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

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Thorrak said:
That's about as good as you'll get with the current firmware and glycol. Once glycol support is added to the firmware you should be able to get within +/- 0.2 F (or better) but as I don't have a glycol setup here to play with, it's a ways back in the queue.
Click to expand...

So what you are saying is, no matter how much I tweak any of the constants or PID settings, this is as close as I will ever get?
 
kxavier_23 said:
So what you are saying is, no matter how much I tweak any of the constants or PID settings, this is as close as I will ever get?
Click to expand...

Not quite - what I'm saying is that I can't guarantee that you can get closer. I don't have a glycol setup (or anything similar) to test with, so I haven't spent any time trying to tune for one. +/- 0.5F is about as close as I've managed to get with the Fridge Constant mode which is most similar to the way that these things need to work with Glycol.
 
Thorrak said:
Not quite - what I'm saying is that I can't guarantee that you can get closer. I don't have a glycol setup (or anything similar) to test with, so I haven't spent any time trying to tune for one. +/- 0.5F is about as close as I've managed to get with the Fridge Constant mode which is most similar to the way that these things need to work with Glycol.
Click to expand...

You find a chiller, I’ll buy it.
 
kxavier_23 said:
You find a chiller, I’ll buy it.
Click to expand...
HEH. That's what I keep telling everyone else! I've got the budget set aside for a glycol chiller, but I have to be able to find one quiet enough to use in our tiny NYC apartment.

If anyone has a chiller they think is quiet enough to meet the criteria, I'll send you a noise meter to test. The return shipping for the Blichmann was not pleasant (and I always feel guilty returning things like that if I can avoid it)
 
Is there a way to delete data points in a log?

Is there a way to not include certain data points in the dashboard graph? i.e. I never use Room Temp.
 
Click the room temp icon and it'll go away
1614388103849.png

It'll just remove that line from the chart display. I'm sure it doesn't delete any data.
 
rkhanso said:
maybe go into the Django admin settings and change the color to white so you just won't see it?
Or maybe edit the HTML/CSS whatever in the web server itself.

View attachment 720171
Click to expand...

I could make them white, but I would like them hidden because it changes the scale of the chart.

I was hoping there was a way to do this without changing the web pages in case they interfere with updates.
 
I don't remember...
Does it change the scale of the charts if you just don't set up those sensors? If you only have a single sensor configured, all you should see on the graph is the set temp and the one sensor temp, right? Does that really change the scale then?
 
Just finished a Fermentrack Temp Controller Build based off the thread by Garzlok . Used the 8266 D1 Mini board with a breakout board with three DS18B20 Temp Sensors purchased from Ali - Here are the specs

Length of Cable : 100CM , 200CM ,250CM, 300CM Size of Stainless steel sheath:6*50mm Power supply range: 3.0V to 5.5V Operating temperature range:-55°C to +125°C (-67°F to +257°F) Storage temperature range:-55°C to +125°C (-67°F to +257°F) Accuracy over the range of -10°C to +85°C: ±0.5°C. Output leads: Yellow (VCC), Red (DATA), Black
(GND)

Flashed Mini with no issues with Brewflasher. Plugged in Controller and everything worked correctly and setup in Fermentrack. Went to Configure Sensors and was able to assign the Heating and Cooling Pins.

The DS18B20 Temp Sensors do not show up to configure.?

Wiring to the breakout board is correct I believe, Yellow is connected to VCC, Red to Data, and Black to Ground. Tried the jumper on the mini board both 3.3V and 5V. Tried some restarts, etc.

Can't seem to get the Temp Probes to be recognized?

Any ideas? I'm probably missing something or overlooked how to add them? but can't seem to figure it out.

Appreciate any help.
 
rkhanso said:
I don't remember...
Does it change the scale of the charts if you just don't set up those sensors? If you only have a single sensor configured, all you should see on the graph is the set temp and the one sensor temp, right? Does that really change the scale then?
Click to expand...

This is what I am talking about the 'scale' changing. I do have it set up to NOT record Room Temp. But if you watch the video, as soon as I hide that value, the scale changes.

