BrewPi Remix – What’s Old is New Again

[Thorrak]

P.S. I'm starting to wonder if I'm going to try "Fermentrack" ;-)

I’m biased as to which one I prefer obviously, but that’s the thing that’s so great about the ecosystem at the moment - there’s multiple of options, and people can select the one that works best for them. You really can’t go wrong with either choice.

 

[LBussy]

does it need extra code or is it plug and play? a simple switch on its power supply to turn it off when not necessary?

With the Uno, the screen has a screensaver timer. It wakes when you depress the rotary encoder. If you do not use a rotary encoder, you have two choices:

• Ground pin 7 and then at startup the timeout will be disabled
• Use a momentary contact pushbutton between pin 7 and ground to turn the screen back on again

I've honestly forgotten whether the esp8266 firmware has a screensaver - I'll find out.

ETA: The ESP8266 firmware does not have a screen-saver. I believe you can pull the jumper on the back and use a switch there to turn it on and off. May have to experiment with that one.

Both versions are more or less plug-and-play. I'll never rule out the ability of the Chinese to change something, but I've not heard of any widespread issues (yet.)

 

[blau]

Hello Thorrak, Obviously I will test both systems, I like each one for something and these doubts are only resolved with the tests. I guess since I'm used to the old brewpi (Bless you, Elco), I feel a little more comfortable migrating with brewPi remix. I am delighted with the idea of seeing two branches of work where I can continue. Oh, and do not suffer, I will try to torture you too with queries when I try Fermentrack. ;-)

 

[blau]

With the Uno, the screen has a screensaver timer. It wakes when you depress the rotary encoder. If you do not use a rotary encoder, you have two choices:

• Ground pin 7 and then at startup the timeout will be disabled
• Use a momentary contact pushbutton between pin 7 and ground to turn the screen back on again

I've honestly forgotten whether the esp8266 firmware has a screensaver - I'll find out.

ETA: The ESP8266 firmware does not have a screen-saver. I believe you can pull the jumper on the back and use a switch there to turn it on and off. May have to experiment with that one.

Both versions are more or less plug-and-play. I'll never rule out the ability of the Chinese to change something, but I've not heard of any widespread issues (yet.)

Thank you, I will be attentive. It seems that there are several alternatives. This afternoon I have a meeting with 2 homebrewers. They were always afraid of the mountain of work that they thought the installation needed. I will try to explain your work to them and thus recruit two more soldiers. Thanks.

 

[blau]

Most people would recommend that you supply power independently no matter what, but I run two Unos from my Pi with no apparent issues.

Good Morning, The first of my options is to use a 3A power supply(link). are 3A enough for 3 Wemos and 3 displays? Supplying power individually is another option, if I finally install the displays separately I will value it, although it is likely that I install everything in the same box. By the way, my two homebrewer friends are joining the project. More work for me and more consultations for you. ;-) At the moment we are buying parts and we will try brewPi remix and fermentrack. If you think that any of our tests can serve the community, do not hesitate to ask for it, I will be happy to contribute what little I can.

 

[LBussy]

According to various empirical tests, an ESP8266 can consume up to ~435mA in spikes. Some of the LCD displays can draw up to 160mA. That's a theoretical peak of 595mA. With three of them running you are at 1.8A. On top of that, you have the relays and the probes. If it were me, I would have a separate power supply for each controller and its connected pieces. The Chinese power supplies are notoriously over-rated.

 

[blau]

Hello again, I am getting some components and have been able to do some testing. This is the state of my tests and the doubts that begin to arise.

1- The linux installation on the Sd card is now very clean with the installer. Perfect.

2- the configuration of the files "ssh" AND 'wpa_supplicant.conf' with the application "HeadlessPi", works perfect. On the other hand, it is also very easy and the manual method is very well explained if you want to do so. Good work.

3- Connections via ssh via "Putty" and via "VNC" work correctly. Also very well explained. At this point I have a doubt. In this way, we do all the work via Wifi. I think that via ethernet the work of updates and subsequent installation is faster (I am a man of customs and when possible, I prefer ethernet to wifi). I see that when I connect a cable to the router, the ethernet configuration is automatic, but I do not know if with the two available possibilities, raspberry takes primarily ethernet or wifi. on the other hand, I am observing that the connection via "{servername} .local" sometimes refuses to connect, while via IP I can always access. I think that, after the first access, I would like to configure my static IPs. Can you tell me where and how to configure this? I think this must be in the same file that linux configured the wifi part, right? I would also need to know how to modify it. The Wi-Fi connection of my brewery is different from that of my house.

