Web Based Thermometer?

Anyone made a web enabled thermometer? I have been looking around and so far I have found these:
http://www.lancos.com/webtherm.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/SD8ZT3SF1A4XWKO/
http://zedomax.com/blog/2007/05/07/diy-hack-build-your-own-altoids-digital-thermometer/

I was wondering if anyone has any other ideas or has done it them selfs? I would like to make it as economic as I can

 

Simple question: Why?

 

If I can do it without much cost, I could put the temperatures on a web site and monitor when I am on the road, which for now is quite often. If temps go up when I am on the road, I can send an alert and get it fixed.

Not only that, it would be cool.

 

I've done all kinds of IO over the web but not anything DIY. I would recomend the first one since it appears to be the simplist and and the cheapest. You would only need one DS1621 any ways and could expand it fairly easy.

 

Thanks, that is what I am thinking too. I found this http://www.instructables.com/id/Temperature-sensor-/-weatherstation/ I think I'll try to use it as the sensor.

 

I would think that after all is said an done. You would be better off buying an ethernet controller or PLC that has analog inputs and use a thermocouple or RTD input to the controller. I would question the accuracy of a DIY thermometer. Not all electronic components have the same tolerances. You might want to look at X10 or maybe some industrial PLC stuff at automationdirect.com.

 

I might end up going that route, but I would like to try it myself first. (I am one of those learn by doing guys)

I'll run some tests on the accuracy and post them here when I am done. I would think that if I am within 2 or so degrees, I should be good. I also already have most of the stuff I need at the house.

 

Check out the LM34. Super accurate and easy to interface. Thats what I use for everything temp wise. Hook it up to an A2D and bit bang it with a parallel port or put a micro in there to get it on a serial port and you're golden..

Buying a PLC to read it is just way overkill unless you can find something on the super cheap. I am thinking a Basic PIC kit from radio shack is more than adequate to get what you need done. If you are condfident with electronics order it directly from microchip.com. Hell you can probably get them to sample you one.

 

Sweet! and cheap, I already went and picked this stuff up:

Parts List:

PC Board Terminals [email protected]$2.49 $0.62ea Radio Shack
Resistor 1,5 kOhm [email protected]$0.99 $0.20ea Radio Shack
D-sub 9 female connector [email protected]$1.99 $1.99ea Radio Shack
circuit board 6x8” [email protected]$4.49 $4.49ea Radio Shack
Dallas Semiconductor
DS18S20 Temp Sensor [email protected]$15.12 $5.04ea www.newark.com
Schottky Diode (1N5818) [email protected]$0.35 $0.07ea www.newark.com
Zener Diode 6.2V (1N5234) [email protected]$0.24 $0.05ea www.newark.com
Zener Diode 3.9V (1N5228) [email protected]$0.24 $0.05ea www.newark.com

Soooooo....One thermometer would cost: $12.71 for hardware, my total cost for hardware was $25.91, I bought spares just in case I screwed something up. The software and Operating System (Linux) are free. I have an old PC laying around, and I might have a laptop if I can fix it.

The Dallas sensor is kind of pricey; I will defiantly try Virtuous's LM34 out next time. From a quick glance, looks like I might be able to simply replace the DS18S20 Temp Sensor? This is what I will be basing mine from: http://pihost.us/~stacato/digitemp/

The stuff I ordered will be here tomorrow, Thanks for the ideas!

 

Here is the expensive way to do it.
http://www.nagios.org/products/environmental/esensors/em01b.php

Could always setup a webcam and point it at a thermometer.

 

Starting at only $440! looking at your url...I bet when I am done, I could get Nagios to monitor this......

Thought about the web cam, but it fogs....

 

Here's what I would do. It's REALLY geeky and would require a fairly trivial amount of programming (assuming you have some knowledge of writing code):

I already use a $35 Arduino microcontroller board with an LM34 temperature sensor to feed temperature data to my computer. A Java application that I wrote does the serial communication and data display. With slight modification, the Java app could dump sensor output to an HTML file in the server's /www directory about once per minute.

 

When I am done building this thing we are going to have to talk. My coding is not that good, but with a little help.....

 

Where did you find this little guy? I've been out of it for about a year but I really need access to the serial ports via Java. Last I check it was very sketchy espescially with permissions/policy

 

Finally got it done!

I will post what I did when I finish writing it up. It was my first time etching a board, in the future I hope to do a better job.

I would like to find a quick disconnect idea for the sensor it self, that way I could use the same box on different sensors. Like http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=26400 when I am brewin and others for the Kegerator and Lagering.

Here is a link to a more detailed description http://www.swampwaterbrewery.com/search/label/DIY%20-%20Web%20Temp%20Sensor

Got it on the net using the instructions found here http://www.instructables.com/id/Temperature-sensor-/-weatherstation/


Thanks,

 

I have it on line http://www.swampwaterbrewery.com/search/label/DIY%20-%20Web%20Temp%20Sensor Yuri, Did you say you have or know of a java app I could use on my desk top?

