Fermentrack: Fermentation monitoring & BrewPi-www Replacement for Raspberry Pi

CornyKegs 728
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Yeah it's a strange question. In my fermentation fridge I love the 0.1 accuracy, but in the Keezer I'm not so worried if it moves around a little
 
skidmark said:
Maybe immerse the temp probe (assuming that it's water resistant) in a small volume of water to dampen the response?
Click to expand...
Oh! I missed the keezer part. :) Sorry about that @JnR_NaT. Yes, @skidmark's idea is a good one. You could also use "beer constant" mode and insulate a second probe on the side of one of your kegs. That way you would be controlling your beer temp.
 
LBussy said:
A 5 gallon glass fermenter is gonna come in around 50 lbs filled. That's just shy of 23 kilos. 44 grams is 0.2% of that. A typical rating for a load cell is +-0.3% so I think you'd find the best resolution you'd get would be around +-0.5% abw (if my half-assed math is correct.)
Click to expand...

0.3% is like 3 point of SG. You can not see the FG, but will be good to monitor the fermentation process
 
skidmark said:
Plaato is an interesting product, but I am leery of anything dependent on cloud support. One day the cloud is there, the next there's not one in sight ...

So, nowhere to drop in a few lines of code? I haven't gone through it yet, but I figured that someone would have an idea.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I am not a fan either. I owned a BeerBug before they went belly up. One of the big reasons I bought a Tilt...

Adding “bubble rate” is easy enough, but would have to be done at the expense of specific gravity support as I don’t think that dygraphs supports 3 y axes simultaneously.
 
Thorrak said:
Adding “bubble rate” is easy enough, but would have to be done at the expense of specific gravity support as I don’t think that dygraphs supports 3 y axes simultaneously.
Click to expand...

Would it be selectable? I may end with a Tilt in the end, but I'm just looking for a quick 'n' dirty means of checking on fermentation progress. Maybe bump the temp up to encourage a good finishing SG, then cold crashing. I could then keg whenever I returned home.
 
skidmark said:
Would it be selectable? I may end with a Tilt in the end, but I'm just looking for a quick 'n' dirty means of checking on fermentation progress. Maybe bump the temp up to encourage a good finishing SG, then cold crashing. I could then keg whenever I returned home.
Click to expand...
I second it if it can be selectable. I probably will purchase a tilt soon too. But finding my bubble counters resurrected and idea I helped work on about 10 years ago. The circuit to these things are simple. I sent the schematic over to Lbussy. I would love to see it implemented and will help test and build what ever I can.
 
matridium said:
The circuit to these things are simple. I sent the schematic over to Lbussy. I would love to see it implemented and will help test and build what ever I can.
Click to expand...

Care to share your circuit? I'm waiting on my photointerrupters, and I'd rather work towards a common design than have to accommodate multiple approaches.
 
First off want to say thank you to Thorrak, et al. for all the hard work that goes into making something this complex easy to use. I've got my system up and running and have just one hiccup right now, tiltbridge integration. When I go to add a new gravity sensor, i go through the flow to add a new tiltbridge, select that tiltbridge for the new gravity sensor and then when it is set up, the gravity sensor show "connection type: Bluetooth"...

I'm sure i'm missing something simple, but i'm at the point of just repeating the same steps hoping for a different outcome... Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
-Josh
 
I don't have a tilt yet but from what I understand based on fermentrack documentation you don't need a tilt bridge it is supported Natively, Tilt Hydrometers communicate via Bluetooth. My RPI has built in BT and wifi. My intention was to use the BT feature when I get my tilt.
I had some real problems following the workflow for flashing my ESP8266 board. It took me several tries. My problem was I was impatient and did not realize the communication over wifi was slower than I anticipated so I would go to the next step only to find no hardware was found to flash. If I had the issue you are having I would remove the tiltbridge from the equation and see if I can get it to work with BT first. Have you tried that yet? Does your Pi have BT built in? Fermentrack is outstanding but it's always evolving and as such it's really well made homebrew software... [emoji4]Pun intended
 
I'm considering buying a tilt and see Fermentrack has Tilt integration. Does Fermentrack fermentation profile support the use of the gravity readings from the tilt i.e increase fermentation temperature when gravity reaches 1.xxx? Thinking of using it for a stepped lager fermentation profile.
 
