How To: BrewPi LCD Add-On

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Bigdaddyale said:
All C1-C7 are the same on my board
Mouser# 75-1C10Z5U104M050B
Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors MLCC - Leaded 0.1uF 50volts Z5U 20% 2.5mm L/S
Here is the Mouser parts list for TWO boards
http://www.mouser.com/ProjectManager/ProjectDetail.aspx?AccessID=11879ac3c6
Above link does not have header pins
Click to expand...

I got the header pins from Ebay - not Mouser

http://www.ebay.com/itm/262467520534?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Also - a 5V power supply to power the arduino on it's own will make it more reliable when running dual relays.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/39092322368...49&var=660287829223&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
 
I've got the electronics side of this down and working well but now I am a little stumped on the packaginf side. I would like to find a nice bezel for 4x20LCD so that I can install it in a control panel. If I could find something similar to a mount similar to the ubiquitous 1/16 DIN controllers - something that allows me to sandwich to display against the control panel surface and not have 4 screws sticking through my control panel - I know that I am asking for a lot, but I am hoping that someone else has found a good solution to this problem.
 
srice said:
I've got the electronics side of this down and working well but now I am a little stumped on the packaginf side. I would like to find a nice bezel for 4x20LCD so that I can install it in a control panel. If I could find something similar to a mount similar to the ubiquitous 1/16 DIN controllers - something that allows me to sandwich to display against the control panel surface and not have 4 screws sticking through my control panel - I know that I am asking for a lot, but I am hoping that someone else has found a good solution to this problem.
Click to expand...
Ideally, someone that has some CAD skills (i.e. not me) would draw one out and those of us with 3D printers could reward that person with a brand new box. :)

A friend of a friend might be able to help me and if he does I'll be sure to post the result here. A box should be about $40 printed if someone has to pay for it via 3D hubs or the like.

I know daytrippr and others have used project boxes (under $10) for this, but so far my efforts have been quite sh*tty.
 
The only bezels I've seen that fit the 4x20 LCDs are holed in four places for mounting screws, or are self-sticking surrounds leaving the actual LCD mounting to the user. And it isn't obvious the stick-ons would accommodate screw heads using the LCD's built-in mounting holes.

Seems like a great application for a 3D printer. Make the bezel thick enough to include bosses for screws from inside the enclosure that would line up with the LCD mounting holes...

Cheers!
 
Ummm you could just look on Thingiverse. they connect to places like 3d hubs and you can find a part you want and either print it yourself or purchase it printed for you. if you find a good one let me know and I'll print it to see if it's any good before you buy it.

On another note. I just purchased some of these boards from one of you guys. and I love the layout. but would it be too trivial to make the board a tiny bit wider and add 3 pins for the encoder? you could have them right next to the corresponding arduino pins only with a 0.1 pitch.
 
CadiBrewer said:
Yep, I'm planning on adding a header for the encoder and swapping out the p-fet for a transistor for ease of soldering. I also have a few other upgrades in mind. I hope to tackle that in the next week or two.
Click to expand...

Oh, NOW you decide to do it.

*harrumph*

:mug:
 
wbarber69 said:
Ummm you could just look on Thingiverse. they connect to places like 3d hubs and you can find a part you want and either print it yourself or purchase it printed for you. if you find a good one let me know and I'll print it to see if it's any good before you buy it.
Click to expand...
The one on Thingverse does not have enough room for the shield, nor the LCD. It's also created in a way which makes modification difficult. The creator provided the Solidworks file but that's not a program I'm familiar with.

If I can get it designed I can print it - I'm just not a design sorta person.
 
The header for the encoder shouldn't be too hard to add. just slide over next to pin 7 8 9 And add a 4 pin header. and the pfet shouldn't be that hard to solder just buy some solder paste and stick it in the oven at 285
 
If you build the shield "correctly" there's no need for an extra header...

red_shield_01.jpg

Cheers! :D
 
LBussy said:
The one on Thingverse does not have enough room for the shield, nor the LCD. It's also created in a way which makes modification difficult. The creator provided the Solidworks file but that's not a program I'm familiar with.

If I can get it designed I can print it - I'm just not a design sorta person.
Click to expand...

if its a solid works file then it can imported into onshape and proabably fusion 360 as well. you could also design your own in onshape or even tinkercad. its a lot easier than you think. im going to be making my own bezels down the road, but i dont want you waiting for me... i started my build in 2014....
 
day_trippr said:
If you build the shield "correctly" there's no need for an extra header...

