OP
OP
Just tested this and not seeing the problem you are. What application version are you using?
BruControl: Brewery control & automation software
- Thread starter BrunDog
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Help Support Homebrew Talk:
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My script resets the alarm. When it is restarted, it retriggers before it hits the trigger point. I have to put in a delay in between eestarting the timer and resetting the alarm. My question is, how do you restart the timer without it retriggering the alarm? I can write a script to show this if it helps, but it is pretty easy to see if you play with it a bit. You actually don't need a script, just a timer and an alarm to see the behavior.
I just played with it a little more and I figured out what my issue is. I use the timer to countdown timed steps and as an elapsed step time for non-timed steps. When I reset the timer and change it to a countup timer (for elapsed step time) and then start the timer, it triggers the alarm. You can see this by doing the following:
Set up timer to countdown from 5 and trigger the alarm at 0.
Start timer and then stop it after it triggers
Reset the timer (to 5secs)
Reset the alarm
Change the timer to CountUp
Start the timer.
This will trigger the timer immediately.
I also noted that resetting the timer does reset the alarm once the timer is started, so it you keep it as a countdown, you don't necessarily have to reset the alarm, it will reset when the timer starts.
I think I will set up another timer for countup steps so I can eliminate this issue. Thanks for looking into this.
OP
OP
OK cool!
Basically that what I thought I said. I guess I could have been clearer. I was just responding to my own post.
If you have a Unishield set up on VR->5v power, can you use the VR Terminal for a 5v Output once you have it set? I still had my Voltmeter hooked up to read VR (Voltmeter setting switch in VR Only). I turned off the Power. I moved the switch to VR-5v and replaced my Ethernet shield but I did not disconnect the Voltmeter. When I powered it back up I notices that the Voltmeter is at 5.03v where I had set it in VR, so it is powered.
If you can, is the VR 5v output tied to AREF via the Dip Switch?
If you can, is the VR 5v output tied to AREF via the Dip Switch?
OP
OP
Yes absolutely, this was part of the UniShield's intent. Note that this 5V goes directly to the chip if MEGA, so any noise, spikes, or voltage dips induced on that line could F-up the chip.
Not sure what you are saying about the Ethernet shield... but you need not worry about it - it gets its power from the MEGA it's plugged into.
The AREF connects to "Vcc" (aka IOREF in arduino speak), not VR or 5V. This is the voltage the chip is based on, so for the MEGA it is 5V, and for a Grand Central, its 3.3V. This signal comes from the board. Technically, for a MEGA it will be 5V which will be VR if VR -> 5V switch is set.
Does anyone have a practical guide to installing and using an ISpindel with BruControl.
Apparently, you need to configure the ISpindel for BruConttrol and use the Local SQL must be installed? I have an Ispindel I would like to test inside a Stainless Fermenter but this seems more complicated than a Tilt.
Apparently, you need to configure the ISpindel for BruConttrol and use the Local SQL must be installed? I have an Ispindel I would like to test inside a Stainless Fermenter but this seems more complicated than a Tilt.
New to BruControl but not to electric brewing. Upgrading from an old BCS unit. I see a lot of cool graphics for the brewery interface and wondering if there is a place to get a custom brewery done or did everyone do their own graphics? I am not good at graphics so hoping there is a way to get a template or something.
Thanks in advance
Thanks in advance
Adding graphics is easy as you can add up to 3 backgrounds to any element. There are many ways to display a temperature gauge built in. Converting from. BCS is fairly straight forward. You can get lots of help in the forum.
I personally wish that you could select a background by a path so you could have unlimited ones.
You can also add wav files to alarms so you can have “custom” alarm sounds ( or songs )
One big difference between the BCS and BruControl as you can have as many processes and Steps as you want.
Scripting (programming) can be a challenge especially if you have never done any coding but again lots of help here.
This is a good place for some images that are free. You can use either MS Paint or Paint 3D that came with Windows to manipulate the files. I personally like the MS Paint that is in Win 10 or before.
Thanks for this. It has a lot to it for sure. But I think I can figure it out. Appreciate the help and also got the shared folder.
One item that has already come up, I installed and activated the program on test computer. When trying to install on a different computer the license is not active and says to release and contact support. I don't see a way to release it on first install machine? Also, I have a home server and was going to run this on it so I have RAID backup. Any others running on home server and is there any issues?
RiverCityBrewer
Well-Known Member
Contact BrunDog for a license release. I run BC as a VM on a ESXi server, works fine.
