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I'm having a hard time getting TILT bluetooth signal through my fermenter. Would this help? I can weld on a 1.5 ferrule either to the tank body or lid. I prefer the lid. Not really sure how the Bluetooth signal is projected. I do know to point the ESP 32 antenna towards the TILT.

https://www.amazon.com/Tri-Clamp-Optically-Machining-Injection-Deformation/dp/B074ZXXRVC
Perhaps I should consider a different device that uses wifi? Any suggestions?
 
aeviaanah said:
I'm having a hard time getting TILT bluetooth signal through my fermenter. Would this help? I can weld on a 1.5 ferrule either to the tank body or lid. I prefer the lid. Not really sure how the Bluetooth signal is projected. I do know to point the ESP 32 antenna towards the TILT.

https://www.amazon.com/Tri-Clamp-Optically-Machining-Injection-Deformation/dp/B074ZXXRVC
Perhaps I should consider a different device that uses wifi? Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

I use 4" polycarbonate end cap on the hopping port of my 10BBL with great success. Remember, the tilt will always like to migrate to a wall, so the path from the entire wall surface should be as unobstructed as possible, this includes putting it at the center of the dome as possible, making the port as wide as possible and as short/close to the tank as possible. I did use a 2" PRV port with the ESP32 perpendicular to the 2" glass I put in, but that only worked with one fermenter per ESP32, and it eliminated my pressure relief valve..
 
clearwaterbrewer said:
my apologies, I did not see them in the manual, but they are right there...
Click to expand...

Don't sweat it... a lot of what I say here is in the manual, but where's the fun in that?

Here are the control codes (format for serial):
%0 - enter network setup (%0&15; )
%1 - increase debug level (%1&14; )
%2 - decrease debug level (%2&17; )
%3 - initialize 1-wire (%3&16; )
%4 - initialize local display (%4&11; )
%5 - store power-on configuration (%5&10; )
%6 - restore power-on configuration (%6&13; )
%7 - report firmware (%7&12; )

In order to initialize (reset) the 1W bus through script, use the following statement:

Code: 
tx “MEGA” %3                // reset the 1-wire bus on interface MEGA
 
clearwaterbrewer said:
I use 4" polycarbonate end cap on the hopping port of my 10BBL with great success. Remember, the tilt will always like to migrate to a wall, so the path from the entire wall surface should be as unobstructed as possible, this includes putting it at the center of the dome as possible, making the port as wide as possible and as short/close to the tank as possible. I did use a 2" PRV port with the ESP32 perpendicular to the 2" glass I put in, but that only worked with one fermenter per ESP32, and it eliminated my pressure relief valve..
Click to expand...
Would a wifi device like ispindel be better?
 
Unsure, have nto dealth with iSpindle. I know that for a single unit, the ESP32 next to a 2" glass TC endcap works, and a 4" poly endcap works for 3 10bbl units next to each other with the ESP32 above them. This also works for TiltPi monitoring the same things. I also have the ESP32 running the RP-3 with RTD boards for more resolution on the temperature using RTD boards.
 
aeviaanah said:
I'm having a hard time getting TILT bluetooth signal through my fermenter. Would this help? I can weld on a 1.5 ferrule either to the tank body or lid. I prefer the lid. Not really sure how the Bluetooth signal is projected. I do know to point the ESP 32 antenna towards the TILT.

https://www.amazon.com/Tri-Clamp-Optically-Machining-Injection-Deformation/dp/B074ZXXRVC
Perhaps I should consider a different device that uses wifi? Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Have you tried the Tiltrepeater? I had a Jacketed fermenter and had the Tilt next to the outside wall about the height of the Wort, My ESP 32 was in another room through a steel door and foil coated foam walls. It worked well. I also have not used the iSpindel but it may have an issue as well. A quick search turned up posts about "how" to fix connection issues in a steel fermenter, so I would say it does. There are users who have the iSpindel so maybe they can chime in.
 
BrunDog said:
It's resetting because it reports the number of 1W sensors found. It's zero, which tells you there is a hardware problem.
Click to expand...

normally, I would agree, but I didn't touch the hardware to make it stop working and I only have to do a 10-20 second power-off to make it start working... maybe I should try switching the power to the 1-wire with a digital output or a NC relay and then issueing the %3....
 
In an effort to use a standard, unmodified mega with the screw shield, I attempted to use the small 'USR-ES1' W5500 module I bought on eBay a while back. I got it working using the ICSP header and D10, with 45O and 1.1.0.15 This will probably be the easiest solution until/if someone puts the $5 W5500 right on a screwshield, and it has the benefit of being super low cost. I hope to use this with this keyestudio supermega that has the 2 Amp 5V power regulator to run at 12V.

1609337866898.png







1609335657421.png
 
aeviaanah said:
Would a wifi device like ispindel be better?
Click to expand...

