TiltBridge - Tilt-to-WiFi Device for Tilt Hydrometer

[Thorrak]

Thanks for the items. Will the display on either of these, show the temp and the Gravity just like the original hardware?

So apparently I lied - I actually do own the OLED one I sent across and just happened to have found it this morning while cleaning.

The ESPI one should work, and has a color screen rather than the monochromatic OLED.

The OLED screen will soon work -- after I release the next beta firmware (which will probably be this weekend). This is actually an ESP32-S3 chip (I misread the description!) which means that it only had support added recently. Included with it was a bug, apparently, which I've now since squished.

 

[ddrum2000]

So apparently I lied - I actually do own the OLED one I sent across and just happened to have found it this morning while cleaning.

The ESPI one should work, and has a color screen rather than the monochromatic OLED.

The OLED screen will soon work -- after I release the next beta firmware (which will probably be this weekend). This is actually an ESP32-S3 chip (I misread the description!) which means that it only had support added recently. Included with it was a bug, apparently, which I've now since squished.

Do think there is a reason to chose one board over another?

 

[Thorrak]

Do think there is a reason to chose one board over another?

Mostly the screen and personal preference.

My preferred hardware is the Lolin ESP32 Pro + TFT, but I recognize that those are expensive/not the easiest to source post-tariffs. I'm not a huge fan of the OLED screens myself, but at the time that I designed the project they were the best option for a single device you could purchase off Amazon and have working out of the box. The other screen I linked is a good alternative (if it works as I think it will), but has its own drawbacks (the screen resolution is very limited).

 

[ddrum2000]

I think I am reading the specs right for the devices but would either of these work? If not, what did I miss or why would you not recommend them? I have an EE backgroud but I'm not sure which specs matter for your code.

• DIYmall - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DNT75JK6/
• ideaspark - https://www.amazon.com/ESP32-Development-1-9-inch-LCD/dp/B0D6QXC813/

 

[Thorrak]

For DIYmall board, these are the pins the LCD connects to per the schematic:


For the TiltBridge firmware, these are the pins that it expects (set in platformio.ini) for the "D32 Pro Firmware" (which is what you would want for the large TFT):

-DTFT_MISO=19
-DTFT_MOSI=23
-DTFT_SCLK=18
-DTFT_CS=14
-DTFT_DC=27
-DTFT_RST=33
-DTFT_BL=32

If we ignore the differences in naming conventions (MISO=SDO in this case if I'm interpreting their schematic correctly), unfortunately none of the pins match. With this understood the changes you would need to make should all be in platformio.ini if you wanted to download VSCode/Platformio and recompile custom firmware for yourself - but it won't work out of the box/with the firmware available on BrewFlasher.



For the ideaspark, it's the same thing -- I won't paste the screenshot for the board here in the interest of post length, but MOSI is on GPIO23, CS is on GPIO15, etc, when the firmware expects MOSI to be on 19 and CS on 5. The full expected pinout from the "espi" firmware is here. The screen resolution is also different - 170x320 on this board rather than 135x240.

Again: You can recompile the firmware if you wish to support this board, but if you're going to do that, I'd go with the DIYmall option (that one is a neat looking board!)

 

[ddrum2000]

I understand now, it's about the pin out and the screen resolution. I'll pick up the ESPI version and try it out. Is the ESPI version the S3 or the regular ESP32? Thanks.

 

[Thorrak]

I understand now, it's about the pin out and the screen resolution. I'll pick up the ESPI version and try it out. Is the ESPI version the S3 or the regular ESP32? Thanks.

The pinout far more than the resolution. The risk you run with the resolution is that you only use part of the screen. With the pinout it just won’t work.

The ESPI one I linked is the regular ESP32. I have not checked the pinout on it, but it looks like one that I’ve used in the past.

 

[ddrum2000]

Yes the pinout looks right to me. Thanks.

 

[VeloZombie]

Hey @Thorrak,
I just flashed an S3 with Tiltbridge V2 beta and am trying to get it linked to Fermentrack.net but it keeps failing with this error.

TiltBridge is unable to reach Fermentrack. Please check that Fermentrack is accessible at the specified hostname/port.

Is this something to troubleshoot on my end?

 

[Thorrak]

Hey @Thorrak,
I just flashed an S3 with Tiltbridge V2 beta and am trying to get it linked to Fermentrack.net but it keeps failing with this error.

Is this something to troubleshoot on my end?

On your end? Nope. On my end? Apparently a few things! I didn't realize I left that option enabled in the latest release.

Neither the firmware or the server support for Fermentrack 2 are quite finished, but they're coming along nicely:



(Ignore the garbage data, it's random/not device generated)

I'm not promising a release date just yet, other than to say "soon". I took a brief detour this week to focus on a new, non-brewing project -- but thankfully that one has a finite feature list, and is now almost complete (at least until I can get the PCBs in).

Anyways. More coming soon!

 

[VeloZombie]

Ha, I'm unnaturally drawn to poke the unfinished stuff. In a past life I was nicknamed the development reaper...