Other than contacting @BrunDog ([email protected]), I do not know of another way to move from one computer to another,
You also have to connect to the internet at least every 30 days to update the license. I have my BruControl computer (a Beelink mini) in my Brewery and generally leave it off the web.
I find that I have to leave it connected for a day or so before it updates.
I just opened BruControl (it has been running) and the last update was 01/04/2023 with 0 days! So I need to get the computer connected to the internet (a different router) so this could be a issue for me with fermentation!
Be nice if the Activate button would change to Update License Date for this issue once it was activated on a computer.
Ok great. I sent @BrunDog an email. I have proxmox on Dell R710 home server with tailscale. I can get to it from anywhere with the VPN so that will work great. Thanks for helping the new guy!!
OP
OP
Nice! But at $80 that would be a tough sell over the ESP32-S3!
Yeah, I know... so much MCU power though!
I'm playing with the S3 and C3 on some scale and tap display projects. I'm liking them a lot.
I was adding a Volume a sensor to my HLT. I had had a sensor port added to the vessel. I was thinking in how I could add a volume sensor to any vessel and realized that a simple Tee on the output of the vessel could take the volume sensor. No need for a special port.
OP
OP
The S3 is the perfect option IMO. Lots of I/O!
OP
OP
Yeah, but keep in mind if that port leads to a pump (or any other flow through it, it will misread when there is flow.
Now if Lilygo or Robodyn woule make a S3 board with integrated relays and such, we'd be in business.
Does the firmware support the S3 yet?
OP
OP
Yes, we have running, but not fully tested S3 firmware.
On the ESP-32, On the Firmware 46+ Wiring Map
Pin: 0 BruControl Port: N/A Unishie;d UUE-1 Terminal: 1-3 (VA) : DOP I could see how this could be used as a One Wire Pin, but since there is no Port associated with the Pin, how do you access Digital I/O or a PWM output with BruControl?
Pin: 0 BruControl Port: N/A Unishie;d UUE-1 Terminal: 1-3 (VA) : DOP I could see how this could be used as a One Wire Pin, but since there is no Port associated with the Pin, how do you access Digital I/O or a PWM output with BruControl?
OP
OP
Ya thats a leftover mistake from the prior v45 FW. You can use port 0 for that GPIO0.
Since the Analog Pins (A0-A15) on a Mega or Grand Central are A, D types, I assume you could use them like any other Digital Out, Digital In, (or PWM on the Grand Central for Pins A, D, P)?
So you could control an SSR relay as a Digital Output as the trigger voltage?
So you could control an SSR relay as a Digital Output as the trigger voltage?
OP
OP
Yes, in theory. But keep in mind that the GC is 3.3V and can only output very little current. With either, I'd use the driver output on the UniShield - it can handle the current for any SSR or relay (just make sure the voltages match).
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2008
- Messages
- 146
- Reaction score
- 22
I sort of asked this question before, but am unsure if I understand correctly. Can I delete the database file if it gets too large and I don't need the data? Will it then create a new file and start logging?
You just lose the data. Since I have so many globals, I uninstalled the SQL so I no longer get a Database. It was really slowing down the loading of BruContol (Like 10 minutes). I was deleting mine every other day. So just delete at will. It only gets rid of any stored data. BruControl is going to fix the Globals to take care of a lot of the issues with the data base.
Seconding this. Mine got really large as well, so I deleted it and did away with SQL. I have my brew stats pulled from Brucontrol by Node-RED and sent to Supabase (a free database like Firebase) and Brewfather, so I can see both historical and current data when needed. Saves me from very large files files.
I was asked about a basic Node-RED flow to get started with using BruControl's data exchange server. I figured I'd share the sample flow code here as well. Just copy the following code, then in Node-RED, go to the menu and select Import. Paste the code and click okay, and the flow will appear. It has the inject (which starts the flow), the HTTP request to BruControl, the JSON string -> object node, and some example Javascript functions.
I set the IP address to 127.0.0.1, which means the local machine (assuming Node-RED is on the same computer as BruControl). If Node-RED is on a different system, enter the IP of the PC that BruControl is on. The port is 8000, which is BruControl's data exchange port if enabled (and with the right license).
Where you see "Temp1" (in quotes) in the function nodes, you can enter the exact name of the BruControl global you want. Between the two function nodes, I show a For/Switch method and the method to arrange the BruControl response array to a standard JSON key/value pairing, from which you can call the specific BruControl name you want (a lot faster than many iterations in a For loop). For the For/Switch method, if you want to save more values, just enter another section of the following after my "Temp1" section:
case "BC Global Name":
whateverVariable = bcGlobals.Value;
break;
You will need to sort out declaring variables and decide what you are doing with that variable (learning about Node-RED globals is a good idea). Hopefully, for those of you who have wanted to play with the data exchange, this will get you started with calling BruControl data from Node-RED.
