HOWTO - Make a BrewPi Fermentation Controller For Cheap

[FuzzeWuzze]

I hate to have this thread die, but at some point a new one may be needed to keep up with the new way of doing things...because when the forum got redone many months ago I lost the ability to edit the main thread and no admin has ever responded when i ask if theres anything they can do to fix it...

 

[thekraken]

I hate to have this thread die, but at some point a new one may be needed to keep up with the new way of doing things...because when the forum got redone many months ago I lost the ability to edit the main thread and no admin has ever responded when i ask if theres anything they can do to fix it...

Wiki page?

 

[IsaacR454]

I just wanted to update everyone that after some private correspondence with gromitdj, I got my setup working.

I started with a fresh installation of raspbian weezy, and followed these instructions
http://docs.brewpi.com/manual-brewpi-install/manual-brewpi-install.html

At section 4. "Using Git for BrewPi", after running
"sudo apt-get install git-core"

I entered
"sudo -u brewpi git clone -b legacy https://github.com/BrewPi/brewpi-script /home/brewpi"

Then

"sudo rm /var/www/*"

and finally

"sudo -u www-data git clone -b legacy https://github.com/BrewPi/brewpi-www /var/www"

to install the legacy version of BrewPi

afterwards, it was necessary to run the command
"sudo /home/brewpi/utils/fixPermissions.sh"
to fix the permissions of the /var/www folder to allow the flashing of the arduino.

After the arduino was succesfully flashed, I found that I could not install any detected devices until after I ran the command

sudo echo 'E\n' > /dev/ttyAMC0
to clear the EEPROM of the arduino. After running that command, all devices installed properly, and i'm currently making my yeast starter for my first temperature controlled brew ^_^

 

[mattrox]

I hate to have this thread die, but at some point a new one may be needed to keep up with the new way of doing things...because when the forum got redone many months ago I lost the ability to edit the main thread and no admin has ever responded when i ask if theres anything they can do to fix it...

Work is doing an IT upgrade and I could get a hold of a cheap/free pc early next year.

Is it worth setting up a Debian system with the arduino?

The fridge really isn't in a place where I'd want to set up a computer permanently and wifi probably won't reach. But I want to do this as a learning exercise and it might work well for a homebrew work colleague who wouldn't be able to get working by himself.

I don't want to do something that is going to be a head F@&$ to get running because brewpi has moved on so far it's not worth doing.

 

[mattrox]

Stupid app and double post

 

[GrogNerd]

Work is doing an IT upgrade and I could get a hold of a cheap/free pc early next year.

Is it worth setting up a Debian system with the arduino?

The fridge really isn't in a place where I'd want to set up a computer permanently and wifi probably won't reach. But I want to do this as a learning exercise and it might work well for a homebrew work colleague who wouldn't be able to get working by himself.

I don't want to do something that is going to be a head F@&$ to get running because brewpi has moved on so far it's not worth doing.

heck, ya, it's worth it.*

can't find the reference nor the exact distance, but I've read where the One-Wire temp probes can transmit over 150m (almost 500 feet). long enough where you can have the Debian system + arduino in one spot, run the One-Wire over Ethernet cable to the fridge in another spot in the house. *edit* you would also have to have the relay with the fridge & run the control wires from the arduino to it.

*sorry, watching Fargo

 

[wbarber69]

heck, ya, it's worth it.*

can't find the reference nor the exact distance, but I've read where the One-Wire temp probes can transmit over 150m (almost 500 feet). long enough where you can have the Debian system + arduino in one spot, run the One-Wire over Ethernet cable to the fridge in another spot in the house. *edit* you would also have to have the relay with the fridge & run the control wires from the arduino to it.

*sorry, watching Fargo

Or you can do a Bluetooth or wifi setup and put the arduino in the fridge.


