[Version 2 Release] RaspberryPints - Digital Taplist Solution

Williams 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Would there be any issue placing the flow meters on the end of my shanks? (if I can find an adapter for this)
Also, where is the best price for the flow meters?
 
DrunkleJon said:
Personally, I have been guessing. Otherwise you can do a little math.

Weight of keg with beer - Weight of empty keg = FG of beer * weight of volume as water
so
(Weight of keg with beer - Weight of empty keg)/FG of beer = (Gallons of beer in keg / 8.34)
since 1 gallon of water is 8.34 pounds

Should work pretty well.
Click to expand...

I do the math. I actually write a VERY remedial python script to do it. It's close, though I'm not sure how close just yet. I haven't emptied a keg since I installed the meters.
 
chemman14 said:
Would there be any issue placing the flow meters on the end of my shanks? (if I can find an adapter for this)
Also, where is the best price for the flow meters?
Click to expand...

You probably want the flow meters closer to the kegs. The turbulance can cause foaminess if too close to the taps.

2Kegger said:
I do the math. I actually write a VERY remedial python script to do it. It's close, though I'm not sure how close just yet. I haven't emptied a keg since I installed the meters.
Click to expand...

I guessed on one off the top of my head. Weirdly enough the keg kicked within a few fl oz of being spot on. I was amazed and will never manage that good of a guess again.
 
how difficult would it be to make the pir sensor turn on a 12v led strip the same time it turns on the monitor? would this just be a matter of wiring up a circuit to utilize a wallwart, then modifying the alamode code?

any input?
 
mcangeli said:
The space shouldn't matter.

Which pin is the one that the water is on?

I've started working on the code to add the centipede shield which would enable more pins but I haven't sat down and worked on it in depth in a while.
Click to expand...

The water is on pin 10. However now none of the meters are now reporting, and the script is running. I double checked the *.ino file and the pins utilized are 2,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 with the tap count at 8. I re-compiled/loaded then re-booted with no joy. Plus the flowmon status says the script is running. Very lost now.

Update: Very strange. I did a shutdown -h brought the system back up and all are now working. Tap 8 pin 11 is reading very high on the values, like 15 oz. for a 5 oz pour. Just checked and tap 8 pin 11 reads 5 oz. for each 1 oz. poured.
 
Last edited:
winovino said:
how difficult would it be to make the pir sensor turn on a 12v led strip the same time it turns on the monitor? would this just be a matter of wiring up a circuit to utilize a wallwart, then modifying the alamode code?

any input?
Click to expand...

Piece o' cake, all you need is that wall wart and an RPi compatible relay and you're in bidness.
I already use gpio 8 to light up an LED for two seconds when the PIR fires as a diagnostic aid.

Code: 
#!/usr/bin/env python

import os
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
import time
GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)

cmd = 'xscreensaver-command -deactivate'
playsound = 'mpg321 /home/pi/tada.mp3'

PIR_PIN = 7
STATUS_PIN = 8
GPIO.setup(PIR_PIN, GPIO.IN)
GPIO.setup(STATUS_PIN, GPIO.OUT)

def MOTION(PIR_PIN):
	os.system(cmd)
	GPIO.output(STATUS_PIN,True)
	os.system(playsound)
	GPIO.output(STATUS_PIN,False)

try:
	GPIO.add_event_detect(PIR_PIN, GPIO.RISING, callback=MOTION)
	while 1:
		time.sleep(100)

except KeyboardInterrupt:
	GPIO.cleanup()

GPIO.cleanup()


You'd want to extend the "on time" and configure the PIR sensor for retriggering to keep the lights on as long as someone's around the dispensing appliance.

Adding tower lighting and perhaps even room lighting controls triggered by my PIR code are on my list of projects over the winter...

Cheers!
 
chemman14 said:
Would there be any issue placing the flow meters on the end of my shanks? (if I can find an adapter for this)
Also, where is the best price for the flow meters?
Click to expand...

You could give it a try, but observation leads me to believe the closer you can mount the meters to the beer disconnects the more reliable they'll be. Putting them on the opposite end exposes the meters to any CO2 bubbles that form in the lines during temperature swings - which happens: fans only even out the air, they don't stop cycling. They eventually find their way up to the faucets, and I'm pretty sure as they travel through the meters they can cause false pours.

fwiw, I had my meters smack in the middle of 12 foot runs - they were (and are) nestled in the coils atop the kegs. I was getting random tiny pours and eventually changed the lines to put the meters within a foot of the QDs. Since then I never have even an ounce go missing across six taps.

If you figure out how to make a direct connection to the shanks (there's gotta be a John Guest adapter to do that) it's not like you'd have to trash
the lines if it doesn't work out. You might have to switch out the push-in adapters on the JG fittings, but those are inexpensive...