Note that you can call specific global data with 127.0.0.1:8000/global/Global%20Name (where %20 represents a space), but that gets you one value, and if you want multiple values, you will start having a crowded screen. I say get all of the globals and sort from there in a function.
I set the IP address to 127.0.0.1, which means the local machine (assuming Node-RED is on the same computer as BruControl). If Node-RED is on a different system, enter the IP of the PC that BruControl is on. The port is 8000, which is BruControl's data exchange port if enabled (and with the right license).
Where you see "Temp1" (in quotes) in the function nodes, you can enter the exact name of the BruControl global you want. Between the two function nodes, I show a For/Switch method and the method to arrange the BruControl response array to a standard JSON key/value pairing, from which you can call the specific BruControl name you want (a lot faster than many iterations in a For loop). For the For/Switch method, if you want to save more values, just enter another section of the following after my "Temp1" section:
case "BC Global Name":
whateverVariable = bcGlobals.Value;
break;
You will need to sort out declaring variables and decide what you are doing with that variable (learning about Node-RED globals is a good idea). Hopefully, for those of you who have wanted to play with the data exchange, this will get you started with calling BruControl data from Node-RED.
Note that you can call specific global data with 127.0.0.1:8000/global/Global%20Name (where %20 represents a space), but that gets you one value, and if you want multiple values, you will start having a crowded screen. I say get all of the globals and sort from there in a function.
JSON:
[
{
"id": "7393774e6b605aaf",
"type": "tab",
"label": "BruControl Flow",
"disabled": false,
"info": "",
"env": []
},
{
"id": "28f07e072a7d90f8",
"type": "inject",
"z": "7393774e6b605aaf",
"name": "Start flow",
"props": [
{
"p": "payload"
},
{
"p": "topic",
"vt": "str"
}
],
"repeat": "300",
"crontab": "",
"once": true,
"onceDelay": 0.1,
"topic": "",
"payload": "",
"payloadType": "date",
"x": 110,
"y": 80,
"wires": [
[
"b45926e60e401fd4"
]
],
"info": "This starts the flow at start and at an interval of 5 minutes."
},
{
"id": "b45926e60e401fd4",
"type": "http request",
"z": "7393774e6b605aaf",
"name": "HTTP Request to BC",
"method": "GET",
"ret": "txt",
"paytoqs": "ignore",
"url": "http://127.0.0.1:8000/globals",
"tls": "",
"persist": false,
"proxy": "",
"insecureHTTPParser": false,
"authType": "",
"senderr": false,
"headers": [],
"x": 300,
"y": 80,
"wires": [
[
"3dc90f4b793804ba"
]
],
"info": "This makes a HTTP GET call to BruControl's data exchange server, running on port 8000."
},
{
"id": "3dc90f4b793804ba",
"type": "json",
"z": "7393774e6b605aaf",
"name": "Convert JSON String to Object",
"property": "payload",
"action": "",
"pretty": false,
"x": 550,
"y": 80,
"wires": [
[
"e594e165c8a55fc7",
"0ea11e696e11d069",
"81eab8e2366410d3"
]
],
"info": "This will take the msg.payload variable (a JSON string after the HTTP request) and make it a browsable object."
