iSpindle - DIY Electronic Hydrometer

[rsquared]

I have heard that can be done, but can you suggest where I can find a 'how to' please, for OTA updating. I don't need to update yet, I'm running the current version, but for the future please.

The same way you connect to change settings, there's an option in there for uploading a new firmware.bin file.

 

[HarryB]

Than

The same way you connect to change settings, there's an option in there for uploading a new firmware.bin file.

Thanks, I had never noticed that option before..

 

[BreeBrew]

Thank you for your support, according to this threat I could flash without removing, only need to make sure it is powered off:
Do you agree on this?

Well I wouldn't risk it. But maybe someone else can clear this up?

However, I saw one flaw in that thread, you can in fact flash the iSpindel firmware onto the d1 mini right out of the box thru usb with nodemcu before assembling the iSpindel.

 

[HarryB]

However, I saw one flaw in that thread, you can in fact flash the iSpindel firmware onto the d1 mini right out of the box thru usb with nodemcu before assembling the iSpindel.

That is how I flashed mine - just the bare d1, on its own before I began assembly, just connected to USB and flashed.

 

[ChrisThomas]

Thank you, I read something similar, but wanted to post my specific picture so someone could tell me I am correct (in this case the red component to remove). I don’t want to try out and come to the conclusion it was something else.
Si it should be the one circled in red, comming from from the yellow usb spot to the red ‘diode’ to the green marked 5.0v.

View attachment 701793

@Enkie Yes, I've have a look at my D1 Mini Pro and that is the diode to remove. Regarding the aerial, I'd suggest to try it first without making any modifications. For my application it's range has been not nearly as good as a D1 Mini, at least I assumed that was the difference? If you get a limited range then look at the possibilities.

Chris
*edit: put the correct logic in!

 

[BreeBrew]

Just build me a new one, but I made an error with the epoxy I pour in the tube to fixate the sled in there, I poured in 20 ml instead of 10 ml. Now the angle in plain water is 9.3 degrees. Anyone knows if this is an issue or is it still good to go?

 

[Enkie]

Hi Breebrew,

Depending on the answers, I think there was a range in which the sensor worked best, you could always try to ‘drill out weight‘ from the bottom..
Just make one or more holes from the bottom up into the tube and the epoxy, and stop before you go through all the epoxy, in that case the board with all components is still water tight.
However could difficult to clean out the small holes and potential contamination.
And you won’t win the beauty contest with this solution.

Good luck, hope you don’t have to make any changes.

 

[BreeBrew]

However could difficult to clean out the small holes and potential contamination.

Thanks for a quick reply Enkie.

Yeah, well that's the thing, I am obsessed when it comes to contamination, don't want it and will do anything to prevent. I think I just try the thing out in my next batch, I can't think of anything why this angle in water is so important that it should be around 25 degrees other than that it may be too heavy, at 9.3 in plain water, to alter the angle in wort enough.

 

[HarryB]

Rather than make holes, I would suggest grinding or filing it, followed by polishing it with finer and finer wet and dry paper - then at least you would have flat surface at the bottom and less susceptible to retaining contamination. I think the angle is important, to ensure that in a brew, it has an angle which is at its most sensitive and produces best accuracy where it is needed.

 

[BreeBrew]

I made another one, with the exact same parts as the other one above and added 10 ml of epoxy, instead of 20 ml. The angle in plain water came out at 41 degrees So now I just added 3.5 ml of epoxy with a syringe so I could inject it below the hardware and not pour on it, now dry for 24 hours and measure again.

 

[BreeBrew]

I made another one, with the exact same parts as the other one above and added 10 ml of epoxy, instead of 20 ml. The angle in plain water came out at 41 degrees So now I just added 3.5 ml of epoxy with a syringe so I could inject it below the hardware and not pour on it, now dry for 24 hours and measure again.

That did the trick, angle comes out at a nice 20.5 degrees.

So I put this fully assembled and functional iSpindel up for sale for Europe based members.(I think it doesn't make much sense to ship it to the US because that would cost 30 euro on shipping alone).
Calibration on a flat surface and in plain water is done and I have a calibration excel sheet to come with it(by email or DM) where the angle in plain water is filled in along with a step list on how to go from there.
A 1m micro usb cable is included.

Price is 40 euros excluding shipping. Shipping within NL is € 6,75, in the rest of Europe it depends to which country and varies from € 13 - € 20 with track and trace. If interested DM me for details.

