Tilt hydrometer SG

[Maylar]

I've been considering getting one, and maybe you guys can answer a couple questions for me -

I don't own a smart phone or any Apple device. What's the most cost effective receiver to use with these things? I'm not interested in data logging, just remote real time SG and temp numbers. Though I do have wi-fi at home.

Also, will it fit in a glass carboy or only in a bucket?

 

[Thorrak]

I've been considering getting one, and maybe you guys can answer a couple questions for me -

I don't own a smart phone or any Apple device. What's the most cost effective receiver to use with these things? I'm not interested in data logging, just remote real time SG and temp numbers. Though I do have wi-fi at home.

Also, will it fit in a glass carboy or only in a bucket?

The most cost effective at the moment is to build a TiltPi with a Raspberry Pi Zero.

 

[Maylar]

The most cost effective at the moment is to build a TiltPi with a Raspberry Pi Zero.

What is the human interface for that? Display, keypad etc?

 

[Thorrak]

What is the human interface for that? Display, keypad etc?

It's a webpage.

 

[Alex4mula]

The most cost effective at the moment is to build a TiltPi with a Raspberry Pi Zero.

Nah. Most cost effective is old phone with wifi that you may have.

 

[dmtaylor]

I've been considering getting one, and maybe you guys can answer a couple questions for me -

I don't own a smart phone or any Apple device. What's the most cost effective receiver to use with these things? I'm not interested in data logging, just remote real time SG and temp numbers. Though I do have wi-fi at home.

Also, will it fit in a glass carboy or only in a bucket?

I use a ~6-year old smart phone with Bluetooth (required) and WiFi. One older phone didn't work but this slightly more recent one did. If you don't have a smartphone.... can you get one from a friend? Or an old iPad? Something a few years old that nobody uses anymore. You need something with a non-ancient version of Bluetooth to make it work.

I use mine inside a glass carboy, works great.

 

[Beerwildered]

What is the human interface for that? Display, keypad etc?

Once you have the Raspberry Pi set up, you’ll receive a link to a locally hosted webpage. From there you can manage all of the changes and calibrations, etc.

I picked up a Raspeberry Pi Zero W kit in amazing for $32. It took me 15 mins to set up. Easiest thing I’ve done in homebrewing.

 

[Murphys_Law]

Once you have the Raspberry Pi set up, you’ll receive a link to a locally hosted webpage. From there you can manage all of the changes and calibrations, etc.

I picked up a Raspeberry Pi Zero W kit in amazing for $32. It took me 15 mins to set up. Easiest thing I’ve done in homebrewing.

What does a Raspberry set up do differently than an old phone? I've never considered going that route but I like to tinker.

 

[Beerwildered]

What does a Raspberry set up do differently than an old phone? I've never considered going that route but I like to tinker.

Great question. I assume it doesn’t do anything different, but I don’t know. I didn’t have an old iPhone (well, I did, but it was *really* old, pre-Bluetooth 4.0)

 

[day_trippr]

I'd say the RPi solution is for folks that don't have an expendable phone to serve as the bridge/repeater...

Cheers!

 

[TNJake]

Here is my YYZ- Warm Fermented Lager using Wyeast 2112

 

[TNJake]

One from a Summer shandy With US-05

 

[TNJake]

My latest- Saison using 3711.
It didn't go quick but it just kept going and going until I kegged it. I'm sure the last few points will still chip away and start carbonation.

 

[jturman35]

How long are you fermenting in the primary? From the above graphs looks like 8 days?

 

[TNJake]

It's usually 10 days

 

[augiedoggy]

Just got my tilt and setup to work with my brucontrol panel. It was very easy. Short of the $10 esp dev board which I literally just plug into a cell phone charger and load the firmware to work with brucontrol its pretty much plug in play and free if you already have brucontrol.

 

[Thorrak]

For anyone who doesn't want to use a phone to pick up their Tilt's readings, I just released a project that I've been working on to help called TiltBridge.

TiltBridge is a single component ESP32-based Tilt-to-WiFi bridge which supports relaying Tilt readings to Fermentrack, Brewer's Friend, and Google Sheets.

The TiltBridge firmware is designed to run on any ESP32 board and as a result can be installed without any soldering/wiring whatsoever. It also supports an optional OLED screen for displaying gravities at your fermenter - including utilizing certain ESP32 boards where the OLED screen is built in. Flashing the TiltBridge firmware can be done using esptool.py or via Fermentrack for those who have it installed.

