HOWTO - Make a BrewPi Fermentation Controller For Cheap

[LBussy]

You need to pull pin 7 down I believe (jump to gnd) to disable dimming. The rotary encoder which you don’t have I guess is how you get it to turn back on. Think of it as a screensaver.

 

[curruscanis]

You need to pull pin 7 down I believe (jump to gnd) to disable dimming. The rotary encoder which you don’t have I guess is how you get it to turn back on. Think of it as a screensaver.

Ok, thank you I just would like to clarify as I am not very good with these components... pin 7 of which component?

I have attempted jumpering pin 7 of the LCD board to ground and the LCD still turns off at 1 minute.

 

[wd16261]

You need to pull pin 7 down I believe (jump to gnd) to disable dimming. The rotary encoder which you don’t have I guess is how you get it to turn back on. Think of it as a screensaver.

I can confirm this I had the same problem and connecting pin 7 to the ground keeps the I2c display on.

Just another question is BrewPi Remix supporting iSpindle? I just received my kit today and I would like to test it with my next brew.

 

[curruscanis]

I can confirm this I had the same problem and connecting pin 7 to the ground keeps the I2c display on.

Just another question is BrewPi Remix supporting iSpindle? I just received my kit today and I would like to test it with my next brew.

Thank you for your help, but I am still not getting it to work. I wish I knew what I was doing wrong. I have ensured my ground is good, and jumpered it to pin 7 on the LCD component, reset the arduino and waited the 1 minute and the LCD still dims.

 

[wd16261]

Ok, thank you I just would like to clarify as I am not very good with these components... pin 7 of which component?

I have attempted jumpering pin 7 of the LCD board to ground and the LCD still turns off at 1 minute.

No you need to shorten the pin D7 on the Arduino UNO to GND.

 

[LBussy]

Just another question is BrewPi Remix supporting iSpindle? I just received my kit today and I would like to test it with my next brew.

Not quite. I have the bones in there but I need to finish the endpoint for it. That’s the same work I have to do for my new project (how’s that for a subtle hint?) so it should be pretty soon.

 

[curruscanis]

Ok, thank you all for your help, I now have a i2c LCD that is "always on". For anyone with a similar issue I had to do the following steps to do this with my i2c LCD... ( http://wiki.sunfounder.cc/index.php?title=I2C_LCD2004 )

- apply 5v to the 2 pin "LED" pin on the back to apply constant power to the LCD
- jumper from data pin 7 on the arduino to ground


On to the next issue... my HVAC that just died a horrible death, but that's for another forum.

 

[LBussy]

You should just be able to leave the jumper on - that’s how mine of the same manufacturer work.

 

[day_trippr]

Same here, with the jumper installed the four wire interface is all that's needed...

Cheers!

 

[curruscanis]

Same here, with the jumper installed the four wire interface is all that's needed...

Cheers!

Your probably right I never tried it that way since I already had it off... I'll try that tomorrow. Thanks.

 

[curruscanis]

Your probably right I never tried it that way since I already had it off... I'll try that tomorrow. Thanks.

I confirmed that putting the jumper back on did work.

 

[wd16261]

Just detected another problem with my BrewPi Remix. Since a few days I've noticed that the sensor of my beer was going crazy it said that the temperature of the beer went up to 85°C. I know that if a sensor is disconnected it give the same result (i.e. 85°C) so I thought that it could be a false contact between my arduino Uno and the sensor.

But today I was just in front of my chamber and I noticed that everything went down (display, fan, heating,...) and after a few second it all came back but the temperature of the beer was again at 85°C and then decreased slowly to normal 20°C.
When I checked the graphics this interruption was visual (see screenshot). I've checked the uptime of my RPI and it was running for more then 14 days.

Did someone had the same problem? Or how can I find out what could be the cause of this?

 

[LBussy]

What firmware version are you running, what scripts version are you running, what do the logs say, what kind of power supply are you using for the Arduino?

 

[curruscanis]

Now that I have a functioning test setup I would like to see what people recommend in regard to settings in brewpi-remix for a glycol setup.

