Brewometer kickstarter thoughts - digital bluetooth hydrometer

Williams 728
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doug293cz said:
Something must be wrong with your unit causing excessive battery current draw. Mine in on its original battery since about 6/23/16 and is still going. I have never removed the battery, so assume it's been running constantly.

Brew on :mug:
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's possible with my hacking around in there that I turned something on that never got turned off :tank:

I sent an e-mail to the developers to see if they have any suggestions. ;)
 
jimmayhugh said:
Well, my Tilt has once again crapped out after about a week of use...:confused:

I've currently got it in an IPA that I helped a new brewer create. I'll have to wait until I transfer it to the secondary to see what's going on.
Click to expand...

Mine was having connectivity problems too, but I was able to isolate it to either the WiFi connectivity of my tablet or the brewometer app itself. When the brewometer was having connectivity problems, I would test it on another tablet and it was working fine.

Also, the range of the Bluetooth in the brewometer is not very far when it's in my stainless steel fermenter, which is inside a chest freezer. I have to put my tablet on top of the fermenter, inside the chest freezer for it to connect.
 
Possible bug.

When editing a recipe, to make change to Original Gravity, the change does not update the Brewometer Readings chart for the Estimated Starting Gravity.

Also, choosing to edit a recipe when done from Android Samsung S7 (Firefox mobile browser) does not do anything.

Mike
 
!!!Do Not Use this On Your Tilt!!!

PunchThrough.com has a node.js CLI that works with debian distributions, allowing you to create and upload programs to your Light Blue Bean.

I purchased a Light Blue Bean, and was frustrated in my attempts to use the GUI SDKs (OS Version either too old (my MacBook), too new (Windows 10) or just wouldn't work (RemixOS)). The Linux CLI SDK works like a charm.

Make sure that if you use this, that your Tilt is nowhere near your test Light Blue Bean!! If you inadvertently load code into the Tilt, it will probably be rendered useless as a digital hydrometer :eek:

!!!Do Not Use this On Your Tilt!!!
 
Ya know, considering the audience, I'm not sure bringing something new here for the first time with a warning is going to be as effective a deterrent as you might think...

Cheers! ;)
 
Hi All,

I just got my tilt about a month ago and i have just dropped it into my Ginger Ale. Is there a way i could input the OG for this and get it to calculate the ABV.

Also, i have a raspberry pi 3 and would like to know what kind of integration works (if anyone has any experience). Would be great if the gravity value could be saved into a mysql db or some file.
 
The good folks at Tilt have sent me a new, updated Tilt, and I am going to send my old one back so they can investigate my battery issues. :ban:

I'm going to test the new Tilt real soon now... :mug:
 
jimmayhugh said:
The good folks at Tilt have sent me a new, updated Tilt, and I am going to send my old one back so they can investigate my battery issues. :ban:

I'm going to test the new Tilt real soon now... :mug:
Click to expand...

Same here. I was having both battery and calibration issues with one of my two units, so they offered to replace it with one of the new models.

They said it was okay to post about it here, and that this would be the model they'd be shipping going forward. They've officially rebranded it as Tilt, and this is the Brew.0 model.

Here are the new features:

- When waking up the Tilt, the light will either flash green indicating the battery is good for another brew or red, indicating it's time to change your battery.

- After you change your battery, the Tilt will flash purple, indicating it's ready for a device level (not in app) tare. Simply place the Tilt in still room temperature water for several minutes. You should see a flash on the Tilt and the app indicating the device has been calibrated by resetting to 1.000. If the weight profile between batteries is in spec, your Tilt will not re-tare as it is within our factory calibration and ready to use.

- New, large washer (not an o-ring) for a tighter seal and it makes it easier to remove the cap for battery changes.

- The new app (should be available on iTunes Google play any day now) will have a celsius or fahrenheit option in the settings menu. All the other previous features are still in the app.
 
Hi Jim,

Thanks for sending the zip file.
It works almost for one part

root@raspberrypi:/var/www/html# php /var/www/html/TiltPythonMySQLcrontab.php
PHP Notice: Undefined variable: batStr in /var/www/html/TiltPythonMySQLcrontab.php on line 42

This refers to "if($tempStr > 0 && $batStr > 0)"
If i delete the $batStr section, it works fine
I would like to know what does batStr refer to



mysql> select sg from device;
+-------+
| sg |
+-------+
| 0.996 |
+-------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)


Also, is there a way to print the brew name into the sql db?
 
Anyone have issues with very high gravity brews and the Tilt?

I checked a Stout I made last weekend with my hydrometer and got 1.089 - then added 1lb of candi syrup, which should have bumped me up to 1.114

Didn't bother checking with the hydrometer again, threw in the Tilt - measured 1.085 I only really use it to check when fermentation is done, but in my other brews it was never more than a few points off from what I measured with my hydrometer. Being near 18 points off this time seemed weird.
 
beskone said:
Anyone have issues with very high gravity brews and the Tilt?

