Please help me design a Brewpi set-up!

[jmrybak]

Hey all,

I am finally fed up with my Inkbird wifi controller after the app no longer lets me login to actual use my controller (go figure).

So I am looking to replace it with a fermentation controller which will improve upon a few things (below). I think that a brewpi build is the best way to do this, if you disagree, please let me know what you think! I have looked through many threads here that span several years, and I'm not sure what is the current best path to achieve what I am looking for.

1. I would love to avoid temperature swings as much as possible, The inkbird would usually over cool when tripped to a couple degrees below my set point. If I can avoid that it would be fantastic.

2. I Would prefer not to rewire or modifiy my fermentation fridge, so a option that I can plug my fridge into is what I am hoping for.

3. I would love to be able to monitor and possibly adjust settings when not at home. Not essential, but if possible preferred.

I am a microbiologist, not a engineer/ programmer. So I need some help figuring out the best path to accomplishing this with the various parts/ methods available currently. And any and all help is much appreciated. If you know of an off the shelf solution I'm all ears, if you can design something better, great!

Thanks all and have a great one!

 

[gromitdj]

In my opinion, BrewPi is as good as it gets for fermentation control. Unfortunately, even from the BrewPi store, its not an "off the shelf" solution.

Having said that... the DIY cheap BrewPi isn't that difficult to put together and there are a ton of helpful people in that thread. All three of your requirements can be met with a BrewPi setup.

 

[Thorrak]

Pretty much everything you want (with the exception of #3) can be achieved out-of-the-box with most BrewPi builds -- and #3 can be achieved with very minimal tinkering.

If you've decided to go the BrewPi route, there's a handful of choices you can make. There is an off-the-shelf version sold by Elco & team - it's on the expensive side, but it removes most of the headaches that could otherwise come with building one yourself. Unfortunately, it's out of stock as they're in the process of changing between hardware stacks.

If you're interested in going the DIY route, you have a number of different options as to which platform you use as the "base" of your build:

"Official" DIY Version:
Arduino Uno-based - Runs the legacy firmware, well documented on these forums, many other users to draw experience from

Other Versions:
Fuscus - Pure python build, no Arduino needed, runs the legacy firmware
BrewPi-ESP8266* - ESP8266-based build (replaces Arduino), Native WiFi support, runs the legacy firmware
BrewPiLess - ESP8266-based build, Replaces both Arduino and Raspberry Pi, Not officially BrewPi, but very very similar. Based on the legacy firmware

* - This is my project, so I'm biased, but I think it's the best option. Very biased, though

Regardless of which option you choose, you'll need additional hardware though the exact parts change with the specific platform you choose. None of them are bad options - it's just a matter of deciding which set of features you'd prefer.