 

Sorry I missed this one!

I developed it on a Windows machine using Rxtx (www.rxtx.org). I found later that the javax.serial library works quite nicely on *nix machines.

 

way too simple

 

My monitoring output is here:

http://adnagaporp.caedmon.net:8000/kegerator/

It's a combination of C++ code on the Arduino, PHP to fetch the data over serial, and RRDTool to graph said data.

S

 

I would like to set up something to monitor the CO2 tank next, but I dont know what hardware to use....

 

Sorry, for the delay, I updated the links in my posts.

 

I would really like to put something together but I am a newbie at coding. Sounds like you set it up in Java? do you have something I could get as a start? Pointers?

Thanks!

 

Check out this thread. There's a lot of discussion as well as some code examples.

Download the Netbeans IDE - it's easy to use and automatically generates the sometimes complex and/or confusing code required to make a Windows-type GUI.

If you want some custom code tailored to your application, I could be persuaded...mostly with beer.

 

Sweet! :rockin: thanks for the reply. I would like to give it a shot myself...but just in case, what is your favorite brew?

 

Does the sad face mean you'd have done it another way? I'd like to look into a way to monitor the temps where I'm fermenting, and also in general just to see what the warmest places are, etc. You've done exactly what I wanted (<3 HBT), so if you have any more wisdom to share I'd love to leech off of your experiences

 

Given my recent problem with a refrigeration unit:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=66697

I would like to spec out something like this:
1) Unit must alert via SMS when a minimum or maximum temperature has been exceeded.
2) Unit would be an appliance that would not require a PC for operation.
3) Web interface to program the set points is preferred although USB connection would be acceptable.
4) Wired Ethernet is OK, but wireless would be preferred.
5) Wall wort power is acceptable.

 

About the best I can find. What you are looking for will not be cheap.

http://www.kvmhq.com/servlet/the-1030/NTI-Mini-Server-Environment/Detail

 

Yea. I also was looking at this:
http://www.weathershop.com/temptrax-E.htm

 

Do those do SMS output? I only looked a little bit... I was going to say that it'd be easier/better to hook it to a computer, but if you don't have a spare one, it may be cheaper to just go this way. Still, if you only need something to do basic processing, and don't mind doing some hardware stuff yourself, it might be worthwhile to build something.

I speak completely in theory, of course, because I'm looking at circuit diagrams and feeling out of my league.

 

Sorry for the delay.

Nope I did it the way I posted. I have full instructions on my site http://www.swampwaterbrewery.com/search/label/DIY%20-%20Web%20Temp%20Sensor

If you want I can try to post it here, I dont know if it is to long?

 

Nice, thanks. I was hoping to use this on my old eMac, which doesn't have a serial port, but I've also been trying to scrounge up old computers from my family to mess around with. I also wasn't planning on messing with this for a little bit, but then again I am impatient.

 

1) I use a free monitoring tool called Nagios http://www.nagios.org Does SMS and email for me.
I am sure the rest could be done, but I am sure there would be a cost. I was trying for and inexpensive way to get it done. I like your ideas, it would be cool to build the rest of your ideas into a keezer collar...

 

My laptop does not have a serial port either, I use a USB to Serial adapter, cost less than $15

 

My web temp sensor will be in BYO Brew Nation November issue. I thought it was pretty cool.

 

Digital scale. Track changes in mass.

 

Very cool idea! You could also use that idea for the kegs. Time to look for some scales, anyone have any ideas on were to look?

 

Digital bathroom scales can be found cheap at thrift stores but the accuracy is +/- at best 0.5 lbs.

I have a couple I keep meaning to interface with my (still in the planning stages) keg system.

 

This might sound silly; can the data be transfered to a computer? If not were you planning to move the displays so you could more easily see them?

 

I'm sure you can very easily extend/move the lcd/led display on the scale to anywhere you need. (ie the front of your kegorater).

The problem/solution I have not attempted to solve (or even try) is the zeroing and refreshing of the bathroom scale.

Anything can be interfaced to a computer....it just might require a microcontroller and/or simple circuit to interface it.

My plan is to use a microcontroller. I would zero the scale on an empty keg and then use the scale output weight to calculate the remaining beer and interface it to the computer....

Once I have the keg weight in the microcontroller and/or computer I have dozens of different ideas on how to display the remaining beer left in a keg.(they would probably deserve there own seperate thread...)

So far I have run across many different types of scales....Load Cell, Strain Gauge, Optical Rack and Pinion etc etc....and each would have to be "hacked" or interfaced a little differently...And each have a little different footprint especially where space is tight in a keg system.

I'm sure someone will point to a commercial solution that "talks" to a computer already but "hacking" together a somewhat cheap solution is pretty much why I have "hobbies" that extend to just about anything and everything.

 

If you cant open it, you dont own it. I agree, doing it your self is so much more fun. I would be interested in helping you out if you need it.

I would agree, it probably would deserve its own thread.