Parts a.o.:

• Lolin ESP8266 D1 Mini V3.1.0
• 3500mAh Samsung INR18650-35E
• Petling 3DM1 with black lid from 3d-mechatronics.de
• iSpindel @Mikmonken v2 circuit board from pcbs.io
• DS18B20 temp sensor
• GY-521 3 Axis gyro sensor
• TP4056 5V 1A Micro USB 18650 battery charging board
• Schottky BAT43 Diode 200mA 30 V (so no deep sleep issues)
• mwx edition sled
• 1 meter micro usb cable

The sled is fixed in the tube with epoxy to prevent the sled moving within the tube when for example you pull out the usb cable after charging the battery or even put it on/off with the switch. Otherwise you would have to calibrate every time the sled moved a bit, in this manner there is no need for that.

It needs to be said that I did not remove any diodes or leds, so firmware upgrades must be done over the air. (Some say you can do it thru the micro usb of the ESP8266 D1 mini as long as the iSpindel is switched off, but I wouldn't risk it).
According to the documentation the led on the GY-521 should be removed to save battery power but with a 3500 mAh battery you don't need to worry about that, plenty of juice. A big plus of not removing the led is that you can see if the iSpindel is on or off.

 

[HarryB]

A Brewspy question, for those using it please...

I have just begun using it and I am confused as to the graph updates. It is listing when the last data was received, all the past data, all up to date, but the graphs often lag well behind the data and I cannot see how to get the graphs up to date.

Are the graphs updated, when the server gets around to updating them, or is there some process by which I can force an update? Not complaining, just curious..

 

[BreeBrew]

A Brewspy question, for those using it please...

I have just begun using it and I am confused as to the graph updates. It is listing when the last data was received, all the past data, all up to date, but the graphs often lag well behind the data and I cannot see how to get the graphs up to date.

Are the graphs updated, when the server gets around to updating them, or is there some process by which I can force an update? Not complaining, just curious..

I actually asked that question to the developer a while ago, this was his answer:

"The graph shows the average gravity per hour so that's why the latest value does not exactly match the latest raw data value.

I do this so that the graph comes out smooth and does not end up with lots of spikes since the data from the spindel tends to fluctuate (and sometimes on very active fermentations these fluctuations are very big)"

 

[BreeBrew]

That did the trick, angle comes out at a nice 20.5 degrees.

So I put this fully assembled and functional iSpindel up for sale for Europe based members.(I think it doesn't make much sense to ship it to the US because that would cost 30 euro on shipping alone).
Calibration on a flat surface and in plain water is done and I have a calibration excel sheet to come with it(by email or DM) where the angle in plain water is filled in along with a step list on how to go from there.
A 1m micro usb cable is included.

Price is 40 euros excluding shipping. Shipping within NL is € 6,75, in the rest of Europe it depends to which country and varies from € 13 - € 20 with track and trace. If interested DM me for details.

Parts a.o.:

• Lolin ESP8266 D1 Mini V3.1.0
• 3500mAh Samsung INR18650-35E
• Petling 3DM1 with black lid from 3d-mechatronics.de
• iSpindel @Mikmonken v2 circuit board from pcbs.io
• DS18B20 temp sensor
• GY-521 3 Axis gyro sensor
• TP4056 5V 1A Micro USB 18650 battery charging board
• Schottky BAT43 Diode 200mA 30 V (so no deep sleep issues)
• mwx edition sled
• 1 meter micro usb cable

The sled is fixed in the tube with epoxy to prevent the sled moving within the tube when for example you pull out the usb cable after charging the battery or even put it on/off with the switch. Otherwise you would have to calibrate every time the sled moved a bit, in this manner there is no need for that.

It needs to be said that I did not remove any diodes or leds, so firmware upgrades must be done over the air. (Some say you can do it thru the micro usb of the ESP8266 D1 mini as long as the iSpindel is switched off, but I wouldn't risk it).
According to the documentation the led on the GY-521 should be removed to save battery power but with a 3500 mAh battery you don't need to worry about that, plenty of juice. A big plus of not removing the led is that you can see if the iSpindel is on or off.

View attachment 703322
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View attachment 703324
View attachment 703325
View attachment 703327

SOLD

 

[BreeBrew]

Thank you for your support, according to this threat I could flash without removing, only need to make sure it is powered off:
Do you agree on this?

View attachment 701912

Hereafter I will use the WiFi to update my Wemos and plug off the usb mini part and will only charge via de usb c.

Well I wouldn't risk it. But maybe someone else can clear this up?
....

