[Version 2 Release] RaspberryPints - Digital Taplist Solution

[Mafoley29]

Reflashing error with screen shot

 

[CaptnDelta]

Hi Matt,

just got home from a New Years Party, I'll take a look at your screen shots tomorrow. Interesting that the flash command fails, this is a Alamode, correct?

Cheers,
-Th

 

[day_trippr]

I presume those screen shots are from the divergent branch.

fwiw, in the BrewPi thread Elco noted that the recent pyserial update to version 3 broke connectivity between the RPi and Uno...

Cheers!

 

[Mafoley29]

Hi Matt,

just got home from a New Years Party, I'll take a look at your screen shots tomorrow. Interesting that the flash command fails, this is a Alamode, correct?

Cheers,
-Th

Yes I tried 3 alamodes just in case.

 

[CaptnDelta]

Yes I tried 3 alamodes just in case.

Can you try to type the command to flash into the console as it is displayed in the log - the command that starts the line after "flashing alamode via: " and up to "raspberrypints.cpp.hex:i" (it's all one line, it just wraps in the log), and post the output here? You may have to prefix it with 'sudo' to make it work in the console (depends on your login).

Maybe we can get a bit more info on that then there is in the log. Also, you can still flash the alamode via the arduino IDE (like it's done in the original instructions), I just included the automatic upload to make things easier. If it cannot flash the alamode for some reason, it will still move on - however, for everything to work it needs to flash it successfully at least once.

The the error in the first screen shot you posted is benign, it just means a web browser disconnected from the web socket server and didn't tell it about it. You may see a few of those while things are running, like said it's save to ignore them.

Good luck, let me know ow things are going

Cheers,
-Th

 

[CaptnDelta]

I presume those screen shots are from the divergent branch.

fwiw, in the BrewPi thread Elco noted that the recent pyserial update to version 3 broke connectivity between the RPi and Uno...

Cheers!

Well, good to know, but AFAIK the arduino programmer (avrdude), which is failing in this case doesn't use python.

Cheers,
-Th

 

[CaptnDelta]

I fell like I am getting closer.

Should the first 3 lines within the log file point out my PIN numbers for my 3 valves that I set? Pin 5, 6 and 7


What does the error mean that reflashing alamode failed?

Thanks all.

Matt

Just one more thing on this screen shot: The first few "invalid pin 0" just mean that the valve pins just hadn't been assigned yet. Later on, you assigned pin numbers to your taps in tap config, that's when they go away. From what I can tell is that you got pin #'s 23, 24 and 25 assigned (and that it attempts to open those). Is that correct (since you're saying here that it is pins 5, 6, 7)?

If you actually have 5, 6, 7 as pins there, then I may have something wrong with the way I print them in the log (it's interesting that the sum of the individual digits agree with what you're saying in your post, e.g. 23 -> 2+3 = 5, etc)

Again, the error trace in that screen shot is benign, just means a ungraceful disconnect of a web browser.

Also, please, next time please attach the entire rpints logfile (instead of screen shots), since that will make finding causes of problems alot easier. If the forum doesn't let you attach the log file, please use a service like pastebin and post the link to the upload here. Also, remember to save the rpints log before any service restart, since that will override any prior file. Thanks!

Cheers,
-Th

 

[Mafoley29]

Thanks for the assistance.

When I manually go into the programmer I do get the message "done uploading" and also get the error below in orange problem uploading to board sfk avrdude 500

I had the browser opened, flowmon service stopped, started and no matter what way I get the same result.

I have tried 2 different pi's and 3 different alamodes. I purchased 3 swissflow meters and now 3 adafruit flow meters.

Blink test does not work but as I said above I can manually upload to the board and it says done uploading.

I first purchased 1 alamode from makershed and had the problems right off the bat. I then purchased 2 more with no luck.

So using my current raspberry pi if I purchased an uno r3, ran a USB cable to connect the two together will this work and what other changes would I need to make????

 

[CaptnDelta]

Thanks for the assistance.

