BrunDog 50A eRig - no HLT for me!

[cod3ck]

Thanks BrunDog. Stirring inside the bag gets tricky since usually I end up with so much grain the bag has to sit horizontally in the cooler (10 gallon batches).

The big thing I was concerned about is shocking the grain with the strike water filling from the bottom since I'll likely not have as much heat diffusion as splashing water on the grain from the top.

Conversely no mix brings up the dough-ball and mash efficiency debate...

Either way, I like your answer... "Just do it."

I'll stop taking this thread anymore off topic. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[BrunDog]

I would put the water in the cooler, then lower the grain bag in as fast as it will absorb water and go in. If you can't stir, no biggie. At some point in the mash it would be valuable to move the grain a bit to ensure some mixing of the sugar water and enzymes. Maybe squish the bag back and forth for a few seconds. At that same time, maybe add a few cups of hot water to keep he temp of the mash up where you started.

 

[cod3ck]

Great advice! Thanks BrunDog!

 

[BrunDog]

Guys, in the middle of a brew, wanted to post how fast (or slow, depending on your perspective) the mill took with this motor. It milled 8 lbs of grain (2 row, Crystal, and Munich to be specific) in just under 6 minutes.

So definitely not LHBS speed, but for me it's plenty fast. I had plenty of other things to do in the meantime. It required no babysitting, never strained or stuttered, and cleanup was a breeze as usual. It also did not need a "running start" as I started it with the hopper full, and the gap is 0.0038", so I would say this motor has plenty of torque. Pretty stoked!

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1457188456.910048.jpg

 

[jcav]

Very nice! I love how compact it is. Very small footprint for a motorized mill. I want to do mine now, so I don't have to hold the drill on low speed! Well done!

John

 

[JonW]

BrunDog - I really like the compactness of this setup, but that's going to be too slow for me. I'm usually 30-40 lbs of grain. Do you know what your RPM speed is on that motor?

jcav - Get a reusable zip tie to hold the trigger! It's what I used to do and it has built in "fine adjustment" LOL.

 

[jcav]

jcav - Get a reusable zip tie to hold the trigger! It's what I used to do and it has built in "fine adjustment" LOL.

That's a great idea in the meantime!

John

 

[The_Bishop]

That's not bad at all. What did you use as a power supply?

 

[BrunDog]

@JonW: yes, for that much grain you would need to plan in advance. Anyway, the motor is 50 rpm.

@The_Bishop: see a few posts above. It's an old laptop power supply. 15V, 6A.

 

[PeteNMA]

I went looking at that same motor on Amazon, it looks like they also make a 100rpm version which has lower torque, but probably still plenty for milling grain. Maybe an option for those who want it to run faster?

I think I'll be snagging one of those 50rpm motors myself, I have the same grain mill and that looks like a great solution. Like you say I'm not too bothered about the speed as I can fill the hopper and leave it to its own devices whilst I get on with other things.

 

[BrunDog]

I don't think the 100rpm version (assuming same motor) would have the oomph (technical term for torque) to mill. I had read somewhere that >85 in-lbs was needed. But you could probably give it a try and return it easily enough if it doesn't.

 

[PeteNMA]

Not an experiment I'm too keen on to be honest, I'll stick with your tested 50rpm variant which we knownworks

 

[BrunDog]

Quick video of the oxygenator turning on.

https://youtu.be/KMRwY5FgOGQ

 

[jcav]

Nice, I love it when people post vids of their rigs and gizmos doing their thing! Might have to post one of mine some day.....

John

 

[BrunDog]

Do it!!

 

[BrunDog]

Next upgrade. Had the parts for a while but just getting into it. Thanks to @ryanrates for the inspiration and direction.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1457801751.833407.jpg

 

[cod3ck]

Next upgrade. Had the parts for a while but just getting into it. Thanks to @ryanrates for the inspiration and direction.

View attachment 343868

....saw this coming

 

[jddevinn]

I tried the "gasket" made of silicone tubing and it didn't do much. Paired with a "weight" (a brick) on the lid it worked better but not enough that I could leave it. If I get around to trying other options I'll post.

Today I brewed a batch by myself, no one "learning" and no friends drinking, and had a chance to play with the CIP. After a couple failed attempts I've found what looks to be a solution.

I remembered seeing a video on here of someone (think it was you BrunDog) showing their spray nozzle spray pattern with a saran wrap cover.. a saran wrap layer makes a perfect gasket!

 

[BrunDog]

Cool! Yes I did the Saran thing, but it was an attempt to make a clear window to see the spray pattern. A gasket is a great idea!!

 

[mlinharesjr]

Nice work!

 

[BrunDog]

Hello Folks,

Been a while since I updated this thread with build updates. Probably because I have been happily brewing. I really have the system dialed in (or probably better stated, I have me dialed in to the system) and have been successfully making decent beer!!

That said, the itch for better is never completely scratched. So, in with the next idea. I had been contemplating fluid level measurement beyond the capacitive level switches I have been using. Don't get me wrong - they have been working flawlessly - but they are binary and require manual setup and one adjustment during the brew.

I reviewed the myriad of sensing methods, and given I have the Arduino integrated into my BCS system, I thought using an analog sensor was practical. I decided that the best approach for me was to use a static pressure sensor: low cost, easy to implement, reliable, out of the way, etc. I didn't want to use the bubbler/tube method as that seemed overly cumbersome as it requires a tube inside the kettle, and air pump, etc. instead, I implemented a standard low pressure sensor at the base of the kettle, using an air gap to prevent liquid ingress to the sensor.