Cheers!
 
day_trippr said:
You could give it a try, but observation leads me to believe the closer you can mount the meters to the beer disconnects the more reliable they'll be. Putting them on the opposite end exposes the meters to any CO2 bubbles that form in the lines during temperature swings - which happens: fans only even out the air, they don't stop cycling. They eventually find their way up to the faucets, and I'm pretty sure as they travel through the meters they can cause false pours.

fwiw, I had my meters smack in the middle of 12 foot runs - they were (and are) nestled in the coils atop the kegs. I was getting random tiny pours and eventually changed the lines to put the meters within a foot of the QDs. Since then I never have even an ounce go missing across six taps.

If you figure out how to make a direct connection to the shanks (there's gotta be a John Guest adapter to do that) it's not like you'd have to trash
the lines if it doesn't work out. You might have to switch out the push-in adapters on the JG fittings, but those are inexpensive...

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Hmm, now you have me wondering about putting these on the ends of the QD's. I also coil my lines atop my kegs and would thing this ~4" of straight section would mess that up.
 
I can speak first-hand that putting the meters next to your taps is a bad idea. I tried this too and the flowmeters were giving me pours that were about 90% foam. After moving them to about 12 inches from the keg, and about another ten feet of line from the meter to the tap, all problems were solved.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
Why are the serving lines so long? Are you guys using 1/4" ID lines? I use 3/16" lines and only have a bit over 4 feet of serving lines? Do the flow meters affect the line length? I wouldn't think so but am curious about any real experience out there.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
From my own personal experience, if you're not using a flow meter, the longer length of beer line allows the beer more time "Settle down" before it reaches the glass. This allows you to carbonate the beer to the volume you desire, and not have a large amount of foam as you're pouring into the glass. On the other hand, a flow meter creates a bit of turbulence in the beer line, and that extra settling down time almost becomes mandatory. I myself at one time used beer lines about 4-5 feet long but I always had to keep my carbonating pressure a bit lower than I wanted because each pour would give me 2-3 inches of foam if I didn't. For example, whenever I make a Cream Ale, I like to highly carbonate it. With my 10 foot beer lines with no meter, I could serve beer at 14-16 PSI and still get a perfect pour every time. Beer was carbonated exactly the way I personally wanted it, and each pour finished off with about a half inch of foam. With a 4 foot line, I had to back that pressure down to about 10-11. Otherwise I would get too much foam. Now I'm using about 11 feet of line with a meter. I still had to back the pressure off a bit, but not much. 10-12 does the trick for me.

If your pours are the way you like, then don't fix it if it's not broken. However, if you plan to incorporate meters into your system, you will most likely need to lengthen your lines to at least double, depending on how your system is set up.

All of my lines are 3/16's ID, by the way...
 
day_trippr said:
Piece o' cake, all you need is that wall wart and an RPi compatible relay and you're in bidness.
I already use gpio 8 to light up an LED for two seconds when the PIR fires as a diagnostic aid.


Cheers!
Click to expand...

thanks for the response day,

think im gonna give this a go this weekend. my keezer sits in a dim spot in the house, and i have some leftover led strips from the kids Halloween costumes, now maybe i can pour a pint not in the dark :)
 
I can't speak for anyone else, but 1 foot of 3/16" ID line per PSI provides a reliable pour for my system. And that happens to match up fairly closely to the results from the only beer line length calculator worth using.

The vast majority of the plethora of "Help! My pours are all foam!" threads on hbt occur on improperly balanced systems, and obviously line diameter and length play a huge role in making things work properly...

Cheers!
 
billybryson54 said:
I can speak first-hand that putting the meters next to your taps is a bad idea. I tried this too and the flowmeters were giving me pours that were about 90% foam. After moving them to about 12 inches from the keg, and about another ten feet of line from the meter to the tap, all problems were solved.
Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
Click to expand...

I've never had a problem with line lengths.
As you can see my meters are close to my taps and this far I had no problems.My lines are about a meter long.

2014-10-31 10.26.47.jpg


2014-10-31 10.27.04.jpg
 
Thanks for the replays. My system has about 4ft of 3/16" hosed at around 13 psi. My pours are very good and since dispensing pressure is about what gives 2 volumes of carbonation it makes it easy. I will try the flow meters with the current length and see what happens. I can always add more length if needed.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
Thanks for the advise I order mine this morning and it is on the way. How about a place for the flow meters I posted that I found some other type I want to say bf I have not found any SF800 only from the manufacture.
 
chiefairwrench said:
Thanks for the advise I order mine this morning and it is on the way. How about a place for the flow meters I posted that I found some other type I want to say bf I have not found any SF800 only from the manufacture.
Click to expand...

I bought 8 new ones for $30 each from the link below on eBay but he does not seem to have any right now.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121458999547?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Oh yeah I forgot to mention that my RPints is also running on a B+ happily.
 
I really need to find these meters soon or I might have to pay full price ( I believe that is contrary to all Homebrews constitution..lol)anyone know where if any is available I appreciate it.
 