When I manually go into the programmer I do get the message "done uploading" and also get the error below in orange problem uploading to board sfk avrdude 500

Ok, can you try to enter the 'avrdude' command line manually into your terminal (as mentioned in my 1st post above), and copy/paste any error that you may get. This may help us along, I cannot imagine all 3 alamode's being broken.

Blink test does not work but as I said above I can manually upload to the board and it says done uploading.

I'm wondering about that. Is there something else running that keeps the serial board occupied? Again, any exact error message would help us here.

So using my current raspberry pi if I purchased an uno r3, ran a USB cable to connect the two together will this work and what other changes would I need to make????

It is an option, however I'd rather you not buy more stuff for now, and we see if we can make the stuff you got work

Cheers,
-Th

 

[Mafoley29]

Ok, can you try to enter the 'avrdude' command line manually into your terminal (as mentioned in my 1st post above), and copy/paste any error that you may get. This may help us along, I cannot imagine all 3 alamode's being broken.


I'm wondering about that. Is there something else running that keeps the serial board occupied? Again, any exact error message would help us here.


It is an option, however I'd rather you not buy more stuff for now, and we see if we can make the stuff you got work

Cheers,
-Th

Sorry I did not explain what you asked me in my response.

When I run the command manually from the term window after about 10 seconds I get the message

Avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding

Avrdude done. Thank you.

I can post anything else needed.

 

[Mafoley29]

This is from the programmer

Same message as well as doing it manually from the term window

 

[kaljade]

Hi all, quick question for the brains trust:

Is it possible to change the number of decimal places in the 'Start Amount' field of the My Taps page? Currently it rounds to the nearest 10th of a gallon, which is a variance of 10 oz (+/- 5oz), if we could make it two decimal places we'd have "laser point" accuracy ;-)

 

[CaptnDelta]

This is from the programmer

Same message as well as doing it manually from the term window

Ok, got it. So there is one of a few possible problems:
* something else is using your serial port on /dev/ttyS0. When trying to upload, make sure that the flowmon service is stopped, and also that there is nothing else that uses that serial port. There is a linux command called 'lsof' that can help you figure what has that device entry open. I'm not certain tho if that program is installed by default. May have to install it via 'sudo apt-get install lsof'
* Make sure the Alamode is reset. For this, it helps greatly if the Alamode is powered from it's own power supply. This way you only need to re-plug it right before issuing the upload command
* The serial pins on the connector are not soldered on properly, or are shorted. Double check your soldering job for shorts between pins
* Also, make sure you have nothing connected to RaspPi GPIO pin 18. That's the reset line for the alamode

Other than that, it could be that the alamode boot loader is corrupt, but I can't imagine that happening on 3 alamode's at the same time.

One other thing to try is to download the arduino IDE for your windows computer (or for Mac), and attempt to to upload a simple or empty sketch. This way we know which side has the problem (RPi vs. Alamode).

Good luck,
-Th

 

[CaptnDelta]

Hi all, quick question for the brains trust:

Is it possible to change the number of decimal places in the 'Start Amount' field of the My Taps page? Currently it rounds to the nearest 10th of a gallon, which is a variance of 10 oz (+/- 5oz), if we could make it two decimal places we'd have "laser point" accuracy ;-)

Yeah, just notice that too, seems weird to only give it one decimal place (however, I'm curious how you know how much is in your keg that accurately ).

You can try to use phpmyadmin to log into the db, go to the 'raspberrypints' db (on the left), and select table 'taps'. You'll see a 'structure' tab on the top. In there, change the decimal points for both 'startAmount' *and* 'currentAmount'. See if that helps (it won't help with anything that's already there, only future kegs).

As always, make good backups before attempting mysql surgery...

Cheers,
-Th

 

[Mafoley29]

Thanks for the assistance.

I have tried those steps without any success.

Where can I find the proper instructions on uploading the boot loader or either on how I could check the boot loader?

 

[Mafoley29]

Thanks for the assistance.

I have tried those steps without any success.

Who you have the proper instructions on uploading the boot loader or either on how I could check the boot loader?

