Anybody heard anything about the latest timeline on the SS Brewtech SVBS?

[Hwk-I-St8]

As usual, the date it becomes available seems to keep pushing back. I could swear that last winter it was supposed to be out in the spring. I'm still waiting. The only reason I haven't gone another direction is that I'm still getting settled in the new house and haven't wired up the 240 yet.

I'm gonna move on without them if they don't get moving soon.

 

[RockfordWhite]

At HBC they indicated mid to late fall if I recall correctly. Based on some of their more recent product reveals, I’m going to bet their SVBS is going to be significantly more expensive than the competitors. Additionally, their controllers are very mediocre compared to others. FWIW

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

At HBC they indicated mid to late fall if I recall correctly. Based on some of their more recent product reveals, I’m going to bet their SVBS is going to be significantly more expensive than the competitors. Additionally, their controllers are very mediocre compared to others. FWIW

Why do you say their controllers are mediocre? I like that they're voltage regulated instead of simply cycling power on and off.

Also, their eBIAB system is priced similarly to others (cheaper than the High Gravity Wort hog, which was another contender for me), as is their single element controller. The cube is cheaper, but they're not outlandish for a controller with support for two pumps. It would work very nicely for my planned kettle RIMS rig.

 

[augiedoggy]

I'm guessing it lacks the "cool factor" of not looking like you can launch a space shuttle from it... I think the elevator buttons are kinda cool myself...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Silver-Met...203705&hash=item4b64cc8812:g:7PEAAOSwMMJc6WTC


Better than the 50 cent rocker switches the worthog uses.. The omron pid they use is a solid performer.. better than most you find on this type of thing.

 

[RockfordWhite]

Why do you say their controllers are mediocre? I like that they're voltage regulated instead of simply cycling power on and off.

Also, their eBIAB system is priced similarly to others (cheaper than the High Gravity Wort hog, which was another contender for me), as is their single element controller. The cube is cheaper, but they're not outlandish for a controller with support for two pumps. It would work very nicely for my planned kettle RIMS rig.

Any PID controller will regulate the voltage rather than cycling the power off, so if you compare the PID they use to the ones that have the EZBOIL there are much more features on that. Even the brew commander has more personalizations etc. The PID used in the SS system, from what i've seen is super basic. Another issue I have had with spike more recently is they are moving more and more to proprietary parts etc. So if you wanted to use their controller w/ something that isn't a spike element, you would have to rewire the thermometer, not hard, just a pain in the ass.

I am basing my assessment on the price on the fact that the last few products they have released (grain mill, RIMS, price i was told for plate chiller at HBC), were all magnitudes higher than a comparable version (not a budget version).

 

[augiedoggy]

Any PID controller will regulate the voltage rather than cycling the power off, so if you compare the PID they use to the ones that have the EZBOIL there are much more features on that. Even the brew commander has more personalizations etc. The PID used in the SS system, from what i've seen is super basic. Another issue I have had with spike more recently is they are moving more and more to proprietary parts etc. So if you wanted to use their controller w/ something that isn't a spike element, you would have to rewire the thermometer, not hard, just a pain in the ass.

I am basing my assessment on the price on the fact that the last few products they have released (grain mill, RIMS, price i was told for plate chiller at HBC), were all magnitudes higher than a comparable version (not a budget version).

PIDs actually regulate temps by cycling on and off via duty cycle they do NOT normally regulate voltage.. same goes for the ezboil... it just has mash timers and such built in which half the people dont use. I upgraded from one to the other and then back to a regular pid (software based now) and dont really miss it.

 

[Bobby_M]

It's true that most PIDs do control power output by turning the element on and off per the programmed minimum cycle time but in fairness, the Ezboil runs an extremely short cycle time making it function almost like an SCR control. I'm one of those Ezboil users that make use of the mash and the boil timers so I put these functions above having a slightly sexier display (Omron). As I've argued in other threads, no other controller has the boil acceleration feature of the Ezboil and it's a significant advantage to be able to run up to boil quickly but not boil over.

 

[BrunDog]

Technically, PIDs don’t have to resolve to a duty cycle - they can resolve to an analog range. I have a PID running a proportional SSR which steplessly powers an element. Necessary? Not at all, but possible.

All these solutions do switch power on and off, just a different cycle lengths.