The v2 versions are looking awesome! Can't wait for the polished releases.
I'll spin up a v1 Fermentrack to use with Tilt until then.
Cheers!

 

[ddrum2000]

Thanks again for helping me get up and running. I picked up the ESPI board you suggested but the screen does not display the gravity. I'm using version 2.0.0-beta1 firmware. Do you know if there are any issues with the firmware or might it be a defective board?

 

[Thorrak]

Thanks again for helping me get up and running. I picked up the ESPI board you suggested but the screen does not display the gravity. I'm using version 2.0.0-beta1 firmware. Do you know if there are any issues with the firmware or might it be a defective board?

Can you access the web interface?

Does the screen display anything at all (including during setup) or is it completely blank?

Which firmware variant (screen type) did you flash?

 

[ddrum2000]

Thanks for the quick reply.

1. Can you access the web interface?
   1. Yes, no issues with that.
2. Does the screen display anything at all (including during setup) or is it completely blank?
   1. Do you mean during flashing? If so, then no. I don't think I've seen the screen show anything
3. Which firmware variant (screen type) did you flash?
   1. I thought I did "v2.0.0-alpha3 - TTGO USB-C" but now I'm wondering if I accidentally used "v2.0.0-alpha3 - TFT"

 

[Thorrak]

Thanks for the quick reply.

1. Can you access the web interface?
   1. Yes, no issues with that.
2. Does the screen display anything at all (including during setup) or is it completely blank?
   1. Do you mean during flashing? If so, then no. I don't think I've seen the screen show anything
3. Which firmware variant (screen type) did you flash?
   1. I thought I did "v2.0.0-alpha3 - TTGO USB-C" but now I'm wondering if I accidentally used "v2.0.0-alpha3 - TFT"

In the web interface I think the firmware version you flashed is on the “about” page. You need the TTGO (espi) version for it to work, so if you didn’t flash that one, you would need to re-flash.

 

[ddrum2000]

I just reflashed using the v2.0.0-alpha3 TTGO USB-C version and no screen output. For testing purposes, I flashed v1.2.4 TTGO USB-C and the screen seems to work ok. When using v2.0.0 it seams like the screen backlight isn't on where as on v.1.2.4 I can that the screen backlight is on even at times when there is no screen output.

All versions as those listed above are those as stated in BrewFlasher.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

[Thorrak]

I just reflashed using the v2.0.0-alpha3 TTGO USB-C version and no screen output. For testing purposes, I flashed v1.2.4 TTGO USB-C and the screen seems to work ok. When using v2.0.0 it seams like the screen backlight isn't on where as on v.1.2.4 I can that the screen backlight is on even at times when there is no screen output.

All versions as those listed above are those as stated in BrewFlasher.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

Several. Mostly four letter words referencing technology.

Sounds like there's a bug of some sort in the latest beta, but looking purely at the code I can't see what might have caused it. I had thought I had tested the alpha against this hardware, but clearly I missed something. We're traveling at the moment but are headed home this afternoon -- I'll see if I can figure out what's going on and will let you know.

 

[ddrum2000]

No problem and thanks. Also as an FYI, it seems to be detecting the Tilt and sending data to Brewfather with no issues.

 

[Thorrak]

No problem and thanks. Also as an FYI, it seems to be detecting the Tilt and sending data to Brewfather with no issues.

Unfortunately, this may take a few days to properly fix, but I think that I have a working version now on BrewFlasher.

In order to use the latest version of the ESP32 Arduino framework, I have to use the latest (unreleased) version of the graphics library I used for TiltBridge. There appears to be a bug in that version for ST7789-based chips which is causing it to fail -- and the latest update to the library is from over a year ago, which makes me think it's time to switch to a new graphics library.

The espi version ("beta1") is a quick attempt to convert to a new graphics library - and while it seems to be working as expected, it's only barely tested. Still: Might be worth it if you want something up and running now!

 

[ddrum2000]

So was the only change to graphics library? If so, I'll give it a whirl. I'm fermenting right now I don't want to mess up the bridging functionality.

 

[Thorrak]

So was the only change to graphics library? If so, I'll give it a whirl. I'm fermenting right now I don't want to mess up the bridging functionality.

Yep. Flashing will reset your settings, however - so be prepared to re-connect it to Brewfather

 

[ddrum2000]

Reconnecting to Brewfather is no big deal. I'll report back later this afternoon.

 

[t^3]

@Thorrak First Thank You so much for this wonderful gadget! I am trying to put another one together for a friend from leftover parts. I have the pinout worked out but need to customize the Platform.io as you described above. Is there an alternative way to do this without VSCode? I only have a Mac and Linux (RaspberryPi) available to me. Thx

 

[ddrum2000]

Yep. Flashing will reset your settings, however - so be prepared to re-connect it to Brewfather

It seems to be working ok. I have a couple observations/questions:

1. The screen switches between reporting the temp/gravity and the tiltbridge logo every 5-6 sec. Is that normal?
2. The temp and gravity are in dark blue which is hard to read. Is that the intended color or is the text color supposed to be your tilt color? (Mine Tilt is green)
3. I feel like my receive power is pretty low, the RSSI varies between -89 and -100. For context, I ferment in a stainless steel keg BUT I do use a plastic lid. The tiltbridge is about 10 feet and through a door/wall.

