Node-Red and BruContriol

[oakbarn]

I thought I would start a thread where people interested in Node-Red and BruControl could exchange flows. When I started with Node-Red it was somewhat overwhelming and always a forest rather than trees.

I want to thank @RiverCityBrewer and @CDCTx for all the help and getting where I am with Node-Red.

In order to use Node-Red and BruControl, you need a Professional License for BruControl.

Data Exchange is only via Global Elements between Node-Red and BruControl.

My first post will be a very simple Flow that get a single Data Point from BruControl into Node Red.

Homebrewtalk will not allow .json files to be attached.

So if sharing a flow, you have to change the file to a .txt file.

To import it into Node-Red, you need to change it back to a .json file after you have copied it.

 

[CDCTx]

It was my pleasure to help. Sorry I haven't gotten back to you on our thread yet. Busy work week then busy weekend with the homebrew club (I'm a cabinet member, and we hosted the greater DC-area clubs for a get together).

As a note, you can either change the .txt file to a .json file or open the file, copy the code, and import it by pasting it in the import box.

As you build out flows, the Node-RED site has a forum with a lot of helpful advice. People may have asked about specific subtasks you are trying to complete. And stackechange has good forums on Javascript for more functionality in the functions explore, learn, and poke around. That's how I got good with Node-RED

 

[oakbarn]

I am on Stack Exchange for a long time as well as the Node-Red Forum. The general problem I have is not knowing enough to ask a question properly on Node Red for the most part. Being able to get any data was a huge dam that has burst. I have a working copy of a flow to get my Mash Temps (only while doing the mash) every minute and put in a csv file that has both the Beer Name and date as part of the name. There are many data points I want once that are in BruControl already as a Global Elements such as my Beer Name and things like the Strike Volume, Pre-Boil Volume, End Volume etc. It will all be recorded during a brew session as long as I remember to have the flow going when I start brewing. We have hap-hazardly kept the data, but this will now be in a shared folder where any of my brew group can access, Since it is automatic, We can go back and see a profile that we particularly liked a year from now.

 

[CDCTx]

When you say "we," are you running a brewery?

CSV is a good call for storage, but the files will stack up take up a lot of space. If just storing brewday data, it might not stack up quickly, but it will in time. You can work a way to save the data as a Google Sheet for cloud storage (put the CSV file on a server and have Google import the data from that url either via Appscript or an IMPORTRANGE() function).

For greater data and backend support, Supabase may be good to check out. It's a free backend database I use for my fermentation stats, and there's a way to use npm to install it's Node.js app into Node-RED's /modules folder and call it in a Node-RED function. From there, Supabase offers a fair amount of Javascript code for storing or selecting data.

This takes some time to learn, and you need to learn some Postgresql (another form of SQL), but it would allow for more data analysis. It's advanced and I'm still learning it, but it's something worth looking into as you develop skills.

Not to go off topic here, just giving some 100-meter goals as you develop your Node-RED skills

 

[oakbarn]

The files will actually be quite small and I plan to keep them on my google drive. I may move to an MS Access data base as I can do anything I want in that program.

I can actually write SQL but have not done it for a few years.


We do not have a commercial brewery but generally brew a barrel in our first brew kettle and normal a half in the second kettle on a brew day. There are 5 of us that brew together so more like a small club. We have a 6 hot side brewery. Almost as easy to do 2 batches as one as clean up is about the same. We brew once a month normally. Sometimes we have others join in.

I was actually asked to open a Brewery but declined. I am retired pilot and do not want to work.


I have written some programs that I sold commercially years ago. So I have some background in programming, but certainly not an expert.

 

[CDCTx]

The files will actually be quite small and I plan to keep them on my google drive. I may move to an MS Access data base as I can do anything I want in that program.

I can actually write SQL but have not done it for a few years.


We do not have a commercial brewery but generally brew a barrel in our first brew kettle and normal a half in the second kettle on a brew day. There are 5 of us that brew together so more like a small club. We have a 6 hot side brewery. Almost as easy to do 2 batches as one as clean up is about the same. We brew once a month normally. Sometimes we have others join in.

I was actually asked to open a Brewery but declined. I am retired pilot and do not want to work.


I have written some programs that I sold commercially years ago. So I have some background in programming, but certainly not an expert.

Ah, very cool all around. Welp, let me know if you get stuck somewhere or have questions about some NR features. Sounds like you've made great progress.