[Version 2 Release] RaspberryPints - Digital Taplist Solution

[Tobor_8thMan]

Other than the Iron City light taps, looks great

 

[squid1230]

Work your way back a ways from here, and for the former effort look for @Tobor_8thMan, while for the latter look for @RandR+...

Cheers!

Is there a specific page where the two efforts fork? I enjoy reading, but 126 pages is beyond my simple brain. I've got the RPi, an Uno R3 and of course el cheapo flow meters, but just need a place to start.

 

[squid1230]

Just wanted to say thanks for all the help!
RandR+ is a HBT HERO for sure!!

View attachment 650354View attachment 650355

That is beautiful! Do you have a picture of the inside? My keezer is roughly the same size but there is no way I can get 7 kegs in there!

 

[awoitte]

A 3B is fine, the issues are not hardware related but instead are due to raspbian.org's relentless need to release a new OS package almost yearly it seems, and each time the application packages are advanced to new versions as well (or outright replaced, in the case of mysql disappearing from the official release stream in favor of mariaDB because of Oracle's tentacles around mysql).

My recommended kit would be either a 3B or 3B+, and if using flow meters, an Uno R3 (as opposed to an Alamode which requires low-level software support from a surprisingly obtuse company - Wyolum - and can be a pita to get working).

From there you have to decide which RaspberryPints fork to follow as I described above. While the basic constructs (and associated requisite support packages) of the two most available options are quite similar to the original, as I attempted to elucidate above the original kit is no longer viable as too many package references have gone stale...

Cheers!

Can you confirm this is what I want rather than the Alamode?

https://www.amazon.com/RoboGets-Com...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==


Also,

Are there any sanitation concerns for using the flow sensors seeing as they're plastic and have (I believe) rotating propellers?

 

[day_trippr]

Can you confirm this is what I want rather than the Alamode?

Yup, that's the one. All of my BrewPi remote "minions" use that same board.

Also, are there any sanitation concerns for using the flow sensors seeing as they're plastic and have (I believe) rotating propellers?

None known here. I've been running six of them for years now with periodic recirculating cleaning with zero issues.
Yes, they have rotors like boat propellers...

Cheers!

 

[squid1230]

Well I did it - all 126 pages plus the 45 or so of the old thread. I think I can say I've learned something but there are some things that still elude me - like what to do now that I've got an uno with a bluetooth shield that I've managed to get running. I know I have to get a script onto it in order to read the meters, but which one, and how. I used RandR+ script to load everything on to the Pi and the tap list seems to function ( although I discovered my router is incapable of issuing static ip's to specific connected devices - seems all or nothing).

If you guru's don't mind - I'd like to pick your brains from time to time..... but first - off to the basement for a pint of my freshly kegged neipa.

 

[RandR+]

I know I have to get a script onto it in order to read the meters, but which one, and how

I haven't used Bluetooth but I assume you will want to pair the Uno with the Pi and then attempt to upload a sketch to it (/var/www/html/arduino/raspberrypints/raspberrypints.ino) by clicking on the Tools menu going to Serial Port and selecting Bluetooth (I think its /dev/rfcomm0) before hitting the upload button

If you selected to use flow meters when you ran my script and selected Bluetooth as the connection then you should only need to pair the Uno with the Pi and restart the script (sudo /etc/init.d/flowmon restart) on startup the flow monitor code will automatically try to upload the sketch to the board. You can look at /var/log/rpints.log to see if there were any errors during startup

 

[day_trippr]

Yes, the port would be /dev/rfcomm0 if that's the only BT serial device connected.

fwiw, for reference (but perhaps not guidance) years ago I was able to get Raspberry Pints communicating between flow meters and host over both Bluetooth (using an HC-05) and Wifi (using an esp8266). Take a look at this post https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/...-taplist-solution.487694/page-55#post-7722587

There's way more there than you'll need using a bluetooth shield. Unless RandR+'s kit doesn't do it all for you, you need to edit flow_monitor.py (or its equivalent port listener) to point to the correct device identifier - rfcomm0, as well as specifying the right baud rate to use. And the Arduino sketch needs an edit to specify the baud rate for whatever adapter you're using. For the HC05 and HC06 I used 57.6K which is essentially their happy place...