The person who was selling the used meters on ebay is the same nvhassani that was briefly selling the new meters. Outside of direct sales I'm not seeing a single outlet for these meters. And the Kegbot folks switched their kits to use a different meter entirely.

It's not looking good.
Anyone want to give the AdaFruit meters a try?

Cheers!
 
mmmooretx said:
For RPiPints stick with the AlaMode. I am using the UNOs in my BrewPi, RPints does not need a UNO only use the AlaMode for now. I have seen where they are working on another unit to put on a B+ but it is not released/available.
Click to expand...

mccangeli is bound and determined to expand the number of meters beyond what the AlaMode can support, by topping the RPi/AlaMode stack with a Centipede module. The Centipede in theory could support up to 64 meters, and would work with both B and B+ model RPi boards.

Best as I can recall, at this time there is no intrinsic support for using an Uno in place of the AlaMode. That's probably not a big deal to rectify but someone has to do the work...

Cheers!
 
I went to keg bot and look at what the deal was with the change away from SF800 Flow meters they were stating that they are suggestion to return or at least have on hand the SF800. So it looking that there might be a shortage out there. I was thinking of buying adfruit flow meter and see what is the difference. But I have everything on the way except the flow meters so it looking like full price from the manufacture will be the solution.:drunk:
 
Maybe someone can arrange a bulk purchase through Swissflow between the keg bot and RPints folks there should be need enough to maybe be able to get a discounted rate. Because, damn, the FT330 that they have in their store is $89. Of course the resale portion/reshipping may end up undoing that cost savings.
 
I don't think there's much different between the two outside of the swissflow being food grade and the adafruit being questionable.
 
Question on the flow meters. I got 8 new ones and one of them is registering 5 oz. for every oz. poured. IE: I pour, measured, 5 oz. and the Pints system registers 25 oz. poured. Do I have a bad meter, or what can I do to get it back on track (accurate)? The other 7 work just fine.
Mike
 
DrunkleJon said:
Maybe someone can arrange a bulk purchase through Swissflow between the keg bot and RPints folks there should be need enough to maybe be able to get a discounted rate. Because, damn, the FT330 that they have in their store is $89. Of course the resale portion/reshipping may end up undoing that cost savings.
Click to expand...

I would be interested!
 
Happy day due to buying the FS800 flow meters today so getting ready for my phase 2 of my pints build:) exciting. Sad due to paying full price for the meters oh well still going to be a blast cant wait for all the item to show up.:fro:
 
mmmooretx said:
It is my tap 8 on pin 11, but I will try moving it tonight when I get home.
Thank you,
Click to expand...

I checked it tonight, sorry I forgot about a brew club meeting last night. Anyway yes it followed the pin movement. So it is a H/W - meter issue? Is replacement the only solution or is there something I can do with it?
Thanks.
Mike
 
mmmooretx said:
I checked it tonight, sorry I forgot about a brew club meeting last night. Anyway yes it followed the pin movement. So it is a H/W - meter issue? Is replacement the only solution or is there something I can do with it?
Thanks.
Mike
Click to expand...

Hi guys. I'm having the same problem as mmmooretx. I bought just one used sf800 and it's measuring 0.6oz for every 1oz poured. Any solutions? By the way, thanks for putting out this nice and very polished package!
 
mmmooretx said:
I checked it tonight, sorry I forgot about a brew club meeting last night. Anyway yes it followed the pin movement. So it is a H/W - meter issue? Is replacement the only solution or is there something I can do with it?
Click to expand...

Can't remember if you got your meters used or new, but one of the presumably used meters I received from nvhassani did that, until I hooked it up to the hot water faucet and gently ran hot water through it for a few minutes (note the gently part - don't test the limits by blasting, let the heat do its thing).

It's been working fine ever since. Might be worth trying.

mikehoran said:
Hi guys. I'm having the same problem as mmmooretx. I bought just one used sf800 and it's measuring 0.6oz for every 1oz poured. Any solutions?
Click to expand...

Give the hot water treatment a try...

Cheers!
 
I am not sure if this has been covered in this thread, but has anyone used an NFC or RFID reader to log users? Keeping track of how much they pour, what, and when?
 

Similar threads

Tobor_8thMan
[Version 2 Release] RaspberryPints - Digital Taplist Solution - Tobor-8thMan Version
Replies
6
Views
4K
day_trippr
day_trippr
Fred S
RaspberryPints - Latest HW / SW as of Dec 2017 (PRi 3 B; Raspian Oct 2017)
Replies
21
Views
3K
day_trippr
day_trippr
OkieNotFromMuskogee
A Brewpi Remix Build
2
Replies
52
Views
10K
bloombrews
bloombrews
garzlok
My Fermentrack Build
2
Replies
56
Views
17K
garzlok
garzlok
B
DIY 5KW Induction Heater
Replies
2
Views
5K
Spivey24
S
InkBird 300

Latest posts

Back
Top