For those who are interested, I've created a thread on HBT for the TiltBridge device which is available here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/...lt-to-wifi-device-for-tilt-hydrometer.664368/

 

[Weaves]

Off of the topic of actual components, with my tilt I noticed my beer finished in 4 days (wheat beer). My gravity has been constant for 2 days, even tho it hasn’t changed should I still wait the “2 weeks” before bottling or can I get rid of this puppy and start my next project if it stay consistent 2 more days? It’s only a 1.75 gal batch too and I planned on bottle aging it a few weeks. With it being wheat they are supposed to be a bit hazy too so didn’t know if waiting was necessary or if I should just cold crash night before and git-r-done.

 

[SteveH aka shetc]

Off of the topic of actual components, with my tilt I noticed my beer finished in 4 days (wheat beer). My gravity has been constant for 2 days, even tho it hasn’t changed should I still wait the “2 weeks” before bottling or can I get rid of this puppy and start my next project if it stay consistent 2 more days?

There is not a rule that requires you to wait 2 weeks. There is the general idea that even though active/visible fermentation is finished, some people (like me) tack on a couple of days to let the yeast clean up some of its own byproducts created during the initial alcohol formation phase. I don't have a Tilt so go by active bubbling plus a couple of clean up days. That's like 7 to 10 days.

 

[TNJake]

Off of the topic of actual components, with my tilt I noticed my beer finished in 4 days (wheat beer). My gravity has been constant for 2 days, even tho it hasn’t changed should I still wait the “2 weeks” before bottling or can I get rid of this puppy and start my next project if it stay consistent 2 more days? It’s only a 1.75 gal batch too and I planned on bottle aging it a few weeks. With it being wheat they are supposed to be a bit hazy too so didn’t know if waiting was necessary or if I should just cold crash night before and git-r-done.

I do something similar. If you see my graphs above, the full curve takes place in about 8 days for these brews, (yeast, temp, fermentables all change the time). I then add 2 more days to let them clean up a bit, but I don't log that data because there isn't much to see.

 

[Weaves]

Looking at mine it’s already been at the same for over a day, so I didn’t know if bottling in 2 more days would be too soon or not

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I love mine. I bought a really cheap ($30) amazon tablet (fire?) and use that as a dedicated monitor for the tilt.

I've had great luck with the tilt as far as accuracy and reliability. I love having that information and it's particularly nice when you want to do things like dry hop or transfer to a keg at certain points in the fermentation.

I watched Homebrew finds and bought mine on sale for $115 shipped (version 2).

 

[TNJake]

Jack's Shiner- A Shiner Bock clone using MJ-54.

------Yes, this was basically done with primary ferm after only 2 days.

 

[Thorrak]

Jack's Shiner- A Shiner Bock clone using MJ-54.
View attachment 621473

------Yes, this was basically done with primary ferm after only 2 days.

Does it taste like shiner?

 

[mirthfuldragon]

Here's my current beer - Medusa and Azacca IPA with Omega Gulo. SG dropped like a rock. Ramping temps up towards the top end of the range to ensure a full fermentation.

 

[augiedoggy]

Mine has not been accurate at all so far, calibrated in water and dropped into a conical of beer measured 1.074 with hydrometer.. tilt read 1.063.. Checked and shook it - same.. Its said 1.003 for a couple days now which I know is too low, perhaps I did something wrong when I calibrated it to measure 1.000 in water.

 

[dmtaylor]

There is some artistry required to calibrate equipment properly. I know I need to enter at least 2 if not 3 calibration points to get my Tilt to read accurately. Calibration in water alone is not sufficient. Assuming your regular hydrometer has been calibrated in water, then you can trust it to enter a calibration point in the Tilt app from 1.063 to 1.074 to add the necessary second calibration point. Then from 1.074 to 1.000 it should be reasonably accurate. You can check again part way through fermentation with both the old regular hydro and compare with the Tilt to enter a third calibration point IF necessary. Then your Tilt should read a little more accurately for future batches.

 

[augiedoggy]

I will give that a try on this sundays brew.

 

[TNJake]

Does it taste like shiner?

Sample was good and seems pretty close but I can't say yet as I have never drank a warm flat shiner.

 

[Weaves]

Mine has not been accurate at all so far, calibrated in water and dropped into a conical of beer measured 1.074 with hydrometer.. tilt read 1.063.. Checked and shook it - same.. Its said 1.003 for a couple days now which I know is too low, perhaps I did something wrong when I calibrated it to measure 1.000 in water.

Is your hydrometer calculated? After calibrating my tilt I thought it was off because my hydrometer read 6 points lower than my tilt BUT when I tested my hydrometer (in distilled water which should read 1.000) it turned out my tilt was actually correct and my hydrometer had not been