When I installed the arduino IDE 1.6.7 on my mac I hooked up the alamode by an a to b USB cable. Lights come on. D13, 5v0, and 3v3 and stay solid yellow

Under tools port I only get /dev/cu.bluetooth and PDA-Sync

 

[wbarber69]

How about some close ups of the alamodes you bought. since you have 3 and none are working right, it's either the connection to the pi or some piece of software that's not up to par. it's highly unlikely that all that hardware is bad. I wonder what kind of power supply you're using and if it's providing adequate power. or perhaps he's trying to power the pi from the Alamode and that's making trouble. and if none of that is the issue, then maybe you live waaay to close to a high capacity electrical feed.

 

[Mafoley29]

How about some close ups of the alamodes you bought. since you have 3 and none are working right, it's either the connection to the pi or some piece of software that's not up to par. it's highly unlikely that all that hardware is bad. I wonder what kind of power supply you're using and if it's providing adequate power. or perhaps he's trying to power the pi from the Alamode and that's making trouble. and if none of that is the issue, then maybe you live waaay to close to a high capacity electrical feed.

So I have attached a pic of the alamodes.

I am powering the alamode by a wall charger which is powering the alamode. I am using one of the white iPhone charger plugs with an a to b USB charger

I did the soldering on the first alamode and I thought I did a good job and it looks great. Second and third I had my wife do it as she solders for a living (dentist) and it looks better than the factory solder joints.

I have used three different raspberry pis. Two were the b with the 24 pin and one was the new 40 pin.

I am not doing anything else with the setup except raspberry pints.

I have tried fresh installs following the 10 steps from the raspberry pints instructions with ver 2.0, 2.1, and captain deltas version.

For the last two months I have thought that the problem was the swissflow meters that I got directly from them so I purchased the adafruit ones as well. But flow meters are not the problem as that is one step above where I am at.

If I can't get the alamode programmed correctly the flow meters don't matter.

I have spent thousands on the keg which I got yelled at by the wife. But the craftsmenship and everyone making over it has changed her view on that.

The issue now is I have spent weeks sitting at this damn thing and have not got anywhere.

That is why I thought for test $30 for an uno r3 is pocket change to the hours I have spent without any progress.

 

[kaljade]

Yeah, just notice that too, seems weird to only give it one decimal place (however, I'm curious how you know how much is in your keg that accurately ).

You can try to use phpmyadmin to log into the db, go to the 'raspberrypints' db (on the left), and select table 'taps'. You'll see a 'structure' tab on the top. In there, change the decimal points for both 'startAmount' *and* 'currentAmount'. See if that helps (it won't help with anything that's already there, only future kegs).

As always, make good backups before attempting mysql surgery...

Cheers,
-Th

Thanks heaps CaptnDelta, that did the trick (I changed it from 6,1 to 5,2 as I figured 5 significant figures was plenty for our needs)!

As for how I know how much is in my kegs I've created an Excel spreadsheet based on a formula courtesy of DrunkleJon which I added a VLOOKUP table to allow for water density changes according to temperature, so all you need to do is weigh your full keg and enter in the temperature and final gravity and it'll do the rest:

Keg Volume Calculator

The only caveat is that it's based on the pressure being a standard atmosphere. Version 2 I'll look at adding altitude and keg pressure fields in too.

I would have suggested that someone with coding chops could fold it into RaspberryPints (or maybe your side project if it interests you?).

Anyway it's there for anyone who wants to use it (if a keg kicks prematurely or doesn't fill all the way).

Cheers,

Kal

 

[CaptnDelta]

When I installed the arduino IDE 1.6.7 on my mac I hooked up the alamode by an a to b USB cable. Lights come on. D13, 5v0, and 3v3 and stay solid yellow

Under tools port I only get /dev/cu.bluetooth and PDA-Sync

Umm, I hate to tell you that, but the USB port on the alamode is only there as a power supply. It doesn't have data connected, so won't show up. (Should have pointed that out, sorry). To be able to program your alamode directly from your PC, you'll have to add the FTDI header (not soldered in in any of your boards, it's marked on the PCB mask), and use a FTDI <-> USB cable to connect to your Mac.

So I have attached a pic of the alamodes.