Hezza101 said:
I'm considering buying a tilt and see Fermentrack has Tilt integration. Does Fermentrack fermentation profile support the use of the gravity readings from the tilt i.e increase fermentation temperature when gravity reaches 1.xxx? Thinking of using it for a stepped lager fermentation profile.
Click to expand...
I don't have one yet but from what I understand the answer is yes.
 
Hezza101 said:
I'm considering buying a tilt and see Fermentrack has Tilt integration. Does Fermentrack fermentation profile support the use of the gravity readings from the tilt i.e increase fermentation temperature when gravity reaches 1.xxx? Thinking of using it for a stepped lager fermentation profile.
Click to expand...
I don't believe that @Thorrak has implemented this yet.
 
Josh1275 said:
First off want to say thank you to Thorrak, et al. for all the hard work that goes into making something this complex easy to use. I've got my system up and running and have just one hiccup right now, tiltbridge integration. When I go to add a new gravity sensor, i go through the flow to add a new tiltbridge, select that tiltbridge for the new gravity sensor and then when it is set up, the gravity sensor show "connection type: Bluetooth"...

I'm sure i'm missing something simple, but i'm at the point of just repeating the same steps hoping for a different outcome... Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
-Josh
Click to expand...
Im having the same issue here. Using the Tilt V2 on an RPi 3B+ freshly installed by following fermentrack documentation. Temp controller integration went perfect but when I try to install the Tilt (using Bluetooth) I have the same error code than you. @thorax , any idea what go wrong? Ih been playing with bluetoothctl and clearing the filters but stilk not working. Version of BlueZ is 5.5.

Thanks
 
If you installed buster try stretch

I couldn't get my tilt to connect when using buster but with stretch all went like a dream
 
Built, installed, setup and working on my second batch. Thanks to all that made this so easy as it only took me a couple of days and that's having never used a Raspberrypi before (and it's been years since I touched an Arduino too!)

Question though, I'd love to add a display and have an I2C on the way (all I have space for) but I'm not sure where to get the Arduino code to use an I2C display?
I think it's been done on the Uno too now? (tried loads of searching and reading but there's so much info on this I couldn't find the bit I was looking for!)

I assume once I have this I can just flash the uno from a PC (don't think I can use Fermentrack built in flashing)
Redo one of the relay pins, add the display connections and off it goes?

IMG_20190721_095644.jpg
 
Chris parks said:
Question though, I'd love to add a display and have an I2C on the way (all I have space for) but I'm not sure where to get the Arduino code to use an I2C display?
I think it's been done on the Uno too now? (tried loads of searching and reading but there's so much info on this I couldn't find the bit I was looking for!)
Click to expand...
For the ESP8266 firmware, I2C is the only firmware version. For the Arduino there's two firmware versions, one with a regular parallel LCD and the other with I2C. You'd just have to use the right one.
 
Thanks. Yes that's what I understood from trying to find the answer myself. What I can't find is a link to the I2C arduino version.

The version I'm currently using (which I assume is the parallel display version) was flashed onto the Ardunio from Fermentrack but I don't know if I can use Fermentrack to flash the I2C version?
 
Okay, I thought about this while I was driving in this morning and this is absolutely not insurmountable. I do want to explain why it's even a question since you are new to this:

In The Beginning .. there was BrewPi and it was good. Then there came a period of wailing and lament in which BrewPi began to die a slow death. The Creator spake and he said, "lo, I do abandon thee BrewPi, I have a New Son."

Brewers are basically a contrary lot, however, and BrewPi continued to wobble down the road like a wayward bicycle for many years. At one point three different projects branched from there: Fermentrack, BrewPiLess and Fuscus. Then, some real rebel decided to breathe life back in BrewPi itself in (much of) its original form which is BrewPi Remix.

Fermentrack is a project which definitely departed from the original in many significant ways. As it has its roots in BrewPi, there is a fair amount of interoperability between the projects. In this case (I think) @Thorrak included a firmware image for the Arduino in his project (version 0.2.10 I believe?) which was able to be flashed via the web interface. There is another file called pinList.py which aligns pin assignments to board types. Since Thorrak branched/diverted from BrewPi, that information/those files are consistent only to the time of that branch.