Cheers!

[edit] Just remembered something: I was never able to do OTA updates to the Uno over Bluetooth as there was no mechanism to hit the 328P with a reset to force it to load code. In my case I just did the one-time burn over USB and all was good to go, but iirc RandR+'s kit tries to upload the sketch every time it's started.

Depending on that Bluetooth shield design, that may work fine. Or not. Keep an eye out for it though...

 

[RandR+]

Unless RandR+'s kit doesn't do it all for you, you need to edit flow_monitor.py (or its equivalent port listener) to point to the correct device identifier - rfcomm0, as well as specifying the right baud rate to us

The port configuration is done via my script, but it don't change the serial baud rate. the sketch part of it is tricky to make it configurable without changing the code.

So Yes anyone trying to use Bluetooth will need to update the baudrate in Flowmonitor.py and the sketch manually (either uploading manually and removing the .cpp.hex file from \arduino\raspberrypints or replace it with the new compile after the baud rate change)

 

[squid1230]

I love Canada, don't get me wrong - but sometimes it just frustrates me. Look at that shipping, and all for a little baggy that fits in the palm of my hand.

 

[squid1230]

double post

 

[day_trippr]

If you haven't bought those stem inserts yet I'd be happy to mail you a dozen (maybe more) of them. Even to Canada
I switched my lines from Bevlex 200 3/16" ID/7/16" OD to EVAbarrier 4mm ID/8mm OD and replaced all of the flow meter adapters with 3/8" BSPP to 5/16" OD adapters so the line plugs straight in...

Cheers!

 

[squid1230]

If you haven't bought those stem inserts yet I'd be happy to mail you a dozen (maybe more) of them. Even to Canada
I switched my lines from Bevlex 200 3/16" ID/7/16" OD to EVAbarrier 4mm ID/8mm OD and replaced all of the flow meter adapters with 3/8" BSPP to 5/16" OD adapters so the line plugs straight in...

Cheers!

I am stunned by your generous spirit! Thank you - that would be wonderful of you. Please let me know what I owe you for the stems and postage. I'll P.M my address.

 

[day_trippr]

Fittings are on their way and in the tender mercies of the USA and Canada postal systems

Cheers!

 

[LBussy]

Wait a minute .... where’s the fly?!

 

[day_trippr]

It's on vacation in the tropics

 

[squid1230]

I haven't used Bluetooth but I assume you will want to pair the Uno with the Pi and then attempt to upload a sketch to it (/var/www/html/arduino/raspberrypints/raspberrypints.ino) by clicking on the Tools menu going to Serial Port and selecting Bluetooth (I think its /dev/rfcomm0) before hitting the upload button

If you selected to use flow meters when you ran my script and selected Bluetooth as the connection then you should only need to pair the Uno with the Pi and restart the script (sudo /etc/init.d/flowmon restart) on startup the flow monitor code will automatically try to upload the sketch to the board. You can look at /var/log/rpints.log to see if there were any errors during startup

When I go to Tools; Serial Port - it's greyed out. The currently connected port shows as /dev/ttyACM0, yet when I hit Tools; Serial Monitor it says " serial port /dev/ttyACM0 not found. When I connect the Pi to the Uno it says " paired successfully, but this device has no services which can be used with Raspberry Pi" Talk about mixed signals!

Oh and when I go to flow_monitor.py it is completely blank!

 

[RandR+]

Talk about mixed signals!

I'm am no expert in Bluetooth UNO connection, but after a quick read I think you need to program the Uno via USB then once that's done you can setup Bluetooth.

flow_monitor.py it is completely blank!

