Brewie

[Ajes]

Reading through this forum, you find several mods and fixes that people in here have done and documented.
I actually think that the only thing that couldn't be replaced by other/similar products is the controller.
However, as I've mentioned before, I don't think it's that difficult to replace it with a brewpi/brewpiless/craftbeerpi type setup.
I recently built a diy version of the brewpi spark, and it works fine with the "brewblox" software - which is both free and very powerfull in the way that it can be tailored to your specific equipment.
Yes, not all people are diy'ers, but it seems there actually is quite a few of them in here.

 

[Nate R]

Blown Fuse on Brewie (B20)
Hey all- in case it helps.
I had a blown fuse on my original B20- here is what I got from Mate to change:

~~~~~
Brewie Support, Tuesday 13. November 2018. 14:20
Hello Nathaniel,

If the machine does nothing (no beep, no clicking noises, no light) then I think it is the fuse that got blown. Please remove the bottom plate, and have a look on it. The fuse is located on the high voltage PCB close to the power cord. Let me know how it looks.

Please find attached the documentation about how you can turn the the machine upside down securely.

If it is broken please try to find a
- slow acting
- 15-20 AMP
- ceramic fuse with
- high temp operating range (well above 100C/212F)

I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Regards;
Máté

 

[macgyuver]

The only things that I have seen that are not off the shelf parts are the weight sensors, the load cells that are connected to them, circuit boards, and the weird flow control boxes for the liquid. Of course the software I would expect but most of the other internal parts I have searched for are off the shelf.

 

[kh54s10]

The only things that I have seen that are not off the shelf parts are the weight sensors, the load cells that are connected to them, circuit boards, and the weird flow control boxes for the liquid. Of course the software I would expect but most of the other internal parts I have searched for are off the shelf.

Sounds like plenty of parts that would be pretty difficult to impossible to replace - hope they last for you all.

 

[cubsfan16]

The only things that I have seen that are not off the shelf parts are the weight sensors, the load cells that are connected to them, circuit boards, and the weird flow control boxes for the liquid. Of course the software I would expect but most of the other internal parts I have searched for are off the shelf.

Are you aware if anyone has started a parts list? I went back to the Taiwan/Mongolian site and it appears to be down now...it was up this morning.

 

[Still Brewn]

Are you aware if anyone has started a parts list? I went back to the Taiwan/Mongolian site and it appears to be down now...it was up this morning.

They probably got a cease and desist order from Brewie.

 

[Still Brewn]

Amazon has a lower price on new units now and got more in. If I remember correctly Maté said Brewie sets the the price on amazon. Down to 999

 

[HarkinBanks]

Are you aware if anyone has started a parts list? I went back to the Taiwan/Mongolian site and it appears to be down now...it was up this morning.

Looks like it is back up, at least for me.

https://univision-taiwan.wixsite.com/univision/store

I am very tempted to email them to buy a few valves, maybe the LCD screen. I have purchased a ton of things through Alibaba and Aliexpress, always sketchy but the stuff shows up eventually. I imagine the experience would be about the same.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

I'm gonna make some beer this weekend. I hope my wife gives be a brewie while I'm at it...

 

[cubsfan16]

Looks like it is back up, at least for me.

https://univision-taiwan.wixsite.com/univision/store

I am very tempted to email them to buy a few valves, maybe the LCD screen. I have purchased a ton of things through Alibaba and Aliexpress, always sketchy but the stuff shows up eventually. I imagine the experience would be about the same.

Yup back up for me too. I haven heard of anyone placing an order yet though. I might place a small order and see how it goes.

 

[c06u]

Pray that your expensive boat anchor keeps working... It may be that once these Ebay leftovers are gone you will be out of parts and you MIGHT be able to find something that will work.

LOL well a plus is you can always have that "CoffeeFather" to use when your Kurig breaks down I guess, I have some Keggles you can use for boat anchors....

 

[Ajes]

silly question:
When I see people refering to pouring in an amount of water or other stuff, they seem to always provide it in an X-X format.
Like: "pour 5-5 liters of water into each tank" or "total of 4 grams of holps into the hop tanks (1-1 into each).