And on all the other issues, while I haven't messed with any of the newer updates, I was at v2.10 when I last even turned my systems on. I used vm for a while to do test setups with custom firmwares for a while, then moved to a small atom laptop later for my test installs when I was also incorporating rpints flow monitoring(because of all the Bluetooth setup I didn't want to change anything on the pi until I was satisfied). and on both pc test systems I ran jessie. all I did was change the instructions to include the /html. So I know that a Jessie system is totally viable. looking at the past few posts and their problems, it seems that either brewpi has changed something to affect the way it calls avrdude, or some update to avrdude is to blame. I do advise that you use wheezy over Jesse, simply because of the fact that everyone is using this op as bible. once you get a system up and running in test and you are confident that you could do it again, then you can take on the task of making special edits for your own special cases. And one thing we all need to remember is that the brewpi software used a browser based gui and you shouldn't just assume that because the page says that it cannot start the script or that the script isn't running, that that is always the case. sometimes, especially with multiple instances installed, you will get false messages telling you that an instance of the script is already running and it needs to shutdown the current one. I would advise that a person spends time with a basic install before tackling the multi-instance install. if for any other reason than to get their arduino a programmed and running before banging their heads against the wall wondering why it won't work. I guarantee you if you have 4 arduino splurged into your pi all running at the same time, you will have issues programming at least one of them.

 

[balrog]

Or you can do a Bluetooth or wifi setup and put the arduino in the fridge.


And on all the other issues, while I haven't messed with any of the newer updates, I was at v2.10 when I last even turned my systems on. I used vm for a while to do test setups with custom firmwares for a while, then moved to a small atom laptop later for my test installs when I was also incorporating rpints flow monitoring(because of all the Bluetooth setup I didn't want to change anything on the pi until I was satisfied). and on both pc test systems I ran jessie. all I did was change the instructions to include the /html. So I know that a Jessie system is totally viable. looking at the past few posts and their problems, it seems that either brewpi has changed something to affect the way it calls avrdude, or some update to avrdude is to blame. I do advise that you use wheezy over Jesse, simply because of the fact that everyone is using this op as bible. once you get a system up and running in test and you are confident that you could do it again, then you can take on the task of making special edits for your own special cases. And one thing we all need to remember is that the brewpi software used a browser based gui and you shouldn't just assume that because the page says that it cannot start the script or that the script isn't running, that that is always the case. sometimes, especially with multiple instances installed, you will get false messages telling you that an instance of the script is already running and it needs to shutdown the current one. I would advise that a person spends time with a basic install before tackling the multi-instance install. if for any other reason than to get their arduino a programmed and running before banging their heads against the wall wondering why it won't work. I guarantee you if you have 4 arduino splurged into your pi all running at the same time, you will have issues programming at least one of them.

Hear, hear. Go simple, get it going, then expand. @mattrox, I've run on crappy lappy from day one, works great (wheezy, tried jessie, went back, keep it simple stupid). Have taken thrown away lappies from work and set up other systems for friends. Couldn't be happier. @wbarber69, I just tried setting up on an Ubuntu Atom chromepc and I'm having some issues with it deciding to stop serving the page, but it's heartening to know you got an atom going so I'll keep futzing.

Bottom line, @mattrox, do it. It's fun.

 

[GrogNerd]

Or you can do a Bluetooth or wifi setup and put the arduino in the fridge.

not arguing with you at all, just that dude mentioned WiFi probably wouldn't reach where his fridge is sitting, so I offered an alternative.

otherwise, those would be the way to go

and did I mention, HECK YA, it's worth it. definitely for the COOL factor of showing the guys at brewclub meeting, "yeah, my stout has been fermenting at 65 ± .1° for almost a week now, here's the temperature graph... oh, yeah, let me dial up that temp a bit for diacetyl rest. there. done."

& yeah, learning too.

 

[mattrox]

not arguing with you at all, just that dude mentioned WiFi probably wouldn't reach where his fridge is sitting, so I offered an alternative.

otherwise, those would be the way to go

and did I mention, HECK YA, it's worth it. definitely for the COOL factor of showing the guys at brewclub meeting, "yeah, my stout has been fermenting at 65 ± .1° for almost a week now, here's the temperature graph... oh, yeah, let me dial up that temp a bit for diacetyl rest. there. done."