I currently use a PID ( SSbrewtech MTSS system ) that powers a 12v pump. When the PID calls for cooling the pump cycles glycol that is usually at 26 degrees F though an internal coil in the unitank cooling the fermenting beer to the given set temperature. The chiller uses its own PID and is not a function of the system it is self contained. The MTSS system uses a single temp probe in a centrally located thermowell to the unitank.


Using the brewpi-remix chamber setup, I am not sure what the best way to setup the devices would be.

My initial thought is as follows:
- a temp probe in the central thermowell that would be the "beer temp"
- a temp probe in a secondary thermowell also located in the unitank "chamber temp"

These two probes would essentially always read the same, but if the beer warmed to where the "beer temp" was above the set point threshold the relay would fire and cooling would begin.

I am not sure as to what settings should be altered in the advanced settings menu to best accomplish this method of cooling.

Does anyone here have experience with a similar setup? Or advise on how best to set this up?

Thank you all.

 

[LBussy]

First, you’re going to have to get the firmware which supports it. Then you will have to follow my instructions for a starting point, then we can talk about what to modify.

Physically, you will use a beer probe only, and control your pump via the controller. If you want a probe to monitor your glycol your will use the “room” sensor.

I have a Firmware version for you to use, I need to get it where it’s available to you.

 

[wd16261]

What firmware version are you running, what scripts version are you running, what do the logs say, what kind of power supply are you using for the Arduino?

Ok now I see this in the log file:

Terminating due to fatal serial error
2019-09-25 01:55:08 Starting BrewPi.
Terminating due to fatal serial error
2019-09-25 08:30:08 Starting BrewPi.
Terminating due to fatal serial error
2019-09-25 11:10:08 Starting BrewPi.
Terminating due to fatal serial error
2019-09-25 12:25:08 Starting BrewPi.
Terminating due to fatal serial error
2019-09-25 18:50:08 Starting BrewPi.
Terminating due to fatal serial error
2019-09-25 20:45:08 Starting BrewPi.

The firmware version is brewpi-arduino-uno-i2c-0.2.12 and were can I find the version of the script?
The Arduino Uno is connected to the RPI with a USB cable for power.

 

[wd16261]

Ok now I see this in the log file:

Terminating due to fatal serial error
2019-09-25 01:55:08 Starting BrewPi.
Terminating due to fatal serial error
2019-09-25 08:30:08 Starting BrewPi.
Terminating due to fatal serial error
2019-09-25 11:10:08 Starting BrewPi.
Terminating due to fatal serial error
2019-09-25 12:25:08 Starting BrewPi.
Terminating due to fatal serial error
2019-09-25 18:50:08 Starting BrewPi.
Terminating due to fatal serial error
2019-09-25 20:45:08 Starting BrewPi.

The firmware version is brewpi-arduino-uno-i2c-0.2.12 and were can I find the version of the script?
The Arduino Uno is connected to the RPI with a USB cable for power.

Or is this the version of the script?

 

[LBussy]

Inside your BrewPi directory, execute:

sudo git tag

The highest number is the current version.

Also, I need to see what the log says before that error.

 

[curruscanis]

First, you’re going to have to get the firmware which supports it. Then you will have to follow my instructions for a starting point, then we can talk about what to modify.

Physically, you will use a beer probe only, and control your pump via the controller. If you want a probe to monitor your glycol your will use the “room” sensor.

I have a Firmware version for you to use, I need to get it where it’s available to you.

I presume you mean firmware for the Arduino Uno? I am currently using brewpi-arduino-uno-i2c-0.2.12.hex


I can certainly use just the one "beer" temp probe, I wasn't sure that they weren't tied together logically.


Thank you.

 

[LBussy]

Yes. There’s a new version. Nobody has done this before because you will be the first one to whom I will deliver this version of the Firmware.

When you are in Beer constant and don’t have a chamber sensor, the chamber sensor will use the beer sensor (which we want in this case.)

 

[curruscanis]

Yes. There’s a new version. Nobody has done this before because you will be the first one to whom I will deliver this version of the Firmware.

When you are in Beer constant and don’t have a chamber sensor, the chamber sensor will use the beer sensor (which we want in this case.)

Sounds great, I am up for the challenge.

 

[wd16261]

Inside your BrewPi directory, execute:

sudo git tag

The highest number is the current version.