I checked a Stout I made last weekend with my hydrometer and got 1.089 - then added 1lb of candi syrup, which should have bumped me up to 1.114

Didn't bother checking with the hydrometer again, threw in the Tilt - measured 1.085 I only really use it to check when fermentation is done, but in my other brews it was never more than a few points off from what I measured with my hydrometer. Being near 18 points off this time seemed weird.
Click to expand...

I had issues when I added fruit
 
Most likely insufficient mixing - similar to doing top-up water in the fermentor then getting a low SG reading.

Once the yeast chow down on the addition they should churn things up a bit, but of course the SG would quickly drop, considering the simple sugars and a fermentor filled with yeast. The Tilt may not catch the addition...

Cheers!
 
rickbath said:
Hi Jim,

Thanks for sending the zip file.
It works almost for one part

root@raspberrypi:/var/www/html# php /var/www/html/TiltPythonMySQLcrontab.php
PHP Notice: Undefined variable: batStr in /var/www/html/TiltPythonMySQLcrontab.php on line 42

This refers to "if($tempStr > 0 && $batStr > 0)"
If i delete the $batStr section, it works fine
I would like to know what does batStr refer to



mysql> select sg from device;
+-------+
| sg |
+-------+
| 0.996 |
+-------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)


Also, is there a way to print the brew name into the sql db?
Click to expand...

The batStr was the battery value, it was a leftover from using gatttool, and is not available using the advertisement iBeacons. I've since deleted it from the code. Thanks for letting me know. :rockin:

The name is not part of the advertisement iBeacon either. I just placed the name in the sql insert string:
Code: 
$sql= "INSERT INTO `device`(`[COLOR="red"]name[/COLOR]`,`mac`,`time`, `sg`, `temp`) VALUES('[COLOR="Red"]Black[/COLOR]','98:7B:F3:75:15:C9','$now','$sgStr','$tempStr')";
 
Is there a way to have the name part of the advertisement iBeacon?

Also, i want to calc the abv.. what im thinking is to create a column called og and insert a once off value once detected.

Do you know of an easy way of how this could be done. The way im thinking is to almost clone the script while removing the ifexist sectio and insert the sg into the og values.

Thereafter, run the cron scripts.

Is there a way i could run any scripts on bootup and on poweroff of the tilt. Just thinking of options...
 
rickbath said:
Is there a way to have the name part of the advertisement iBeacon?
Click to expand...
The advertisement is generated by the Tilt code, and is not editable by us, the users.

rickbath said:
Also, i want to calc the abv.. what im thinking is to create a column called og and insert a once off value once detected.
Click to expand...
The general formula for determining ABV is
Code: 
ABV = (OG - FG) * 131.25

rickbath said:
Do you know of an easy way of how this could be done. The way im thinking is to almost clone the script while removing the ifexist sectio and insert the sg into the og values.

Thereafter, run the cron scripts.

Is there a way i could run any scripts on bootup and on poweroff of the tilt. Just thinking of options...
Click to expand...

I'm not quite sure what you're looking for here...:confused: Once the Tilt is dropped into the wort, it runs continuously.
 
jimmayhugh said:
The batStr was the battery value, it was a leftover from using gatttool, and is not available using the advertisement iBeacons. I've since deleted it from the code. Thanks for letting me know. :rockin:

The name is not part of the advertisement iBeacon either. I just placed the name in the sql insert string:
Code: 
$sql= "INSERT INTO `device`(`[COLOR="red"]name[/COLOR]`,`mac`,`time`, `sg`, `temp`) VALUES('[COLOR="Red"]Black[/COLOR]','98:7B:F3:75:15:C9','$now','$sgStr','$tempStr')";
Click to expand...

Jim - Thanks for all of your help!
 
Hi Jim,

It might be a lil far fetched.
But what i would like is to have the og inserted into the table on the first instance.
Thereafter, it should only update the sg value.

Is there an easy way to achieve this.
Yeah, the other alternative is probably to manually insert the og once ive received the sg reading.
However, am looking at ways to automate this.
 
rickbath said:
Hi Jim,

It might be a lil far fetched.
But what i would like is to have the og inserted into the table on the first instance.
Thereafter, it should only update the sg value.

Is there an easy way to achieve this.
Yeah, the other alternative is probably to manually insert the og once ive received the sg reading.
However, am looking at ways to automate this.
Click to expand...

Create a new entry in the device table called "abv" using phpmyadmin.