4- I have installed brewpi-remix on an SD card, without problems, and on another fermentrack without problems. I only mean the installation. I have not configured anything else yet (I am waiting for sensors and relays), but the two installations have been installed without giving any error (they have only asked me a question, I saw in the videos that this would happen).

5- I have installed and checked the external connections via remote.it. It works perfectly.
This video () explains how to do the job easily, in case someone needs help

 

[LBussy]

I do not know if with the two available possibilities, raspberry takes primarily ethernet or wifi

There's no precise way of knowing which will answer, the IP stack decides on the better route. There are more complicated routing solutions, but unless you need both, I suggest you disable one or the other.

I am observing that the connection via "{servername} .local" sometimes refuses to connect, while via IP I can always access

If you have both Ethernet and WiFi connections, this can happen. Otherwise, I find Raspbian's implementation of Avahi very solid, so troubleshooting at the client computer would be my next suggestion.

think that, after the first access, I would like to configure my static IPs.

You can follow the instructions given by the Raspbian people for that.

The Wi-Fi connection of my brewery is different from that of my house.

I take this to mean they are on separate networks? If that is the case, mDNS (the *.local name) will not work anyway.

 

[blau]

Thank you, I will follow your instructions. I will continue to report my progress and doubts.

 

[blau]

My "wemos D1 mini" have just arrived, and moving forward thinking about the programming, I look at the documentation, I realize that I don't understand how to program them.
my old arduino was connected via USB and received a programming via Web interface, although I read in the documentation that it is not recommended. However, if I don't have a cable, how do I program it to talk to raspberry? Can you put me on a good path?
Thanks.

 

[LBussy]

Flashing the ESP8266 is relatively easy. Use BrewFlasher and choose the firmware version you want. If you want to connect via serial as with the Arduino, that works with one version, WiFi works with another.

If you choose to use WiFi, there is a process you need to follow. From @Thorrak's pages:

After flashing an ESP8622 with the WiFi firmware image, open your host computer's WiFi network selector and look for an access point that begins with "ESP_" and then a string of numbers. Connect to this access point and navigate to any web page- you should be automatically redirected to the ES8266 configuration web page (If not, the configuration page usually runs at http://192.168.4.1). Select your LAN wifi network from the networks identified, as well as your wifi password and mDNS name (a text string to identify your ESP8622 board by). Click 'Save'. The ESP8622 will reboot and then connect to your LAN wifi network.

After that you will have to edit the /home/brewpi/settings/config.cfg file to use that port. It will look like this:

port = socket://192.168.168.143:23

.. where the IP address is the proper IP address for your controller. Port 23 must remain as-is. Remove any other "port" declarations" in that file.

One of these days I will ...

1. Fix flashing within the UI
2. Update the documentation

There are too much work and too few hours.

 

[blau]

Hello,
updating my task status:
For some reason, my head was unable to understand that the work with the ESP8266 was via the usp cable and the PC. When I understood my mistake, I downloaded BrewFlasher ( Good work @Thorrak ) and tried flashing a module. I could not communicate the machines. After looking for possible problems, I found that the usb was not recognized as a serial port by my W10. Here I could download the driver that I needed. Once installed, I was able to flash without problems.
I have managed to connect via smartphone with the ESP8266 and access the configuration menu.
At this point, someone claimed my attention and the rest of the work has been postponed.
I will continue to report ...
Thanks for so much help.
P.S. LBussy, do not worry about your pending work, we will wait without problem.

 

[Brewski_59]

Can anyone help me understand why when I attempt to display the output of brewpi in a frame it doesn't populate the graph?
I wanted to display brewpi and tiltbridge side by side. but all I can get is this.

if I hit the refresh button in the beer profile that will update and populate the bottom panel. but I can't find anything to populate the top panel.

 

[LBussy]

Can anyone help me understand why when I attempt to display the output of brewpi in a frame it doesn't populate the graph?

I suspect the answer may be hidden deep in the bowels of the legacy code. You might try opening the console and watching for errors. On most browsers, that's shift - ctrl - k.

 

[Thorrak]

Also, it won't help with this, but update your TIltBridge firmware when you get a chance.

 

[Brewski_59]

The console doesn't show anything at all Lee.

 

[day_trippr]

Dygraph issue? I know it drives Thorrak batpoopy

 

[Thorrak]

Dygraph issue? I know it drives Thorrak batpoopy

I hate it. So. Much.

