HOWTO - Make a BrewPi Fermentation Controller For Cheap

[LBussy]

On the advanced settings tab:

These are the defaults. That's Farenheit, that's like 30 C.

 

[bloombrews]

Yep! That's where it is! I need to get some more beer brewing and turn the machine back on. That's what we used to call computers way back in the early 1970's....lol

 

[LBussy]

I need to do a little more of that myself. You don’t want to know how long it’s been since I’ve brewed.

I’m in DC this week and picked up a couple beers on the way back to the hotel though. I have a Mexican hot chocolate porter I’m gonna try.

 

[Mightydob]

Thanks for the replies all. Unfortunately I'm away for a few days so can't check any settings until Friday, but I do know it is calling for heat constantly but just hits 20c and then the graph levels out even though the beer constant is set to 24c (sorry about the wrong temperature format).

I've got no fan at the moment I can certainly get one if required. I will post more details about the set up later on the week.

Thanks again for the help

 

[gromitdj]

Is there a thermostat of some sort on the heating device? Perhaps it's limiting the output.

 

[Mightydob]

Is there a thermostat of some sort on the heating device? Perhaps it's limiting the output.

Nope there was the option of getting the 60w tube heater with or without a thermostat, I choose the one without because I understood there was no need for brewpi

 

[LBussy]

A fan is a good idea in general I’ve found, but if you are hitting a wall, I don’t think that’s it. Can you describe the physical layout? Fridge type? Size?

 

[Car Ramrod]

Does anyone have a photo of how you wired the wall wart to the power coming in? i havent taken mine apart yet, but im assuming you can take off the plug ends and connect wires that run to the hot and neutral terminals.

 

[day_trippr]

I don't have a comparable pic from my current minion builds but these will get you in the ballpark.
This was the original: I removed the plug from wart and added the black/white wires which connect to the switched/fused AC inlet.

When I added the LCD I needed the room the wart shell occupied, so I stripped the shell and wrapped the wart guts in electrical tape (it's peeking out left of the old shield).

I upgraded all of my original minions to Cadibrewer shields with stripped warts to match my last builds...

Cheers!

 

[Car Ramrod]

Thanks, yea i have those pics saved to go off of. I just wanted to get your/ or someone else thought on my assumptions, and it seems i was on the right path.

 

[Thorrak]

@day_trippr I may have asked before, but where did you get (or how did you make) those enclosures?

 

[day_trippr]

I used Philmore PB-130 plastic project boxes that were carried by a local e-hobby shop for awhile. I must've bought the last of them there because I haven't seen them in a couple of years. They were pretty tight for BrewPi but I like compact solutions

This place lists them... https://www.cablesandconnectors.com/05700-05.HTM

Cheers!

 

[Thorrak]

I used Philmore PB-130 plastic project boxes that were carried by a local e-hobby shop for awhile. I must've bought the last of them there because I haven't seen them in a couple of years. They were pretty tight for BrewPi but I like compact solutions

This place lists them... https://www.cablesandconnectors.com/05700-05.HTM

Cheers!

How did you cut them cleanly?

 

[day_trippr]

I printed out templates and taped them to the box to mark everything out with a wicked sharp awl. Then, for the LCD and AC ingress I drilled 1/4" holes just inside the corners of the rectangular openings then used a saber saw with a skinny 20 tpi blade and finished with files. The round holes were trivial, of course, though I found step bits are much less "grabby" than twist bits when making holes in thin plastic...

fwiw, here are the templates I used...

Cheers!

 

[gromitdj]

@day_trippr I may have asked before, but where did you get (or how did you make) those enclosures?

Or alternatively (since I know you have a 3D printer), you can use the case design that @LBussy and I worked on together. If I remember correctly, @day_trippr had to do some "customization" of the LCD circuit board to make it fit.

I believe day_trippr said that the dimensions of our box are almost as small as his cases are.

 

[Bigdaddyale]

https://www.frontpanelexpress.com/downloads/front_panel_designer/?no_cache=1

 

[day_trippr]

Did someone mention LCD "customization"?

Yeah, it was a scoche too tall to fit the case. Nothing a belt grinder chucked up-side-down in a bench vise couldn't handle

Cheers!

 

[LBussy]

I had little to do with what @gromitdj ended up designing, other than being a PIA and having him change it a millimeter at a time. . It is a handy box and there are models with and without switches.

 

[Thorrak]

I’ve got a 3D printer case design for the ESP boards, but it doesn’t look anywhere near as good as the one you guys put together. I vaguely recall seeing a multicolor BrewPi logo on one print which looked amazing.

I’m looking for an easy-to-use non-3D printed (or perhaps “3D printed faceplate only”?) my “hand carving” skills lead to monstrosities like the dangling panel mount jacks you see below in my first STC1000 build. Not what one would call “safe”.

 

[LBussy]

Yeah as popular as those displays are, one would think there would be an easy to use/modify solution for projects with them.

 

[bloombrews]

I like the lever-nuts! They work great for most electrical connections, that can be easily disconnected and reconnected. I found WAGO lever-nuts to be the best non-clone ones to use.
Are the Orange's part of your next OrangePints build ???

 

[Thorrak]

I like the lever-nuts! They work great for most electrical connections, that can be easily disconnected and reconnected. I found WAGO lever-nuts to be the best non-clone ones to use.
Are the Orange's part of your next OrangePints build ???

Pretty sure they’re in a bottle of mead in my closet.

 

[balrog]

Are the Orange's part of your next OrangePints build ???

Shoot, I was too late! I wanted to ask about "A rice cooker, a tamborine, a celemntime and a STC1000 walk into a bar..." joke

 

[gromitdj]

I’m looking for an easy-to-use non-3D printed (or perhaps “3D printed faceplate only”?) my “hand carving” skills lead to monstrosities like the dangling panel mount jacks you see below in my first STC1000 build. Not what one would call “safe”.

Let me know what you want, and I'll model it for you.

 

[Bigdaddyale]

617566[/ATTACH]

What is the perfect size for the enclosure?I have the tools to make a few out of wood.

 

[Thorrak]

I’m set on enclosures personally, but I’m lucky enough to be able to 3D print them. What I’ve been searching for is an alternative to recommend for anyone who doesn’t have 3D printer access. I think I saw someone use a 2 gang junction box once, but that’s about the closest I’ve seen to a standardized solution yet.

As a side note, my girlfriend just called me to ask if I knew how she could wire a thermostat to control the temperature of a “greenhouse” she has on our patio. I laughed. I’ll post photos later this weekend.

 

[Bigdaddyale]

Can't wait to see how you add a DHT11 to Fermentrack

 

[LBussy]

Was she completely amazed at what you "whipped up quickly"?

 

[Thorrak]

Was she completely amazed at what you "whipped up quickly"?

“You know that project I keep rambling about? You know that it is designed to do nothing but control temperature, right?”

 

[Bigdaddyale]

Does anybody want a free Cadibrewer BrewPi Sheild v2.01? I have one PCB that I won't use. The first person to quote this post and leave a reply gets it.