I did mention some glutton for punishment who would not let BrewPi die. He decided to add functionality (including I2C) and as a result, created a different shield type - basically a different firmware image. As a result of those two events, there is no automagical way to flash the firmware. Additionally, I mentioned the pinList.py file - that needs to be updated in order for Fermentrack to be able to speak to the I2C firmware.

I can submit a PR for Fermentrack to get the new pinList updated. If he's not able to review/merge I can provide that file for you to change manually. I can also tell you how to flash the I2C firmware file. Hopefully, Thorrak will have some time to be able to allow both shield types to be flashed from his interface in the manner he intended.

Long story, but this is a "yes." Might take a minute. Let us know when you get your LCD though if I've not gotten back to ya.

One last item .. you mentioned something about I2C is all you had room for or something like that. The 20x4 LCD is the same size in I2C or shift-register type. Could you elaborate on how this is saving you any room?
 
Wowzers
I was only expecting a hyperlink.

I'm actually familiar with most of that as I embarked on this journey when looking for a way to slowly ramp up temps which wasnt easily possible with my STC-1000.
I found Brewpi but didn't need all the functionality of the Spark based version.
That led me to Brewpi Remix which is when I bought the Arduino.
I then found (and prefered the look of) fermentrack so constructed that but with the Uno as by then I already had it rather than the ESP8266 which I would have used had I found Fermentrack at the start.

So here I am

In regards to space. I have space for the display... Just... And I mean just. I doubt I have space for the extra wires the non I2C display needs. Let alone the additional chip I believe it needs.
 
Yannick Paquet said:
Im having the same issue here. Using the Tilt V2 on an RPi 3B+ freshly installed by following fermentrack documentation. Temp controller integration went perfect but when I try to install the Tilt (using Bluetooth) I have the same error code than you. @thorax , any idea what go wrong? Ih been playing with bluetoothctl and clearing the filters but stilk not working. Version of BlueZ is 5.5.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Apologies, missed this. I'll take a look.
 
Chris parks said:
Wowzers
I was only expecting a hyperlink.
Click to expand...
If I start typing I have a hard time stopping. :)
Chris parks said:
I'm actually familiar with most of that as I embarked on this journey when looking for a way to slowly ramp up temps which wasnt easily possible with my STC-1000.
I found Brewpi but didn't need all the functionality of the Spark based version.
That led me to Brewpi Remix which is when I bought the Arduino.
I then found (and prefered the look of) fermentrack so constructed that but with the Uno as by then I already had it rather than the ESP8266 which I would have used had I found Fermentrack at the start.
Click to expand...
The Arduino still (IMHO) has a slight edge as you can use all of the pins/functionality and still get BT or Wireless (albeit with an add-on), but the ESP8266 sure is simple.
Chris parks said:
In regards to space. I have space for the display... Just... And I mean just. I doubt I have space for the extra wires the non I2C display needs. Let alone the additional chip I believe it needs.
Click to expand...
That makes sense. Yes, the shift register is the "chip" and it sits on a shield that plugs in on top of the Arduino.

I just finished making a PR to @Thorrak in order to support the I2C firmware with an update pinList.py. If he doesn't merge it by the time you need it, you can hit that link and download the changed file and update your own local copy.

I honestly have no idea where he does his logic to download the actual firmware so unless someone can point me to it, you'll have to upgrade that manually. Download the firmware here, and flash with the following command:
Code: 
/usr/share/arduino/hardware/tools/avrdude -F -e -p atmega328p -c arduino -b 115200 -P /dev/ttyACM0 -U flash:w:"/home/pi/brewpi-arduino-uno-i2c-0.2.12.hex" -C /usr/share/arduino/hardware/tools/avrdude.conf
You may have to change the port, and you will need to make sure you stop Fermentrack before trying to flash.
 
LBussy said:
If I start typing I have a hard time stopping. :)

The Arduino still (IMHO) has a slight edge as you can use all of the pins/functionality and still get BT or Wireless (albeit with an add-on), but the ESP8266 sure is simple.

That makes sense. Yes, the shift register is the "chip" and it sits on a shield that plugs in on top of the Arduino.

