Brewometer kickstarter thoughts - digital bluetooth hydrometer

[jbadd99]

Did you check the root directory of the img? I haven't messed with it yet but according to the blog - "locate the file "SETUP.html" on the SD card named "boot". This file will guide you through creating the configuration files to copy over your SD card to get your Tilt Pi going."

Also, does it actually start up, or do you get a blank screen from the get go? If you literally get nothing, the image or the card may be corrupt. Maybe try writing it again and if it doesn't work, try a known good NOOBS image to eliminate the card as the issue.

I'll mess with it tomorrow if I can get a spare sd card.

I'm trying to set this up on an existing Pi setup with Raspberry Pints, so imaging a new SD card does me no good. Any success with looking into the code?

 

[rolandblais]

I'm trying to set this up on an existing Pi setup with Raspberry Pints, so imaging a new SD card does me no good. Any success with looking into the code?

Ah, no, it's a standalone. There was a mention on FB about looking into running the app on an existing PI in the future. And then later they posted this, about using Node-Red for running the app. I've never used Node-Red or have had a chance to work through the instructions.

Message:

Tilt Hydrometer It is possible, but untested (not sure how it will work out yet). We would recommend backing up the Brew Pi card first.
We plan to provide installation instructions but below is a first draft:
Starting from the latest RPi image:
Install node-RED for RPi per the instructions here: https://nodered.org/docs/hardware/raspberrypi
Install the following nodes for node-RED
https://flows.nodered.org/node/node-red-contrib-bleacon
https://flows.nodered.org/node/node-red-dashboard
Copy/Paste Tilt Pi "flow" into node-RED editor
https://flows.nodered.org/flow/0cc3b1d4f7e159800c01c650c30752ae...

 

[Lbarouf]

Yes. https://www.brewstat.us/settings/tilt

https://www.brewstat.us/brew/1354/brooklyn-brew-shop-mojito-ale-recipe-not-accu

Cheers!

Nice... thanks! New Project!

 

[Lbarouf]

Best of all, it works with the tiny $10 Pi Zero W, so I've freed up my Pi 3 for more demanding projects.

Right on. That's exactly what I was looking at doing, thanks for confirming. Great IoT application. I much prefer having a Pi Zero dedicated than leaving an iPad nearby during the whole process.

Cheers!

 

[jbadd99]

Ah, no, it's a standalone. There was a mention on FB about looking into running the app on an existing PI in the future. And then later they posted this, about using Node-Red for running the app. I've never used Node-Red or have had a chance to work through the instructions.

Message:

Tilt Hydrometer It is possible, but untested (not sure how it will work out yet). We would recommend backing up the Brew Pi card first.
We plan to provide installation instructions but below is a first draft:
Starting from the latest RPi image:
Install node-RED for RPi per the instructions here: https://nodered.org/docs/hardware/raspberrypi
Install the following nodes for node-RED
https://flows.nodered.org/node/node-red-contrib-bleacon
https://flows.nodered.org/node/node-red-dashboard
Copy/Paste Tilt Pi "flow" into node-RED editor
https://flows.nodered.org/flow/0cc3b1d4f7e159800c01c650c30752ae...

Yup. And if you read just below that you'll find my response. Failed. Miserably. The installation for the nodes reported massive errors.

 

[RiverCityBrewer]

I'll have to try putting RPints with TiltPi... I would think it would be easier to use the TiltPi image and install Pints on top of it... could be wrong though. In case anyone didn't see it, they posted the username and password they used for the TiltPi image on FB. The username is pi and the password is tilt

Cheers,
Joe

 

[jbadd99]

I'll have to try putting RPints with TiltPi... I would think it would be easier to use the TiltPi image and install Pints on top of it... could be wrong though. In case anyone didn't see it, they posted the username and password they used for the TiltPi image on FB. The username is pi and the password is tilt

Cheers,
Joe

I already flashed my drive and started on this project. I'm still learning Linux based OSes, so this hasn't been super easy, but I have been listing detailed notes for others to follow should it work.

 

[Murphys_Law]

Man, I am really digging the Tilt. I was pretty surprised to see how quickly most of my beers actually reach FG (I always check the Tilt against a hydro when the numbers from the Tilt are stable for several days.). I've been able to get some of my beers in a keg <10 days whereas I used to wait the "typical" 2 weeks before I did anything (didn't like to check hydro reading very often).

I brewed a lower OG stout this past Saturday and it's already close to FG so in another day or two I think I'm going to transfer from my fermonster into a conditioning keg and throw another batch or beer in the fermenter!

 

[BrunDog]

I agree the TILT is cool, but don't forget yeast aren't done when the FG is reached.

 

[Murphys_Law]

I give them time to finish their work and drop, so not forgotten.