I'm a bit uncertain whether this is just a way of emphazising 5 into each, or....??

 

[Nate R]

silly question:
When I see people refering to pouring in an amount of water or other stuff, they seem to always provide it in an X-X format.
Like: "pour 5-5 liters of water into each tank" or "total of 4 grams of holps into the hop tanks (1-1 into each).
I'm a bit uncertain whether this is just a way of emphazising 5 into each, or....??

It is because not all countries are on the Best Measurement System Ever- ours! (American Standard).
I think the - is like a decimal.
So 5-5 is 5.5
1-1 is 1.1
Etc. Etc.

Someday the entire rest of the world will join America in the best method.

 

[Still Brewn]

silly question:
When I see people refering to pouring in an amount of water or other stuff, they seem to always provide it in an X-X format.
Like: "pour 5-5 liters of water into each tank" or "total of 4 grams of holps into the hop tanks (1-1 into each).
I'm a bit uncertain whether this is just a way of emphazising 5 into each, or....??

I would guess you are trying to use the unclog on the brewie....?
I think it is suppose to be 5 liters or about 5 quarts ..... it doesn't have to be perfectly accurate.
I had to use it this weekend, I either left the bag partially unzipped or it unzipped a little while I was stirring . Either way I got a clog on the mash side. Just keep running until the crap comes out then cancel the process.

Anyway.... I saw the same thing and was confused by it also. Says something different on another screen.

 

[Still Brewn]

Not sure this has been posted before, but the 3.0 software has a debug menu similar to dev mode. You punch in !#43373# in the recipe search field and the test menu comes up. You can open and close all valves and test the pumps and heaters independently. Just don't put both heaters on at the same time like I did last night. I am pretty sure I blew the fuse and now I have both tanks full of water! I will sort that mess tonight.

Yeah, that should blow a fuse really fast. If it does not it should blow your circuit breaker. If it doesn't then you will have fire somewhere unless you are on a 30 amp circuit and that should have a different outlet.

 

[HarkinBanks]

Yeah, that should blow a fuse really fast. If it does not it should blow your circuit breaker. If it doesn't then you will have fire somewhere unless you are on a 30 amp circuit and that should have a different outlet.

Thankfully the 15amp internal fuse blew quickly. Got a new one and back up and running tonight. Still working out and testing this eBay B20 unit. So far everything checks out mechanically.

 

[Still Brewn]

The only things that I have seen that are not off the shelf parts are the weight sensors, the load cells that are connected to them, circuit boards, and the weird flow control boxes for the liquid. Of course the software I would expect but most of the other internal parts I have searched for are off the shelf.

Pressure sensor instead of weight sensor for B+ ..... 4 wire. Pressure sensors are pretty common in the automotive industry and other areas like weather instrumentation and fluid transfer. Pretty common part overall just have to find out the resistance changes and the voltage, which I think was 5 volts when i looked at it.

 

[Still Brewn]

Thankfully the 15amp internal fuse blew quickly. Got a new one and back up and running tonight. Still working out and testing this eBay B20 unit. So far everything checks out mechanically.

Very nice, I'm wondering if the weight sensors can be replaced with the pressure sensors on those. Would make moving the thing much less of a pita.... I'm thinking order available stuff from Mongolia, unit from Ebay and upgrade the thing. Maybe too many sketchy things in that sentence.

 

[macgyuver]

Here is the heart behind the B20. The system on a chip/board setup that is.

https://www.olimex.com/Products/SOM/A13/A13-SOM-256/

I wonder if you picked up the 512 variant if it would run any better?

 

[HarkinBanks]

Here is the heart behind the B20. The system on a chip/board setup that is.

https://www.olimex.com/Products/SOM/A13/A13-SOM-256/

I wonder if you picked up the 512 variant if it would run any better?

More information here hacking in.


http://think.gusius.com/brewie-sniffing-the-control-board-uart/

Credit and kudos to the user. Maybe they are already a member here?

 

[Hamboner]

Gusius also has a mod to add another inlet for filtered watered for the brew side of things. This way he's not using his filtered water for the cooling circuit. Its pretty well documented, but i think some of his product links are now defunct as a result of turnover on aliexpress.