I just finished making a PR to @Thorrak in order to support the I2C firmware with an update pinList.py. If he doesn't merge it by the time you need it, you can hit that link and download the changed file and update your own local copy.

I honestly have no idea where he does his logic to download the actual firmware so unless someone can point me to it, you'll have to upgrade that manually. Download the firmware here, and flash with the following command:
Code: 
/usr/share/arduino/hardware/tools/avrdude -F -e -p atmega328p -c arduino -b 115200 -P /dev/ttyACM0 -U flash:w:"/home/pi/brewpi-arduino-uno-i2c-0.2.12.hex" -C /usr/share/arduino/hardware/tools/avrdude.conf
You may have to change the port, and you will need to make sure you stop Fermentrack before trying to flash.
Click to expand...

You sir, are a gent. Many thanks :mug:

I assume I just need to keep an eye on the PR and if/when @Thorrak makes the change I'll see a note there?

Dont want to mess while it's fermenting my Intensely Hopped Lager so will be a couple of weeks before I'm ready anyway.
 
To be able to run and manually flash as I’ve said, yes. Someone will need to point out where of the firmware routine/images are and I can look at doing a PR for that portion of it.

Keep in mind, I2C firmware uses A0 for the temperature sensors, and if you are not using a rotary encoder you need to jump in a couple of pins so that the backlight will not blank out and stay that way.
 
gromitdj said:
Does anyone think that it would be possible to use a dimmer on a larger watt bulb to reduce the heat output? Or is this a bad idea? It's an idea I've been contemplating. I bought a 100 watt reptile bulb and fear it's probably too much. I suppose it would probably cost less to replace the bulb...
Click to expand...

day_trippr said:
Old school dimmers are designed to do exactly that, and a single 100w bulb isn't going to overload one of those (not even close).
Not a bad idea actually - I have a few of those that were decommissioned when I installed a crap ton of recessed LED lighting - which isn't compatible with old school dimmers. I might give that a go :mug:

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Thorrak said:
Wow that's a good idea. If you try it, let us know if it works.
Click to expand...

So, I finally got around to building this contraption...

DSC01741.jpg



Jury is out on how well it will work in actual application, but I think it's a step in the right direction.
 
Hello everyone,

on my first brew using fermentrack. Not sure if this has been asked before (i did try to look for it to no avail), but how does one go about deleting a single point of data?

upload_2019-8-26_14-59-35.png

Looks like an error in the gravity reading from an iSpindel. With that there, the scaled of the gravity axis is way outta whack.

Any help will be appreciated!

Thanks!
 
Actually, looking further it looks a little weird

on the controller logging it looks like this:
upload_2019-8-26_15-41-11.png


and lookin at the graph plotted by the iSpindle gravity sensor, i have this:
upload_2019-8-26_15-42-36.png


While no data is recorded in the controller side, there is data in the gravity sensor part records.
 
Thanks for all of the work that has gone in to this project, I've just changed over from brewpiless as I run multiple fermenters and multiple iSpindels. The ability to detach the iSpindel from a fermenter and attach a new (charged) one is brilliant, as is the ability to add a data point at any time and have the formula recalculated on the fly. The centralised fermentation control and monitoring is the main reason I switched over but the above features will keep me using fermentrack!

One feature I would love to see and I understand it is in development, is the ability to set profiles based on gravity.

Is there still active development happening on this project?

Cheers,

Moad.
 
Hi, I have been using fermentrack with and arduino for probably a year, without any issues so far. Decided to switch the hardware to an NodeMCU because of the wifi, and decide to try using an OLED display in the new controller. Tried using BPL but fermentrack is in my opinion far superior. Has anybody had any success on using an OLED display with an ESP and fermentrack?

Thanks!
 
Does anybody here use home assistant? I am planning on starting a home automation project, and would like to use the same rpi that I use for fermentrack. Is it possible?
 
g_wood said:
Does anybody here use home assistant? I am planning on starting a home automation project, and would like to use the same rpi that I use for fermentrack. Is it possible?
Click to expand...
No, but the one place I see you may run into issues is the web server. HA seems to use a non-standard port which should not conflict with Fermentrack. Given that you will be working with two different web servers on the same platform, I think you should prepare yourself for some challenges however.
 

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