I am powering the alamode by a wall charger which is powering the alamode. I am using one of the white iPhone charger plugs with an a to b USB charger

What I noticed is that you have the 5V jumpers in the 'power from RPi' position, thus your wall charger doesn't do much good. You need to move them to the left position for external power to work, check the alamode manual...

If I can't get the alamode programmed correctly the flow meters don't matter.

Yes, that's correct. BTW, once you get this programmed, don't mix up the .ino files between the two RaspberryPints versions, they are not compatible.

The issue now is I have spent weeks sitting at this damn thing and have not got anywhere.

That is why I thought for test $30 for an uno r3 is pocket change to the hours I have spent without any progress.

Ok, here is where we can kill 2 birds with one stone. Since you asked earlier how to reflash the boot loader on your alamode, you could use a Uno for that. At the same time you could use the Uno to see if it get's you any further with regards to setting up RPints.

So, for reflashing the boot loader on your alamode via the Uno, check out this page: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/installing-an-arduino-bootloader about 1/2 way down it tells you how to make a Uno flash a boot loader to your Alamode. You have to solder in the ICSP header on the Alamode, it's next to the big Atmel chip. Please, only try this on *one* of your alamodes for now, to see if that gets you any further...

For using the Uno as the flow count controller (instead of the Alamode), you have to change the serial port in RPints. In my version, that's done in 'python/Config.py'. You should see a commented line that says

#config['flowmon.port' ] = '/dev/ttyACM0'

uncomment that one, and comment the one that's there right now ('dev/ttyS0'). Use the Arduino programmer to verify that this is indeed your serial port, otherwise correct it. That should be all you need to do.

I have spent thousands on the keg which I got yelled at by the wife. But the craftsmenship and everyone making over it has changed her view on that.

Ha, I guess we got something in common there

Cheers,
-Th

 

[Mafoley29]

Guys,

I cannot thank you enough for the support on this. I hooked up the Uno and within seconds it was working.

If a user like me is only using the Raspberry Pi for Raspberry Pints what is the difference with going with an Uno over the Alamode? I probably read this answer at least once in the 158 pages in this thread. From me looking at it the Uno is $20 cheaper and no soldering, why not go with it?

CaptnDelta,

I hope you understand this comment. I do not know to either start messing with the bootloader with the instructions that you sent me on the Alamode or take them out to the firepit and watch the damn things BURN. As I am really curious I will mess with the bootloader next weekend and update you guys.

If anyone is reading this and looking to get this setup be warned the problems that I had with the Alamode's from Makershed.

I updated the Config.py as you stated. Though, within the rpints.log it still states alamode and also the dev/ttySO. As I used the arduino ide programmer I am not worried about this that much NOW and have NO problem what so ever doing the upload manually if needed.

Again, thanks again for your support.

Now here comes the cameras, valves, RFID, etc.

Matt

RPINTS: update pin 26 from 0 to 1
RPINTS: broadcast update: RPU:VALVE:26=1
RPINTS: starting setup...
RPINTS: resetting alamode to try to force it to listen to us...
RPINTS: update pin 18 from 0 to 1
RPINTS: giving it a short break to wake up again...
RPINTS: reflashing alamode via:
/usr/share/arduino/hardware/tools/avrdude -C/usr/share/arduino/hardware/tools/avrdude.conf -patmega328p -calamode -P/dev/ttyS0 -b115200 -D -Uflash:w:/v
ar/www/arduino/raspberrypints/raspberrypints.cpp.hex:i
RPINTS: reflashing alamode failed, moving on anyways, error was: Command '/usr/share/arduino/hardware/tools/avrdude -C/usr/share/arduino/hardware/tool
s/avrdude.conf -patmega328p -calamode -P/dev/ttyS0 -b115200 -D -Uflash:w:/var/www/arduino/raspberrypints/raspberrypints.cpp.hex:i' returned non-zero ex
it status 1
RPINTS:
RPINTS: starting WS server
RPINTS: starting tap flow meters...
RPINTS: resetting alamode
RPINTS: update pin 18 from 0 to 1
RPINTS: kegerator fan control not enabled
RPINTS: starting command server
RPINTS: waiting for alamode to come alive
RPINTS: alamode alive...
RPINTS: getting config data for alamode
RPINTS: alamode config, about to sent: C:4:5:6:7:8:300:200:30:250|
RPINTS: alamode says: C:4:5:6:7:8:300:200:30:250|
RPINTS: listening to alamode
RPINTS: reconfigure trigger: alamode
RPINTS: resetting alamode config from db
RPINTS: closing serial connection to alamode...
RPINTS: flowmonitor aborted, restarting...
RPINTS: resetting alamode
RPINTS: update pin 18 from 0 to 1
RPINTS: waiting for alamode to come alive
RPINTS: alamode alive...
RPINTS: getting config data for alamode
RPINTS: alamode config, about to sent: C:4:5:6:7:8:300:200:30:250|
RPINTS: alamode says: C:4:5:6:7:8:300:200:30:250|
RPINTS: listening to alamode
RPINTS: got a update: U;0;8;251
RPINTS: got a pour: P;0;8;419
pours.php: pour on pin: 8, count: 419
RPINTS: broadcast update: RPU:FLOW:8=419

