This fixes the SD card issues...... Converted my Brew-Pi fermentation cooler control and it has been rock solid !!
https://blog.mivia.dk/solved-sd-card-corrupted-raspberry-pi/
craftbeerpi + 50amp control panel
- Thread starter harry-wang
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This fixes the SD card issues...... Converted my Brew-Pi fermentation cooler control and it has been rock solid !!
https://blog.mivia.dk/solved-sd-card-corrupted-raspberry-pi/
I've also had good luck using standard USB storage. Here is a 128GB USB 3.1 flash drive that's pretty small for $18.99 on sale.
My entire Pi controller cost less than $120 to build. Using this adjustment rationale, it was actually free......
I’m not a fan one way or the other. I will point out however that the $120 for software is not so much for obtaining the software but for the support you might need. Your time is worth something, and you need to figure out what it is worth. Then you need to determine if this (or any make/buy decision) is worth it for you.
It’s a personal decision everyone needs to make for themselves.
Still, $120 is really not that much in the scheme of things. I’ve wasted more than that trying to save money.
It’s a personal decision everyone needs to make for themselves.
Still, $120 is really not that much in the scheme of things. I’ve wasted more than that trying to save money.
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
Theres an app with instructions for flashing the arduino with a regular usb cable.. its not hard instructions are avaliable on the website to look over.
The only special hardware required over any other control solution is an arduino and a pc to use as an interface... a mega costs about $12 shipped... you can build the whole panel for far less than $300 but it really depends on how many plugs and removable connectors you want and how complex of a build it would be.
The only special hardware required over any other control solution is an arduino and a pc to use as an interface... a mega costs about $12 shipped... you can build the whole panel for far less than $300 but it really depends on how many plugs and removable connectors you want and how complex of a build it would be.
![Craft A Brew - Safale BE-256 Yeast - Fermentis - Belgian Ale Dry Yeast - For Belgian & Strong Ales - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [3 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51bcKEwQmWL._SL500_.jpg)
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I looked hard at Kal clones, CBPi, and BruControl when I was getting started.
All systems need an enclosure of some kind to house both the power devices like breakers, SSRs, and contactors, as well as the sensors and relays that are used on the low-voltage side of the system. Right out of the gate, there is a substantial financial commitment required to build a safe, reliable system. A UL-listed enclosure, UL-listed power equipment, DIN rail, mid-level wiring devices like terminal blocks, tray, breakers, fuses, relays, power supplies, SSRs, heat sinks, etc., etc. will get the enclosure north of $1,000 in a frightful hurry. Arguments that an automated electric brewery control panel can be built in a safe, reliable manner for $300 do not seem realistic to me.
Kal is a self-admitted semi-Luddite, and doesn't have any interest in microcontrollers or automation, and his reasons for sticking to PID controllers and mechanical switches work well for him.
The more I dug into it, the more I found the automation side appealing, so I cut Kal clones from my list. When evaluating the two remaining choices, what settled the argument was the number of posts here and on Reddit and other forums that went on and on about the various builds on GitHub for the RPi solution that were mostly howls of anguish from frustrated brewers whose RPi system had just bricked because of a problem with the code for some new feature that some unknown person had posted. It's kind of the story of open source in general. Yes, some fantastic open source stuff has been developed (Torvalds is a frickin' genius), but at the expense of a lot of very tedious debugging along the way. I wanted to brew, not debug.
I opted for BruControl for several reasons:
The ability to add another microcontroller and integrate it into the BruControl environment without so much as a burp gives me the flexibility I was looking for. As my system and my skills grow, it's easy to add on without having to break budgets. Without any question, I feel like I made the right choice, even after having lived and brewed with it for almost two years.
