This was my third fermentation with an iSpindel I built from kit.
The first fermentation went well. I had done a multi-point calibration, but just focused on relative SG movements to gauge when FG was reached. Not all updates from the device made it to my WiFi network, due to distances and enclosure in a fridge. But enough did to make it useful. I'll eventually get a WiFi access point closer to see if that helps. I used a free ubidots account to collect data.
For the second fermentation, I switched to Brewfather. I confirmed connection, then dropped the iSpindel into the vessel. Oops. Apparently Brewfather needs the device name to include "[SG]" to indicate that it is transmitting SG vs Plato and there's no option to toggle that in Brewfather. So that was a bust (no SG/tilt info) and I had to use from-spigot refractometer measurements to check progress.
For the third fermentation, I remembered to change the device name and confirmed data samples were being recorded correctly. So I pitched the packet of dry yeast and dropped in the iSpindel. That maybe wasn't the best idea, as I saw the dry yeast coat the iSpindel as it went in. I received early readings, but within about 10 hours, the readings stopped. The next day, with the krausen, I wasn't able to visually inspect the device to see if it was flooded or such, so I just let it go. On day five I visited and decided to tip/swirl the vessel to knock down some of the krausen gunk and perhaps "rouse" the yeast to keep going. I saw the iSpindel was still floating, so at least it wasn't completely inundated. Later that night, I got a reading, then more overnight. So it looks like too much stuff stuck to the iSpindel significantly affects the signal. Some suggest to drop in the iSpindel after high krausen, but I'm concerned about the oxygen exposure, but if it's still in the middle of fermentation, perhaps it's not harmful.
In this case, swirling/sloshing the FV helped to bring back the iSpindel signal.
The first fermentation went well. I had done a multi-point calibration, but just focused on relative SG movements to gauge when FG was reached. Not all updates from the device made it to my WiFi network, due to distances and enclosure in a fridge. But enough did to make it useful. I'll eventually get a WiFi access point closer to see if that helps. I used a free ubidots account to collect data.
For the second fermentation, I switched to Brewfather. I confirmed connection, then dropped the iSpindel into the vessel. Oops. Apparently Brewfather needs the device name to include "[SG]" to indicate that it is transmitting SG vs Plato and there's no option to toggle that in Brewfather. So that was a bust (no SG/tilt info) and I had to use from-spigot refractometer measurements to check progress.
For the third fermentation, I remembered to change the device name and confirmed data samples were being recorded correctly. So I pitched the packet of dry yeast and dropped in the iSpindel. That maybe wasn't the best idea, as I saw the dry yeast coat the iSpindel as it went in. I received early readings, but within about 10 hours, the readings stopped. The next day, with the krausen, I wasn't able to visually inspect the device to see if it was flooded or such, so I just let it go. On day five I visited and decided to tip/swirl the vessel to knock down some of the krausen gunk and perhaps "rouse" the yeast to keep going. I saw the iSpindel was still floating, so at least it wasn't completely inundated. Later that night, I got a reading, then more overnight. So it looks like too much stuff stuck to the iSpindel significantly affects the signal. Some suggest to drop in the iSpindel after high krausen, but I'm concerned about the oxygen exposure, but if it's still in the middle of fermentation, perhaps it's not harmful.
In this case, swirling/sloshing the FV helped to bring back the iSpindel signal.