[Initial Release] RaspberryPints - Digital Taplist Solution

[thadius856]

We're happy to announce the impending release of RaspberryPints, a free digital taplist solution. After posting a [thread=450400]feeler thread[/thread], I found myself amidst a 500 post thread juggernaut. Luckily, it also resulted in the accidental recruitment of a tight group of 8-10 volunteers, who will help see this project through!

Suffice to say, we've heard your interest, incorporated many of your feature requests, and committed to an initial release date! For those not yet spun up on RPints yet, please read on...


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What is RaspberryPints?

RaspberryPints (or RPints) is a digital upgrade to the conventional chalkboard taplist, created just for the home brewer. Display your current beers on tap with a sleek, digital presentation. Manage your beers, recipes, kegs, and taps with our built-in tracking system.


Why should I choose RaspberryPints over the competition?

We've purpose built RPints from the ground up to run on minimalist hardware, some of which you probably already own. We include a simple, intuitive administrative interface to allow for easy management of everything behind-the-scenes. Most importantly, we'll provide you with all the software code, images and instructions you need, free of charge -- we don't know of any comparable free alternatives!


How much does the hardware cost?

The core hardware consists of a Raspberry Pi, an ARM GNU/Linux mini computer, which usually costs about $40 (incl shipping). You'll also need a video display (PC monitor or TV), a video cable, a micro USB charger, wireless a keyboard/mouse with unified receiver, a USB Wi-Fi adapter, an SD card and an SD card reader. Starting from scratch, most users will spend less than $100 for everything.


What skills are required and how long does setup take?

Installation couldn't be simpler, requiring only basic computer skills. Your ability to complete the build is dependent entirely on your ability to follow step-by-step instructions and enter provided commands. An entire build, install and configuration will take less than one day.


How do I get started?

Visit the official website at http://www.raspberrypints.com/!

 

[thadius856]

It's Aaaaaallliiiveeee!

We've had a great time working on this project. Several of the developers have run into life commitments that take away most of our development time for the time being. We've somehow found time to pump out two hotfixes, and they're live in the most recent version. For the coming weeks, development will be slowed while we work to get back to normal.

If you're installing for the first time and use our instructions, you'll automatically have all hotfixes and patches applied. If you downloaded previous versions, you can download the newest version and simply overwrite the files you have. Your beers and configurations will not be changed.

Got a great idea?

Let us know! Submit your feature request here:

http://raspberrypints.com/suggestion/

While feedback and feature requests in this thread are welcome, we'll be using the website to gauge which features the public is most interested in.

 

[Scut_Monkey]

Sounds awesome. That sounds surprisingly cheap compared to what I would have thought this would cost.

 

[mtnagel]

Thanks for all the work you're doing on this. Looks great.

 

[Broham1]

Been following this from the beginning and I am excited!

Thanks for all the hard work!


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[billybryson54]

I can see it now, all of our SWMBO's are gonna be pissed that we're more excited and anticipating the 20th of February rather than the 14th. Haha

 

[waffle418]

I'm so happy I saw how this started and I've bought all the equipment to get this running asap

 

[LAHammer]

Thanks for the dedication to put this together. Looking forward to the release.

 

[HOPtuary]

Guys thanks for all your hard work. Looks amazing!

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[rossi46]

Can't wait for this to go live. It will be a bummer to loose the web out in the garage. I've brewed a couple times since setting up the RPi in the garage and its nice to surf while brewing.
And thanks for all the hard work everyone put into this.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[Adeering]

Looks great and cant wait, was wanting to do something similar but have no experience with php and javascript stuff, so havent used my RPi yet

 

[ratsathome]

Got my flow meters in the post today.
Bloody customs charged me an extra $27 Cost me $32 each, still cheaper than from the suppliers
Tx guys keep up the good work

 

[calebstringer]

Awesome, can't wait!

 

[kupermanp]

I'd also like to say thanks to everyone doing the hard work

 

[Lost_Arkitekt]

Looking forward to this!

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[PGEduardo]

Maybe this is the push I need to finally get into Raspberry Pi/Arduino hacking. I love this concept.