After each read of the adverts, get the original sg from the mySQL table with:
Code: 
select sg from device order by now asc limit 1;

save that result to $ogStr then:
Code: 
$abvStr = ($ogStr - $sgstr) * 131.25

and then:
Code: 
INSERT INTO `device`(`name`,`mac`,`time`, `sg`, `temp`, `abv`) VALUES('Black','98:7B:F3:75:15:C9','$now','$sgStr','$tempStr', '$abvStr')";

Note that this is more or less pseudo-code, but should be pretty easy to incorporate into my php code.
 
I've had enough requests for the code that I'm going to post it to a github in the near future. You just need to be aware that I make no guarantees as to its usability, and am not responsible if it ruins your beer, melts your fermenter, sets fire to your house, etc. ;)

I'll let everyone here know when it's available. :tank:
 
jimmayhugh said:
I've had enough requests for the code that I'm going to post it to a github in the near future. You just need to be aware that I make no guarantees as to its usability, and am not responsible if it ruins your beer, melts your fermenter, sets fire to your house, etc. ;)

I'll let everyone here know when it's available. :tank:
Click to expand...

I got another Tilt today (the other one was a BrewOmeter), and was able to get both working together at the same time with 1 raspberry pi. Just made another copy of the TiltPythonMySQLcrontab.php file and edited the file with the new mac address and color then added that to the Scheduler. Both add readings to the MySQL database.

Looking forward to trying your updated code.

Thanks Jim!
 
Been successfully logging to Google sheets for a month or so and now it doesn't look like the report is updating, last entry was 23:52 last nite. However, the brewometer is still sending data because I can see data being added to Sheet 1.

Any ideas?
 
MerlinWerks said:
Been successfully logging to Google sheets for a month or so and now it doesn't look like the report is updating, last entry was 23:52 last nite. However, the brewometer is still sending data because I can see data being added to Sheet 1.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

Share your sheet so we can take a look at it.
 
Anyone else noticing their Tilt app stop reporting data and needing to be closed/reopened/? On a daily basis, at random times, I have to turn off/on my wifi on my tablet that is running the Tilt app, and then reopen the Tilt app. I'm not sure if my wifi signal is crapping out, thus causing Tilt app to stop working, or if there's something going on with the app itself....

Thankfully the integration with Tilt and brewstat.us will send me a notification when the Tilt hasn't reported data in a set span of time.
 
Re-read the post more clearly.... I shouldn't post when I've been drinking...
 
EmDubeu said:
Anyone else noticing their Tilt app stop reporting data and needing to be closed/reopened/? On a daily basis, at random times, I have to turn off/on my wifi on my tablet that is running the Tilt app, and then reopen the Tilt app. I'm not sure if my wifi signal is crapping out, thus causing Tilt app to stop working, or if there's something going on with the app itself....

Thankfully the integration with Tilt and brewstat.us will send me a notification when the Tilt hasn't reported data in a set span of time.
Click to expand...

What type of tablet are you using?

I had that problem when using an Amazon Fire tablet. Traced it to the fact that Amazon sends updates every night and in the process closes all apps.

Switched to a used cellphone and no problems whatsoever.
 
raysmithtx said:
What type of tablet are you using?

I had that problem when using an Amazon Fire tablet. Traced it to the fact that Amazon sends updates every night and in the process closes all apps.

Switched to a used cellphone and no problems whatsoever.
Click to expand...

I believe the problem is with my access point. I moved my tablet (Nexus/Android) and Tilt close to another wifi router last night and it's been running ever since. I'll need to look into why my access point is dropping. It might be too far from the main source signal...
 
This may have been addressed earlier in this thread, so sorry if this is a duplicate post.

I have a Tilt that doesn't signal the battery level like the new ones do. I was wondering if I could use a BLE scanning tool to read the battery level on the Tilt. On my android device, I downloaded an app called nRF Connect from Nordic. Once I opened this app and scanned for the Tilt, I was able to see the Battery Service value. The app showed my Tilt was at 60% battery and the Tilt's led on the bean started to flash green, indicating the nRF app was connected and reading the data.

So, now I'll just run this app before I drop the Tilt in a brew that I'm going to ferment. If the battery level is below 30%, I'll change out the battery.
 
EmDubeu said:
This may have been addressed earlier in this thread, so sorry if this is a duplicate post.

I have a Tilt that doesn't signal the battery level like the new ones do. I was wondering if I could use a BLE scanning tool to read the battery level on the Tilt. On my android device, I downloaded an app called nRF Connect from Nordic. Once I opened this app and scanned for the Tilt, I was able to see the Battery Service value. The app showed my Tilt was at 60% battery and the Tilt's led on the bean started to flash green, indicating the nRF app was connected and reading the data.

So, now I'll just run this app before I drop the Tilt in a brew that I'm going to ferment. If the battery level is below 30%, I'll change out the battery.
Click to expand...

Hey, thanks for that tip! I've got one with the battery LED indicator and one without. I'll try this app out with both. It'll be interesting to see at what level the battery indicator flashes red.
 

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