YABC-Yet a Brew Controller: BrewManiacEx

[pocketmon]

Yeah follow what you mean with the aerial, the above is 1 revision behind, and I'll be adding heating, sparge and pump LED's.

Which ever way I spin the D1 around you'll only ever be an inch or so worse off, but I see what you mean and I'll see how best to get better positioning of the aerial. I may move the D1 all the way to the right.

Also note this iteration is using an onboard 5a SSR I'll create a second board file without, so all relays can be off board.

cheers

Mike

I don't really know how you are going to place the D1 min/pro because I don't understand the layout and don't know which side up or down.
I pay my respect to the RF and will put it away from other components.

 

[snowtires]

At this point I have the shield designed up, I need to tidy up the labeling, and have it double checked for any standout faults. I'll then get fabed, and test. Once I'm sure all is working I'll forward to the files and BOM to pocketmon to place in the github repoView attachment 388407.

Pocketmon, with your latest up date, would it be possible to break out the USB and allow import from thumb drive? Just a thought before I finalise the shield.

Froot , I think its awesome that your working on this pcb, I do have a couple of questions about it. First of all, how come it is so large given the few small components? is it designed so it could be bolted where the braudiuno shield was?

 

[froot]

Froot , I think its awesome that your working on this pcb, I do have a couple of questions about it. First of all, how come it is so large given the few small components? is it designed so it could be bolted where the braudiuno shield was?

If your talking Lael's kit Brauduino kit, I'll be sending him the files to produce for that foot print. He will probably offer a plug and play solution. Reason being he still has excess hardware; it's a compact, robust, and easy to put together solution and he's probably yet to brake even.

This release will have stand offs to the LCD which can then stand off to an enclosure/housing. Believe me it doesn't look like there is a lot of room when your trying to route nice wide traces, it takes some juggling.

cheers
froot

 

[snowtires]

I gave this a shot for fun. I have never made a circuit board before, I created this super compact one sided board on eagle this morning, it has 44 errors and everything is drawn on the backside by accident. I wanted to make a board that I could print and do toner transfer method for a diy board but I dont know how to make BMP file for toner xfer. It is fun tho, kind of like a puzzle, I needed a few jumpers to get things across and I'm sure there are a few wiring mistakes. I will keep working on it but here is a shot of where I'm at.

View attachment 1486931747043.jpg

 

[snowtires]

I think I could just redraw all the through hole components on the front side along with the jumpers... ? I should just leave it to the pros

 

[snowtires]

Here is what i have so far, this is very beta, I'm not even sure of the orientation of some of the components. When the components get shipped and i have them on hand i will have a better idea of how to complete the board. When this board is finished it will then be exported in monochrome and only the layers nesessary for toner transfer. This board version will only be for the hardcore DIYers. Please keep in mind I'm just learning and please if you see errors, let me know so i can fix them. I know there are things missing and wrong but its hard to see sometimes. I will be building a prototype for testing as soon as parts come in.

 

[ajw85]

subbing because this is awesome

 

[crane]

Here is what i have so far, this is very beta, I'm not even sure of the orientation of some of the components. When the components get shipped and i have them on hand i will have a better idea of how to complete the board. When this board is finished it will then be exported in monochrome and only the layers nesessary for toner transfer. This board version will only be for the hardcore DIYers. Please keep in mind I'm just learning and please if you see errors, let me know so i can fix them. I know there are things missing and wrong but its hard to see sometimes. I will be building a prototype for testing as soon as parts come in.

It's best practice to use thick traces for power and ground connections. May not be a big deal in this application as everything shouldn't draw much current. PDN issues can be a ***** to root cause, so its best to try and avoid them wherever possible. On a board like this where you have no layers for planes you want to use fills like you did for the ground around the perimeter of the board. Using a single flimsy trace to bring power into the board and teeing off of it several times can lead to voltage drops across the board. I would definitely thicken up those traces and possibly see if you can make more direct connections to the power input pin.

Edit: I also see how you can eliminate 3 of your jumpers by rerouting some traces.

 

[snowtires]

Thank you for the input crane,
I have worked on the power and ground traces, and rerouted to lose 2 of the jumpers. The third one evades me at the moment. I am also concerned about the circuits that go to the resistors and the BSS138 transistors, I followed the schematic as best i could but the understanding of how it all worked evades me. Here is an updated version of the progress.

