Open Source Mash Computer?

[kladue]

Will be interesting to see what you come up with for the calculating and control sequence code for automatic control. Will you have enough room for the necessary code for auto control based on grain bill, batch size, water ratio, and mash temp user inputs. It sounds easy until you try to write the code to make it happen safely and recover from unplanned system power loss and resets.

 

[mattreba]

I think we'll have room for the code. We're runnign about 20KB now with over 40KB remaining.

At this point we have no intent to try and recover from a power loss. It wouldn't be too hard to do though. We have plnety of unused EEPROM at this point. Plan on it for a future version.

 

[mattreba]

PhylanPan, We will put together an itemized list of parts and costs for each. A big variable will be your system design. How are you heating your HLT? Do you have a recirculating mash system? etc.

 

[PhlyanPan]

PhylanPan, We will put together an itemized list of parts and costs for each. A big variable will be your system design. How are you heating your HLT? Do you have a recirculating mash system? etc.

I see. Probably won't apply to me. I'm still in the design phase for my system, I don't have one up and running yet. Actually I haven't even completely decided between a gravity system and a recirc system.

 

[mattreba]

Here is a first draft of the Tester's Guide: BrewTroller Tester's Guide

 

[ajwillys]

Here is a first draft of the Tester's Guide: TestersGuide - brewtroller - Equipment list and cost for testing of first development release - Google Code

These prices are fantastic! I am going to have to build one of these as soon as I get a system worthy of it!

 

[jjlwork]

I have been interested in doing something like this for quite some time, this project will help me a lot with I consider to be the ultimate system.

Do you have any plans on storage memory with say a flash card or anything, one of the ideas I had for my systerm was to allow it to import beerXML files to store recipes then all I need to do is dial up a recipe and hit start.

Other ideas I had (these are a little off the wall but I am sure they are doable) was to have it stand alone, but have the option to comunicate via TCP/IP so I could comunicate with the system with any internet browser in case I was busy or wanted to check up on what was going on/make adjustments while doing something else around the yard/house.

Anyway let me know what you think, FYI I have some programming experience if you need anything. It's minimal though, I am currently learning in college (C++ and VB .NET)

Good luck with the project I will be watching this one closely, already thinking about ordering the hardware.

 

[pompeiisneaks]

I think that memory may start getting limited at that point(importing from external device). Some kind of app on windows/mac/linux that could convert beerxml to some small footprint binary data file or simple text instruction file may be more doable... just from my guessing though, no solid data to back that up . Right now most of the existing/planned connectors are already tied up w/ the expected connects, but if you're not using them, there could be some potentially "assignable" connects that could be to a USB device I'd suspect? But I'm going from the limited reading I've done on this, not like the detailed work that mattreba and jcdillin know and do I'm good enough in C to read their code and have a good idea what its doing, but NOT know exactly how I could do it/improve it/expand it etc.
I'm planning on buying the hardware too, and in the process of building my HERMS setup. I hope to have it all happy and working within a few months.

 

[ahansen]

First - I am thoroughly impressed by this project in its entirety.

Second - I started buying the parts to set this up and then got tangled up with my setup. And I spent some time thinking about my PC and home network and figured I'd toss this post out.

I'd be very interested in contributing to an offshoot where the sensors are external (this project minutes the display) and the software runs from a PC. I was thinking about the sensor package for this project and moving the code to a PC with a network connection between the two (wireless or wired). Any interest?

Thanks,
Adam

 

[mattreba]

Our source is your source so feel free to use whatever is valuable for you. For my system a standalone setup was a requirement. I don't want to bother with trying to sync up with a PC local or remote. I just want to turn it on and go.

As for loading of recipe data... I'm working on the input code to start an Autobrew program. It wouldn't be too difficult to add a microSD slot and read data from an input file but it would increase the cost by a fair amount. We are also short on pins. We would have to give up some valve outputs or mux some outputs to get pins to support writing to memory.

I think the input before a program will be pretty short as many of the variables specific to your system are persistent.

Here's the current program flow:

Load Predefined variables: HLT, Mash and Kettle volume and volume loss (deadspace), default batch size, evaporation rate

Select a predefined mash profile (dough-in, protein, sacch and mashout min and temp)
- Currently, Single Infusion or Multi-Rest but others could be added in code

Adjust params (including delay start, grain weight, batch size, mash ratio and above rest temps and times)

Calc mash/sparge volumes
calc strike temp

Do delay start, mash rests (Future support for filling, sparge, boil and chill stages)

The End

 

[mattreba]

FYI, we have screenshots up on our website:

Screenshots

 

[Hegh]

Very cool. Definitely looking forward to when I'm advanced enough to use this thing. For now, though, I'm very impressed :rockin:

 

[jcdillin]

Keep it mind that you don't need a huge automated system to use the BrewTroller. It will work great with even simple things like replacing PID controllers and Love controllers. Heck right now mine is just controlling the temp of my HLT and MLT.

We just designed it so it can grow with you if you decide to make your system more automated.

 

[ClaudiusB]

FYI, we have screenshots up on our website:

Looking good.

Keep it mind that you don't need a huge automated system to use the BrewTroller.

No fun

Cheers,
ClaudiusB

 

[pompeiisneaks]

I can imagine using this to just control temps on my HLT and MLT and enabling the Pump to push through the HERMS coil, and then as I get more fancy, do even more Its looking VERY flexible... this stuffs cool.

 

[HomebrewJeff]

I can imagine using this to just control temps on my HLT and MLT and enabling the Pump to push through the HERMS coil, and then as I get more fancy, do even more Its looking VERY flexible... this stuffs cool.

That's actually what ultimately led me down this route. A while back I had started pricing out PIDS and thermocouples, and the price quickly become more than I wanted to spend. Not to say this way is *that* much cheaper but the ability to expand, or even use it for other projects, made it an easy choice.

 

[mattreba]

For us too.