 

[rgauthier20420]

Like most people I've followed this thread from just about the beginning. Great to see so many like minded people/drinkers coming together to make this happen. Thanks!!!

 

[juic]

I'm stoked can't wait :rockin:

 

[Dolomieu]

This will be a fun project. Think all i need to buy is the the Rpi. Thanks for all the work and for sharing!

 

[EmDubeu]

Ordered my Rpi from Amazon this morning. Prime membership gets it to me tomorrow! I set up my flat screen in the "Brewauge" in anticipation of my RaspberryPint! Can't wait...

 

[ReuFroman]

I have a beagle board black hanging out doing nothing. I'll give it a go with my set up.


I know you can brew it a lot simpler, but it's more fun brewing with lots of technology.

 

[hedbutter]

I've had a raspberry PI that i havent gotten around to using.. Looks like I know my first project.

 

[pelipen]

I've been following that other thread waiting for the release.

 

[Danno355]

First words from SWIMBO "sweet! you going to do one?" If that's not a seal of approval I don't know what is!

Thanks for all the hard work!

 

[negativereaction]

Posting for...reasons. Science!

 

[BillKlineVT]

Definitely planning to add this to one of my 2 Pi's

 

[DrunkleJon]

Dad-gummit. now I gotta build one too. Well done, can't wait for release

 

[rgauthier20420]

Is there anyway that can tell me if this will require a USB hub or will it run ok just connected to the Pi?

Also, will this be ok for the Raspberry Pi? It includes a wireless internet adapter which might come in handy for updates.

Thanks!

 

[DrunkleJon]

You should be good on both. The keyboard has a USB dongle that will allow you to use it wirelessly. Just connect it up. I am looking at the second as well. Basically you get the case free. You should be good.

 

[blizzard]

Looks cool. Good job!

 

[rgauthier20420]

You should be good on both. The keyboard has a USB dongle that will allow you to use it wirelessly. Just connect it up. I am looking at the second as well. Basically you get the case free. You should be good.

The case is a big draw for this one for me because I can easily velcro it somewhere and it's safe. Thanks for the reply.

 

[BillKlineVT]

I have the same case and wifi module, they work great... Wish I knew that deal existed! Maybe there is room for a 3rd Pi in my household lol...


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[EmDubeu]

We're happy to announce the impending release of RaspberryPints, a free digital taplist solution. After posting a [thread=450400]feeler thread[/thread], I found myself amidst a 500 post thread juggernaut. Luckily, it also resulted in the accidental recruitment of a tight group of 8-10 volunteers, who will help see this project through!

Suffice to say, we've heard your interest, incorporated many of your feature requests, and committed to an initial release date! For those not yet spun up on RPints yet, please read on...


--------------------------------------------------

What is RaspberryPints?

RaspberryPints (or RPints) is a digital upgrade to the conventional chalkboard taplist, created just for the home brewer. Display your current beers on tap with a sleek, digital presentation. Manage your beers, recipes, kegs, and taps with our built-in tracking system.


Why should I choose RaspberryPints over the competition?

We've purpose built RPints from the ground up to run on minimalist hardware, some of which you probably already own. We include a simple, intuitive administrative interface to allow for easy management of everything behind-the-scenes. Most importantly, we'll provide you with all the software code, images and instructions you need, free of charge -- we don't know of any comparable free alternatives!


How much does the hardware cost?

The core hardware consists of a Raspberry Pi, an ARM GNU/Linux mini computer, which usually costs about $40 (incl shipping). You'll also need a video display (PC monitor or TV), a video cable, a micro USB charger, wireless a keyboard/mouse with unified receiver, a USB Wi-Fi adapter, an SD card and an SD card reader. Starting from scratch, most users will spend less than $100 for everything.


What skills are required and how long does setup take?

Installation couldn't be simpler, requiring only basic computer skills. Your ability to complete the build is dependent entirely on your ability to follow step-by-step instructions and enter provided commands. An entire build, install and configuration will take less than one day.


How do I get started?

The Official Raspberry Pints website will go live with all required downloads and instructions on:
February 20th, 2014.

You can get a head start by familiarizing yourself with the Raspberry Pi Quick Start Guide ahead of time. A parts list and specific model recommendations will be publicly released on the official HomeBrewTalk thread prior to launch.