Did you use elevated privileges? such as sudo nano /var/www/html/python/FlowMonitor.py if you did not normal privileges cant open the file and show it as empty.

 

[squid1230]

I did sudo, but didn't list the path - just sudo nano flowmonitor.py and got the blank file. Using the full path seems to have worked and now I see plenty of text. Thank you!

Any idea why serial port under tools is greyed out?

 

[RandR+]

Any idea why serial port under tools is greyed out?

not off the top of my head, you did select to use flow meters when you ran my script right?

 

[day_trippr]

Did you enable Serial in raspi-config?

$ sudo raspi-config

Cheers!

 

[squid1230]

not off the top of my head, you did select to use flow meters when you ran my script right?

Yes, I most certainly did.

Did you enable Serial in raspi-config?

$ sudo raspi-config

Cheers!

Serial is enabled

 

[squid1230]

.. sorry guys - I'm just not seeing any reference to ports/ port listening/ baud rate etc in FlowMonitor.py

seems somewhat organized: RFID / Motion detection etc, but I see nothing refering to serial ports, or baud rates even usin the ^w function to search. Could either of you gentlemen narrow it down for me?

On a parellel but likely unrelated subject - I hooked up my motion sensor, ran the test script ( motion detected!) successfully, however upon reboot I let the screen blank ( after 1 min) but the motion sensor doesn't wake the screen. Any clues?

 

[RandR+]

ports/ port listening/ baud rate etc in FlowMonitor.py

about line 221
9600 is the baudrate
self.arduino = serial.Serial(self.port,9600,timeout=.5)

 

[squid1230]

about line 221
9600 is the baudrate
self.arduino = serial.Serial(self.port,9600,timeout=.5)

Oh fantastic! Thanks for narrowing it down. Do I wipe out "self.port" and replace with rfcomm0?

 

[squid1230]

sorry guys - i gotta go back to Day_Trippr's post https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/...-taplist-solution.487694/page-55#post-7722587 to re-read the info on the Uno from scratch

 

[day_trippr]

I'd love to help but I have zero experience with RandR+'s version, so I don't know what/how things are configured.
But somewhere the port reference has to be rfcomm0 (assuming the first BT/ser device) and I think you'll find the baud rate needs to be set to 57.6K at both ends as that was the setting I found the HC-05 and HC-06 devices to be happiest with.

And as I've mentioned often, unless a specific BT/serial bridge provides a reset mechanism "known" by the flasher (in our case, typically "avrdude") you have to program the Uno via USB...

Cheers!

 

[squid1230]

That's the angle I'm working now with that old post of your and a usb cable.

Any idea why the PIR tests succesfully, but in operation it doesn't wake from the blank screen?

 

[day_trippr]

Out of interest what Raspbian version are you using?
Generally, that symptom points to "failure to launch" the pir_run.py script.
That can happen because the ORG keeps moving the &^#%$@! startup folder with every version.

If you do a

$ ps aux|grep pir_run.py

you should see something like this:

pi@rpints ~ $ ps aux|grep pir_run.py
root      3008  0.0  0.2   5080  2672 ?        S    Nov07   0:00 sudo python /home/pi/pir_run.py
root      3015  0.0  0.5  16916  5652 ?        Sl   Nov07   0:13 python /home/pi/pir_run.py
pi       15842  0.0  0.1   4044  1844 pts/0    S+   20:48   0:00 grep --color=auto pir_run.py
pi@rpints ~ $

If you only get the last line then pir_run.py was not running.
[edit]
/etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE/autostart referenced in my old post is an old (Wheezy) location.
/etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart was used with Jessie, and maybe Stretch.
/home/pi/.config/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart was also used by one or both. (Note 'pi' is the user login identity. If you log in with a different user name verify your "home" location and use that).

I have no idea what Buster uses. Give the second and third locations a try. One of those should work...

Cheers!

 

[LBussy]

That can happen because the ORG keeps moving the &^#%$@! startup folder with every version.

Symlinks my friend.