I silver soldered another coupling to the bottom of my mash tun. Its the smaller one near the edge:
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1473799775.762379.jpg

Then I mounted the setup below. Please note the sensor is wired and mounted temporarily for testing here:
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1473799848.655835.jpg

In this configuration, liquid will fill the metal piping but not fill back up the tube toward the sensor as a result of the air pressure there. Note the manual valve on the bottom of the tee is for draining of the piping after use.

Here is a look of the updated interface, with the level calibrated. Would you believe I was only off by 0.2 quarts using my initial calculated calibration!?!
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1473800056.842250.jpg

Looking forward to watching this read out in my next Brew. If all goes well, I will incorporate into the BCS control and obviate the capacitive sensors.

 

[jcav]

Your amazing! Good to see you enjoying your system and brewing away! I have been enjoying mine as well and just brewed on it again last weekend. Let us know how it works out for you!

John

 

[BrunDog]

Here is a video of the level readout while emptying the mash tun during a test. There is a bit of a lag because I built in some averaging of the sample to prevent rapid responses to bumps, vibrations, etc.

https://youtu.be/W8H227YuzJU

 

[applescrap]

Thats just f..in cool. Nice.

 

[chessking]

You lost me with "capacitive flow switches".

It is cool.

 

[BrunDog]

You lost me with "capacitive flow switches".

I is cool.

Thats funny... its should have said capacitive level, not flow! I fixed it - thanks!

 

[chessking]

Thats funny... its should have said capacitive level, not flow! I fixed it - thanks!

Uhhhh..... Im still lost.

 

[BrunDog]

I'm pretty sure you are goofin'... but if not and you want to see them in action at the risk of 40 minutes of your life you won't get back, I did a brew video back on post 136 of this thread. Have fun, maybe!

 

[cod3ck]

BrunDog! Good to see this thread still going! The engineering you've got behind this setup (and continue to come up with) is impressive to say the least!

 

[BrunDog]

Hello all,

Been happily brewing on the system. Have a few more major updates coming. In the meantime, here is a little upgrade. I have two upright freezers in my garage - one is a 5 tap dispenser and the other is my fermentation chamber. Both run off STC-1000's. Anyway, it was time to consolidate...

Not trying to get too crazy, I opted for a PVC junction box from HD, a basic grey outlet, a power cord, two extension cords, a small 5V 3A supply, a 2-pack relay board, some M12 connectors, an Adafruit Feather M0 WINC, and a LCD kit.


Used a small vibrating-edgy-saw-thingies to cut the squares and drilled out the mounting holes.


Got everything wired up and mounted.


One power cord in, and each fridge plugs into the outlet. Each side of that outlet is powered by one of the relays on the relay board.


And we're off!


The Feather is awesome. Connected to WiFi network, makes monitoring/updates easy. I used the existing temp probes (which are 10k NTC thermistors) from the STC.

 

[chessking]

As always brundog, your work is beautiful.

If I understand correctly, your Kegerator and ferm chamber no longer use stc 1000, and now both are controlled by this single unit?

 

[BrunDog]

Yessir!

I may add C02 tank pressure and per-tap flowmeters to estimate beer remaining... but that's kind of over the top. But I might!

 

[kcinpdx]

Subscribed.

 

[jcav]

Very sweet upgrades!

John

 

[BrunDog]

Thank you! I had to do some testing with passive filters to reduce noise from the thermistors. High impedance sensors tend to pick up ambient noise, especially with long lengths of wiring. One of the thermistor's wire length is about 15 feet. Once done I built and mounted a formal solution in the box. Getting very nice signal now, as a result of this and digital averaging, only wanders about 0.2 deg F:
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1480902976.013030.jpg

 

[kcinpdx]

I'm very interested in this set up but I have to admit I could not read through it all. How do you deal with water modification in an on demand sparge system ?

 

[Jaybird]

What a KILLER KILLER KILLER Thread! DAMN man you sure do nail it! What a journey you have been on!

Well done! WELL DONE!

Cheers
Jay

 

[BrunDog]

I'm very interested in this set up but I have to admit I could not read through it all. How do you deal with water modification in an on demand sparge system ?

There is a video somewhere in the middle of this thread - I'd have to look up the post ID.

But, great question. Since I use RO, I usually just put all my salts in the mash and sparge with unmodified water. My understanding is this is acceptable practice and do not need to acidify the sparge water since it is RO. This is my current practice, but in the beginning I added salts and acid to the RO water in the tanks.

If you used supply water instead of stored water, then obviously it would be difficult to modify your sparge water.

 

[BrunDog]

What a KILLER KILLER KILLER Thread! DAMN man you sure do nail it! What a journey you have been on!

Well done! WELL DONE!

Cheers
Jay

Thanks Jay! It's got one of your false bottoms, which is such a quality piece. I always crack up putting it in the cheap bayou kettles, thinking how my MLT "dates up" when it gets installed!

 

[BrunDog]

What a KILLER KILLER KILLER Thread! DAMN man you sure do nail it! What a journey you have been on!

Well done! WELL DONE!

Cheers
Jay

Thanks Jay! It's got one of your false bottoms, which is such a quality piece. I always crack up putting it in the cheap bayou kettles, thinking how my MLT "dates up" when it gets installed!