View attachment 384879

Cheers! :D
Click to expand...
there is if you want to actually use a header and cable connection. since the distance between pin 7 and 8 is not a standard size nor is there a ground connection close, other than the copper fill. plus i can never find the stackable headers when i really need them, nd if you were building an arduino shield correctly those headers would be female up top. also my hc-05 boards have their vcc and gnd connections swapped to what this board is designed for, but i think i remember that always being the case. sucks though as i was going to stack the bt boards right on top. also i don't see no tiny little p-fet soldered to that board.....
 
LBussy said:
Ideally, someone that has some CAD skills (i.e. not me) would draw one out and those of us with 3D printers could reward that person with a brand new box. :)
Click to expand...

I possess the skills you desire... if you could send me a sketch of what you have in mind, I could model it in either AutoCAD or Sketchup.
 
day_trippr said:
If you build the shield "correctly" there's no need for an extra header...

View attachment 384879

Cheers! :D
Click to expand...


Id really like the Raw file so I can get the Shield design change to allow to to mount Ports for temp sensors and also allow to surface mount the encoder:) Can anyone have the raw file that would be easy to change? or if someone is willing to edit the design?
 
It looks like I may have some free time this week to tackle upgrades to the current shield design. I'm putting out the call for requests for upgrades to the current version. So far I have:

- Replace p-fet with transistor for lcd backlight dimming
- Add header for rotary encoder
- Add RJ45 connector for probes - this might be an optional component or may require a totally separate version
- Situate bluetooth header to accommodate one of the bluetooth modules to plug straight into a female header - if someone purchased a different bluetooth module, they could just use a male header and dupont connectors to hook up the bluetooth or wifi module - I picture this being mounted under the board, between the UNO and the shield, for a compact design

Anything else I'm not thinking of?
 
CadiBrewer said:
It looks like I may have some free time this week to tackle upgrades to the current shield design. I'm putting out the call for requests for upgrades to the current version. So far I have:

- Replace p-fet with transistor for lcd backlight dimming
- Add header for rotary encoder
- Add RJ45 connector for probes - this might be an optional component or may require a totally separate version
- Situate bluetooth header to accommodate one of the bluetooth modules to plug straight into a female header - if someone purchased a different bluetooth module, they could just use a male header and dupont connectors to hook up the bluetooth or wifi module - I picture this being mounted under the board, between the UNO and the shield, for a compact design

Anything else I'm not thinking of?
Click to expand...


Use RJ11 Smaller and uses 4 pins. Could do this in stages and do the encoder and and the RJ11 Temp probs first. Then that means if people dont care about the wifi or bluetooth side it wont matter.

Whats the advantage of having the bluetooth? Can you get bluetooth temp probs?
 
or....
Pin 1 5v
Pin 2 vcc
Pin 3 one wire
Pin 4 heat
Pin 5 cool
Pin 6 Door
Pin 7 GND
Pin 8
 
All the cool kids use 6p4c or 6p6c RJ11 telephone connectors.

The data and ground signals are on the two centre pins, which is pair 1. Everything else is gravy.

Unfortunately, there is no one standard, however, different applications need slight variations anyway.

What I came up with is this:
1: NC
2: 3V3
3: DQ
4: GND
5: DOOR
6: NC

Once you have wired up your DS18B20 sensors to RJ11 plugs it is so easy to build or reconfigure the 1-wire network with flat telephone cable, splitters and joiners. It is also extremely easy to add, remove and replace sensors for testing and experimentation.

RJ45 connectors can be used, but they are bigger and bulkier than necessary. On the plus side, if you have some 1-wire devices terminated with RJ11 connectors they will work (the centre pins will line up). On the minus side, the plastic of the small plug will damage the contacts of the larger socket.
 
colenz said:
Use RJ11 Smaller and uses 4 pins. Could do this in stages and do the encoder and and the RJ11 Temp probs first. Then that means if people dont care about the wifi or bluetooth side it wont matter.



Whats the advantage of having the bluetooth? Can you get bluetooth temp probs?
Click to expand...


Bluetooth is used to make the brewpi controller wirelessly connect to the pi. Eliminating the need for USB hubs in multi-chamber setups. and allowing you to use more than 4 arduinos on a pi.

If you were to swap the connector around so it lines up with the pins of the hc-05, I'd like it if the pins would make it so the hc-05 board could be installed right atop the shield, but if it's too problematic then it doesn't really matter how it faces. I know space is limited when following the arduino shield layout.

If I were just doing this for me, id make a board that will piggyback on the lcd, and use a nano instead of the uno.
 
Borisfa said:
What is the Rotary Encode function? How to link it to the board?

Thanks,

Fabiano
Click to expand...