Also, I need to see what the log says before that error.

pi@brewpi:/home/brewpi/left $ sudo git tag
0.4.5
0.5.0
0.5.1
0.5.1.1
0.5.1.2
0.5.2.0
0.5.3.0
0.5.3.1

full error log see attachment stderr.txt

 

[dtgrdn]

Thanks for the support day_trippr and LBussy. I reinstalled raspbian and BrewPi Remix. At the end I had it reset the Arduino with the current image. It was still acting up so I initiated the Reset Arduino to factory defaults in Maintenance Panel/ Advanced Settings. I don't know why but that did the trick! It's been running fine since Tuesday night!!!

Thanks again for all that you guys do on this project. I've actually been running mine since March of 2015 and this is the first major issue that I've had.

Dave

 

[LBussy]

full error log see attachment stderr.txt

It appears that either the Arduino/cable is bad, or the port is misconfigured or incorrect. Have you done any "tweaking" to the config file?

What happens when you issue the command 'sudo systemctl status left'?

 

[LBussy]

Sounds great, I am up for the challenge.

There's an alpha build in the devel branch of firmware that has this glycol support. Be sure to grab the right one for your shield, you'll have to flash manually for now:

0.2.13 (alpha)

Do not use this in production, it is an alpha commit only. The glycol variant may burn up your compressor if you use it on a standard refrigerator setup.

This change enables compiler macros to set parameters suitable for glycol use. This means there are two new firmware versions; a "glycol" variant for both I2C and RevC. When using the glycol, zero out the PID values (`Kp`, `Ki`, `Kd`) in order to make "Fridge setpoint" equal to "Beer setpoint." Use only the beer sensor, the refrigerator temperature will get its value internally from the beer sensor. If you wish to monitor the glycol temperature, use the "room" sensor. Control the pump as "cool" via the relay.

Features

• Add support for Glycol control

Enhancements

• Update to atmelavr 1.15.0 from 1.14.0.

Incidentally, someone else reported the exact error you were having flashing the firmware so I'm going to push a fix for that as soon as I get my dev Pi working again.

 

[wd16261]

It appears that either the Arduino/cable is bad, or the port is misconfigured or incorrect. Have you done any "tweaking" to the config file?

No I didn't tweak the config file.
In one of the screenshots you could see that it went smoothly for several days in the beginning and I didn't changed anything after that.

What happens when you issue the command 'sudo systemctl status left'?

pi@brewpi:~ $ sudo systemctl status left
● left.service - BrewPi Remix daemon for: left
Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/left.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
Active: active (running) since Wed 2019-09-11 21:20:17 CEST; 2 weeks 1 days ago
Docs: https://docs.brewpiremix.com/
Main PID: 582 (bash)
Tasks: 3 (limit: 2200)
Memory: 41.9M
CGroup: /system.slice/left.service
├─ 582 /bin/bash /home/brewpi/left/utils/doBrewPi.sh -d
└─19670 python -u /home/brewpi/left/brewpi.py --log

Sep 26 12:10:08 brewpi left[582]: Starting BrewPi.
Sep 26 17:30:08 brewpi left[582]: Logging to /home/brewpi/left/logs/.
Sep 26 17:30:08 brewpi left[582]: Output will not be shown in console.
Sep 26 17:30:08 brewpi left[582]: Starting BrewPi.
Sep 26 19:10:08 brewpi left[582]: Logging to /home/brewpi/left/logs/.
Sep 26 19:10:08 brewpi left[582]: Output will not be shown in console.
Sep 26 19:10:08 brewpi left[582]: Starting BrewPi.
Sep 26 20:20:08 brewpi left[582]: Logging to /home/brewpi/left/logs/.
Sep 26 20:20:08 brewpi left[582]: Output will not be shown in console.
Sep 26 20:20:08 brewpi left[582]: Starting BrewPi.
pi@brewpi:~ $​

The fermentation was finished yesterday so now I can do some tests.
I will start with a new USB cable and I have a spare arduino uno (the lost one did arrive finally) so I can replace it too.