 

[CaptnDelta]

Guys,

I cannot thank you enough for the support on this. I hooked up the Uno and within seconds it was working.

If a user like me is only using the Raspberry Pi for Raspberry Pints what is the difference with going with an Uno over the Alamode? I probably read this answer at least once in the 158 pages in this thread. From me looking at it the Uno is $20 cheaper and no soldering, why not go with it?

Glad you got this show on the road

As far as Alamode vs. Uno, I see your point, however there are some advantages (powering RPi via Alamode, direct connection w/o cables, compact form factor, etc.) that may have played into the initial choice. There are quite a few around running with no problems. At the end you do have a valid point, soldering headers, flashing firmware, etc. is not everyones thing. I'm working on something that should make this more plug&play, w/o soldering, flashing firmware, etc...

CaptnDelta,

I hope you understand this comment. I do not know to either start messing with the bootloader with the instructions that you sent me on the Alamode or take them out to the firepit and watch the damn things BURN. As I am really curious I will mess with the bootloader next weekend and update you guys.

It's all good, glad you got some progress there. However, before you throw them into a firepit, PM me your email address and I send you an address where you can sent those alamodes to
I'd be curious to see what's going on there

I updated the Config.py as you stated. Though, within the rpints.log it still states alamode and also the dev/ttySO. As I used the arduino ide programmer I am not worried about this that much NOW and have NO problem what so ever doing the upload manually if needed.

Yes, that's on my TODO list, this '/dev/ttyS0' is a bug on my part. Basically, to put the chip into programming mode, I need to be able to pull the reset line of the microcontroller. On the Alamode that's pin 18, but I don't know how to do that yet via USB for the Uno, since I don't have one. I may wander over to the hardware folks in the next few weeks to see if they got one sitting around. Only at that point would it make sense to update the serial port accordingly.

Again, thanks again for your support.

Now here comes the cameras, valves, RFID, etc.

Matt

Once you got the camera done, I'd be interested to see how you did that.

Cheers,
-Th

PS: not sure I mentioned it before: If you restart the flowmon service, you also need to refresh your browser(s). The web sockets get disconnected at that point

PPS: once you got everything running w/o hiccups, go back into that 'Config.py' file and set both

config['flowmon.debug' ] = True
config['dispatch.debug' ] = True

to 'False'. (note the capitalization). This way the log file doesn't fill up your sd card.

 

[kaljade]

I'm working on something that should make this more plug&play, w/o soldering, flashing firmware, etc...

I came in right at the end of the RPints adventure, so currently only have the Pi (Model B) running the digital tap list, I have an alamode (not soldered yet as it arrived just before Xmas so haven't had time to get to it yet), plus one Swissflow meter on hand with two more on order.

As you are no longer contributing to RPints (besides bug patching your own code), I'd be interested in moving towards your alternative project as I do like some of the new features you have contributed to RPints and can see this as something you would be actively supporting and further developing.

So, the question is: What existing equipment can I utilise, and what new equipment do I need? (technically two questions, but one sentence)

Cheers,

Kal

 

[CaptnDelta]

I came in right at the end of the RPints adventure, so currently only have the Pi (Model B) running the digital tap list, I have an alamode (not soldered yet as it arrived just before Xmas so haven't had time to get to it yet), plus one Swissflow meter on hand with two more on order.