We'd like to thank everybody who has already subscribed for project updates!

So, I've been following this project since day one and I just now have a question. Is this software going to be delivered as SaaS? Or do I have to load the software on my Rpi and run it locally?

 

[thadius856]

So, I've been following this project since day one and I just now have a question. Is this software going to be delivered as SaaS? Or do I have to load the software on my Rpi and run it locally?

For initial release, we have everything running on the Pi. There's two distinct parts here: the backend db/web hosting, and the front end display.

V2.0 will very likely include the ability to point the Pi at a remote db so you can have the Pi do only the displaying portion. Since the front end is just Chromium in full screen mode, its accessible by any machine on your LAN with a browser. There's a selfish reason behind adding this functionality that I'm not quite ready to divulge just yet...

If this doesn't answer your question, let me know.

 

[EmDubeu]

For initial release, we have everything running on the Pi. There's two distinct parts here: the backend db/web hosting, and the front end display.

V2.0 will very likely include the ability to point the Pi at a remote db so you can have the Pi do only the displaying portion. Since the front end is just Chromium in full screen mode, its accessible by any machine on your LAN with a browser. There's a selfish reason behind adding this functionality that I'm not quite ready to divulge just yet...

If this doesn't answer your question, let me know.

Got it. Can you give us a hint as to what you are going to do with v2 that you can't divulge just yet? NO DON'T TELL ME... I like the anticipation. .

 

[thadius856]

Our minimum feature set for v1.0 is 100% completed. In fact, we've sneaked in quite a few extra features above what we agreed was our bare minimum for initial release -- ones that mattered most to us.

Right now we're loading sample data, noodling with a hand-made installer that takes most of the work out of the process of installing RPints, testing functionality, searching high and low for bugs, and letting a couple volunteer testers complete setup using our instructions.

We're locking down feature additions and major code revisions at 11:59pm PST on February 12th. The last week should give us the time to ensure all the t's are crossed and i's are dotted, then update any documentation/supporting images that are stale. And, of course, get a little breather before the oncoming storm.

If all goes well, the first week of release will be quiet. We're dedicating that time to quashing bugs, answering questions, and building the feature map for v2.0.

Development on v2.0 will begin the following week. The time frame for that release is not yet set in stone, and will likely be lengthy* (6-8 weeks) so that we have time to familiarize ourselves with patching.

While every feature is public, I'm reserving the big-picture view of planned capabilities for myself and the build team. The reason is simple: people get really miffed when they expect a functionality and isn't implemented yet. Because most people think that developing this stuff is easy for us, adding a few extra lines of code should be no problem, right? Wrong. It's almost never that simple.

Even as an IT pro (for a living over 3 years now, extreme enthusiast the 10 years prior), I can tell you that I'm still learning as I go on this project. And having a blast doing it.

 

[Adeering]

Great job, I appreciate your hard work and fully understand keeping possible updates close to the chest until they are guaranteed. cant wait for the release and have all my stuff ready. And got a little mixed up, the initial release will be on the network so you can access it from any internet capable device correct? Would like to use my tablet as I dont have space for a big monitor

 

[thadius856]

The initial release will run everything on the RaspberryPi. You'll need a monitor available for initial setup of the operating system, but once that's done, you can remove the monitor.

Since the Pi will be hosting it on your internal network, yes, you'll be able to make it publicly accessible on the interwebs. The instructions for that probably won't be written by initial release day, but we'll see.

Mine is here: http://thadius856.servebeer.com

For the tablet portion, yes, if it's connected to your network, it can view the front end. However, you'll be a bit into untested waters, because you have a lower resolution and we're only guaranteeing it'll look good in Chromium/Chrome. Certainly worth a try, though.

Browse to my taplist on your tablet and see if it looks good for yourself.

Edit: Don't forget to use full screen mode.

 

[jkurl]

Thad,

Here is a screen shot from my iPhone with the link you just gave me. Looks awesome even in landscape.




Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[thadius856]

Sweet!

I think you mean portrait, but I get your drift.

We have some known issues with Firefox, as it is lacking some image masking features we require. Glad to see the default iOS browser works.