If you dig into the file system on the SD card you can see how it parses all the recipes. Basically every step of the brew has a list of commands that include every valve position, pump on/off, burner on/off, and a couple of others that are probably weight sensors, set temps, etc. These steps are then all compiled below that to indicate how long each step should take and in what series of loops they should run to complete the brew. I started decoding some of it but, as with most things in life these days, i need more time. The brewie's linux system translates these and sends them to the microcontroller to actually do things (which is the part the gusius was 'sniffing'.)

More information here hacking in.


http://think.gusius.com/brewie-sniffing-the-control-board-uart/

Credit and kudos to the user. Maybe they are already a member here?

 

[Ajes]

Btw, does anyone know what the wattage is on the heating elements in the B+?
(I'm a little worried about whether the ssr's are getting enough cooling, and might want to replace them with a better brand).

 

[Hamboner]

With a kill-a-watt hooked up to mine (b20) it draws just under 1500w total when a burner is on.

 

[Ajes]

Ok, thanks.

 

[BoilerInSoCal]

I currently have the High Gravity system, but I'm considering one of the ebay units. A couple of questions for those who have ordered: (1) did you look through each of the units' descriptions, and do you think it is better to go with a specific "problem"? I see some have "N/A" for the reported problems, and some have more detail, like "mash pump"*. (2) Any idea if the "N/A" for "tanks" means it wasn't used? I see some that say "used", but I'm not sure I've seen one that says "looks new". Anyway, I'm just trying to figure out if there is a rule of thumb for selecting a unit, or if it really is a crap shoot.

Also, any idea if the some of the parts on the Taiwan website would fit the 20 (e.g., the hop cages)?

*"mash pump" seems like a really easy fix to me (and could just be a matter of cleaning/unclogging it).

 

[HarkinBanks]

With a kill-a-watt hooked up to mine (b20) it draws just under 1500w total when a burner is on.

Sounds about right for a 15amp plug. Burner is rated at 1800 watts.

 

[HarkinBanks]

I currently have the High Gravity system, but I'm considering one of the ebay units. A couple of questions for those who have ordered: (1) did you look through each of the units' descriptions, and do you think it is better to go with a specific "problem"? I see some have "N/A" for the reported problems, and some have more detail, like "mash pump"*. (2) Any idea if the "N/A" for "tanks" means it wasn't used? I see some that say "used", but I'm not sure I've seen one that says "looks new". Anyway, I'm just trying to figure out if there is a rule of thumb for selecting a unit, or if it really is a crap shoot.

Also, any idea if the some of the parts on the Taiwan website would fit the 20 (e.g., the hop cages)?

*"mash pump" seems like a really easy fix to me (and could just be a matter of cleaning/unclogging it).

I think it’s truly a crapshoot for the eBay units. I went with a listing that said the tanks looked new. Here was my listing:


This item is a customer return and has not been fully tested. For Parts Only.
Reported issue: N/A
Visually we can report the following:
Cover: Looks Used
Tanks: Looks New
Lids: N/A

Everything works on the unit I bought. I would try to buy one with “new” tanks. Mine was never used on the boil side. Looks like user error for an overflow on the mash side. But in the end you never know. I agree the mash pump one looks like maybe an easy fix. Unclog the pump or at worst replace it. They are just topsflo pumps and easily found.

There are a lot of parts that are interchangeable between b20 and b+. The false bottom and hop cages are all the same. Pumps and valves and chiller are the same. Boards and inlet valve changed.

 

[BoilerInSoCal]

I think it’s truly a crapshoot for the eBay units. I went with a listing that said the tanks looked new. Here was my listing:


This item is a customer return and has not been fully tested. For Parts Only.
Reported issue: N/A
Visually we can report the following:
Cover: Looks Used
Tanks: Looks New
Lids: N/A

Everything works on the unit I bought. I would try to buy one with “new” tanks. Mine was never used on the boil side. Looks like user error for an overflow on the mash side. But in the end you never know. I agree the mash pump one looks like maybe an easy fix. Unclog the pump or at worst replace it. They are just topsflo pumps and easily found.