As you are no longer contributing to RPints (besides bug patching your own code), I'd be interested in moving towards your alternative project as I do like some of the new features you have contributed to RPints and can see this as something you would be actively supporting and further developing.

So, the question is: What existing equipment can I utilise, and what new equipment do I need? (technically two questions, but one sentence)

Cheers,

Kal

Well, I'm not (and never was) a official contributor to RaspberryPints, I just forked the original code repository for some of the bug fixes and features that I needed. There are two main reasons I wanna go forward with a different architecture:

• Software: This little project uses five different programming languages (php, sql, python, javascript, Arduino-C) + html and css. To keep things maintainable, I'd like to streamline this. In addition, the *AMP stack used (Apache, MySQL, PHP) shows it's age, for example in the websocket support for live updates, theme-ability for mobile devices etc. I'm leaning towards rewriting the new implementation in Node.js and a noSQL database, but we'll see.
• Hardware: Soldering the headers into the Alamode, making sure power supplies are up to spec and correct, different voltage levels on RPi vs. Alamode etc. is something that has a chance to create frustration for people that aren't used to dealing with electronics stuff. Using a board like the BBB, which is slightly more expensive as a RPi, but has a PRU integrated (which takes the role of the Alamode) solves that. In fact, the BBB has eMMC memory on board, which means no SD-card needed. Memory corruption is minimized, since most of the SD card corruption is caused by wear leveling. And it even comes with a version of Debian preinstalled, which is very similar to Raspbian used in RPints. (thus no need to install the OS)

To answer your question: the flow meters are definitely going to be reusable. I'll also plan on making it possible to still implement a serial connection to be able to use arduino boards, just b/c I like the idea of being able to use a Nano over bluetooth. With that, it should be even possible to make this run on the original RPi/Alamode combo, with some tinkering.

Having said that, I started working on that over the Christmas holidays, but got distracted by the fact that another True fridge showed up, which I had to convert into a fermentation chamber
Got some stuff at my day job coming up, so progress may be a bit slower than I had anticipated, thus I don't wanna make any promises here about availability, dates etc. It'll happen, and once it's ready for a beta version, I'll announce here.

Cheers,
-Th

 

[CaptnDelta]

Just posting a PM with a question here, this is about flow meter calibration values:

Is the 1680 for swissflow or adafruit flow meters? And I am guessing the 1346 is for the other one?

Those are both adafruit (or at least look-alikes). Seems not all of them have the same flow count, or someone makes knock-off's with different counts. Swissflow have quite a bit higher count (somewhere in the 22000), they have much better resolution. I don't have them, so I can't give you a definite answer. But there is quite a few folks that have them, so maybe someone can chime in for a good value to set the flow count per gallon with swissflo meters?

Cheers,
-Th

 

[Mafoley29]

Just posting a PM with a question here, this is about flow meter calibration values:


Those are both adafruit (or at least look-alikes). Seems not all of them have the same flow count, or someone makes knock-off's with different counts. Swissflow have quite a bit higher count (somewhere in the 22000), they have much better resolution. I don't have them, so I can't give you a definite answer. But there is quite a few folks that have them, so maybe someone can chime in for a good value to set the flow count per gallon with swissflo meters?

Cheers,
-Th

Dumb question. How are these dialed in for a close number? If you purchase the $9.95 adafruit ones directly from them do you pick a number between the 1680 and 1328 let's say 1450. Now see how many ounces you poured and how much you registered in rpints, then adjust accordingly?

 

[CaptnDelta]

Dumb question. How are these dialed in for a close number? If you purchase the $9.95 adafruit ones directly from them do you pick a number between the 1680 and 1328 let's say 1450. Now see how many ounces you poured and how much you registered in rpints, then adjust accordingly?