I am in a similar boat. I ferment in sanke kegs and I can't get any signal after I seal up the 2" opening. I asked about this over on the ispindel thread, but I didn't get any responses of anybody using them in a sanke keg. Wifi is a stronger signal than bluetooth, so it might work better. I haven't gotten around to this yet, but I was going to drop an esp32 in an empty keg to see if that works better than a tilt. I'm not going to buy/build an ispindel unless I know it will work. I already bought a tilt against my better judgement based on people's experience using them in conicals.
 
clearwaterbrewer said:
normally, I would agree, but I didn't touch the hardware to make it stop working and I only have to do a 10-20 second power-off to make it start working... maybe I should try switching the power to the 1-wire with a digital output or a NC relay and then issueing the %3....
Click to expand...

How many 1W sensors are attached? We've seen more success with a 2.2k resistor instead of 4.7 when the sensor count goes up a bit.
 
crane said:
I am in a similar boat. I ferment in sanke kegs and I can't get any signal after I seal up the 2" opening. I asked about this over on the ispindel thread, but I didn't get any responses of anybody using them in a sanke keg. Wifi is a stronger signal than bluetooth, so it might work better. I haven't gotten around to this yet, but I was going to drop an esp32 in an empty keg to see if that works better than a tilt. I'm not going to buy/build an ispindel unless I know it will work. I already bought a tilt against my better judgement based on people's experience using them in conicals.
Click to expand...

The integrated antenna on a ESP32 module isn't really up to snuff for listening to weak signals. I've had success with an ESP32 with external antenna adapter, then adding a 8db antenna to it to increase the gain.
 
Top left corner of the script window moves it just fine. If you are moving elements, try creating a blank workspace and adjust the script window there. Also, you can lock the workspace but still move the script window.
 
RiverCityBrewer said:
The integrated antenna on a ESP32 module isn't really up to snuff for listening to weak signals. I've had success with an ESP32 with external antenna adapter, then adding a 8db antenna to it to increase the gain.
Click to expand...

Yeah I am using the ones with the UFL connectors and have the antenna mounted to the outside of the box. At my last job I got to work on a project where we ended up going to a lab with an RF anechoic chamber to test a bunch of different antenna configurations for a 2.4GHz radio module. The worst case scenario we tested was to have a PCB antenna inside a plastic box. There is a significant increase in signal strength by taking the same PCB antenna outside the box. And then you get a huge increase in strength when you move to an external antenna.
 
Sorry to hear the external antenna isn't doing the job for you. Mine is mounted in the same fermentation space so at most its a few feet away from the sanke with the Tilt in it. If you have had a chance to study the RF patterns, any thoughts about antenna orientation?
 
RiverCityBrewer said:
Sorry to hear the external antenna isn't doing the job for you. Mine is mounted in the same fermentation space so at most its a few feet away from the sanke with the Tilt in it. If you have had a chance to study the RF patterns, any thoughts about antenna orientation?
Click to expand...

I am glad to hear this success story. I am about to redo my whole fermentation control setup so it runs on a single ESP32 and 8-channel relay board (I'm currently using multiple converted Sonoff DUAlR2 switches [thank for the clear instructions on those, BrunDog!]), and I've been considering running an external antenna into the chamber to help with the Tilt reception.

I actually have two chambers, one mini fridge and one cheapo wardrobe with light insulation (for the warmer fermentations). I saw some SMA splitter cables (I plan to use U.FL to SMA for the ESP32 antenna), so I figured I could try splitting the SMA cable and have one antenna per chamber. Does anyone see any obvious flaws I am missing that would tell me this won't work? :) I do worry about the ability of the ESP32 to handle two antennas over 3 to 6 feet of length.
 
Every split has insertion loss, so you'd have to calculate the DB gain from the antenna minus the splitter loss to see if you are helping or hurting yourself. It *might* work fine, but I've never done it on small 2.4ghz units.
 
Unidirectional antennas have a donut pattern that radiates out perpendicular to the antenna. Generally you have it vertically for things like wifi APs to maximize the footprint. If your antenna is above your keg you would want to place it horizontal. However, in close range it might not make much difference.
 
RiverCityBrewer said:
Sorry to hear the external antenna isn't doing the job for you. Mine is mounted in the same fermentation space so at most its a few feet away from the sanke with the Tilt in it. If you have had a chance to study the RF patterns, any thoughts about antenna orientation?
Click to expand...

Wait... I am confused. @crane said the external was much better in testing. Are we saying that the external IS NOT working better in practical application? It really should - the uFL versions of the ESP with an external antenna *should* be light-years better for Bluetooth (and WiFi).
 
Mine works great, especially in fairly close space related to the fermenters. I also, as expected, see increased signal strength on the WiFi side as well.
 
RiverCityBrewer said:
Every split has insertion loss, so you'd have to calculate the DB gain from the antenna minus the splitter loss to see if you are helping or hurting yourself. It *might* work fine, but I've never done it on small 2.4ghz units.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that loss was my concern. I am looking at the ESP32-DevKitC-VIE, which lists a -97 dBm (comapred with the ESP42-DevKitC-UE's ~-89dBm), which will hopefully help with this.

But, that's what this is all about! Trial...error...error...error...beer...fix! I'll update once I get this update rolling and let y'all know how two antennas using a SMA splitter works out.
 