There are a lot of parts that are interchangeable between b20 and b+. The false bottom and hop cages are all the same. Pumps and valves and chiller are the same. Boards and inlet valve changed.

Thanks so much! I think I'm going to pull the trigger. At the very least it is something to tinker with.

Like the others, I am also curious if anyone has had any luck with the $599 B+ or the parts from that website.

 

[Ajes]

I have a question about the hop cages:
To me, the mesh on these cages seem a bit too open. I bought a hop spider once with about the same mesh size, and too much hop-gunk got out.
What are your experiences here?
I was wondering whether it would be an idea to but the hops into tea-filters inside the hop cages?

 

[HarkinBanks]

I have a question about the hop cages:
To me, the mesh on these cages seem a bit too open. I bought a hop spider once with about the same mesh size, and too much hop-gunk got out.
What are your experiences here?
I was wondering whether it would be an idea to but the hops into tea-filters inside the hop cages?

In my experience they need to be that open so as to not restrict flow during recirculation. As it is they get very gunked up by the end of the brew. Also why there are limits on the amount of hops you can put in a cage. If you don’t close the mash lid during boil, the cages will actually rise up and cause some overflow issues.

Whereas hop spiders typically just sit in a brew, they don’t have wort recirculated through them.

 

[Still Brewn]

In my experience they need to be that open so as to not restrict flow during recirculation. As it is they get very gunked up by the end of the brew. Also why there are limits on the amount of hops you can put in a cage. If you don’t close the mash lid during boil, the cages will actually rise up and cause some overflow issues.

Whereas hop spiders typically just sit in a brew, they don’t have wort recirculated through them.

Yes, they will float and wort will start to flow over the top of them, you can see this by opening the mash tun lid while wort is circulating through the hop cages. The limits are in place to keep the hop utilization efficiencies up high enough, if you put much more in your numbers won't be accurate and you will be wasting your hops. By the end of the brew with an overfilled hop cage you will have an almost solid mass of hop material making it impossible for the wort to extract any hop oils, flavor or aroma from anywhere but the outside edge of the hop cages. Try putting a full ounce in one of the cages and you will see what I am talking about. If you want more hops in your beer add tea balls to the boil. My wife got me one from Bed Bath And Beyond. I posted a picture a while back. It works pretty good it holds

about a half an ounce, good for flavoring and aroma additions.

 

[Still Brewn]

The tea balls are great for adding things like coriander and orange peel also, it keeps the small bits contained better than the hop cages.
If you are worried about toom much trub ending up in you fermenter you can always grab a fine mesh strainer and filter it out as it is being filled just remember to sanitize it before using.

 

[Still Brewn]

Make sure to get a quality one that is all stainless steel, that one is part of a set of 3 from BBB, another thing from the wife.

 

[Ajes]

Actually, I worry more about the plate chiller getting clogged up by it.

 

[deroosa]

Thanks to Rob Rowald for the google drive info, it made me confident enough to take the plunge on purchasing B20's.

I have picked up two of the ebay units, ordering the second one after the first one arrived with all of the accessories and in excellent physical condition. It also helped that ebay had a 10% bonus bucks promotion going both times.

In both cases the description stated:
This item is a customer return and has not been fully tested. For Parts Only.
Reported issue: Update Software
Visually we can report the following:
Cover: Looks Used
Tanks: N/A
Lids: N/A

An interesting item to note is the the serial numbers are sequential, almost like these were "remanufactured" units. Both came with all of the accessories, false bottom, hop cages, in what appears to be new condition since they were in what appears to be the original bags. One unit was running 2.9 the other 3.0.1. It appears that both of them have most likely been used, however very little. The second one appears to have not been used in about 14 months based upon the log files, had almost every tube had stuck together at the where the pinch valves had been closed. Both had the white silicon plugs placed per the service manual. I was also able to use the !#43373# to check if I could hear the pinch valves at least opening before I opened it up to swap out the sd card with new card with the 3.1.2 image. The menu looks identical to the developer mode in the videos. I found it in the service manual and have been using that as a guide for testing.