The way I did it was to have a terminal login nearby the taps and enter a

tail -f /var/log/rpints.log

I filled a keg with water and poured into a 1/2 gallon jar with markings. When you hit the 1/2 gallon mark, close the tap. The log display will say something along the lines of:

RPINTS: got a pour: P;0;8;762
pours.php: pour on pin: 8, count: 762

The last number is the count for the given volume. In this case, pouring 1/2 a gallon, you'll have to double that number for the count per gallon.

Cheers,
-Th

 

[day_trippr]

[...]Swissflow have quite a bit higher count (somewhere in the 22000), they have much better resolution. I don't have them, so I can't give you a definite answer. But there is quite a few folks that have them, so maybe someone can chime in for a good value to set the flow count per gallon with swissflo meters?

Pretty close. Here's how my pours.php is set (best as I can recall, it's the default setting).
$amount = $PULSE_COUNT / 21120

It's scary accurate. Kegs kick here within a pour of Empty (errors I could likely null out if I actually measured the initial fill volume).

And it's Kick City here this week. Lots of geek drama
When you know the keg is going to kick any second I think it's more fun than having a keg kick totally outtanowhere (as with an unmetered dispensing appliance).
Worth the price of admission, imo.


Cheers!

 

[DrunkleJon]

Question.
I Built mine a while back. Reinstalled everything again because i somehow hosed the installation. Everything works mostly. Probably going to rebuild one more time though just to make sure. My question is this. What have you all used as an enclosure and how did you get everything to wire up so that it is neat and clean and doesn't come detached? It seems that my halfassed wiring job likes to detach the flow meter wiring.

 

[Mafoley29]

Good question as I was thinking this the other day that I could make a box or purchase those velleman plastic boxes that they have next to the rpi at micro center.

Since I had to go the other day to get the uno ($9.99 and already soldered) for testing I so these enclosures for $2.99 a piece. For six bucks and left over and Velcro it serves the purchase.

I have 4 flow meters
I then picked up a couple ft of yellow, red and black 22 gauge wire.

Used bread board wires and soldered four red ones to the end of the 22 gauge wire. Then one to the other in which plugs into the uno. Did the same for black (ground)

For the yellow I used that as my middle (instead of getting four different colors ). And got 2 yellow, green, blue, and white bread board wires and soldered each specific color to about a ft of the yellow middle wire extending the bread board wire to about 2ft long.

I shrink wrapped each solder joint.

I then tested to make sure each worked. Very important

Now I shrink wrapped all together and used wire ties

I still have to organize a little better but it looks a heck of a lot better than it did the other day.

Matt

 

[CaptnDelta]

Question.
I Built mine a while back. Reinstalled everything again because i somehow hosed the installation. Everything works mostly. Probably going to rebuild one more time though just to make sure. My question is this. What have you all used as an enclosure and how did you get everything to wire up so that it is neat and clean and doesn't come detached? It seems that my halfassed wiring job likes to detach the flow meter wiring.

I used one of those boxes: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005T7AMUW/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
Connectors are of this kind: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G9KISW2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

The breakout board is for the level converter (from pi 3V3 to relay board 5V), and to hookup the flow meters via screw terminals.

Cheers,
-Th

 

[Mafoley29]

From the instructions on the new version release what does it mean that it supports Amazon Fire tv and how does that work?

From messing around with the Amazon Fire and the echo (my new friend, Alexa) I had no idea it has a built in browser.

 

[CaptnDelta]

From the instruction on the new version release what does it mean that it ha Amazon Fire tv support and how does that work?

From messing around with the Amazon Fire and the echo (my new friend, Alexa) I had no idea it has a built in browser within.

It doesn't, at least not by default. However, since the FireTV runs a version of Android, most of the android stuff will run on it. The AFTV has a way to side-load apps, which was intended for app developers. Here is a link on how this works:

For mac: http://www.aftvnews.com/sideload-adb-mac/
For windows: http://www.aftvnews.com/sideload-adb-windows/

This way you can load apps like xbmc/kodi to the firetv, or (that's what we need) a web browser.

I tried a couple versions of Chromium, but I couldn't make a way to get it full screen, so I installed firefox instead. Take google for a spin and look for "firefox apk", make sure to download the true .apk file (some websites are trying to be smart and sense from your browser that you're on Windows or Mac, and send the install files for that instead).

