Trying to find where to add a Tilt device. I have a ESP32 interface but I cannot see where in the Interface Map which port to use for a Tilt.
Yeah. I even tried on a totally different computer that does not have BruControl installed. I tried two computers, two different USBs. I think it may be the cheap COCO ESP 32 from China. I have order a pair of ESP 32s off Amazon.Did you disconnect it from BruControl first?
If hooking up as Wifi, do a network configuration on the ESP 32 similar to the Mega 2560?
I see that the signal from the Tilt is sending an uncalibrated value. I calibrated using the Tilt App and corrected 1.003 to 1.000. BruControl gets 1.003 (the unclaibrated value)
That was what I was thinking. Do a Calibration with the Tilt 2 app as described, but make the un-calibrated values x side and the calibrated as the y column. Kill two birds with one stone.Calibrations from the tilt app apply to the phone or tablet only, they do not get pushed back to the tilt itself. Create a lookup table in the BC calibration for the tilt and add your measurements there.
That was what I was thinking. Do a Calibration with the Tilt 2 app as described, but make the un-calibrated values x side and the calibrated as the y column. Kill two birds with one stone.
For some reason that I don't understand, I had to setup the network on a couple of my devices (8266/esp32) twice. The same information, I just put it in a second time and then it worked. This happened on more than one microcontroller.
As a side, any idea how far the Tilt will Bluetooth in a steel conical if at all?
I am testing the distance. I will have two issues. How close can I get the ESP 32 to the fermenter (double walled) and still be connected to the Wifi. I may have to order another Wifi repeater and add it to my Cold Room where the fermenters are. I ordered their repeater to see how that works. Right now, just with a plastic jug between the Tilt and the ESP32, the distance is poor. May be a weak battery on the Tilt. I have a difficult time getting it to work in my barn brewery but finally did a copy and paste with the SSID and Password from my Amped wireless repeater and now it works. I went back and did not allow DHCP but reserved the IP that DHCP had assigned on my router. It would be nice if Tilt made a repeater antenna that was 1 1/2 TC Thermowell that could take an External Probe as well. Power supply on the outside of the fermenter for the repeater.Not sure if you have double-walled conical, but one of my clients had 200L double-wall stainless fermenters. I had to have my phone or Raspberry Pi right next to the lid seal to get a faint connection. So in my situation, connection was a few cm's
I ended up disabling the Raspberry Pi on-board bluetooth module and getting a USB bluetooth dongle with a high-powered antenna and this greatly improved the reliability of connection. This then allowed about 3 metres to the relevant fermenter.
I am yet to get my Tilt back from my client, to test out with the ESP32, but I figure it would be the same deal where a larger high powered antenna may be required.
USB Bluetooth module
high gain antenna
I don’t think you would use the app at all. Use the tilt and see what it reports, then measure with a legit hydrometer. X is TILT and Y is the hydrometer. Repeat for increasing sugar solutions, or at least do distilled water on one end and very sugary water on the other end (1.1 SG).
I am yet to get my Tilt back from my client, to test out with the ESP32, but I figure it would be the same deal where a larger high powered antenna may be required.
The PCB antennas for both the Tilt and on the ESP32 look to be standard 1/6 wavelength embedded design... they work but are not optimal, especially when one is heavily shielded in a metal fermenter. Since we can't modify the antenna on the Tilt, we can look at two options, repeaters and improved antenna design on the ESP32. Tilt looks like they offer a repeater as a package that you could set right next to your fermenter, but it may suffer from the same embedded antenna issues. I may pick one up and see how it works. The other option is finding an ESP32 with an external antenna connector, or cutting the trace to the embedded one and direct soldering a 1/4 or 1/2 wave antenna to the board. I have a few sacrificial 32's, so I may try soldering one... it doesn't look very easy though. If anyone knows of an ESP32 with an external antenna connector, I'm all ears.
The reason I would use the Tilt APP is to have BOTH the Tilt App and Brucontrol giving the same corrected readings. There are very good instructions on how to Calibrate with the Tilt App. If you just write down you data points (or better yet put in a csv file), both the Tilt App and BruControl will give the same Data Points.
The PCB antennas for both the Tilt and on the ESP32 look to be standard 1/6 wavelength embedded design... they work but are not optimal, especially when one is heavily shielded in a metal fermenter. Since we can't modify the antenna on the Tilt, we can look at two options, repeaters and improved antenna design on the ESP32. Tilt looks like they offer a repeater as a package that you could set right next to your fermenter, but it may suffer from the same embedded antenna issues. I may pick one up and see how it works. The other option is finding an ESP32 with an external antenna connector, or cutting the trace to the embedded one and direct soldering a 1/4 or 1/2 wave antenna to the board. I have a few sacrificial 32's, so I may try soldering one... it doesn't look very easy though. If anyone knows of an ESP32 with an external antenna connector, I'm all ears.
I am sure a fresh battery might help.
The onboard antenna on that board looks leaps and bounds better than a pcb trace on 90+% of them.This board has connector for external antenna. I've tested it with BC and the Tilt and it works perfect. Have not done any range testing yet but I assume it to have a significant increase.
Speaking about the TC thermowell antenna, what about drilling a hole in a TC cap and glue a white labs yeast vial or similar to it from the inside. The flange on the yeast vial will make a good sealing surface against the TC cap. Not sure if it will break the faraday cage but if you stick the external antenna into the vial then for sure it will receive the Tilt signal.
The onboard antenna on that board looks leaps and bounds better than a pcb trace on 90+% of them.
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