty of it! And with basic beer ingredients being not all that expensive when bought in bulk, this could be manageable at that scale.
Or, use the barrel for club brew-offs. This can offer the opportunity to really evaluate yeasts or ferm conditions: brew up 35g o beer and divide it up in batches of 5 gals. Then pitch a different yeast in each of them. Or, pitch the same yeast but subject each batch to different fermentation environments and do blinded taste tests together with your pals.
If unsure as to where you can get an appropriately sized MLT: many European countries don't have quantity restrictions for home brewers so a lot of German home brewers build their MLTs from this:
http://www.ikea.com/de/de/catalog/products/90102971/
Apparently it needs some lumber for support, but a lot of people report it works well. If you already have a manifold it should be easy to adapt.

That's a cool idea. Just might do that.

Also, kudos for your beautiful setup.

Thanks. I did it all on a shoestring budget. Worked out nice.

I'd use it to brew a giant double batch. I tend to load my Mash Tun up too much (40#) then I can never sparge enough into my keggle to get all the sugars so my efficiency goes to crap. If I had a 43gal barrel, I'd mash 40# of grain then collect 18 or 19 gallons into the barrel, fire up the burner to get it close to boiling while mashing-in another ~40# of grain and collecting another 18 or 19 gallons then starting the boil. Then you could use that wort to fill up a lot of fermenters and try several different yeasts.