This feels like it potentially may be a CSS thing... @Brewski_59 If you open BPR on its own and resize the window to be smaller, does the graph disappear?

 

[Brewski_59]

I hate it. So. Much.

This feels like it potentially may be a CSS thing... @Brewski_59 If you open BPR on its own and resize the window to be smaller, does the graph disappear?

No, the window changes size but the graph and everything else remains the same size.

 

[LBussy]

The graph in BPR is a static size. One Of These Days When I Have Time™ I will have a more responsive layout.

 

[balrog]

0.7.2 Bugfix Release
Upgrading

Existing users of BrewPi Remix 0.5.3 and above may upgrade with:

sudo /home/brewpi/utils/doUpdate.sh

If you are not on version 0.5.3 or above (or if you have no idea what version you are on,) use the following command to upgrade to the latest version:

curl -L upgrade.brewpiremix.com | sudo bash

This must be run from within your /home/brewpi directory, or from each chamber directory in multi-chamber mode.

Pardon my ignorance, but is there perhaps a "sudo /home/brewpi/utils/Show-Joseph-His-Currently-Installed-Version.sh"?

 

[LBussy]

Pardon my ignorance, but is there perhaps a "sudo /home/brewpi/utils/Show-Joseph-His-Currently-Installed-Version.sh"?

At the bottom of the web page, it shows what version the web application is - which should be the same as the rest.

To answer according to your very specific manner to find out your version; in the various directories (/home/brewpi, /var/www/html, /home/pi/brewpi-tools-rmx) issue the following command:

sudo git describe --exact-match --tags

 

[balrog]

Well smack my http and call me Judy! I never scrolled to the bottom. Thanks.

 

[npool]

Hey gang, long time lurker, first time poster on the BrewPi remix thread. Thanks for all the great ideas, insights, and instructions and of course to @LBussy for providing great instructions and the awesome install script.

I'm currently fermenting my second batch with the BrewPi remix and I'm loving it, except....the raspberry pi seems to be crashing and I'm not sure why. I'm using a rpi zero in a headless setup. I have not installed a physical reboot button, so when it does stall/fail, I've been unplugging the power supply (not ideal I know). The arduino uno is being powered from the usb port of the rpi and continues to run when the rpi stalls. It seems that the rpi is remaining powered up, but loosing connection to the wifi network. It seems that the frequency of failures from the rpi has increased. I don't remember failing much if at all on the initial fermentation---it maybe runs now for 12-16 hours before loosing wifi connection. I recently wiped the sd card and did a fresh install. I did reconfigure the hardware and installed everything into a sprinkler project box before fermenting the second batch, so it's possible I jacked something...

My question is: how do I go about troubleshooting this? Any areas I should begin checking? I've taken a look at the logs in the maintenance panel and I haven't seen anything

Thanks in advance for all of your help. This is a really cool project and has been a great introduction to working with these tools.

Cheers,
NP

 

[Bigdaddyale]

Try powering the RPI zero and Arduino UNO with separate power sources and see what happens.

 

[LBussy]

Separate power is a good way to go - but let's talk about how to debug what's happening.

If you are on a current-ish version, the WiFi script will log to stderr.txt if it has trouble connecting. I'd also be interested to see if you can ping by name and/or IP address when it does go away.

Does it continue to log data while it's not responding to you?

You can also check the daemon log with "journalctl -u brewpi" and see if anything interesting lies there.

 

[npool]

Try powering the RPI zero and Arduino UNO with separate power sources and see what happens.

I will get a power adaptor and try powering separately. Thanks for the quick reply @Bigdaddyale

Separate power is a good way to go - but let's talk about how to debug what's happening.

If you are on a current-ish version, the WiFi script will log to stderr.txt if it has trouble connecting. I'd also be interested to see if you can ping by name and/or IP address when it does go away.

Does it continue to log data while it's not responding to you?

You can also check the daemon log with "journalctl -u brewpi" and see if anything interesting lies there.

Dumb question: where is stderr.txt located? How would I check that file when the rpi inevitably goes offline again?
This is what is in the current stderr.txt log:

2021-03-13 11:42:51 [E] Starting BrewPi.
2021-03-14 12:07:01 [E] Starting BrewPi.
2021-03-15 12:26:03 [E] Starting BrewPi.

I will try to ping by name/IP when it goes offline again.
When the rpi is unresponsive would you expect it to log data to stderr.txt or somewhere else?