& yeah, learning too.

The Wifi router is at one end of a brick/stone house and the signal barely makes it to the back patio. The BrewFridge is in the back shed which is actually a steel 2 car garage, which gets dusty and is filled with surplus crap. I couldn't really run a computer there permanently so really the STC1000 is a more practical option for that fridge.

If I got a fridge inside the house...... well, these things can be negotiated over time (LOL), then the BrewPi becomes a cool tool to use.

I figure if I can build this type of fermen-troler, SWIMBO might think it is neat enough that she allows another fridge inside. Besides that, if I can get my work mate to temperature control his brews properly he'll significantly improve the quality of his brews. He has gone all grain already and is making some nice beers. They have the potential to be awesome though. And since work is getting rid of stuff, I can get stuff free/cheap. At least when he lets me sample his beers, I'll be getting better stuff to taste. Fair trade right? I give him a BrewPi system he gives be free beer.... :fro:

Plus I have a few weeks off work and I can work on the build in my time off.

 

[BazzookaBuddy]

You can ad me to the list of people that as of now are unable to program arduino through the Web interface.

I've tried multiple unit's and different hex files, but haven't had time to try anything else.

Ok. I've solved my issue by uploading the hex through windows.

It's definitely an issue on the server side and not a problem with the hex-files.

 

[BoulderBayBrewing]

I'd like to have leds that turn on when each outlet is on. I already have some that came with my UNO kit, so I'd like them to be powered from the UNO. Based off of 100AMP's diagram, I was thinking of connecting them somehow from the same connection points as the 2 orange wires. I'm assuming connecting them in series wouldn't work, but would parallel? If parallel, I'd have one led lead connected to connection #6 (for one of the leds), where should the second lead go?

 

[GrogNerd]

I'd like to have leds that turn on when each outlet is on. I already have some that came with my UNO kit, so I'd like them to be powered from the UNO. Based off of 100AMP's diagram, I was thinking of connecting them somehow from the same connection points as the 2 orange wires. I'm assuming connecting them in series wouldn't work, but would parallel? If parallel, I'd have one led lead connected to connection #6 (for one of the leds), where should the second lead go?

UNO pins 5 & 6 control the relay, which controls the outlets, so you would connect the LED anodes to those pins and the cathodes to ground

don't forget resistors

 

[BoulderBayBrewing]

Thanks! I haven't really done any playing around with the UNO, and its been awhile since my last electronics class..... where do I put the resistors and what size should they be? Also the anode, thats the longer lead?

 

[GrogNerd]

220Ω should do, on the anode/longer side, between pin 5 or 6 and the LED

 

[BoulderBayBrewing]

Awesome! Thank you for the help! Just waiting on a few things from China and then I'm all set!

Cheers!

 

[thekraken]

Awesome! Thank you for the help! Just waiting on a few things from China and then I'm all set!

Cheers!

If it were me I would use 120v LEDs, like those we use in electric brewery control panel setups. While the LEDs on the low voltage side will tell you if the outlet is *supposed* to be hot or not they could give false indication in the event of relay failure.

Someone jump in here but it might be too much draw on the arduino pin to power the led as well as the relay anyway, you might look into using a transistor.

 

[GrogNerd]

If it were me I would use 120v LEDs, like those we use in electric brewery control panel setups. While the LEDs on the low voltage side will tell you if the outlet is *supposed* to be hot or not they could give false indication in the event of relay failure.

Someone jump in here but it might be too much draw on the arduino pin to power the led as well as the relay anyway, you might look into using a transistor.

good call

I would hook them up on the AC side of the relay, anode to +/red, cathode to -/black

 

[thekraken]

good call

I would hook them up on the AC side of the relay, anode to +/red, cathode to -/black

You're showing hooking up both sides to the same hot.

Here is what I was thinking:

DISCLOSURE: I'm not an electrician, have no training of any kind, proceed at your own risk, etc...