Thanks

 

[Thorrak]

@Thorrak First Thank You so much for this wonderful gadget! I am trying to put another one together for a friend from leftover parts. I have the pinout worked out but need to customize the Platform.io as you described above. Is there an alternative way to do this without VSCode? I only have a Mac and Linux (RaspberryPi) available to me. Thx

While technically yes, it's really not worth the effort. VSCode is worth the download.

FYI - I do 100% of my development on a Mac. VSCode + PlatformIO works wonderfully.

 

[Thorrak]

It seems to be working ok. I have a couple observations/questions:

1. The screen switches between reporting the temp/gravity and the tiltbridge logo every 5-6 sec. Is that normal?
2. The temp and gravity are in dark blue which is hard to read. Is that the intended color or is the text color supposed to be your tilt color? (Mine Tilt is green)
3. I feel like my receive power is pretty low, the RSSI varies between -89 and -100. For context, I ferment in a stainless steel keg BUT I do use a plastic lid. The tiltbridge is about 10 feet and through a door/wall.

Thanks

Answering out of order:

1. Yes, that's expected. The screen only updates as it refreshes - the logo denotes the start of the next cycle. If you had multiple Tilts, you would see it cycle through pages to display them all first.

3. Unfortunately, that sounds about right. The antenna on the ESP32 is the wavy PCB trace on the back, which is better than nothing, but just barely. The idea for the TiltBridge is that you place it somewhere close to your fermenter, and it "bridges" the Bluetooth signal to something via WiFi that you can then monitor. The screen was actually an afterthought.

With that said, if the screen is the part you're most interested in, then I'll take the opportunity for a shameless plug: Subscribe to Fermentrack 2 updates. I've got something in the works that you'll (hopefully?) love.

2. That appears to be a bug with the new display driver! I'm seeing the same, despite not having a Blue tilt either:

 

[ddrum2000]

Answering out of order:

1. Yes, that's expected. The screen only updates as it refreshes - the logo denotes the start of the next cycle. If you had multiple Tilts, you would see it cycle through pages to display them all first.

3. Unfortunately, that sounds about right. The antenna on the ESP32 is the wavy PCB trace on the back, which is better than nothing, but just barely. The idea for the TiltBridge is that you place it somewhere close to your fermenter, and it "bridges" the Bluetooth signal to something via WiFi that you can then monitor. The screen was actually an afterthought.

With that said, if the screen is the part you're most interested in, then I'll take the opportunity for a shameless plug: Subscribe to Fermentrack 2 updates. I've got something in the works that you'll (hopefully?) love.

2. That appears to be a bug with the new display driver! I'm seeing the same, despite not having a Blue tilt either:

View attachment 879981

Thanks again.

1. I wanted to check on the expected behavior. Also is there any channel other than this forum where you announce firmware version updates?
2. Thanks. I'll have to check out Fermentrack 2.
3. I was able to move the board closer to the fermenter and now I'm getting in the low -70's

 

[Thorrak]

Thanks again.

1. I wanted to check on the expected behavior. Also is there any channel other than this forum where you announce firmware version updates?
2. Thanks. I'll have to check out Fermentrack 2.
3. I was able to move the board closer to the fermenter and now I'm getting in the low -70's

Technically you can subscribe to the blog, but that’s not just TiltBridge - and the purpose of the blog is to have something to link to that’s a longer version of what I would post otherwise. If you like getting into the weeds on these kinds of projects then it might be interesting - but there’s a reason it only has 3 subscribers.

Fermentrack 2 doesn’t yet have gravity support, but it’s coming very soon (and is a major catalyst for building TiltBridge 2). Once gravity support is in, the next major feature announcement is the one I think you’d be interested in. My guess is that’s ~6 weeks away. Since both of these are relevant to TiltBridge users I’ll post about them here when they’re live.

 

[t^3]

While technically yes, it's really not worth the effort. VSCode is worth the download.

FYI - I do 100% of my development on a Mac. VSCode + PlatformIO works wonderfully.

I saw Microsoft in the name and stopped there, lol. Looks like I have a lot to learn, been away from development for many years.

 

[Thorrak]

I saw Microsoft in the name and stopped there, lol. Looks like I have a lot to learn, been away from development for many years.

Hah! If it makes you feel better, the landscape has shifted at least 3 times just since I started BrewPi-ESP. Initially it was in Visual Studio (Visual Micro) which was painful enough that I almost abandoned the project. Platformio released their plugin for CLion (JetBrains), which I switched to and loved. That worked until they started to push people towards their own Atom-based editor (which sucked) - but there were workarounds to still use CLion (albeit poorly). When they finally decided to go all-in on VSCode I thought it was Visual Micro again, and resisted it for as long as I could. When I finally took the plunge, I found it actually was pretty great.

Wild how much things have changed in 9 years!