I checked the daemon log and here is what was available:


-- Logs begin at Mon 2021-03-15 12:17:01 EDT, end at Mon 2021-03-15 13:28:41 EDT
Mar 15 12:17:33 brewpi systemd[1]: Started BrewPi Remix daemon for: brewpi.
Mar 15 12:25:47 brewpi brewpi[436]: No user config file found:
Mar 15 12:25:47 brewpi brewpi[436]: /home/brewpi/settings/config.cfg
Mar 15 12:25:47 brewpi brewpi[436]: Using default configuration.
Mar 15 12:25:48 brewpi brewpi[436]: No user config file found:
Mar 15 12:25:48 brewpi brewpi[436]: /home/brewpi/settings/config.cfg
Mar 15 12:25:48 brewpi brewpi[436]: Using default configuration.
Mar 15 12:25:48 brewpi brewpi[436]: No user config file found:
Mar 15 12:25:48 brewpi brewpi[436]: /home/brewpi/settings/config.cfg
Mar 15 12:25:48 brewpi brewpi[436]: Using default configuration.
Mar 15 12:26:00 brewpi brewpi[436]: 2021-03-15 12:26:00 [N] No user config file
Mar 15 12:26:00 brewpi brewpi[436]: 2021-03-15 12:26:00 [N] /home/brewpi/setting
Mar 15 12:26:00 brewpi brewpi[436]: 2021-03-15 12:26:00 [N] Using default config
Mar 15 12:26:01 brewpi brewpi[436]: 2021-03-15 12:26:01 [N] No user config file
Mar 15 12:26:01 brewpi brewpi[436]: 2021-03-15 12:26:01 [N] /home/brewpi/setting
Mar 15 12:26:01 brewpi brewpi[436]: 2021-03-15 12:26:01 [N] Using default config
Mar 15 12:26:01 brewpi brewpi[436]: 2021-03-15 12:26:01 [N] No user config file
Mar 15 12:26:01 brewpi brewpi[436]: 2021-03-15 12:26:01 [N] /home/brewpi/setting
Mar 15 12:26:01 brewpi brewpi[436]: 2021-03-15 12:26:01 [N] Using default config
Mar 15 12:26:03 brewpi brewpi[436]: Logging to /home/brewpi/logs/.
Mar 15 12:26:03 brewpi brewpi[436]: Output will not be shown in console.
Mar 15 12:26:03 brewpi brewpi[436]: Starting BrewPi.

Thanks for the quick reply!

 

[LBussy]

The logs are kept in "/home/brewpi/logs/" named "stderr.txt" and "stdout.txt." The stdout is re-written at each restart but the stderr should persist. It might be helpful if at all possible to drag a keyboard and monitor to the thing if it happens frequently enough. If you do, you can watch both logs with "tail -f /home/brewpi/logs/std*.txt"

That log grouping on 2021-03-15 12:26:00 is interesting. Might see where that leads us if/when it happens again.

 

[blau]

Hello again,
I am somewhat stuck with the ESP8622. It may be an understanding problem on my part.
Like I said earlier, I get to flash fine with BrewFlasher. I can access it, use my Smartphone and configure it. Although I put an mDNS name, it seems that it is not registered. I can locate the device in the list of devices connected to my router using the MAC address (I have more devices with the ESP label… they are sonoff devices for the lights in the house.) I don't know if it is normal that the mDNS label is not recorded.
This problem is minor, but somewhat annoying for the colleagues to whom I am explaining the operation. They still have less experience than I do with all of this and they could use that label.
Once at this point, I no longer know how to re-enter the ESP8622 configuration to try again to change the mDNS label or change the Wi-Fi network selection. When the system has to work definitively, I will need to change the wifi network. I am learning how to configure the new system at home, but the final system will work elsewhere with another Wi-Fi network.
When I restart the ESP8622 directly connects to the Wi-Fi network, without the possibility of accessing the configuration menu.
On the other hand, in the connection graph of the Brewpi Hardware blog post (BrewPi Hardware) I can see the pin numbering of the arduino uno. Can you give me the correspondence on the wemos D1 mini?
Thanks

 

[LBussy]

I have not installed a physical reboot button, so when it does stall/fail, I've been unplugging the power supply (not ideal I know).

Here's a gist I created for this. Basically, all you need is to edit a text file and a momentary contact button between two pins. You can also add an LED as shown here (be sure to use a suitable resistor). It's not perfect, but the Raspbian folks only allow a boot overlay to do the button or the LED - not both. When used like this, the LED will be on late and off early, but it's better than nothing.