Kegland Rapt Pill floating hydrometer temperature monitor

[RyPA]

You configure the device on a web-based interface after connecting it to your home network. It is not done over USB.

After connecting the device to a USB charger, it becomes discoverable as a network. You connect to it, enter the password, and you can then manage the device.

You don't need any specific variation of USB a/b/c to USB C, you just need a means of getting a USB C charge plug to the device -- what's on the other end doesn't matter.

 

[BongoYodeler]

You configure the device on a web-based interface after connecting it to your home network. It is not done over USB.

After connecting the device to a USB charger, it becomes discoverable as a network. You connect to it, enter the password, and you can then manage the device.

You don't need any specific variation of USB a/b/c to USB C, you just need a means of getting a USB C charge plug to the device -- what's on the other end doesn't matter.

Thank you!! Bad assumption on my part. I've now got it registered and the firmware updated.

 

[RyPA]

Glad you figured it out. You should now be able to go to RAPT Cloud on any device and access your Pill to check status of an ongoing brew, start a new brew, end an active brew, etc.

 

[MikeCo]

I moved my router next to the fermentation chamber and I'm getting readings again.

 

[MikeCo]

One other thing - I never saw the green LED light up any time during setup or handling. The only LED I saw was the solid red while charging. The device is working, but I thought I would see the green LED flash a ready signal or something.

 

[RyPA]

I think mine did but don't recall, the instructions tell you what each light status indicates.

Once running, I believe it only lights up green when transmitting data

 

[BongoYodeler]

The RAPT Pill features two onboard LEDs CHARGING LED (RED): • Solid Red when plugged into USB type-C - Charging • Light Off when plugged into USB type-C –Fully Charged ESP LED (GREEN): • Slow Green Flashes – flashes when the captive portal is enabled and the Pill is searching for a Wi-Fi network. This will happen when the Pill is plugged in to USB-C the first time • Medium Green Flashes (roughly 2 per second) – The Pill is connected to Wi-Fi and active (plugged in via USB-C) • Fast Green Flashes – Movement detected while active (plugged in via USB-C) • Solid Green – when the device is awake and submitting telemetry (typically on for 20-30 seconds)

 

[kigerbrewing]

Peeps in the US interested in the rapt pill should look for Canadian homebrew shops that deliver to US. Price at most is $80 cdn so if shipping is less than $50 cdn would be cheaper than Ali and would be way quicker as well.


https://homebrewjunction.com/products/rapt-pill?_pos=1&_psq=rapt&_ss=e&_v=1.0

Thank you for the link. I order this last week and it arrived in 7 days. After a few issues (battery terminals needed to be bent out to make better contact with the battery), I already have it in a 3 gallon test batch of pale ale and it is working perfectly. I'm fermenting in a fermzilla which is inside a refrigerator and the signal varies from fair to strong.

 

[MikeCo]

Thank you for the link. I order this last week and it arrived in 7 days

That is quick. The price looks to be about the same as Ali Express with the current exchange rate before shipping. Was shipping free?

 

[kigerbrewing]

That is quick. The price looks to be about the same as Ali Express with the current exchange rate before shipping. Was shipping free?

Shipping was around $15.00 I believe and I think the total came to $78.00 US.

 

[earachemyeye69]

Umm, first time with the pill and this isn’t right. SG going the wrong way. Hmm. Love my ISpindle but not loving the pill so far. Setup and UI isn’t that good either.

 

[RyPA]

Did you calibrate it first? My first and only brew so far went as expected with this

 

[MikeCo]

Mine worked as expected also. I followed the instructions for simple single-point calibration in water.

 

[BongoYodeler]

I have yet to use mine in a brew but I did put it in a bucket of distilled water to make sure it would transmit and log data. It did, but the reading was way off. I then ran a calibration and retried it, and after that it read spot-on, 1.000

 

[blkmagik98]

I have one running in a batch of Mexican Lager in my fermentor right now. It works perfectly and integrated well with Brewfather.

 

[MikeCo]

It does not appear to me that you can get an immediate reading from the pill. You just have to wait for it to transmit at its set interval. Can anyone confrm this is true, or is there a way to force a current reading. One thing I like more about the Tilt is the ability to get a real-time reading.

 

[hotbeer]

Can anyone confrm this is true, or is there a way to force a current reading.

I can't confirm whether or not there is a way to force a current reading. However when you can connect to the portal, if I remember correctly you can set how often you want the device to transmit. The default is every hour. Which is what mine is doing right now. While it is in use, I can't reconfigure it.... AFAIK.

The less often it has to transmit the longer the battery will last. Mine hasn't been charged in over two months and it still is showing over 98% battery remaining. And it's been in constant use.

 

[MajorJC]

Can anyone confrm this is true, or is there a way to force a current reading.

Yes, you can actually see a live reading.

When the RAPT Pill is connected to your home network, enter the IP address that your routers DHCP server assigned to it into any web browser on your network.

Then click on Diagnostics on that page. It will show you everything, but the temp will be in Centigrade instead of Fahrenheit.

 

[MajorJC]

While it is in use, I can't reconfigure it.... AFAIK.