The rotary encoder is a push button rotary knob that you can mount on your enclosure and control the brewpi without having to open up the web software. You hook it up to 5v gnd and pins 7 and 8.

It works now as the board is currently designed. Some folks have asked for a header for simpler hooking up.
 
wbarber69 said:
If you were to swap the connector around so it lines up with the pins of the hc-05, I'd like it if the pins would make it so the hc-05 board could be installed right atop the shield, but if it's too problematic then it doesn't really matter how it faces. I know space is limited when following the arduino shield layout.

If I were just doing this for me, id make a board that will piggyback on the lcd, and use a nano instead of the uno.
Click to expand...

I'll see what I can do about getting the hc-05 to sit on top. It would be easier to mount it under because on top it takes up space that would cover a lot of headers ( I'm picturing using 90 deg headers so that the bluetooth board lays flat and not perpendicular to the shield). I've already played around with it under and it sandwiches between the uno and shield nicely.
 
I was thinking more about either desoldering the pins on hc-05 and using a straight through pin to bond the boards together. or use a female header and buy a batch of bt boards with the pins protruding out the bottom. they make them 3 different ways I've found online. like I said it may be better to just leave them as is and just swap the vcc/gnd so they line up with the pinout on the bt boards. and just run a short cable to the bt so you can optimize its placement in your enclosure. if I haven't gotten started soldering together what I already have, then I'll probably buy the new boards, just don't make any huge changes just because i asked for it, I just like to have my connectors be uniform that all I'm looking for. in all reality I kind of wish the lcd header was flipped to the back of the arduino instead of the front. But that's just my opinion…
 
I like where this is going. Hold off on soldering up your boards and let me take a crack at making a shield that would incorporate the Nano, bluetooth and mate up with the LCD. That would make for a very clean, compact installation.

One drawback I see for the Nano is for someone who is not using bluetooth and wants to hook up to their Pi via usb. With the Uno, you can have a separate power source and still communicate via usb. There is a popular thought that much of the screen scrambling can be attributed to folks not using an external power source.

I'm assuming that the Nano can be powered by an external power source through the mini usb jack. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Edit - A bit of research shows that the Nano can be powered by an unregulated power source through pin 30, or through the usb. Looks like I might need to find the space for a barrel connector for external power to the shield and everyone would be covered. This is getting more involved, but it will be fun...
 
Using an RJ11 is already widely accepted in the BrewPi community and makes this in line with all other implementations.

ETA: I see Ame posted the pins - that's what I'm using as well.
 
CadiBrewer said:
I like where this is going. Hold off on soldering up your boards and let me take a crack at making a shield that would incorporate the Nano, bluetooth and mate up with the LCD. That would make for a very clean, compact installation.

One drawback I see for the Nano is for someone who is not using bluetooth and wants to hook up to their Pi via usb. With the Uno, you can have a separate power source and still communicate via usb. There is a popular thought that much of the screen scrambling can be attributed to folks not using an external power source.

I'm assuming that the Nano can be powered by an external power source through the mini usb jack. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Edit - A bit of research shows that the Nano can be powered by an unregulated power source through pin 30, or through the usb. Looks like I might need to find the space for a barrel connector for external power to the shield and everyone would be covered. This is getting more involved, but it will be fun...
Click to expand...


No need to go overboard into a whole new setup, but if you think it can be done then by all means. the nano is every bit compatible with the uno. it's even possible to program using the usual method. it can take up to 12v in just like the uno. and after many many headaches I've found it to be more versatile than the mini… mainly because the mini has 2 pins inside the board that make it damn near impossible to design a single sided board for since the main pins follow the entire perimeter of the pcb and trap those pins. And of course it's usually the very pins you need to use that are impossible to get to. also the nano doesn't have that little break on the header layout that makes absolutely no sense design wise with the standard arduino pinout… I mean who thought "I'll do pins 0-7 in a standard 0.1" layout and then I'll do 8-13 the same way only I'll leave a non-standard size gap between the headers so you have to bend and pull on pins of you want to use a standard protoboard."
 
LBussy said:
Using an RJ11 is already widely accepted in the BrewPi community and makes this in line with all other implementations.

ETA: I see Ame posted the pins - that's what I'm using as well.
Click to expand...


I ended up buying some 2 and 4 jack rj11 connectors for pcb mounting, but when I went to try to mock up a prototype on standard protoboard the whole thing became a mess, because of the alternating pin layout of the jacks. it can be designed around because these are standard pcb mounted parts, but if you want to keep the small shield form factor then designing the traces is a nightmare. that's not to say that rj45 will be any different, but most of the mounted jacks you find online for them use straight pin surface mount connections, making it much easier to design around.
 

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