 

[GrogNerd]

mea culpa

switch the black wires coming from the 120v LEDs off the relay and run them from the LED to Neutral. red wires can stay the same, or switch them to the outlet side. 6 = 1/2 dozen

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

I just wanted to update everyone that after some private correspondence with gromitdj, I got my setup working.

I started with a fresh installation of raspbian weezy, and followed these instructions
http://docs.brewpi.com/manual-brewpi-install/manual-brewpi-install.html

At section 4. "Using Git for BrewPi", after running
"sudo apt-get install git-core"

I entered
"sudo -u brewpi git clone -b legacy https://github.com/BrewPi/brewpi-script /home/brewpi"

Then

"sudo rm /var/www/*"

and finally

"sudo -u www-data git clone -b legacy https://github.com/BrewPi/brewpi-www /var/www"

to install the legacy version of BrewPi

afterwards, it was necessary to run the command
"sudo /home/brewpi/utils/fixPermissions.sh"
to fix the permissions of the /var/www folder to allow the flashing of the arduino.

After the arduino was succesfully flashed, I found that I could not install any detected devices until after I ran the command

sudo echo 'E\n' > /dev/ttyAMC0
to clear the EEPROM of the arduino. After running that command, all devices installed properly, and i'm currently making my yeast starter for my first temperature controlled brew ^_^

Thanks, i decided to update my BrewPi and i used your instructions here and it more or less worked. When i tried to program it though my old system didnt have an updated python, pyserial, and some other python lib needed..once i got all those up to date i was able to flash my arduino with the 2.10 Rev C hex without issue.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

You're showing hooking up both sides to the same hot.

Here is what I was thinking:

DISCLOSURE: I'm not an electrician, have no training of any kind, proceed at your own risk, etc...

That looks right.

 

[IsaacR454]

When i tried to program it though my old system didnt have an updated python, pyserial, and some other python lib needed..once i got all those up to date i was able to flash my arduino with the 2.10 Rev C hex without issue.

I had to do the exact same thing. I don't know why I didn't include it in my instructions.

PIP, Pyserial, and some third thing I can't recall.

 

[mattrox]

I'd like to have leds that turn on when each outlet is on. I already have some that came with my UNO kit, so I'd like them to be powered from the UNO. Based off of 100AMP's diagram, I was thinking of connecting them somehow from the same connection points as the 2 orange wires. I'm assuming connecting them in series wouldn't work, but would parallel? If parallel, I'd have one led lead connected to connection #6 (for one of the leds), where should the second lead go?

For my stc 1000 I got a red and a green 240v module (240v in Au) that wire into the active and neutral so they light up when power is being supplied to the outlets.

They won't light up if a relay dies and a signal is being sent though.

 

[wbarber69]

The Wifi router is at one end of a brick/stone house and the signal barely makes it to the back patio. The BrewFridge is in the back shed which is actually a steel 2 car garage, which gets dusty and is filled with surplus crap. I couldn't really run a computer there permanently so really the STC1000 is a more practical option for that fridge.



If I got a fridge inside the house...... well, these things can be negotiated over time (LOL), then the BrewPi becomes a cool tool to use.



I figure if I can build this type of fermen-troler, SWIMBO might think it is neat enough that she allows another fridge inside. Besides that, if I can get my work mate to temperature control his brews properly he'll significantly improve the quality of his brews. He has gone all grain already and is making some nice beers. They have the potential to be awesome though. And since work is getting rid of stuff, I can get stuff free/cheap. At least when he lets me sample his beers, I'll be getting better stuff to taste. Fair trade right? I give him a BrewPi system he gives be free beer.... :fro:



Plus I have a few weeks off work and I can work on the build in my time off.

Just use a raspberry pi. no fans, no moving parts. and it will fit in a pack of smokes just about.

 

[BoulderBayBrewing]

Good point hooking the leds up to the 120v side of things. I was planning just use the leds I had on hand but I think I'll order some 120v ones now.

Cheers

 

[GrogNerd]

going to be converting an old computer to run this thing, as soon as I get some more parts to get it back into service. thought I'd try my hand at starting from scratch with a spare arduino.