},
{
"id": "e594e165c8a55fc7",
"type": "debug",
"z": "7393774e6b605aaf",
"name": "Show Full Response JSON Data in Debug Pane",
"active": true,
"tosidebar": true,
"console": false,
"tostatus": false,
"complete": "payload",
"targetType": "msg",
"statusVal": "",
"statusType": "auto",
"x": 900,
"y": 120,
"wires": []
},
{
"id": "0ea11e696e11d069",
"type": "function",
"z": "7393774e6b605aaf",
"name": "Example Functions 1 (For/Switch)",
"func": "bcGlobals = msg.payload;\n\nfor (let i = 0, l = Object.keys(bcGlobals).length; i < l; i++) { //Declare i and l, set l to the length of the array (starting from 0), go as long as i is less than l, increment i by one each cycle.\n \n switch (bcGlobals[i].Name){ //Check each array entry by setting the path to i, with the object key being Name.\n case \"Temp1\": //Change the words between the quotes to your BC global name\n node.warn('Temp 1 is: ' + bcGlobals[i].Value); //If the name matches, the value shows in the debug node.\n msg.payload = bcGlobals[i].Value; //Sets msg.payload to the value\n break; //Then the switch stops, going to the next For iteration.\n // default: //Nothing found, so goes to default. However, in a For loop, it will state this for EVERYOTHER BC global entry, so don't uncomment this unless you know what you are doing.\n // node.warn('Nothing found.');\n // break;\n } \n} \n\nreturn msg; //Returns the message, meaning msg.payload moves forward with the new value.",
"outputs": 1,
"noerr": 0,
"initialize": "",
"finalize": "",
"libs": [],
"x": 860,
"y": 40,
"wires": [
[]
]
},
{
"id": "81eab8e2366410d3",
"type": "function",
"z": "7393774e6b605aaf",
"name": "Example Functions 1 (Get Specific Key Value from BC Name)",
"func": "var arr = msg.payload; //arr for array\nvar temp1;\nvar bcGlobals;\n\n//The following lines rearranges the array into a standard JSON key/value pair via a string and then makes it an object.\nbcGlobals = '{' + arr.map(function(elem){ \n return '\"' + elem.Name + '\":\"' + elem.Value + '\"'; }).join(\",\");\nbcGlobals = bcGlobals + '}';\nbcGlobals = JSON.parse(bcGlobals);\n\n\ntemp1 = bcGlobals['Temp1']; //Sets temp1 to the value of the BC global based on the global name. Change the name accordingly.\nnode.warn('Temp1 is ' + temp1); //Shows the value in the debug pane.\n\nmsg.payload = temp1; //Sets msg.payload to the temp1 value so it can carry forward.\n\n\nreturn msg; //Returns the message, meaning msg.payload moves forward with the new value.",
"outputs": 1,
"noerr": 0,
"initialize": "",
"finalize": "",
"libs": [],
"x": 940,
"y": 80,
"wires": [
[]
]
}
]Hi Oakbarn - I am in the process of educating myself with Paint 3D in order to buid a half decent background containing my brewery's layout; I really like yours. I am assuming I could copy/paste it in Paint 3D and customize it as required?
Also, I notice small buttons next to your pumps - are these controlling the ON/OFF of the pump Element? If so - how can we link Button/Switches like that to Elements such as pumps?
Lastly, the digital temp gauges look neet; how to?
Cheers!
I used MS Paint (the old version on Windows 10. I can use the one on Win 11 but it is not as easy. I have dabbled with Paint 3D but cannot see any advantage over MS Paint (although you may be able to have transparent backgrounds but I have never figured out how).
My Brewery Kettles and piping is a single file used as a background for a workspace. I kept playing with it so it would fit and allow some message boxes and a large timer be on the left. Since it is a background, any Elements you Add are on top and the background cannot be moved.
I think you are talking about the LED buttons on the Pumps. These are just standard Digital Output Elements with the Appearance.value attribute set to LED. So yes they do control the pumps natively with the exception of the Yellow Pump.
My actual Yellow Pump Element is on another Workspace where I keep a lot of things. I have one Arduino Mega that I used to create "Pseudo" Elements. They are real Digital Outs on that Interface so I can make them look and act just like the ones on my Main Brewery Interface. That interface is not wired to anything except my router. I have Two "Pseudo" Elements for my Yellow pump because I have it on another Workspace as well and I want to control the Yellow pump from either Workspace. I do that with scripting.
Again, the digital temp gauges are built into BruControl. Analog Inputs for 10KNTC Probes. The Appearance.value attribute is set to Digital Gauge.
Other value attributes are also set:
The small SV and PV are simply Global String Element where the values are SV or PV or TG (Target).
Last edited:
OK cool, I was able to sort a few things; I now have the LED button and the digital guage for temps, very nice! A few things I haven't sorted out yet, such as what is a Global and String. I think I get the difference between an Element and a Variable in a script - Elements need to be enabled and Variables are to be declared as new in a script, but I'll leave that for now.
Back to the background image, for the below PID elements,I would like to keep the names and LED button, but get rid of the displayed info (circled in red); is this possible?
Back to the background image, for the below PID elements,I would like to keep the names and LED button, but get rid of the displayed info (circled in red); is this possible?
RiverCityBrewer
Well-Known Member
To get rid of the switch, click the "i" then go to Appearance>Enable Button Visibility>Never
To get rid of the "i" simply click the lock button in the upper right corner.
To get rid of the "i" simply click the lock button in the upper right corner.
OK great, switch is gone. For the "i", I'm unable to find the lock button; is it in the "appearance" tab somewhere?
RiverCityBrewer
Well-Known Member
You don't have the far icon on the left?
I wish that the enabled = never as the default
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