Yes, you can change your settings while it is in use. See the above post but instead of clicking on Diagnostics, click on Settings.

 

[MikeCo]

Yes, you can actually see a live reading.

When the RAPT Pill is connected to your home network, enter the IP address that your routers DHCP server assigned to it into any web browser on your network.

Then click on Diagnostics on that page. It will show you everything, but the temp will be in Centigrade instead of Fahrenheit.

Thanks for the info! How do I click on diagnostics? My browsers just show that they can't open the page / unable to connect.

 

[MajorJC]

How do I click on diagnostics? My browsers just show that they can't open the page / unable to connect.

Hmmm ... I just realized that when the Pill is in the fermentation vessel it goes into sleep mode and only wakes up on the preset schedule to send telemetry. You would have to catch it during the time that it wakes up. I think it will also wake up and connect when it senses movement, so perhaps swirling your fermenter will cause it to wake up and send data. If you try this and it works, let me know.

 

[BongoYodeler]

Additionally I believe there's been two recent firmware upgrades in the past month or so for the Pill. I believe one of them turns on bluetooth so the Pill can talk to a Rapt temperature controller, thus auto adjusting fermentation temperature control based on (near) real-time readings from the Pill.

 

[hotbeer]

Yes, you can change your settings while it is in use. See the above post but instead of clicking on Diagnostics, click on Settings.

Well I can't. I also thought from what I've read that the only time you can connect to it directly is when it's been put in a special mode by hooking it up to charge the battery or pressing a button on the circuit board. All of which I can't do when it's in actual use.

I was able to connect to it with a browser directly while it was charging initially. But after the LED's went out soon after unplugging the USB I could no longer access it directly with a browser and could only get data that is transmitted to their cloud periodically at the scheduled transmission interval in the setup.

This blurb in their quick start guide seems to back me up...

Cannot access the Pill Captive Portal This can only be accessed when the Pill is plugged in to USB-C. Access to the portal will cease after 10 minutes and the Pill will enter a sleep state. Unplugging and reconnecting to USB-C will allow it to be reconnected.

https://www.kegland.com.au/media/pd...rometer and Thermometer Quick Start Guide.pdf
They also give the battery life estimates on their website that suggest you can at least set it for 15 minute transmissions. Though you might be able to go lower still. Don't know, didn't try.

How long will the pill last between charges?
60min telemetry frequency - 1.5 years
30min telemetry frequency - 9.5 months
15min telemetry frequency - 5 months
NOTE: This is the default telemetry frequency is 60 min so if you do not change the settings then out of the box the battery should last 1.5years approximately.

https://www.kegland.com.au/red-rapt-pill-hydrometer-thermometer-wifi-bluetooth.html

Are you certain your browser isn't just taking you to the cloud app? Or perhaps the earlier Pills have this ability or maybe I'm just not doing something right.

 

[hotbeer]

You would have to catch it during the time that it wakes up. I think it will also wake up and connect when it senses movement, so perhaps swirling your fermenter will cause it to wake up and send data. If you try this and it works, let me know.

That's an interesting thought. Never tried that. However I will when I have the time to do so.

 

[MajorJC]

@MikeCo and @hotbeer I just did some testing on mine. My previous posts were incorrect. It does sleep between telemetry sends and will not wake to movement. I sat mine on my desk and waited. When I saw the green light come on I quickly refreshed the web page for my Pill's IP address and the page loaded. Before I could click on the Diagnostics or Settings link the Pill had gone back to sleep. The telemetry send lasted only about 2-3 seconds. Way too short a time to change any settings.

 

[MikeCo]

@MikeCo and @hotbeer I just did some testing on mine. My previous posts were incorrect. It does sleep between telemetry sends and will not wake to movement. I sat mine on my desk and waited. When I saw the green light come on I quickly refreshed the web page for my Pill's IP address and the page loaded. Before I could click on the Diagnostics or Settings link the Pill had gone back to sleep. The telemetry send lasted only about 2-3 seconds. Way too short a time to change any settings.

Thanks for clarifying.

 

[BongoYodeler]

After receiving the Pill a couple months ago I finally brewed yesterday and threw it in the fermenter. I've been watching the web output and it seems to be proceeding along quite nicely.

 

[MikeCo]

I have mine going now, and I've noticed it's kind of random as to how often it sends data. I have it at the default hourly setting, but it can be 2, 3 or 4 hours between readings. Has anybody else seen this behavior?

 

[GoodTruble]

I cannot get one of mine to connect. I've wasted hours on it, gave up, and am just using hydrometer readings.

If they are going to cost me more time than they save, then I have no use for them. I barely have time to brew already.

 

[BongoYodeler]

I have mine going now, and I've noticed it's kind of random as to how often it sends data. I have it at the default hourly setting, but it can be 2, 3 or 4 hours between readings.

I’ve noticed that it occasionally misses a reading, although mine seems to be much less than yours, maybe once every 24-36 hours. How far from your router are you fermenting? Currently my fermenter is about 5ft from my router, but this close I wouldn’t expect any drops.