I just wanted to update everyone that after some private correspondence with gromitdj, I got my setup working.

I started with a fresh installation of raspbian weezy, and followed these instructions
http://docs.brewpi.com/manual-brewpi-install/manual-brewpi-install.html

At section 4. "Using Git for BrewPi", after running
"sudo apt-get install git-core"

I entered
"sudo -u brewpi git clone -b legacy https://github.com/BrewPi/brewpi-script /home/brewpi"

Then

"sudo rm /var/www/*"

and finally

"sudo -u www-data git clone -b legacy https://github.com/BrewPi/brewpi-www /var/www"

to install the legacy version of BrewPi

afterwards, it was necessary to run the command
"sudo /home/brewpi/utils/fixPermissions.sh"
to fix the permissions of the /var/www folder to allow the flashing of the arduino.

After the arduino was succesfully flashed, I found that I could not install any detected devices until after I ran the command

sudo echo 'E\n' > /dev/ttyAMC0
to clear the EEPROM of the arduino. After running that command, all devices installed properly, and i'm currently making my yeast starter for my first temperature controlled brew ^_^

these instructions are the Rock and Roll Hootchie Koo! :rockin:
only hitch was my own brainfart, once the air was clear again, it was all smooth sailing

Thanks, i decided to update my BrewPi and i used your instructions here and it more or less worked. When i tried to program it though my old system didnt have an updated python, pyserial, and some other python lib needed..once i got all those up to date i was able to flash my arduino with the 2.10 Rev C hex without issue.

update python, pyserial and psutil. says easiest way to do that is install pip. followed the provided instructions to do so and BANG! done

 

[gromitdj]

these instructions are the Rock and Roll Hootchie Koo! :rockin:

I (not so humbly) agree.

 

[day_trippr]

Just don't use that "rm" command if you have a running RaspberryPints installation, or you're going to have a bad time...

Cheers!

 

[RayZab]

Hey everyone,

I put together this brewpi setup using an old laptop but have been having issues the past 2 beers. Every 24 to 48 hours now I am getting the screen stating "Warning: Cannot receive version number from Arduino...". I followed other instructions and restart my laptop which solves the issue at the time. Wondering if anyone else has had this repetitive issue and how to fix it permanently? Below is a copy of the log if it helps:

Dec 10 2015 16:24:15 Serial Error: [Errno 5] Input/output error)
Dec 10 2015 16:24:16 Serial Error: [Errno 5] Input/output error)
Dec 10 2015 16:24:16 Serial Error: [Errno 5] Input/output error)
Dec 10 2015 16:24:17 Serial Error: [Errno 5] Input/output error)
Dec 10 2015 16:24:17 Serial Error: [Errno 5] Input/output error)
Dec 10 2015 16:24:18 Serial Error: [Errno 5] Input/output error)
Dec 10 2015 16:24:18 Serial Error: [Errno 5] Input/output error)
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/home/brewpi/brewpi.py", line 728, in
ser.write('l')
File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/serial/serialposix.py", line 518, in write
raise SerialException('write failed: %s' % (v,))
serial.serialutil.SerialException: write failed: [Errno 5] Input/output error
Dec 10 2015 16:25:01 Opening serial port
Dec 10 2015 16:25:01 Notification: Script started for beer 'My First BrewPi Run'
Dec 10 2015 16:25:11 Checking software version on controller...
Dec 10 2015 16:25:21 Warning: Cannot receive version number from controller. Your controller is either not programmed or running a very old version of BrewPi. Please upload a new version of BrewPi to your controller.

 

[jimyoung]

Hi all,
Thanks to the awesome help on this forum I have a working hacked fridge running from a raspberry pi and arduino. It works very well! However, there are two glitches which may be related, one which is a real problem.

minor glitch - the beer temperature sensor (rarely other ones, but it happens) gets random rapid spikes in temperature which clearly are not happening in the wort. See the image. This is minor because while the brewpi tries to fix it by cooling, it settles down quick enough not to make a real issue in the beer.

The image shows some oddity with the fridge sensor as well but usually its just the beer.