Follow the instructions above to get that into your AFTV, and check that it actually runs. At this point, you'll need to connect a bluetooth keyboard and mouse to the AFTV to be able to enter the URL for the site you wanna see. The version that I got keeps the last URL visited and reopens that URL when restarted. Also, with the AFTV remote, you can hit the menu button and switch to fullscreen from there. There is also a FF plugin that will do this when FF starts (forgot the name, tho)...

Good luck,
-Th

 

[dwygrsshpr]

Oh Captain my captain (and others demigods like day_trippr et al),

Thanks for all the collective, dedicated work and contribution to this thread. I am about ready to embark on my own build and have a simple question on which way to leap first:

Due to my bar set-up I can only have a remote viewing (wireless) display. After reading all 40 pages of this thread, I was originally going to use an arduino uno and a 2.4Ghz transmitter (see post 532) to connect to the Pi attached to an old Dell VGA monitor. That seems like a terrible idea after getting to Captn's post 1384.

I am thinking I should buy two Pis. Connect the first in the usual way with RPints installed and piggybacked to the arduino. Then just install the OS and a browser on the second one and attach to my remotely mounted Dell in order to turn it into a "smart" screen.

Thoughts or counter advice? I am not a programmer and an arduino noob but without actually getting into the code yet, I have been able to follow the conversation pretty well.

Thanks again,
Jamie

 

[CaptnDelta]

Oh Captain my captain (and others demigods like day_trippr et al),

Thanks for all the collective, dedicated work and contribution to this thread. I am about ready to embark on my own build and have a simple question on which way to leap first:

Due to my bar set-up I can only have a remote viewing (wireless) display. After reading all 40 pages of this thread, I was originally going to use an arduino uno and a 2.4Ghz transmitter (see post 532) to connect to the Pi attached to an old Dell VGA monitor. That seems like a terrible idea after getting to Captn's post 1384.

I am thinking I should buy two Pis. Connect the first in the usual way with RPints installed and piggybacked to the arduino. Then just install the OS and a browser on the second one and attach to my remotely mounted Dell in order to turn it into a "smart" screen.

Thoughts or counter advice? I am not a programmer and an arduino noob but without actually getting into the code yet, I have been able to follow the conversation pretty well.

Thanks again,
Jamie

Your idea using two RPi's will work, for sure. You could also do what wbarber did and use a Nano that's using bluetooth to talk to the Pi. It depends a bit how far apart your screen and kegger are, BT is spec'd to go about 30 feet but that depends on what's in between. Obviously, your solution will go quite a bit further.

Cheers
-Th

 

[gtmaus]

Partway through my install I received an error

an error occurred while installing the database:
ERROR 2002 (HY000): Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket
'/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' (2)

anyone??

 

[day_trippr]

Partway through my install I received an error

an error occurred while installing the database:
ERROR 2002 (HY000): Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket
'/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' (2)

anyone??

Are you certain you installed the server - and not the client?
Have to ask as it's not an uncommon mistake.

Cheers!

 

[wbarber69]

Your idea using two RPi's will work, for sure. You could also do what wbarber did and use a Nano that's using bluetooth to talk to the Pi. It depends a bit how far apart your screen and kegger are, BT is spec'd to go about 30 feet but that depends on what's in between. Obviously, your solution will go quite a bit further.



Cheers

-Th

I've had good results up to 20 feet so far. sufficiently powering the nano/bt is key to a solid connection.

 

[wbarber69]

Edit: nevermind

 

[day_trippr]

"Demigod"? That's a first

I've been running multiple Arduinos over Bluetooth to talk to their host RPi for BrewPi.

I'm pretty sure @wbarber69 has been doing the same, and afaik neither of us have tried getting RaspberryPints to work over Bluetooth. In my case, I didn't have the need as my RPi sits under my keezer with the display above the t-tower.

But it's an intriguing idea, and likely easier than using WiFi.

As for the proposed alternative, if you could lay hands on an RPi Model Zero that'd be a cheap way to run a browser at the Dell end. I recommend a Model 2 for the host side, it's so much faster than any of the other Pi models...

Cheers!