 

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kxavier_23

I see what you're saying now. I tried the same and even with NO sensor configured for beer temp, that still shows up as 0 in the graph.
My suspicion is that you'll have to change the actual webpage file yourself (HTML/CSS/whatever) that is putting that graph together and remove it.
Or, the developers need to have an option in the Django settings to remove certain sensors from being included in the webpage output.
 
Just want to give a big thanks to @Thorrak for answering my questions while building this. Still have to clean things up, but Fermentrack is working nicely on my DIY glycol set-up.

Did an extreme test to see how fast it could cool down my hot tap water. I got it from 120F to 60F in just under an hour and a half, and it seems to be holding steady +- 1F.
test.PNG20210228_140740.jpg20210228_140726.jpg
 
Completed my Fermentrack Temperature Controller builds. Big thanks go out to @Thorrak for all the hard work putting this together and @garzlok for a detailed post on his build. Still working on some final placement on the Pi and few more fermenters to add. Built three controllers in all, but system up and running. Appreciate all the time and effort and patience in the forum!!

I did have one rookie question. When I program the controller for a beer constant temp the unit will indicate Waiting to Heat, or Waiting to Cool, Idle, etc..but sometimes the unit will say Cooling for 3M23 (See below), even though the Chest Freezer Compressor is not on? Assume it realizes the Fridge temp is already lower (55.2) and it is just allowing it to continue to cool without engaging the relay. My controller box covers the LED's that light on the relay to indicate if they are on. Is there a way on the Fermentrack Interface to know when cooling or heating is actually occurring and the Relay is actually energized? Maybe indicated on the graph or an icon? Just curious if a way to really see the amount of time actual powered heating and cooling is occurring? and would be a check to know that the Fridge should be running if I walk in the garage and the Fermentrack Program indicates the compressor should be running?


Beer Pic H.jpg
Beer Pic 2 H.jpg
Beer Screenshot 2021-03-01 191612.jpg
 
If it says "Cooling for..." the relays should be energized and the fridge should be on. Generally, it will say "Waiting for Peak" when it is waiting for the temperature to stabilize.

Assuming that @Thorrak did not change the way BrewPi handles that.

I would suggest that you make sure the temperature setting of the freezer is at it's lowest.
 
I'm doing fully automated re-install of Fermentrack on a new Rpi after I think I was too impatience on an update of the SD copy I had since it won't come up. But how much patience for a fresh install is required? It's been on "checking for setresgid....." for about 20 minutes now.
 
MacDee said:
I'm doing fully automated re-install of Fermentrack on a new Rpi after I think I was too impatience on an update of the SD copy I had since it won't come up. But how much patience for a fresh install is required? It's been on "checking for setresgid....." for about 20 minutes now.
Click to expand...
Docker or non-docker install?
And which RPi model?
 
That went in the blink of an eye. But I've still got Python 2.7.13 is that because I'm on still on Stretch? Browser is not taking me to Fermentrack anymore tho. I think I ran into this before (a couple years ago)I'll do a search on my own posts.
 
Ok. I'm back in business I just dug out an image of the SD I and reflashed it. I'm pretty happy with Fermentrack's performance as it is so should I avoid updating it since I'm running Stretch with the 2.7 Python?
 
Eventually you'll get bit :D
Consider cloning your working older SD card, make sure the clone works, then do an update to the latest supported version at your leisure...

Cheers!
 
MacDee said:
I'm on still on Stretch?
Click to expand...
There is no reason to remain on older versions of Raspbian. If you are doing something that bears any resemblance to "reinstall" you should take that opportunity to re-flash the SD card with a fresh version of the OS. It used to be somewhat of a PIA, however, with the new Raspberry Pi Imager anyone can do it - it really is a well-thought-out piece of software.

There are many reasons to use an up to date OS, including:
  • Receive the latest bug and security fixes
  • Get rid of any system-wide settings or misconfiguration that may have been part of the reason you thought you had to reinstall
  • Work on the OS version the developers work on. This is the biggie. Nobody gets paid to support these and frankly, it's a major PIA to test on multiple versions. You are far more likely to hit bugs on a different OS version
I've never understood the aversion to just popping the SD card in the computer and re-flashing. Maybe someone can share with me why, when you've taken the step to completely reinstall your system, one additional step is a step too far?
 