This one baffles me. The one-wire bus is digital, so interference on the wire would mean a corrupted packet overall and not a predictably increased-temperature. Interference (if that is what it is) must be at the analog end of the IC. Bad memory at the arduino side (it's a knock-off) wouldn't be so regular and would more likely be all over the map.

major glitch - about once a week the arduino stops sending temp data!!! On the brewpi side of things, the site stays up and keeps logging, but I get COMPLETE blank space instead of temp data. The LCD readout gives me hyphens for the actual beer, room, and fridge temps.

The logs give me:
Dec 10 2015 21:32:43 controller debug message: WARNING 2: Temperature sensor disconnected pin 18, address 283379DC060000F6
Dec 10 2015 21:32:43 controller debug message: WARNING 2: Temperature sensor disconnected pin 18, address 288693DD060000F2
Dec 10 2015 21:32:43 controller debug message: WARNING 2: Temperature sensor disconnected pin 18, address 2855A53A060000B8

If I peek at the device (using cat...) I get:

L:["Mode Beer Profile ","Beer --.- 4.1 ▒C","Fridge --.- 1.0 ▒C","Idling for 03m27"]

Which shows that the arduino is still running, but it has decided not to give me temp data.

I can fix everything by unplugging the arduino and plugging it in again. Then it comes back up without having to touch the rpi side of things. Another oddity: when it comes back up, the "fridge" temp sensor reads a very high temp which comes down over a minute or two.

Any thoughts? How can I debug this? Thank you for any help you can offer!!

 

[day_trippr]

Are you running your One-Wire bus on 5V?
What value pull-up resistor do you have on the Data signal?

Cheers!

 

[day_trippr]

Hey everyone,

I put together this brewpi setup using an old laptop but have been having issues the past 2 beers. Every 24 to 48 hours now I am getting the screen stating "Warning: Cannot receive version number from Arduino...". I followed other instructions and restart my laptop which solves the issue at the time. Wondering if anyone else has had this repetitive issue and how to fix it permanently? Below is a copy of the log if it helps:

Dec 10 2015 16:24:15 Serial Error: [Errno 5] Input/output error)
Dec 10 2015 16:24:16 Serial Error: [Errno 5] Input/output error)
Dec 10 2015 16:24:16 Serial Error: [Errno 5] Input/output error)
Dec 10 2015 16:24:17 Serial Error: [Errno 5] Input/output error)
Dec 10 2015 16:24:17 Serial Error: [Errno 5] Input/output error)
Dec 10 2015 16:24:18 Serial Error: [Errno 5] Input/output error)
Dec 10 2015 16:24:18 Serial Error: [Errno 5] Input/output error)
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/home/brewpi/brewpi.py", line 728, in
ser.write('l')
File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/serial/serialposix.py", line 518, in write
raise SerialException('write failed: %s' % (v,))
serial.serialutil.SerialException: write failed: [Errno 5] Input/output error
Dec 10 2015 16:25:01 Opening serial port
Dec 10 2015 16:25:01 Notification: Script started for beer 'My First BrewPi Run'
Dec 10 2015 16:25:11 Checking software version on controller...
Dec 10 2015 16:25:21 Warning: Cannot receive version number from controller. Your controller is either not programmed or running a very old version of BrewPi. Please upload a new version of BrewPi to your controller.

The log indicates the Arduino did not respond to the BrewPi host interrogation.
There've been a lot of similar posts over the last year and the typical root cause is low voltage at the Arduino end if powered directly by its USB connection. This can be resolved by using a 9V-12V wall wart to power the Arduino instead...

Cheers!

 

[jimyoung]

Wow thanks for the quick replies.
- I am using a 4.7k pull-up, a single resistor at the arduino end since all three are on the same bus pin.
- thanks for the tip on the power, I can easily plug that arduino in and try it. Will report back as soon as I find an adapter. You said 9-12v but I have a knock-off so I will confirm the tolerance on that regulator.