 

[LBussy]

We can check some additional things before replacing parts:

Running 'sudo cat /etc/udev/rules.d/99-arduino.rules' should give you something like this (serial number will be different):

SUBSYSTEM=="tty", ATTRS{serial}=="75533343336351208261", SYMLINK+="left"

Then, 'ls -al /dev/left' should look like this:

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 7 Sep 27 03:55 /dev/left -> ttyACM0

Assuming those look ok, you can run a serial monitor to see what you get:

sudo /home/brewpi/left/terminal.py

Enter 's' to allow you to enter a command, then enter a safe command like 'n'. You should see something like:

Type the string you want to send to the controller: n
Sending: n
N:{"v":"0.2.11","n":"af7545e","s":2,"y":0,"b":"s","l":"3"}

Enter 'q' to quit.

If that works, it would be handy to see the contents of the stdout.log corresponding to the errors.

The stderr.txt is interesting because of the frequency of the errors, especially networking errors. There's even some from eth0 which I would have expected to be filtered out. What's your network setup?

 

[wd16261]

We can check some additional things before replacing parts:

Running 'sudo cat /etc/udev/rules.d/99-arduino.rules' should give you something like this (serial number will be different):

SUBSYSTEM=="tty", ATTRS{serial}=="75533343336351208261", SYMLINK+="left"

Then, 'ls -al /dev/left' should look like this:

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 7 Sep 27 03:55 /dev/left -> ttyACM0

Assuming those look ok, you can run a serial monitor to see what you get:

sudo /home/brewpi/left/terminal.py

Enter 's' to allow you to enter a command, then enter a safe command like 'n'. You should see something like:

Type the string you want to send to the controller: n
Sending: n
N:{"v":"0.2.11","n":"af7545e","s":2,"y":0,"b":"s","l":"3"}

Enter 'q' to quit.

If that works, it would be handy to see the contents of the stdout.log corresponding to the errors.

The stderr.txt is interesting because of the frequency of the errors, especially networking errors. There's even some from eth0 which I would have expected to be filtered out. What's your network setup?

pi@brewpi:~ $ sudo cat /etc/udev/rules.d/99-arduino.rules
SUBSYSTEM=="tty", ATTRS{serial}=="757353530383518120F0", SYMLINK+="left"

pi@brewpi:~ $ ls -al /dev/left
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 7 Sep 26 20:20 /dev/left -> ttyACM0

pi@brewpi:/home/brewpi/left/utils $ sudo /home/brewpi/left/utils/terminal.py

Using default config path ./settings/config.cfg, to override use:
/home/brewpi/left/utils/terminal.py <config file full path>

******** BrewPi Terminal *******
This simple Python script lets you send commands to the controller. It
also echoes everything the controller returns. On known debug ID's in
JSON format, it expands the messages to the full message.

Press 's' to send a string to the controller, press 'q' to quit
2019-09-27 13:34:14 Opening serial port.
Type the string you want to send to the controller: n
Sending: n
N{":021""""d62",s:,y:"":s,l:""

I hope you meant the files stderr.txt and stdout.txt these were the only log files I could find and I've attached them.

 

[LBussy]

Did you stop the script first? If not, do that please. Sorry if I did not mention that.

 

[curruscanis]

There's an alpha build in the devel branch of firmware that has this glycol support. Be sure to grab the right one for your shield, you'll have to flash manually for now:

0.2.13 (alpha)

Do not use this in production, it is an alpha commit only. The glycol variant may burn up your compressor if you use it on a standard refrigerator setup.

This change enables compiler macros to set parameters suitable for glycol use. This means there are two new firmware versions; a "glycol" variant for both I2C and RevC. When using the glycol, zero out the PID values (`Kp`, `Ki`, `Kd`) in order to make "Fridge setpoint" equal to "Beer setpoint." Use only the beer sensor, the refrigerator temperature will get its value internally from the beer sensor. If you wish to monitor the glycol temperature, use the "room" sensor. Control the pump as "cool" via the relay.

Features

• Add support for Glycol control

Enhancements

• Update to atmelavr 1.15.0 from 1.14.0.

Incidentally, someone else reported the exact error you were having flashing the firmware so I'm going to push a fix for that as soon as I get my dev Pi working again.

I have flashed my Uno manually now to modify the brewpi-remix settings...

I had issues with the script not running until I performed the update command from my directory:
pi@brewpi:/home/brewpi/ferm/utils $ sudo ./doUpdate.sh

Once done and not flashing the controller at the end the script would start.