MacDee said:
That went in the blink of an eye. But I've still got Python 2.7.13 is that because I'm on still on Stretch? Browser is not taking me to Fermentrack anymore tho. I think I ran into this before (a couple years ago)I'll do a search on my own posts.
Click to expand...

The way that docker works is that it creates a "container" on your Raspberry Pi into which it installs Python, Fermentrack, and all the software necessary to support both. Unlike the original installer, the installation of python is not done on the bare metal Raspberry Pi, so you won't end up with Python 3 available in a shell.

It's weird that you weren't able to access Fermentrack after the installation was done. Based on your next post I'm guessing you no longer have this install available, but if you end up going down this route again we can seek to debug what happened.

MacDee said:
Ok. I'm back in business I just dug out an image of the SD I and reflashed it. I'm pretty happy with Fermentrack's performance as it is so should I avoid updating it since I'm running Stretch with the 2.7 Python?
Click to expand...

Fermentrack hasn't supported Python 2.7 since... 2017 I think? (and by "hasn't supported" I mean "won't run in". I use Python 3 features quite heavily throughout Fermentrack). Unless you haven't updated Fementrack at all in the past few years, I'm guessing that you have a copy of Python 3.7 installed somewhere.
 
LBussy said:
.............
I've never understood the aversion to just popping the SD card in the computer and re-flashing. Maybe someone can share with me why, when you've taken the step to completely reinstall your system, one additional step is a step too far?
Click to expand...
I guess in my case it is combination of not keeping up to date on what's out there and not wanting to mess with something that has been working fine.

I just got another Rpi so I can get setup with more minis to use in my brewery once I open back up for the season. What you point out @LBussy makes sense I'll reflash the new Raspberry OS. Then is there a preferred way to install Fermentrack with the new OS?
 
MacDee said:
I guess in my case it is combination of not keeping up to date on what's out there and not wanting to mess with something that has been working fine.

I just got another Rpi so I can get setup with more minis to use in my brewery once I open back up for the season. What you point out @LBussy makes sense I'll reflash the new Raspberry OS. Then is there a preferred way to install Fermentrack with the new OS?
Click to expand...
curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thorrak/fermentrack-tools/docker/automated_install/auto-install.sh | bash
 
MacDee said:
Then is there a preferred way to install Fermentrack with the new OS?
Click to expand...
What I recommended is really independent of Fermentrack. It's just a good idea to help prevent getting stranded and strange things happening. @Thorrak is convinced Docker will make things easier to support; I predict new troubles. :)
 
Seeing as I didn't have an Rpi but do happen to have an ESXi host, I decided to install Raspberry Pi Desktop as a VM about 6-8 months ago. It’s been running flawlessly for me since then - HUGE thanks to @Thorrak and everyone who's contributed to this awesome project!


Recently had a friend gain some interest in the project and he attempted the same on his ESXi host. Auto-install scripts ran to completion but when he tried accessing the Fermentrack GUI, he got a 504 Bad Gateway error. I downloaded the latest Raspberry Pi Desktop ISO and spun up a new VM - same results. Tried with the ISO I'd previously downloaded - same results.

After some mucking around reading the logs (technical term that translates to "I don't know squat about Linux", official docs and this forum it occurred to me that trying to virtualize Rpi seemed a little silly when I could just run a Debian VM. Downloaded the latest Debian ISO, spun up a VM and tried the auto install again. Ran into the same 504 Bad Gateway error.

One advantage to being able to run this as a VM is that when things don't go correctly, I can simply roll back to the previous snapshot. Through some more trial and error, I wound up running the command to install the docker version:
Thorrak said:
curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thorrak/fermentrack-tools/docker/automated_install/auto-install.sh | bash
Click to expand...

As noted previously in this thread, I had to execute the script once, then log out of my SSH session, log back in and run it again. It seems when the script creates the user group for Docker and then adds the user I'm currently using to execute the script the user permissions are not updated until logging out and back in. After the second run of the script, the Fermentrack webpage opened immediately and seems to be working perfectly.

Hopefully this helps someone else who decides to run this as a VM, rather than natively on an Rpi.
 
SalParadise said:
Seeing as I didn't have an Rpi but do happen to have an ESXi host, I decided to install Raspberry Pi Desktop as a VM about 6-8 months ago. It’s been running flawlessly for me since then - HUGE thanks to @Thorrak and everyone who's contributed to this awesome project!