 

[Derp]

They've announced a new version that will ship in October:

Range: Better reception and range. With the increased transmission power your Tilt will send data through larger, thicker-walled fermenters.
Precision: Upgraded sensors. With an improved temperature sensor and accelerometer your Tilt will operate with more precision.
Efficiency: We've reduced power consumption so more brews, less battery.
New Look: Newly designed custom circuit board and harness.

 

[LBussy]

They've announced a new version that will ship in October:

Not sure how they will get higher transmission power and less battery usage.

 

[doug293cz]

Not sure how they will get higher transmission power and less battery usage.

Higher antenna gain (more efficient antenna)? Also probably reduced power consumption in other parts of the circuitry.

Brew on

 

[BrunDog]

Like the transition from one cell phone generation to the next!

 

[RiverCityBrewer]

Based on their pics they have posted, they are transitioning from a Bluetooth 4LE radio to a Bluetooth 4.2 radio. Range is increased and power consumption is reduced as part of the reference design.

Here is the spec sheet for the chip they show in the pics if anyone is interested.

By comparison, here is the sheet for the LightBean Blue, which the original was based on.

 

[bembel]

Just got 3 of the new ones last week and started using them over the weekend, seems the foam and level of liquid in the carboys plays a huge role in how accurate the initial readings are (or if they stick to the sides).

Using them to monitor 3 experimental fermentations for a presentation at CiderCon involving nutrient additions, so the data logging without needing to sampling is a huge value, even it they are not 100% accurate all the time, it sure beats taking gravity readings every day.

Marcus has been very helpful on the tech support side of things, hope the new versions live up to everyones expectations

Cheers!

 

[Vandulus]

I just ordered one of the new ones to see how much better it works. I'm holding on to the old one for those times I have 2 batches going at once.

 

[danapellerin]

I just got mine and am using it for the first time on a batch I brewed yesterday. Works fantastic and is readable even inside my Ss Brew Bucket, which is inside a freezer. The initial measurement was EXACTLY what I read on my physical hydrometer and the thermometer on the brew bucket. Can't ask for more than that.

The only thing I'm working on is the Raspberry Pi integration. Can't get the Pi to see the Tilt (it's within 4 feet the Pi). But so far I'm really pleased.

 

[Thorrak]

I just got mine and am using it for the first time on a batch I brewed yesterday. Works fantastic and is readable even inside my Ss Brew Bucket, which is inside a freezer. The initial measurement was EXACTLY what I read on my physical hydrometer and the thermometer on the brew bucket. Can't ask for more than that.

The only thing I'm working on is the Raspberry Pi integration. Can't get the Pi to see the Tilt (it's within 4 feet the Pi). But so far I'm really pleased.

Which Raspberry Pi model are you using? 3, Zero, Zero W, or a different one?

 

[micraftbeer]

Someone just pointed out this multi-year-spanning thread. I just did a detailed review on the Tilt Bluetooth hydrometer, including a few fermentation batches. I was super pleased at how it worked and the new world of better fermentation temperature control it enabled for me. Link below to the review.

http://www.homebrewfinds.com/2018/02/hands-on-review-tilt-bluetooth-fermentation-hydrometer.html

 

[eric19312]

How much headspace is required in the fermentor for this to work? I've been fermenting pretty full lately.

 

[dbals]

Someone just pointed out this multi-year-spanning thread. I just did a detailed review on the Tilt Bluetooth hydrometer, including a few fermentation batches. I was super pleased at how it worked and the new world of better fermentation temperature control it enabled for me. Link below to the review.

http://www.homebrewfinds.com/2018/02/hands-on-review-tilt-bluetooth-fermentation-hydrometer.html

Lots of great info in this thread, including a great link for a google sheets setup https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...AEvMV9hr9vHslp1PvRxGWY/edit#rangeid=958581506

I based my on his and use a raspberry pi3..... It works very well

 

[micraftbeer]

The Tilt probably only sticks up out of the beer by about ~1". So technically, not much headspace.

It is important to note the geometry of your fermentor though. You can see a picture in my review where I had a 3-gallon Better Bottle pretty full. It was high enough that the liquid level was up into the portion where the Bottle starts to taper in as it heads towards the neck. In that area, I saw the Tilt giving me some strange readings (gravity wasn't dropping) and I noticed that it had wedged itself into the slope, and the angle wasn't allowing my Tilt to float freely and right itself as the gravity dropped. Seeing that, I gave the fermentor a shake, the Tilt adjusted out toward the center. No longer being pinned against the roof of the fermentor, the gravity readings started up good again.

So headspace is really more of a question about the geometry inside your fermentor and the potential for it to get stuck on a corner or anything.

 

[LBussy]

Hey all. Gonna cross-post this to the Brewometer/Tilt Mega-Thread as well as the BrewPi Mega-Thread:

I need your help.