The tanks and sheetmetal in the first looked clean, I can see a line in the boil tank that makes it appear that it has been used before. The tubing looked clean, however the silicon plug on the outlet had some black film on it that easily wiped off.

The second unit maybe had a mash tank dry fire, and then water poured in it since the bottom of the tank is warped/dented upwards over the right side of the heater. I can't figure out any other way that the bottom of the tank would be dented upwards, since dropping something into the tank would have dented it the other way.

So far happy with my two purchases. I have a pending order for replacement parts. I loaded it up more parts that I will probably need for the next 20 years and to allow me to replace pretty much everything, however the shipping on a $300 parts order came up to $95, so I have hesitated and am rethinking it. The replacement heating elements and entire front control panel's are somewhat large, but $95 seems crazy for shipping.

 

[Ajes]

Yet another question - this time about cleaning.
Yesterday I ran a full clean (haven't used the machine yet, but wanted to clean thoroughly before first brew).
I've found some wasing tablets with good reviews, unscented.
However, there was a bit of a white substance left - particularly around the hop cage outflows.
It was a bit difficult to get off with warm water, but I ended up being able to get it off easily with a bit of coffee-machine descaler acid.
Since my water is relatively hard, I wonder if I should pour in just a wee bit of the descaler for the full clean, or whether that could damage something in the pump/tubing/platecooler etc???

 

[117thBrewer]

After fixing the pump on my Ebay unit I did my first brew yesterday. Went flawless except for a slight burning insulation smell from the unit. I will probably upgrade the wiring/connectors.

Mine did not come with the accessories so I made my own false bottom out of the top of one of my keggles and I used hop bags for the hops. Everything worked, no scorching, the flow was good through the bags.

 

[HarkinBanks]

Yet another question - this time about cleaning.
Yesterday I ran a full clean (haven't used the machine yet, but wanted to clean thoroughly before first brew).
I've found some wasing tablets with good reviews, unscented.
However, there was a bit of a white substance left - particularly around the hop cage outflows.
It was a bit difficult to get off with warm water, but I ended up being able to get it off easily with a bit of coffee-machine descaler acid.
Since my water is relatively hard, I wonder if I should pour in just a wee bit of the descaler for the full clean, or whether that could damage something in the pump/tubing/platecooler etc???

From the Brewie repair manual:

1. Cleaning

IMPORTANT: Only food grade chemicals (vinegar) can be used for cleaning the tanks inside. Do not use any chemicals to clean the tanks.

After switching off the machine it has to be cleared inside-out. For the interior cleaning (inside the tanks), use only water, vinegar (food grade 20% vinegar) for the water stains, or IPA for other stains.



That being said, I do use Oxyclean in my unit followed by a quick clean with just water to get rid of any residue. Mate told me a long time ago that Oxy was fine to use, similar to their tabs.

 

[Nate R]

Yet another question - this time about cleaning.
Yesterday I ran a full clean (haven't used the machine yet, but wanted to clean thoroughly before first brew).
I've found some wasing tablets with good reviews, unscented.
However, there was a bit of a white substance left - particularly around the hop cage outflows.
It was a bit difficult to get off with warm water, but I ended up being able to get it off easily with a bit of coffee-machine descaler acid.
Since my water is relatively hard, I wonder if I should pour in just a wee bit of the descaler for the full clean, or whether that could damage something in the pump/tubing/platecooler etc???

I recall that we were given the go ahead to use PBW as well from Brewie (should be buried in this thread plus i bet i have in a manual too from them).
The problem with basically all the dishwasher tabs i found was the residue.
If you add a tiny amount of PBW (i use about 1/4 teaspon only in cage 1) it works good for me.
Here is my best advice- always run a short clean or two after each brew. Always run a full.clean after yoyr brew day (somedays i do 2 back to back). Never let this thing sit overnight after a brew. If you do, run at least two full cleans through it.

 

[Still Brewn]

For the interior cleaning (inside the tanks), use only water, vinegar (food grade 20% vinegar) for the water stains, or IPA for other stains.

I've never seen 20% vinager....? I have only see 5% vinegar (5% acedic acid) or is my head up my..... and I'm over thinking this? 1 cup vinegar 4 cups water?