All systems need an enclosure of some kind to house both the power devices like breakers, SSRs, and contactors, as well as the sensors and relays that are used on the low-voltage side of the system. Right out of the gate, there is a substantial financial commitment required to build a safe, reliable system. A UL-listed enclosure, UL-listed power equipment, DIN rail, mid-level wiring devices like terminal blocks, tray, breakers, fuses, relays, power supplies, SSRs, heat sinks, etc., etc. will get the enclosure north of $1,000 in a frightful hurry. Arguments that an automated electric brewery control panel can be built in a safe, reliable manner for $300 do not seem realistic to me.
Kal is a self-admitted semi-Luddite, and doesn't have any interest in microcontrollers or automation, and his reasons for sticking to PID controllers and mechanical switches work well for him.
The more I dug into it, the more I found the automation side appealing, so I cut Kal clones from my list. When evaluating the two remaining choices, what settled the argument was the number of posts here and on Reddit and other forums that went on and on about the various builds on GitHub for the RPi solution that were mostly howls of anguish from frustrated brewers whose RPi system had just bricked because of a problem with the code for some new feature that some unknown person had posted. It's kind of the story of open source in general. Yes, some fantastic open source stuff has been developed (Torvalds is a frickin' genius), but at the expense of a lot of very tedious debugging along the way. I wanted to brew, not debug.
I opted for BruControl for several reasons:
- Arduino hardware is stable, cheap, and plentiful
- I don't have to do any programming
- I can configure an incredible amount of capability (e.g. @Die_Beerery's rig)
- I can develop a script that will automate more than I care to think about (again, see Die_Beerery's rig)
- @BrunDog provides fantastic support
- It does NOT require a dedicated computer (I ran it for over a year on the MacBook issued by my employer)
The ability to add another microcontroller and integrate it into the BruControl environment without so much as a burp gives me the flexibility I was looking for. As my system and my skills grow, it's easy to add on without having to break budgets. Without any question, I feel like I made the right choice, even after having lived and brewed with it for almost two years.
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augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
A sub $300 "safe" brewing panel is indeed very feesable.. especially considering the DC voltage stuff is not ul listed anyway nor would it need to be... all you have a a handful of contactors and relays (if you decide to even use contactors in conjunction with ssrs as most commercially sold panels actually dont so save costs and maximize profit) ssrs and wire... the connectors on the bottom of the panel are completely optional and not even useful in situations where the panel is stationary and there are plugs at the element ends..
As for the panel itself you can get a large variety used on places like ebay or even buy a $35 carlon electrical box at the home depot for $36... Keep in mind unless your sending this somewhere and paying mucho $$ for ul listing testing and certification, the panel will NOT be UL listed or have any official safety advantage over a panel using European counterparts for less $ it's just for the builder piece of mind. Other creature comfort things like din rail components are more for convenience and asthetics, also not needed for safety. A $9 dual pole non din contactor like one used in HVAC applications will perform just as well and is ul listed as well. Also a non UL but CE certified SSR from auberins or even $5 off branded "berme" from the same manufacturer (MGR) will work just as safely as a $40 Crydom. (The same cannot be said for the counterfeit foteks all over ebay though which have numerous reports of violent failures)
Will it be as "nice" as a $1000 panel? no but one of the great things about a software screen based GUI controlled system is the user experience wont suffer due to the aesthetics of the control box.
As for the panel itself you can get a large variety used on places like ebay or even buy a $35 carlon electrical box at the home depot for $36... Keep in mind unless your sending this somewhere and paying mucho $$ for ul listing testing and certification, the panel will NOT be UL listed or have any official safety advantage over a panel using European counterparts for less $ it's just for the builder piece of mind. Other creature comfort things like din rail components are more for convenience and asthetics, also not needed for safety. A $9 dual pole non din contactor like one used in HVAC applications will perform just as well and is ul listed as well. Also a non UL but CE certified SSR from auberins or even $5 off branded "berme" from the same manufacturer (MGR) will work just as safely as a $40 Crydom. (The same cannot be said for the counterfeit foteks all over ebay though which have numerous reports of violent failures)
Will it be as "nice" as a $1000 panel? no but one of the great things about a software screen based GUI controlled system is the user experience wont suffer due to the aesthetics of the control box.
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