Brewie

[Gardiner4]

FYI, there is a potential software bug in 3.1.2 with the Brewie+: during a full clean, after the second water addition cycle has drained (the one where you add tabs/PBW/detergent/etc.), the water I add for the third cycle to rinse out the detergent immediately drains again without warning (usually there is a prompt before draining starts).

I cannot remember what this step did prior to 3.1.2 but I think the purpose of the third cycle is to rinse out any detergent residue and I can hear pumps and valves clicking, but the water has already drained. I have now seen this twice. I would add a support ticket but the web site is down again. As a work-around you can do a quick clean after the full clean.

(This is also on the Brewie Owners Group on FB)

Since the cleaning cycles are all separate files you could just copy it from a 3.1.1 card if there is an issue in 3.1.2. I can't remember but I think they are editable routines.

**Actually I just compared 3.1.2 and 3.1.1 and the Full Clean files are exactly the same. There must be a bug in the application itself.

 

[Still Brewn]

Has anyone figured the boil off rate for the B+? I guess I should say US 120 volt system.

 

[Hamboner]

I received my ebay b20 finally. It had a bit of damage on the exterior that the listing didn't note, so may be shipping damage from this particular shipping. Nothing bad though - a dinged up corner and lid handle.

It said bad mash pump in the listing so i set about fixing that in addition to the thermal switch and wiring mod. The pump looked good, cleaned it out and bench tested it succesfully. Upgraded the thermal switch and the wiring to the boil kettle (one terminal was starting to discolor).

I pulled the 3.1.2 Maibock (with dev mode; beta) image from my other unit and upgraded the SD card in the ebay unit. My other B20 had a 16gb card, this one had an 8gb card. I didn't have access to a linux machine to easily shrink the image size down so i just bought a 16gb uSD card and replaced it. I'll try and shrink that image down and put it on google drive for others who want it. It looks like the other image was <200Mb so this should get down to around that size. Getting to the SD card was easier than i anticipated, open the bottom, undo two screws and slide it out enough to access the holder.

With dev mode i was able to check everything individually. The Hop 1 valve was making noise, but not like the others, mainly during closing. It looked like it wasn't closing all the way. I pulled it out and opened it up. The bad servo's main gear was slipping on its shaft under any load. Thought about fixing but amazon could have a new one to me before the adhesive would set properly. Its a Tower MG996R 180* Metal Gear Servo that has an eccentric cam mounted to it that presses a pinch lever. OEM servos (and chinese knockoffs) can be had on amazon for <= $15.

With any luck, i'll have this one churning out a brew tomorrow. I'll update with any other details and let everyone know when i get the new image file created and uploaded somewhere.

 

[Nate R]

So the website is back up! This has to mean something, right?
Like if it just broke and the company was dead nobody would fix it.
If the company is barely hanging on maybe the website status reflects that?

Either way... since Brewie is such a small commumity i wish they would provide some form of communication to us.

@Hamboner great update above. Thank you. Anyone else having any success with their ebay units?

 

[Blazinlow86]

So the website is back up! This has to mean something, right?
Like if it just broke and the company was dead nobody would fix it.
If the company is barely hanging on maybe the website status reflects that?

Either way... since Brewie is such a small commumity i wish they would provide some form of communication to us.

@Hamboner great update above. Thank you. Anyone else having any success with their ebay units?

Maybe there done the "reorganization" and back in business. Cheers

 

[Tim H]

It’s speculation, but based on Marcel’s comment of “we are going through a restructuring....this stuff will be tended to once it’s done...” makes me want to think it was a successful buy-out or injection of VC money. It seems that they met with business consultants to establish recurring revenue streams (monthly subscriptions) and hopefully find add-on sales/products (like mesh hop baskets, and Brewie water filtration units.....etc). I look at the potential of this company and see dollar signs.... this was just created and run by engineers, not sales guys.

They need to fix the Brewie image by supporting existing customer problems and then tack on some crazy product guarantee to new units (4 year no questions warranty) to prove that their product is now bullet proof, and will stand by it.

I hope that this all comes back online so we can get updated software and parts

 

[BrewNapes]

Hi all, just joined the forum.
I’m a Brewie + owner, done a bunch of brews and souse vide meats so far.
The Brewie was on the shelf for the last six months due to a garage renovation. But I’d like to get it going again. I also processed 12.5 oz of my own cascade/centennial blend for the hop cages.
Seeing how I haven’t turned it on in months is there any updates I should avoid?

