Drat, just noticed they sent me 240vac SSRs instead of 120vac. I assume this won't work? Maybe it will, if its rated for 240v it should do 120v I guess.
Those are fine. 240 is a maximum.
Drat, just noticed they sent me 240vac SSRs instead of 120vac. I assume this won't work? Maybe it will, if its rated for 240v it should do 120v I guess.
But I know one user extended the probe wire for a long run, and also ran it through the compressor of a Snapple fridge
I tripped over this thread today and have become seriously interested in this. This would allow setting mash volume and turning a pump on and then off after strike temp is hit.
Digital Sight Glass
Details?! Parts list?! Pics?!
I was interested in the digital sight gauge for a couple of reasons. One would be to pump in strike water to a certain volume, second would be to fly sparge at a certain volume. If I start getting into solenoid valves it can get even more interesting. First task will be to hit mash volume and maintain sparge level. Right now I just use the BCS for temp monitoring as I need to do the electrical to get the SSRs online to control my pumps.
Float switches are probably the most economical. And easy to interface to the BCS-460 - connect one wire to +5V, and the other to a Din. So if Din=On, the switch is closed, Off = open.
Another option that I just ran across on the web:
Check these out:
http://sensing.honeywell.com/index.cfm/ci_id/140802/la_id/1/document/1/re_id/0
These sensors look very cool, and easy to interface to the BCS. But they're a little pricey. They work by using an internal LED, and when the no liquid is present all of the light is reflected back. When liquid covers the dome, some light escapes, and the sensor sends a 5V on/off back to the controller. I wonder what it does in the presence of foam (or splashes). Anyone use anything like this before?
The Temperature Sensors that are compatible with the BCS is neither a type K thermocouple nor an RTD sensor. They are 10K ohm thermistors. From what I've seen, they are very sensitive to slight changes in temperature.
Adam, a few questions;
First one's about that stainless Honeywell liquid level probe. The end of the lens sticking below the stainless body looks rather short like 1/8" or less. This must cause many short pump start and stop cycles with a rather narrow liquid level change. Has anyone operated or tested one of these probes and know for a fact the level difference between it switching on and off? How many pump cycles per minute with this produce with a normal mash sparge? I measured a one gallon raise of level in a 15.5 gallon Anheuser Bush keg by 1.25" in a keggle. If that probes lens is sticking below the sainless body by 1/8" that would be a 12.8 oz every pump cycle, I bet less as it will shut off before the lens is completly exposed to the air with enough LED light reflected back to the photo cell before the lens is completly exposed. This would cause less than an 1/8" level change with many pump cycles plus less than the 12.8 oz of fluid pumped per cyle.
Well I will tell you what. I like the idea of a digital sight glass. This idea is not new however. The technology has been around in the industrial sector for a long time. Making it cheap enough for a home brewery with out a whole lot of fuss for an end user is an interesting challenge. I have been following that thread as well. I have dreamed up a simpler plan that is not digital, but does the job just as well, the only issue is that you still have to manually set the float for your volumes, and you still have a regular sight glass. I will shoot an email to Adam to see if an add on module for a BCS to do say, digital volume and perhaps PH is a productive avenue for future expansion or if there is a way to do it with the current set up that I just am not seeing. S.
1) Embedded Control Concepts: Products
2) Think of it this way, you get all the equipment that you need for your HERMS minus the PID(s). It is 2.5x the price, but you also get more control over everything. With my current RIMS plan (draft is around here somewhere), the only thing I need to do is click the program start and switch hoses at the sparge. All temps/processes are controlled.
3) Yes. I think I answered it above.
4) Adam updated all the software before the public release. Also, much of the PID control and some of the states is very open-sourced. It is the users that make suggestions to improve the software. There's more information on the forum and the wiki on the site that I posted above.
I would suggest getting this over a PID. I put a lot of thought into it before I bought mine. The road isn't necessarily paved, but there are a lot of smart people that now considering this unit.
I also have to mention, I have not brewed with this yet, but have tinkered with the software states. I'm aiming to be able to brew with this come March/April. I have to replace the conduit to my garage with PVC before I can get it wired for 240V 30A service.
Well, almost. Probes flow into the box, the BCS-460. The BCS is not controlled by your computer. But you do need a computer to monitor and interact with the BCS. Think if it this way.. The BCS is itself a small standalone computer. It sits on your home network. The BCS hosts web pages, that you access through your network, to monitor and kick off control processes. Switches can be wired to inputs of the BCS to cause the desired behavior that you program.1) Is there a place where I can read a full description on how this really works? I understand that all your probes flow into the box and that is controlled by your computer-- but what about switches and such?
BCS-460+SSRs = 6 pids. There are 4 probe inputs, and 6 outputs, each can be uniquely pid controlled. You can associate any output with any temperature input, so you could think of it as a 6-stage temp controller.2) Assuming I have 3 burners, kettles, a stand, laptop, etc -- what would I need to buy to get a HERMS setup built with this gadget? It seems like this option would be no more expensive than a traditional HERMS but have a lot of upside.
Yes, people have done exactly this.3) Can I program the controller to do a completely automated step mash from room temperature?
The firmware can be updated when new revisions are released. I maintain the firmware of the BCS-460, and will provide updates for bug fixes and feature requests going foreword. The current version of the firmware is thoroughly tested, 2.5 months of beta testing, and the community of owners is constantly growing. There have been scores of brewdays BCS controlled. Not to mention fermentations, and christmas lights4) What's the software support going to be for this thing going forward?
I havent' tried these sensors myself, but according to the datasheet it has a hysteresis of 2mm, with a repeatability of +-1mm. As slnies mentioned, if you are worried about the pump switching too often, you can program the BCS-460 to use internal timers to make your own hysteresis, no problem.Has anyone operated or tested one of these probes and know for a fact the level difference between it switching on and off?
There is an expansion port for future additions. Ph control isn't currently in plan.Is there room for expansion to handle a Ph control should someone want to add a Ph system later to their BCS-460 controller?
No worries Carl, I'll keep a controller with your name on it. Concentrate on getting better. AdamCarl the human pincushion.
Solid state relay.. Takes the 5VDC control output from the BCS and switches 120-240VAC on or off.
To me that means:
o82u3u9843fpa9j48fjapoijjh4eajfpoiejfpoiewajfoewajfoijewaoijeaoif on or off
How's about this. You wire some ethernet wire to the SSR (from the BCS) as well as the HOT side of the power. The BCS sends a signal over the ethernet wire to turn on the SSR and let the current go through.
I like metaphors, so here we go.
Let's say the current is a car driving on the street. The BCS is the controller for a Railroad crossing and the SSR is the gate at the crossing. When the gate is down, the car cannot go through. When the gate is up, the car can pass.
For all the techies, I know that this example is for NC SSRs, but it still works in layman's terms.
4) How long is the waiting list right now?
Correct.So essentially -- the BCS doesn't handle the power of some of the switches/instruments so you use an SSR as an adapter of sorts to speak between the BCS and the switches?
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