How are you adding hops?

I'm looking to automate my hop additions and I think I'm going about it the wrong way. I was thinking I could get 4 tiny hoppers and hook up a small actuator to each and have my pi dump at specified times. However I'm not seeing small actuators for below $40 a piece, so that would be $160 in parts. I think I can do it a lot cheaper. How are you guys doing this?

I just dump them in when the recipe calls for it. Not that hard, no extra expense. The 1st addition, I take the boiling wort off the heat nowdays, cos I had an experience of burning my hand on a boil over.

I found stepper motors for under $10 a piece. I think I can make these work, however I'll hold off buying any until I hear your opinions.

@dmashl That's what I currently do, however I'm looking for ways to spend less time watching water boil.

I found "UNIVERSAL POWER DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR MOTORS" for under $5, they're for adding power door locks to your car and come with mounting hardware that I can use. I think these will work just fine. I'll update this thread in a month or two when I get my other parts from shady vendors in china.

I'm still interested in seeing other peoples hop adding rigs.

I love the enthusiasm but I am traditional and add by hand.
Nice fun tinkering for you though....I faintly remember those days BK(before kids) when I could do that.

Hobby servos can be had for $3 ea. But you must yell "Boom!" When adding hops, how will you automate that?

I supose I could dedicate a GPIO pin to a talking Emeril bobble head. Haha

Automatic Pet Feeder

Like this - [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvWo33soi_o[/ame]

Works well, but nede to remake in stainless, but perspex is good for see how clean the hopper is.

I trigger the solenoids using a Digibee+ from my automated brewery software i wrote in VB.net.

Steve

The trap door design is very effective. I used to work in the machines doing food handling business. Every time it was an option, we used a trap door to move food.

Trick is open the trap door real fast.

Thanks. From the hop hopper, the hops (leaf usualy) drop down a chute into the boiler. The problem was steam getting into the chute from the boil, so now i have an extracting fan sucking on another orifice on the boiler lid that sucks air down the chute, over the wort and out side with the steam. Works well.

Steve

Anybody do one turret style, kind of like the one Brew Boss makes?

-BD

It looked like you have pipe fittings in the hoppers with string on them. Is that for demo purposes only?

Any pics of it working during a brew?

Like the concept.

BrunDog said:

Anybody do one turret style, kind of like the one Brew Boss makes?

-BD

Click to expand...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=128139&page=2

I have developed a Arduino based Hop Dropper.
The sketch works on both prototype configurations:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3FI-BXuH_0[/ame]
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhqO-yYpklw[/ame]

I am going to release the sketch later if anyone is interested.

voltage said:

Hobby servos can be had for $3 ea. But you must yell "Boom!" When adding hops, how will you automate that?

Click to expand...

This.

I use them for bomb bay doors on my RC planes. Well, that and for the throttle and ailerons and rudder controls.

And now I need to build a simple balsa wood box with a few servos and trap doors.

Then I can just do my additions from the couch.

voltage said:

But you must yell "Boom!" When adding hops, how will you automate that?

Click to expand...

Easy.
My system uses a lot of voices for warnings.

pocketmon said:

I have developed a Arduino based Hop Dropper.
The sketch works on both prototype configurations:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3FI-BXuH_0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhqO-yYpklw

I am going to release the sketch later if anyone is interested.

Click to expand...

Aluminum angle and PVC pipe are perfect materials for a conveyor like your V2.
You could install a home position switch which you look for during power up (to know the belt position) and then you index a fixed amount for each cup.
I am working on 4 conveyors right now for a different brewing project. Drive shaft and gear motor are missing.

ClaudiusB said:

Aluminum angle and PVC pipe are perfect materials for a conveyor like your V2.
You could install a home position switch which you look for during power up (to know the belt position) and then you index a fixed amount for each cup.
I am working on 4 conveyors right now for a different brewing project. Drive shaft and gear motor are missing.

Click to expand...

Regarding the "home position" question, I already coded the solution in my sketch. The more convenient way is using a microswitch or photo interrupter. By setting this configuration, Arduino sketch will start to run the motor until the switch is pressed. Without the additional microswitch or photo interrupter, Arduino will start to run the motor until user interrupt. Then, micro-movement can be done by user.
The distance between each cup can be set easily by just manually "move" the cups once.
You can see the detail if you are interested.
http://vito.tw/lazysusan-auto-hop-dropper/

I am a software engineer, and I've made the software as flexible as I could. What I couldn't do for now is building the conveyor like you.
Thank you for providing such a good suggestion. I don't know how to cut aluminum angle, though.

pocketmon said:

You can see the detail if you are interested.
http://vito.tw/lazysusan-auto-hop-dropper/

Click to expand...

Thanks for the write-up.

I don't know how to cut aluminum angle, though.

Click to expand...

Easy, compared to all the wood working knowledge you have.