New to brewing, but I've already got ideas...

I've searched the forums and haven't had any significant luck, but has anyone taken datalogging to the extreme using basic programming?

I can program a fair amount and was thinking how interesting it would be to record data for a homebrew batch - essentially take temp readings in every brewing step down to 15-sec intervals. You could essentially create an electronic profile for any recipe. Then to bring out the uber-nerdiness...you could test longer/shorting wort chill times, slightly different fermenting temps, and tweak your recipe with precision.

Has anyone done this? Or at least been public about it? I havent had any luck finding someone doing this now.

 

First thought is you'd have to drink a heck of a lot of beer to be fine tuning the entire brewing process using data logged at 15 second intervals

Cheers!

 

haha true. but when the comp can take it, why not? Plus...a smooth line graph aways looks better than a jagged line graph!

I'm thinking I would hook this up to my internet so i could always see where my fermenting temp is (even if I make a fermentation chamber down the road).

 

I use arduino with PID library to monitor and control my HERMS system and mash temps.



I also use arduino to monitor my fermenter and update to webpage.

here is my simple webpage from my fermentation monitor

Fermentation Monitor

 

This is exactly what I'm talking about. Seems to me much can be gained from the precision of arduino and simple temperature sensors.

Did you use sensors from sparkfun?

You don't have a wiring diagram do you?

 

I will let you know what sensor I used. I didn't get it from sparkfun but thats not to say they don't stock it. I will see if I can dig up wiring diagram for you. it will be later tonight after the kids go to bed.

 

I'm in the process of doing something similar with an Arduino and some Dallas DS18b20 one wire temp sensors. The sensors are extremely easy to use. Care to share any source code?

 

ahem:

http://www.brewtroller.com

 

Improve 421: I use the following one wire sensor, DS18S20. Here is good write up on how to use them.

DS18S20 Sensor Writeup with Pics

If you still have questions after that let me know.

 

Are you looking for PID code or just temperature monitoring code?

For both my PID stuff and Fermentation monitoring I use arduino to get the data from the sensors then this is passed to Processing to create GUI and log the data to a file. None of my stuff is elegant as I am just a hack when it comes to programming. Most of my stuff i was able to piece together from examples or tutorials. But it works for me so I am happy.

Processing

 

Hey Improv.....
Thanks for sharing this strategy..... I am new to home brewing and thinking to go with same sort of tracking procedure.... I think this conversation has given me an idea to work with.... Thanks to all you guys......

 

Delayed reply....

I'm interested in how you set the fermentation chambers value. The one thing that I haven't seen a tutorial on is bi-directional communication with the Arduino from a host.

My current plan is to have a host computer that runs a database. A program will be launched from cron on some regular interval that will collect the temperature readings and put them into a the database. A separate interface will read the data from the database and display charts/graphs.

The hangup is that I don't really want to have to update the Arduino sketch every single time that I want to have a new temperature set point. It's not that it's not easy, it's just not elegant. Therefore, some sort of bi-directional communication is needed so that I'm not just monitoring the values from the Arduino but also have some method of setting them. End of the day, I'd like to do all of this from my couch using my iPad. Let me know if you've cracked this nut.