Recently had a friend gain some interest in the project and he attempted the same on his ESXi host. Auto-install scripts ran to completion but when he tried accessing the Fermentrack GUI, he got a 504 Bad Gateway error. I downloaded the latest Raspberry Pi Desktop ISO and spun up a new VM - same results. Tried with the ISO I'd previously downloaded - same results.

After some mucking around reading the logs (technical term that translates to "I don't know squat about Linux", official docs and this forum it occurred to me that trying to virtualize Rpi seemed a little silly when I could just run a Debian VM. Downloaded the latest Debian ISO, spun up a VM and tried the auto install again. Ran into the same 504 Bad Gateway error.

One advantage to being able to run this as a VM is that when things don't go correctly, I can simply roll back to the previous snapshot. Through some more trial and error, I wound up running the command to install the docker version:


As noted previously in this thread, I had to execute the script once, then log out of my SSH session, log back in and run it again. It seems when the script creates the user group for Docker and then adds the user I'm currently using to execute the script the user permissions are not updated until logging out and back in. After the second run of the script, the Fermentrack webpage opened immediately and seems to be working perfectly.

Hopefully this helps someone else who decides to run this as a VM, rather than natively on an Rpi.
Click to expand...

I thought I had a fix for this in place, but it sounds like it didn't work. I'm actually supposed to receive a new batch of PCBs tomorrow to debug, and will try to do a fresh install this weekend to test the docker workflow a bit more. Thanks for the heads up that this is still an issue - I'll see if I can get a (working) fix hashed out!
 
Hi,

After successfully setting up fermentrack on my old laptop, I was asked to set it up on a Raspberry Pi 4 for a friend. On a fresh install of raspberry OS, all updates done, and using the docker curl script, I am constantly getting display problems as seen in the screenshot below. I get these problems on several different devices including the Pi's browser. Any ideas?
 

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thestealth said:
Hi,

After successfully setting up fermentrack on my old laptop, I was asked to set it up on a Raspberry Pi 4 for a friend. On a fresh install of raspberry OS, all updates done, and using the docker curl script, I am constantly getting display problems as seen in the screenshot below. I get these problems on several different devices including the Pi's browser. Any ideas?
Click to expand...

Just an update. I've reinstalled 3-4 time now with the same result. The trick that SalParadise described seemed to almost work. However, after running the second time the containers would not come up. I had to run install.sh as root. This problem seems to be isolated to the Raspberri Pi. I did a fresh install of Raspberry Desktop in a VM and SalParadise's method worked right away. I don't really want to go back to the non Docker way, but I may just have to do that...
 
thestealth said:
Hi,

After successfully setting up fermentrack on my old laptop, I was asked to set it up on a Raspberry Pi 4 for a friend. On a fresh install of raspberry OS, all updates done, and using the docker curl script, I am constantly getting display problems as seen in the screenshot below. I get these problems on several different devices including the Pi's browser. Any ideas?
Click to expand...


Hmmm. It feels like the stylesheets aren't loading for some reason.

Do you have Chrome installed on a desktop? If you're willing, let's try to debug using it. Here's how:

 
postalbunny said:
I noticed a new install path for docker.... " curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thorrak/fermentrack-tools/docker/automated_install/auto-install.sh | bash ". Any thought to just publishing an image in docker hub and accompanying docker/run or docker-compose cmd?

I've been playing with the dev branch, and my own mangled docker install trying to get a consistent way to update without merge nightmares.
Click to expand...

As it is, there is an image published to docker hub, and the installation relies on a docker-compose stack (which uses that image) to run. The problem is that I'm relying on .env files for configuration which aren't static across installs. One of the goals with Fermentrack has always been to reduce the effort required to install/maintain the application to the bare minimum - and having a one line install script that is piped to bash does exactly that for most users.

If you want to tinker with Fermentrack's source code and then want to deploy your customized version as a containerized installation, my recommendation would be to rely on the docker-compose.yml file that comes with the main Fermentrack repo rather than the docker-compose.yml file that is included with fermentrack tools. Running docker-compose build / docker-compose up with the yaml in the main repo will result in that directory's code being used to generate the container rather than pulling the image from docker hub.

If you have any questions about that route, let me know. Always happy to help!
 

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