 

[Nate R]

Hi all, just joined the forum.
I’m a Brewie + owner, done a bunch of brews and souse vide meats so far.
The Brewie was on the shelf for the last six months due to a garage renovation. But I’d like to get it going again. I also processed 12.5 oz of my own cascade/centennial blend for the hop cages.
Seeing how I haven’t turned it on in months is there any updates I should avoid?

Dont think you will GET any updates for a bit.
Are you 3.1.1 or 3.1.2?
You can turn off your wifi and boot up your brewie to check.
I am original B20 tho so better have a B+ owner weigh in

 

[BrewNapes]

Dont think you will GET any updates for a bit.
Are you 3.1.1 or 3.1.2?
You can turn off your wifi and boot up your brewie to check.
I am original B20 tho so better have a B+ owner weigh in

Hi Nate, looks like I’m on 3.1.1 (firmware 7)

 

[Tim H]

Hi Nate, looks like I’m on 3.1.1 (firmware 7)

3.1.1 is a relatively good version to have. I think the biggest challenges you might face are water inlet valves/water volume. Some machines had problems identifying the correct amount of water for brews, so that caused complications. I recommend running a test brew (just water) to see if things are dramatically off the mark. There are a few sources with 3.1.2 and 3.1.3 floating around if you have major issues with the current firmware. You shouldn’t get any updates because their back office has been down for almost two months now. Good luck- let us know how it goes!

 

[Nate R]

I am on 3.1.1
No fancy developer mode but tried and true brews for the B20

 

[Still Brewn]

You shouldn’t get any updates because their back office has been down for almost two months now. Good luck- let us know how it goes!

I know it seems like it has been a while but the first time it went down was less than a month ago, August 17th, and it is currently up and running.

 

[Nate R]

I know it seems like it has been a while but the first time it went down was less than a month ago, August 17th, and it is currently up and running.

Website is up and down... but i do not think anyone has heard from warranty/ service for some time now.

 

[Still Brewn]

Hi all, just joined the forum.
I’m a Brewie + owner, done a bunch of brews and souse vide meats so far.
The Brewie was on the shelf for the last six months due to a garage renovation. But I’d like to get it going again. I also processed 12.5 oz of my own cascade/centennial blend for the hop cages.
Seeing how I haven’t turned it on in months is there any updates I should avoid?

Welcome to the forum. I haven't messed around with the sous vide, looked around for instructions on using the machine for that but didn't find anything. Are you just using developer mode?

 

[Tim H]

I know it seems like it has been a while but the first time it went down was less than a month ago, August 17th, and it is currently up and running.

Yes, it has only been a month since the website went down, but the last response I recieved from brewie support was 7/18. I dropped several tickets after that date and never heard a word back. Either way, I hope this S&#t gets cleaned up quickly. As mentioned above.....we are a small community, we deserve to know what is going on at HQ.

 

[Brian H.]

So, got the eBay unit and have been having fun this weekend! At first I was a little dismayed when opening the box and seeing a recreation of the exorcist inside and all over the machine. But with a little elbow grease, things shined up nicely.

At first, nothing worked...so a little perseverance, inverting the machine and unscrewing everything, viola, it booted up! It is running 2.8, so will look at updating it...but after about 3 cleans (2 short, 1 sanitizing), things are getting unclogged, the pumps are working, things are heating up and it seems to be doing good. Will do a couple more clean cycles (sanitizing and full cleans) and then a test brew to see how it holds up.

Only glitch seems to be the front panel. It looks like it thinks there is something pressing it from time to time. Comes up with red "x" in the upper right corner, but pressing anywhere on the screen clears where it is at and resumes the proper status screen.

 

[117thBrewer]

I got my Ebay unit. Wouldn't boot up or it would hang on loading. I discovered a couple cold solder joints on the front panel pcb mainly where the power on button connects. Re-soldered and it boots up and I can play around with recipes and whatnot. I'll give it a cleaning cycle this weekend hopefully and maybe do a small batch. I will need to swap the 8gb micro SD card with a 16gb if I want to update.