I have been watching over the last hours, and I noticed also that when the freezer kicks in (quite an old model, probably >20 yrs old) there is a blip on that circuit - my TV blips and some others. I will try to put that freezer on a different circuit as well

 

[RayZab]

The log indicates the Arduino did not respond to the BrewPi host interrogation.
There've been a lot of similar posts over the last year and the typical root cause is low voltage at the Arduino end if powered directly by its USB connection. This can be resolved by using a 9V-12V wall wart to power the Arduino instead...

Cheers!

Thanks, I'll try that. I've got a 12VDC adapter readily available. Though I've seen some posts suggesting that can overheat the regulator. Should I try the 12V or just go out and buy a 9V?

 

[day_trippr]

9V is preferable over 12V for exactly the reason you stated.
All of my Arduino boxes use stripped-down 9V wall-wart modules.

Cheers!

 

[jimyoung]

Hi all,
Thanks to the awesome help on this forum I have a working hacked fridge running from a raspberry pi and arduino. It works very well! However, there are two glitches which may be related, one which is a real problem.

minor glitch - the beer temperature sensor (rarely other ones, but it happens) gets random rapid spikes in temperature which clearly are not happening in the wort. See the image. This is minor because while the brewpi tries to fix it by cooling, it settles down quick enough not to make a real issue in the beer.

The image shows some oddity with the fridge sensor as well but usually its just the beer.

This one baffles me. The one-wire bus is digital, so interference on the wire would mean a corrupted packet overall and not a predictably increased-temperature. Interference (if that is what it is) must be at the analog end of the IC. Bad memory at the arduino side (it's a knock-off) wouldn't be so regular and would more likely be all over the map.

major glitch - about once a week the arduino stops sending temp data!!! On the brewpi side of things, the site stays up and keeps logging, but I get COMPLETE blank space instead of temp data. The LCD readout gives me hyphens for the actual beer, room, and fridge temps.

The logs give me:
Dec 10 2015 21:32:43 controller debug message: WARNING 2: Temperature sensor disconnected pin 18, address 283379DC060000F6
Dec 10 2015 21:32:43 controller debug message: WARNING 2: Temperature sensor disconnected pin 18, address 288693DD060000F2
Dec 10 2015 21:32:43 controller debug message: WARNING 2: Temperature sensor disconnected pin 18, address 2855A53A060000B8

If I peek at the device (using cat...) I get:

L:["Mode Beer Profile ","Beer --.- 4.1 ▒C","Fridge --.- 1.0 ▒C","Idling for 03m27"]

Which shows that the arduino is still running, but it has decided not to give me temp data.

I can fix everything by unplugging the arduino and plugging it in again. Then it comes back up without having to touch the rpi side of things. Another oddity: when it comes back up, the "fridge" temp sensor reads a very high temp which comes down over a minute or two.

Any thoughts? How can I debug this? Thank you for any help you can offer!!

Hi all,
I plugged in a 12v power supply (2A) and left it overnight. As you can see in the photo, the temp spikes still happened, and it crashed again a few hours later. Before trying to re-set it, I checked the fridge sensor to see if it was actually warm (since it comes back up with a high temp), and it was actually quite warm to the touch unfortunately.

A warm sensor suggests to me that there is a short somewhere? but they are all on the same bus... why just one sensor? faulty sensor I wonder?

 

[day_trippr]

Remove that "warm" sensor, if it was the beer or chamber sensor, change the room sensor to do that job. See what happens...

Cheers!

 

[jimyoung]

Remove that "warm" sensor, if it was the beer or chamber sensor, change the room sensor to do that job. See what happens...

Cheers!

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. However, it seems that now I can't get a read on any of the sensors, even when plugged in individually. Sigh - looks like I'm cracking it open later and checking the wiring inside my box. Thanks for the help.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

If your getting spikes of no data its because your probe is not wired well, it maybe wired correctly but not well. I had this happen all the time with my first generation probes where i soldered the DS18B20 sensors onto cables myself had this happen all the time.

If these are prewired probes with metal caps i'd just buy new ones from a different person, if they are custom wired you can try to fix them but the prewired ones just always work for me.