We looked at the brewtroller and it looks pretty good. Its just that hey, building the system is half the fun. And we want to add some additional features like network connectivity and a tie in to a recipe creator that we are creating so we are making things a bit more difficult. The hardware side is the same regardless of what controller etc we use though. Any info, pics etc etc on what your doing is a huge help in generating ideas and decide on what we want to do. I know how hot the weather can be down there so I understand not wanting to head out to the garage. Whenever you get the chance pictures would be great.
So if I understand correctly, all 13 electronic devices (motors + valves) are wired in such a way that each receives the correct voltage via a SSR thats triggered by (im assuming) a 5v source which you have wired so that can be a manual 5v, off, or 5v from a micro controller. almost like a mini circuit breaker.
I was thinking of going with 12v solenoid valves for everything as it would be easy to create a 12v power supply and use a lower DC voltage to trigger everything with less expensive and bulky 5->12v relays and only use the 5->120v relays for the motors.
Did you hard wire everything together like the pump AC plug or did you create outlets or plugs to disconnect and move things?
We like the tippy dump idea and using hi temp tubing for everything but want to leave as many hoses in place as possible. Keep up the great work. We're looking forward to seeing the finished system!