On a side note. I downloaded the 3.0 B20 image from the google drive twice and it says it is corrupt when I unzip. The older images are fine though. I'd appreciate it if someone has another copy. Thanks!

 

[BrewNapes]

Website is up and down... but i do not think anyone has heard from warranty/ service for some time now.

I received a new heating element because I was complaining about an electrical smell. I was dealing with Mate he logged onto my machine and was able to trouble shoot to some degree. 3 months later an element arrived in the mail, no information or installation instructions provided. I know I’ve seen some breakdowns out there, if someone can point me in the right direction that would be awesome.

 

[BrewNapes]

Welcome to the forum. I haven't messed around with the sous vide, looked around for instructions on using the machine for that but didn't find anything. Are you just using developer mode?

No, not really. Mate told me I should be using the developer mode but I was just building beer recipes with really odd times and no hop additions. I was using funky sounding grains as place holders for beef or pork.
I’d set the temperature for 57 degrees C and hold it for 8-12 hrs once the time was up the water would transfer to the boil side, boil then shut off. I was only able to omit the cooling cycle not the boil. It wasn’t much of an issue as the temperature in the mash tun didn’t affect the roast.
Forgot to mention, I pan sear first.

 

[c06u]

I have received two of the eBay units, the first one was a new unit that must have been returned for a noisy boil pump, opened it up and found it had been assembled wrong, they had left the little keyed trust washer off, it was there but just next to the shaft, reinstalled ran a complete test brew cycle with no problems, unit also had a dinged lid but not major, my guess is bad packing when returned to Brewie, the second unit looks to have had one attempt to brew but not beyond the start of a mash cycle, shows overflow but suspect the owner attempted his own recipe and screwed up water settings? anyway it is also with a dinged lid, so far have only had time to power it up and pull bottom off, will get to it later this week...bottom line here for me is plenty of spare parts if I ever need them sooooo if Brewie tanks I have no problem flying solo

 

[Nate R]

I received a new heating element because I was complaining about an electrical smell. I was dealing with Mate he logged onto my machine and was able to trouble shoot to some degree. 3 months later an element arrived in the mail, no information or installation instructions provided. I know I’ve seen some breakdowns out there, if someone can point me in the right direction that would be awesome.

When was the last communication from Mate/ Brewie?

 

[Hamboner]

A quick update on my ebay unit:

I flashed a new SD card with the Maibock (dev mode) build and used it for troubleshooting. Got everythign working and during a test brew, the preboil stage will only get to 200F. It seems that the machine will heat to 200, turn off until 199, then turn on again. I thought the thermal switch i installed was bad, but in dev mode, i can set it to full boil. I tried a proper test brew and it did the same thing, i then hit skip to next step and it proceeded to start hopping and get up to a full boil. I'm wondering if the dev mode build needs an updated build on the microcontroller also. I dug through the image file and found all the configs for everything as well as the update scripts. I think i'll need to try and ssh into the machine and force it to try and update the microcontroller, or just revert back to the build it came with until brewie gets its updated servers back online.

Has anyone else that did an SD image swap noticed something similar? Anyone try to update the microcontroller yet?

 

[Still Brewn]

A quick update on my ebay unit:

I thought the thermal switch i installed was bad, but in dev mode, i can set it to full boil.

Just so you know...... The thermal switch is a safety feature. It does NOT have anything to do with temperature control. The original thermal switches were 125° C if I remember correctly and will cut the power to the burner when they reach that temperature. If they ever reach that temperature it means you have boiled dry. The reason people were having problems with them is that they are in series with the burner and because of the inferior spade connectors used in manufacturing the 120 v units too much amperage was being drawn through them causing them to overheat and fail. Ther may also have been a bad batch of thermal switches but if that is the case your burner shouldn't heat up at all. I never looked to see if the thermal switches automatically reset themselves or if they were/are a one and done style. If they are that would mean that once they are tripped they have to be replaced.
Hope that helps a little bit.

 

[Still Brewn]

Forgot to mention, I pan sear first.

Usually you want pan sear after you sous vide your meat not before, the crust you are going for will get soggy if you do it before.

