DIY Braumeister 20L Controller

[SmartGrowth]

I see several folks in here have tried building their own Braumeister clone, but I haven't seen anyone work through replacing a controller. I took some bad electrical advice a couple of years ago, which led to burning out my controller. Has anyone encountered an effective way to DIY a replacement controller? WiFi isn't a need, I just want it not to be a recycling pile or welded shut into a fermenter.

 

[Bobby_M]

Did you get a quote on an OEM replacement controller first?

 

[SmartGrowth]

Did you get a quote on an OEM replacement controller first?

Sure did. They no longer sell the OEM and only offer the upgraded version, according to MoreBeer.

 

[Bobby_M]

I'm assuming the boiler has a simple resistive single element secured to underside. If you can confirm that it's just two wire connections to it, you can replace the controller with just about any off the shelf controller though you would have to confirm what kind of temperature probe tech is installed in the boiler and if the controller uses that tech or has selectable probe type in the menu system.

https://www.omega.com/en-us/resources/identify-temperature-probes

 

[SmartGrowth]

I'm assuming the boiler has a simple resistive single element secured to underside. If you can confirm that it's just two wire connections to it, you can replace the controller with just about any off the shelf controller though you would have to confirm what kind of temperature probe tech is installed in the boiler and if the controller uses that tech or has selectable probe type in the menu system.

https://www.omega.com/en-us/resources/identify-temperature-probes

I don't know what most of that means but I'll take a look this weekend and report back with pictures so maybe you can tell me like I'm 5.

 

[pocketmon]

have an old Braumeister 20L. When I got it, the controller was already broken, so I replaced it with my own programmed BrewManiacEx. While I can't be 100% sure that all Braumeister 20L models have the same setup, I believe they should be quite similar. Both the heating element and the pump run on 240V, and they can be easily controlled with an SSR or relay. Generally, it's recommended to use an SSR for heating and a mechanical relay for the pump, which is exactly how I set mine up.

The biggest challenge during my modification was with the connectors. On my unit, the heating coil didn’t have a connector—just two wires—while the pump was connected with a special plug. I salvaged this plug from the old controller, so that part was fine. The only issue I had was with the temperature sensor, which was the part that had failed in the original controller. I couldn’t find a replacement thermowell, and I wasn’t sure what type of sensor it was, but I did know it wasn’t a DS18B20 used by my BrewManiacEx. In the end, I used a screwdriver to dig out the old sensor, leaving only the metal thermowell, and then inserted a DS18B20 sensor to complete the controller modification.

However, one thing to note is that, perhaps due to the insulation from the housing or my incorrect use of thermal paste, the measured temperature was slightly off. For example, the raw data showed 97°C when boiling. To fix this, I measured the temperature difference from room temperature to boiling and used a two-point calibration to correct the readings.

This is just a bit of my experience to share.