My mostly automated brucontrol setup

[helterscelter]

Got a new toy to play with. See if I can’t get this integrated.

View attachment 608943

Buying one of those was probably the best purchases I've made in my brewing journey. I've never used anything easier, faster, more accurate. Plus it doesn't waste a ton of liquid per sample.

 

[Tartan1]

Buying one of those was probably the best purchases I've made in my brewing journey. I've never used anything easier, faster, more accurate. Plus it doesn't waste a ton of liquid per sample.

How often would these meters need to be calibrated, and is it with a test buffer? Another nice feature is the multi units one can measure with it.

 

[helterscelter]

How often would these meters need to be calibrated, and is it with a test buffer? Another nice feature is the multi units one can measure with it.

I am unsure how often they must be calibrated. I calibrate every once in a while when I remember that it's been a while. I've yet to see it read incorrectly.

To calibrate you just put distilled water through it and tell the app to calibrate.

I love that it can measure starting gravity, and final gravity.

 

[cyberbackpacker]

I use it's big brother, and it is by far my favorite piece of brewing/distilling equipment!

Have fun with it!

 

[Die_Beerery]

Remote brew session today.. so far so good.

 

[hedge_87]

Sweet! Did you add your grain before you started? I don't remember seeing you having a "grain adder".

 

[Die_Beerery]

Sweet! Did you add your grain before you started? I don't remember seeing you having a "grain adder".

Thats correct I added my grain prior. FOR NOW!

 

[hedge_87]

That is awesome. Your my Brew hero lol. So is your strike water via your rims setup? How do you handle dough balls?

 

[CadiBrewer]

If you underlet your strike water instead of pouring your grain into your strike water, dough balls are nonexistent.

 

[TexasWine]

That is awesome. Your my Brew hero lol. So is your strike water via your rims setup? How do you handle dough balls?

It's a HERMs. Pre-boil, cool, underlet.

 

[hedge_87]

Man I'd just be happy with a start timer to heat my strike water in the morning so I can walk out. Dough in. Go eat breakfast lol. Your build is really impressive and I just want to say thanks for all the videos showing how you script everything. Hopefully I can get some time this weekend to start piecing my control together. (I am currently in a house remodel project and my wife would probably kill me if I didn't make any progress on it this weekend)

 

[Die_Beerery]

Full interface overhaul

 

[BrunDog]

Nice! We need to fix that decimal issue.

 

[Kmo4040]

BrunDog. Is this a glimpse of BruControl 1.1 beta?

 

[hedge_87]

Nice! We need to fix that decimal issue.

I'd just say. "Yeah my system is that precise"

 

[HopRodGarage]

The new "LED displays" - are you using fonts that looks like LED? They look very good and I've been searching for something like this for a while. So if you can share where you got em - I'll be a happy camper

 

[crane]

The new "LED displays" - are you using fonts that looks like LED? They look very good and I've been searching for something like this for a while. So if you can share where you got em - I'll be a happy camper

The technical term for those displays are "7 segment" displays.

 

[Die_Beerery]

Actually they are 7 and 14 segment.

@HopRodGarage- gonna have to ditch your wago and go brucontrol for those!

 

[HopRodGarage]

Actually they are 7 and 14 segment.

@HopRodGarage- gonna have to ditch your wago and go brucontrol for those!

Hehe! Seems like I'm able to work something out for the Wago as well

 

[Die_Beerery]

Playing around with different layouts and I rendered my transmitters for display.. they turned out pretty well.

Panel

Render and layout.

 

[Die_Beerery]

Another interface update. Have not found one I LOVE yet.

 

[day_trippr]

That's too bad, 'cuz I've been enjoying the fashion show

 

[BrunDog]

Kinda like a kaleidoscope... lots of beautiful images but impossible to pick a favorite.

 

[Jeremydc]

I've been toying with they idea of going electric, but this thread shows just how deep the rabbit hole can go. I'm not sure that I'm ready for that. Although, being able to brew inside during the cold Montana winters would be a plus

 

[day_trippr]

Yeah, if you're like in the .0000001% of homebrewers this would be right up your alley, but for the rest of us it's sheer intimidation drenched in awe...

Cheers!

[that might still be an order of magnitude or three too optimistic ]

 

[Die_Beerery]

The control panel is pretty much complete as of now. Needed to add another bank of 8 relays, and a couple more DO transmitters. Chose to put them in the panel for now as I didn’t feel like cutting more holes. It’s about time to close here up for now.

 

[BrunDog]

Nuts! We aren’t worthy!!

 

[Overkill]

Really nice man. Interface looking way cooler. Do you happen to remember the ID of the tangential inlet pipes on the kettles? Are they .75" or 0.5" inlets?

 

[crane]

This is amazing. How did you mount your PH and DO probes?

 

[augiedoggy]

If you underlet your strike water instead of pouring your grain into your strike water, dough balls are nonexistent.

Correct, but a disadvantage of underletting in larger sytems like 3bbl is the water at the top of the grainbed is cooled considerably and the water at the bottom is closer to strike temp.. by the time the temps were equalized in our 3bbl rims system at 5 gpm flow much of the mash conversion was already done. just something to keep in mind. we had 139 at the top of our grainbed and 166 at the bottom... far from ideal but not an issue in smaller systems with good herm or rims control.

 

[crane]

@Die_Beerery how did you adapt the 25mm DO probes to TC fittings? Same for your PH probes?

 

[Die_Beerery]

Drilled out a solid TC endcap and silver soldered it to the probe body for DO, pH are swaglock.

 

[Die_Beerery]

Thanks Guys, been a while since I have been here, been busily brewing. Here is the latest.

Working on finishing the basement ad brew area.

and been working on drinking beer.

 

[BrunDog]

Super, super sweet!

 

[day_trippr]

^Alternate Mind Boggling Universe^

Is that sight glass...oblong? How the heck did you do that?

Cheers!

 

[Die_Beerery]

^Alternate Mind Boggling Universe^

Is that sight glass...oblong? How the heck did you do that?

Cheers!

Thanks @day_tripper!

Not following the oblong comment though?

 

[CadiBrewer]

The picture makes the glass look oblong instead of cylindrical.

 

[day_trippr]

Right. There are a lot of straight lines for that sight glass to be round...

Cheers!

 

[Bilsch]

Setup definitely looking awesome. Especially like the etched glass window.

 

[Die_Beerery]

Live Brewday today.