I have to come back at my words there. I just build a couple of new iSpindels and measured the voltage at the pins that go to the battery with the Wemos usb of the fully build iSpindel attached to a PC. When the switch is in the off position I measure zero Volts, when in on position I measure a fluctuating voltage between 3.9 and 4.3 volts. So I think it is safe to say you can flash the wemos of a fully build iSpindel thru usb with a battery present AND the switch is in the off position.

However, if you make the mistake to attach the usb of the Wemos to a PC with a battery present and the switch in the on position you can end up blowing up the Wemos or in worst case scenario if left unattended for a while, set your house on fire.

 

[Enkie]

I am having problems with flashing the ispindel,It does nothing after you push the flash button in the Flasher.
Can wait for an hour after reading the Log, came to the conclusion it is waiting for something..

The logg shows:
Noteetect serial port changed.
Note:Auto MAP serial port.Port-->COM3

Note:Serial port connected.
Note:Begin find ESP8266.

the following message appears as a sequience during the 'flashing' but does not come to an end.
connect.world()
require("wifi")
require("gpio")

Tried multiple USB cables, similair for the software, latest release but also some of the versions that was shown in a youtube movie explaining how to flash.
Hope somebody can help me out.

Kr. Pieter-Paul

 

[crane]

Anybody using the ispindel in a sanke keg?

I have had bad luck with the Tilt. I can get a signal when the spear is removed, but once I cover up the opening to the keg with the spear or a 2" tri clamp fitting I don't get any signal.

 

[Lalo_uy]

It is very difficult any RF device works in a keg.
A completely closed steel can is a "Faraday jail" and no electromagnetic signal will go in or out.
You will have to drill the top and install a passive repeater antenna, a short length of coaxial cable with 3cm of the shield removed on each end.

 

[crane]

I understand the whole faraday cage, but people use these with conicals... I guess the conicals have more gaskets for the signal to get out?

I could use a 2" sight glass in between the keg and the tri clamp fitting. That would be easier to sanitize than some coax cable. However that would make it too tall to fit in my fermentation chamber.

 

[Enkie]

I am having problems with flashing the ispindel,It does nothing after you push the flash button in the Flasher.
Can wait for an hour after reading the Log, came to the conclusion it is waiting for something..

The logg shows:
Noteetect serial port changed.
Note:Auto MAP serial port.Port-->COM3

Note:Serial port connected.
Note:Begin find ESP8266.

the following message appears as a sequience during the 'flashing' but does not come to an end.
connect.world()
require("wifi")
require("gpio")

Tried multiple USB cables, similair for the software, latest release but also some of the versions that was shown in a youtube movie explaining how to flash.
Hope somebody can help me out.

Kr. Pieter-Paul

Gents and Ladies,

I received a new Wemos D1 mini Pro from the guy I bought the whole set from.
Inmediately before desoldering and soldering I tried to flash this Wemos, with a positive result.

It was apparently a faulty Wemos causing me problems flashing.
After it was in pace on the board, I calibrated (to horizontal) and then placed it in water of 25 degree Celsius, tilt: 19 degree...

Found the following solution to come to a 24,12 degree tilt, adding two mini nuts and some hot glue.

Next step during the weekend will be a calibration on sugar water.

Thank you all for thinking along and I am glad it works!!

Kr. Pieter-Paul

 

[notsoragingbeast]

I'm having an issue getting my iSpindel to run correctly with the battery installed. When I switch it on, it pings to Ubidots and goes to sleep, but when it wakes up it just stops and I get a solid blue LED on the Wemos. It works fine with the battery removed and the WEMOs USB plugged in. During my intial build, I installed the battery holder in backwards cause I'm a dingus and I let out some magic smoke. I've since replaced the WEMOS and TP4056, but I'm afraid something else is causing it to have this issue. Could I need to replace the BAT43 diode?

Here is my log:
¦¦a¦q¦¦o¦¦2002ms, result 3
IP: 192.168.0.102

calling Ubidots
{"tilt":35.523,"temperature":76.4375,"battery":4.702816,"gravity":5.341125,"interval":10,"RSSI":-48}
Sender: Ubidots posting
POST /api/v1.6/devices/iSpindel01?token=BBFF-ZLwJEUVuJ4dXv3hUPNyiOIUvgSwziP HTTP/1.1
Host: things.ubidots.com
User-Agent: ESP8266
Connection: close
Content-Type: application/json
Content-Length: 100