Thanks for the help. I guess I will write a brew recipe or two to do this with. At least you can pause and or cancel the brew program to get rid of the boil. Or pause to hold the temperature for larger gatherings where you will be taking steaks out of it for a period of time. Hopefully they will get a proper program to run it in the future.

 

[BrewNapes]

Ju

When was the last communication from Mate/ Brewie?

Friday, July 12th 2019

 

[BrewNapes]

Usually you want pan sear after you sous vide your meat not before, the crust you are going for will get soggy if you do it before.

Thanks for the help. I guess I will write a brew recipe or two to do this with. At least you can pause and or cancel the brew program to get rid of the boil. Or pause to hold the temperature for larger gatherings where you will be taking steaks out of it for a period of time. Hopefully they will get a proper program to run it in the future.

I would agree with the textural advantages of searing after the sous vide but there is a huge flavour bonus of searing before hand. Just my 2 cents. The crunch can be had with some nice frites.

 

[BrewNapes]

Usually you want pan sear after you sous vide your meat not before, the crust you are going for will get soggy if you do it before.

Thanks for the help. I guess I will write a brew recipe or two to do this with. At least you can pause and or cancel the brew program to get rid of the boil. Or pause to hold the temperature for larger gatherings where you will be taking steaks out of it for a period of time. Hopefully they will get a proper program to run it in the future.

Also a great way to heat a large ham without drying it out.

 

[Nate R]

I would agree with the textural advantages of searing after the sous vide but there is a huge flavour bonus of searing before hand. Just my 2 cents. The crunch can be had with some nice frites.

I think the "Maillard reaction" may come into play here.
I have an Annova sous vide- best thing ever!! I prefer to sear post but i have read that either way has pros and cons.

 

[Hamboner]

Thanks for the reply. The thermal switch only controls three temp if it overheats and shuts down. These are automatically resettable switches (they open the circuit and then once cooled back down they close again - I'd guess bimetallic element inside). On my first unit it would get to around 205 then the thermal switch would open for a couple of minutes to cool before closing and trying again. The manufacturer says if putting near the max current through the device to get a higher rated one because of self heating. When combined with bad terminals (resistance equals heat) they kept turning off before boiling. The fact it boiled fine in dev mode seemed to rule out the thermal switch.

After digging into the files in the maibock beta image I found an update script and an upload firmware script (not looking at it now but usr/share or similar). Along with those were 3 hex files (the microcontroller files). They were labeled 1, 2, & mega. I decided 1 probably equated to my b20 (guessing 2 got b20+, mega likely refers to an arduino mega - maybe a prototype or one they use for lab testing). I ssh'ed into the brewie (login info on an earlier post) from a computer on the network and successfully reflashed the microcontroller using their script and then also ran a script called hw_temp_fix or similar. After doing that it now boils fine. I'm guessing each sd card image/update has its own associated microcontroller build that it flashes during the update process. Not sure if the firmware or the 'temp fix' made it work but now I have a fully updated working ebay unit.

Maybe this will help some other adventurous soul...

Just so you know...... The thermal switch is a safety feature. It does NOT have anything to do with temperature control. The original thermal switches were 125° C if I remember correctly and will cut the power to the burner when they reach that temperature. If they ever reach that temperature it means you have boiled dry. The reason people were having problems with them is that they are in series with the burner and because of the inferior spade connectors used in manufacturing the 120 v units too much amperage was being drawn through them causing them to overheat and fail. Ther may also have been a bad batch of thermal switches but if that is the case your burner shouldn't heat up at all. I never looked to see if the thermal switches automatically reset themselves or if they were/are a one and done style. If they are that would mean that once they are tripped they have to be replaced.
Hope that helps a little bit.

 

[sniperd]

I received a new heating element because I was complaining about an electrical smell. I was dealing with Mate he logged onto my machine and was able to trouble shoot to some degree. 3 months later an element arrived in the mail, no information or installation instructions provided. I know I’ve seen some breakdowns out there, if someone can point me in the right direction that would be awesome.

http://www.brewieforum.net A guy from homebrewtalk put this up to help organize for exactly this kind of question. Lots of diagrams and instructions. This thread we are on probably has what you are looking for too, it is just very big Also, this google drive has loads of stuff: https://drive.google.com/drive/fold...L9HwBIA4E9rBGnYVzk-16b23S1RB0yqCvlx_g1gdCz7_Y