How are people still feeling about their BrewPi's?
[...]Are they still active? Are people not writing about them here because they are working perfectly?
At least wrt HBT members and their input to the numerous BrewPi threads, I'd say users feel pretty good.
I have four "instances" of BrewPi running my keezer, two ferm fridges and a cold-season ferm cabinet and they've been working great for going on two years now.
Can I use this device to monitor brew day data logging (mash schedule temp vs time), fermentation temp data, run a jacketed cooling system (kicking on a pump and opening a valve to a chilled reservoir), and possibly monitor the temp of multiple vessels in a chest freezer? Not at the same time, obviously..
The "brew day" hot-side stuff would be a hack; BrewPi was created for cold-side/back-end applications.
Folks are using BrewPi to run fridges, freezers, electric heaters and occasionally cooling pumps (particularly for conicals), all related to fermentation applications.
BrewPi doesn't have a concept of multiple missions. If you had two ferm fridges you'd need to run two "instances" of BrewPi with separate Arduinos, both controlled by the same host (ie: an RPi, or even a peecee).
Likewise, if you're running two fermentors with coolant loops and control valves using a shared pump, for example, you'd need to run two Arduinos, one for each fermentor, and "OR" the two valve control signals to run the pump, so if either fermentor is calling for cooling its valve would open and the pump would turn on. NBD.
Anyway, visit us in the
DIY Projects - Fermenters forum and look for the BrewPi-related threads.
cegan09 already listed the big mama thread, but you'll find others covering various enhancements you may find useful...
Cheers!