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Server: nginx
Date: Thu, 05 Nov 2020 04:19:10 GMT
Content-Type: application/json
Transfer-Encoding: chunked
Connection: close
Allow: GET, POST, HEAD, OPTIONS
Vary: Origin, Cookie

d1
{"battery": [{"status_code": 201}], "gravity": [{"status_code": 201}], "interval": [{"status_code": 201}], "rssi": [{"status_code": 201}], "temperature": [{"status_code": 201}], "tilt": [{"status_code": 201}]}
0


Final-sleep: 10s; RT: 3847
s$l¦¦|¦d¦|
¦
d¦
b<¦¦¦{¦c¦
b¦¦og¦lno¦¦¦
bx¦¦lrd;lp¦g¦
¦l¦¦
co¦<¦¦s¦c¦¦no¦$¦¦l`¦$`'{¦¦¦g
¦l{¦¦o¦l¦¦
¦A¦¦l`¦o¦
FW 6.3.1
2.2.2-dev(38a443e)
Worker run!
mounting FS... mounted!
reading config file
parsed config:
{"Name":"iSpindel01","Token":"BBFF-ZLwJEUVuJ4dXv3hUPNyiOIUvgSwziP","Sleep":10,"Server":"log.brewfather.net","API":0,"Port":80,"Channel":0,"URI":"","DB":"ispindel","Username":"","Password":"","Job":"ispindel","Instance":"000","Vfact":191.8,"TS":1,"OWpin":12,"POLY":"-0.00031*tilt^2+0.557*tilt-14.054","SSID":"","PSK":"","Offset":[0,0,0,0,0,0]}
offsets not available
Boot-Mode: Deep-Sleep Wake

woken from deepsleep, normal mode


Any thoughts on why it can run succesfully on USB power with the battery removed, but not on the battery alone?

 

[BreeBrew]

I understand the whole faraday cage, but people use these with conicals... I guess the conicals have more gaskets for the signal to get out?

I could use a 2" sight glass in between the keg and the tri clamp fitting. That would be easier to sanitize than some coax cable. However that would make it too tall to fit in my fermentation chamber.

Maybe you can install a wifi extender close to your keg?

I have the ispindel in a refrigarator in my shed(but not in a steel keg btw) which is about 10m from the house. I installed a wifi extender in the shed to connect the ispindel with. The extender connects to the router in the house.

The wifi signal of the ispindel is not so powerful as of a wifi extender, so instead of trying to connect directly to the router in the house I used an extender, works great in my setup.

 

[notsoragingbeast]

Understandably, I suppose there's not too many other dingus's like me that have then successfully remedied any backward installed battery holder... I'll keep fiddling and report back if anything gets her back in proper working order.

 

[ModlrMike]

I've just started working with my iSpindle today, and can't seem to get it to talk to the web. I can see the portal in configuration mode. I have tried to connect it to ubidots and to brewspy to no avail. I know the tokens have been typed in correctly, and all the boxes filled in per the examples. Any thoughts?

 

[BreeBrew]

I've just started working with my iSpindle today, and can't seem to get it to talk to the web. I can see the portal in configuration mode. I have tried to connect it to ubidots and to brewspy to no avail. I know the tokens have been typed in correctly, and all the boxes filled in per the examples. Any thoughts?

Does it connect to your router?

 

[ModlrMike]

I'm not seeing the MAC address when I check for connected devices.

 

[HarryB]

I'm not seeing the MAC address when I check for connected devices.

That is the main bugbear with the iSpindel, the difficulty in knowing whether its reports are getting through.

My iSpindel works fine, but I never see its MAC show up as connected in my routers list. The big problem is that the iSpindel connects so briefly, it doesn't get logged by the router. In addition, because it is such a brief connection, you cannot ping the iSpindel.

All you can do, is when initially testing it, set it for frequent reports, 60 seconds and see how many of the reports get through or fail, as a way to judge. Some software like Brewspy and Ubidots, give a value for signal strength.

Begin your tests with the iSpindel close to the router, until you have made sure it is working with the software.

 

[BreeBrew]

I assume that you filled in the wifi SSID and it's password correctly in the configuration of the iSpindel?
Maybe hook it up to a serial monitor where you can see what the thing is actually doing as described here: universam1/iSpindel

 

[ModlrMike]

It appears that the builder of my iSpindel installed the D1 mini flush to the board, so I can't access the USB port. I'm going to do some surgery on a USB cord to see if I can get a connection. The alternative is to remove the D1 mini, and reinstall it on a slight angle to expose more of the USB port. I can get a D1 mini from Aliexpres that has the USB port on the top, but then I'd have to flash the firmware and all that nonsense.

 

[ModlrMike]

Somehow I managed to make it work with Ubidots. Thanks for the suggestions.