If you are using sma splitters make sure you tighten the connections down good with a wrench. Hand tightening won't be tight enough and can increase signal loss. They make special little torque wrenches just for this. There are different torque specs depending on the type of metal the connectors are made of. The specs aren't high so you don't have to crank down on it.
 
crane said:
If you are using sma splitters make sure you tighten the connections down good with a wrench. Hand tightening won't be tight enough and can increase signal loss. They make special little torque wrenches just for this. There are different torque specs depending on the type of metal the connectors are made of. The specs aren't high so you don't have to crank down on it.
Click to expand...

Oh, good input. I'll look for those, thanks!
 
BrunDog said:
Don't sweat it... a lot of what I say here is in the manual, but where's the fun in that?

Here are the control codes (format for serial):
%0 - enter network setup (%0&15; )
%1 - increase debug level (%1&14; )
%2 - decrease debug level (%2&17; )
%3 - initialize 1-wire (%3&16; )
%4 - initialize local display (%4&11; )
%5 - store power-on configuration (%5&10; )
%6 - restore power-on configuration (%6&13; )
%7 - report firmware (%7&12; )

In order to initialize (reset) the 1W bus through script, use the following statement:

Code: 
tx “MEGA” %3                // reset the 1-wire bus on interface MEGA
Click to expand...

%3 has never worked for me in the communications window to reset 1-wire, I always end up power cycling.
 
RiverCityBrewer said:
Top left corner of the script window moves it just fine. If you are moving elements, try creating a blank workspace and adjust the script window there. Also, you can lock the workspace but still move the script window.
Click to expand...
I tried a blank workspace and still not working. I am using the newest Beta and it does have a script height settable in the Environment. I have had this work in the past and wondered if this was something new. I can resize the width, but a small white circle with two diagonal bars appears as my mouse pointer when I try to change the height. I never saw that until I created a blank workspace.
script height.png
 
RiverCityBrewer said:
The integrated antenna on a ESP32 module isn't really up to snuff for listening to weak signals. I've had success with an ESP32 with external antenna adapter, then adding a 8db antenna to it to increase the gain.
Click to expand...
Can you share some links for the hardware used? Is this the uFL version @BrunDog is referencing?
 
oakbarn said:
On my esp 32 I had an external antenna that I used with the Tilt Repeater.
Click to expand...
The tilt repeater is receiving the tilt signal and "repeating" it, correct? Seems we should be able to replicate
/improve this with other hardware as well?
 
crane said:
I am in a similar boat. I ferment in sanke kegs and I can't get any signal after I seal up the 2" opening. I asked about this over on the ispindel thread, but I didn't get any responses of anybody using them in a sanke keg. Wifi is a stronger signal than bluetooth, so it might work better. I haven't gotten around to this yet, but I was going to drop an esp32 in an empty keg to see if that works better than a tilt. I'm not going to buy/build an ispindel unless I know it will work. I already bought a tilt against my better judgement based on people's experience using them in conicals.
Click to expand...

yeah, Sankeys are thick... I have three Sankeys that I welded 8" TC's on and I could put an 8" end-cap reducer with a 4" w/plastic end cap and a 2" on it with the spunding/dip tube and it would transmit I guarantee.. If you had even just a 4" TC, you could make a non-metallic end cap with a spunding port maybe... I love Tilts, have v1,2,3, and Pro versions, and very happy, other than I think that both firmware and software could do averaging to smooth a bumpy curve.
 
oakbarn said:
I tried a blank workspace and still not working. I am using the newest Beta and it does have a script height settable in the Environment. I have had this work in the past and wondered if this was something new. I can resize the width, but a small white circle with two diagonal bars appears as my mouse pointer when I try to change the height. I never saw that until I created a blank workspace.
Click to expand...
I see this on the very left of 1.1.0.9 and 1.1.0.15 . this seems to be the easiest place to grab for me.
1609416620718.png
 
clearwaterbrewer said:
I see this on the very left of 1.1.0.9 and 1.1.0.15 . this seems to be the easiest place to grab for me.
View attachment 712470
Click to expand...
That worked. It is an exact spot and just to the left of the box like you depicted. I used to grab it near the up triangle in the script list pane. I had tried very near where you have it, but was always one the box line. You have to think "outside" the box.
 
That likely means
oakbarn said:
That worked. It is an exact spot and just to the left of the box like you depicted. I used to grab it near the up triangle in the script list pane. I had tried very near where you have it, but was always one the box line. You have to think "outside" the box.
Click to expand...

Yes, it's a tight spot, but we thought this wasn't going to be a common occurrence considering the hide/show script icon at the top, plus as you noted, this is now configurable in the settings.
 
helibrewer said:
%3 has never worked for me in the communications window to reset 1-wire, I always end up power cycling.
Click to expand...

That's odd. The exact initialization happens during power-up. I'm thinking that you have some borderline noise that is only getting fixed with a full power cycle. How many sensors do you have? We seem to have better luck with a 2.2k resistor (or something marginally less than 4.7k) when using 3+ sensors.

Keep in mind wire length, shielding, star pattern for grounding, etc. when managing ambient electrical noise.
 

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