I've been working on support for Tilt in the main branch of BrewPi Remix. While trying to incorporate battery level by sniffing around some old posts on the subject, I finally threw up my hands and asked them for help from the owners/creators of Tilt. Here's what I learned:

We don't have a voltage divider/voltmeter on the board, so it's not possible to get battery voltage even if you could connect (it's not a bluetooth "connectable" device). Anything read online regarding connecting was in regards to the original "Lightblue Bean" board which could be connected to and battery voltage read as you mentioned. The battery only lasted 3 months maximum of constant use. The custom board we have now lasts easily 12 months, probably 24 of steady use.

It's possible we will add a battery level feature in the future versions, however for now the best way to get the battery state remotely is to read the "measured RSSI" bit in the iBeacon packet. This value has been changed to represent "weeks since last battery change" for numbers below 153 (153-255 and above are reserved for other alerts, like for a future indicator for "battery low" state). So when the battery is first installed it will read "0" and at the end of a year it will read "52", this is conservatively when we recommend changing it.

I found this exceedingly interesting, and obviously I'll incorporate this in the version I release with Tilt support. I guess I also didn't realize that they had completely switched boards to a purpose-built device, but obviously thrilled that they get that kind of battery life out of the new boards.

(This also explains why after literally HOURS of screwing around, I was unable to use gatttool to get the battery level. Sigh.)

What I am not sure of is when they made this switch, or more importantly; How many people have which version. To that end I'm putting out an ask to my brethren (and sisteren?) here for some help. I'm looking for a person who has one of the early ones with the Lightblue Bean to either very helpfully let me borrow their Tilt, or at least find someone who can run a script or ten for me and send back the results to help gather the information I need to incorporate support for both.

So, any takers?

Also: If you want to discuss the Tilt itself, please respond to the Tilt thread. If you want to talk about BrewPi (Remix) and support for Tilt, please respond to the BrewPi thread. If you are able to help me out, please drop me a PM directly.

Thanks!

 

[Thorrak]

Hey all. Gonna cross-post this to the Brewometer/Tilt Mega-Thread as well as the BrewPi Mega-Thread:

I need your help.

I've been working on support for Tilt in the main branch of BrewPi Remix. While trying to incorporate battery level by sniffing around some old posts on the subject, I finally threw up my hands and asked them for help from the owners/creators of Tilt. Here's what I learned:

I found this exceedingly interesting, and obviously I'll incorporate this in the version I release with Tilt support. I guess I also didn't realize that they had completely switched boards to a purpose-built device, but obviously thrilled that they get that kind of battery life out of the new boards.

(This also explains why after literally HOURS of screwing around, I was unable to use gatttool to get the battery level. Sigh.)

What I am not sure of is when they made this switch, or more importantly; How many people have which version. To that end I'm putting out an ask to my brethren (and sisteren?) here for some help. I'm looking for a person who has one of the early ones with the Lightblue Bean to either very helpfully let me borrow their Tilt, or at least find someone who can run a script or ten for me and send back the results to help gather the information I need to incorporate support for both.

So, any takers?

Also: If you want to discuss the Tilt itself, please respond to the Tilt thread. If you want to talk about BrewPi (Remix) and support for Tilt, please respond to the BrewPi thread. If you are able to help me out, please drop me a PM directly.

Thanks!

I got you.

 

[LBussy]

I found some info on the new board. Apparently its a BMD-300 board. Power consumption is 0.7µA in OFF mode (plus +20nA per 4kB RAM retention). So 2.56 + 0.7 µA at 512 kB Flash = 3.26 µA max power consumption while turned "off".

From what I am seeing, these CR123A batteries are ~700mAH. If my math is right, 3.26 µA is 0.00326 mA so that works out to ~25 years on the shelf?! Surely I messed up with my decimals somewhere.

Some other smart person can work out the theoretical lifespan on the Tilt according to that, but Noah's numbers of at least 12 months of constant use is pretty conservative I think (and a lot better than 3 months).

Just in case someone needs a visual cue to see which one they have - this should help:

 

[Thorrak]

The reason they quote less is because it’s not fully off. It wakes up to check the angle to determine if it needs to shift from sleep to active mode.

I’m not sure if when in “sleep” mode it keeps polling every 0.8 seconds and just shuts down the radios, or if it actually goes into low power sleep for some period of time.

 

[day_trippr]

Might recheck the power calculations as RAM /= Flash and the latter requires zero current to maintain state...

Cheers!

 

[LBussy]

Might recheck the power calculations as RAM /= Flash and the latter requires zero current to maintain state...

Docs say Memory: 512kB Flash / 64 RAM so if its just 64 (kB I assume?) So that works out to ... *pop*

Yep.

Brain shut down.

 

[day_trippr]

tbh, I didn't check the actual math, so it might be right; listing the flash size just triggered me (considering I've designed a gazillion flash-based SSDs in the last 10 years I kinda know a bit about the technology )

So if you were only counting the static memory power then carry on

Cheers!