Edit: also my thought process on the components is that when the board is printed and then transferred to the copper clad, it will reverse all the traces and therefore mirror everything In such a way that the components will be installed on the back side of the board. Atleased thats how it goes in my head.

View attachment brewbrdv.03.bmp

 

[Carlscan26]

Thank you for the input crane,
I have worked on the power and ground traces, and rerouted to lose 2 of the jumpers. The third one evades me at the moment. I am also concerned about the circuits that go to the resistors and the BSS138 transistors, I followed the schematic as best i could but the understanding of how it all worked evades me. Here is an updated version of the progress.

Edit: also my thought process on the components is that when the board is printed and then transferred to the copper clad, it will reverse all the traces and therefore mirror everything In such a way that the components will be installed on the back side of the board. Atleased thats how it goes in my head.

There's a ground loop in the top right corner - I don't think you want that? Just make the trace from the ground in to the outer ring thicker and eliminate the second trace.

 

[RollE2k]

I made a board also... or actually i have one first batch at home.. where i had two small errors (which is possible to bypass with changes in the code).
So now the second batch, and hopefully 100% error-free on the way home.. it's a drop-in-replacement, for ArdBir-boards, with LCD piggybacked on the back of the board kind of same placement of outputs as the Ardbir-Nano. Also added additional LED's for Heater,Pump and sparge-heater.

Also, everything except the 5v-regulator is through-hole devices..
The 5v-regulator is possible to bypass if you run with a 5v supply... and all relays ect are fed with input voltage (except buzzer where one can choose input voltage or 5v).

 

[froot]

Ed:dp

 

[froot]

Bloody hell!! Nice work!

I got stuck on the regulator for my board, work I'll get to. I notice this ain't your first rodeo, I like the tight foot print.

I just notice R10 is swinging in the breeze (above), I do hope I'm wrong.

Let us know when/ if your releasing this and how testing goes.

cheers
ED: also R13 looks like a miss also C6

 

[Bigdaddyale]

sub

 

[RollE2k]

froot: They are all connected to what they should...
R10/R13 is between ground (red thick trace) and the base of the corresponding transistors (Q3/Q2)..
C6 is between A0 button and ground... and these small caps is not needed for buttons, but for rotary encoder.
I added the caps, because this board is possible to use with pocketmon's brewpi-style fermenter controller also..

It would be possible to make everything more compact if going for surface mounted stuff, but i like to make this as DIY-friendly as possible - and also, space is not an issue when you mount it behind the display, because it's kind of the same size. And you still have output pins for off-board display mount.

I'll let you know how it works when i have finished a first board..

 

[froot]

froot: They are all connected to what they should...
R10/R13 is between ground (red thick trace) and the base of the corresponding transistors (Q3/Q2)..
C6 is between A0 button and ground... and these small caps is not needed for buttons, but for rotary encoder.
I added the caps, because this board is possible to use with pocketmon's brewpi-style fermenter controller also..

It would be possible to make everything more compact if going for surface mounted stuff, but i like to make this as DIY-friendly as possible - and also, space is not an issue when you mount it behind the display, because it's kind of the same size. And you still have output pins for off-board display mount.

I'll let you know how it works when i have finished a first board..

Cool, I had a second look last night and thought they probably were, better to say something, than not.

What value are the caps power to regulator? I'm doing a board to a specific foot print so as much as I'd happily wait for you to release your work, I'm going to have to persevere with mine.

thanks
froot

 

[RollE2k]

Are we talking about C2/C3? If so i have just put them 220uF on my build with "beta" boards... their value is not really critical.. but larger is pretty much always better. Their pin spacing is only 2.5mm though, so you cannot really fit any very large caps there.

By the way, kind of the reason i included a regulator was partly for simplicity, to work with multiple power supplies - but the other positive thing is that the dc-voltage for the Wemos D1 will be alot cleaner than direct from the small switched power supplies.

 

[ajw85]

@RollE2k are you going to be selling the shields you're designing?

 

[RollE2k]

ajw85: Sorry, but as i have worked quite close with pocketmon when i have made this board, i don't think it's right trying to earn money on his project. At most i think i'll part with the six spare boards i already have at home.
Otherwise i think vito (pocketmon) is still selling some pre-soldered small 5x5cm pcbs for $15 each..

 

[Bigdaddyale]

ajw85: Sorry, but as i have worked quite close with pocketmon when i have made this board, i don't think it's right trying to earn money on his project. At most i think i'll part with the six spare boards i already have at home.
Otherwise i think vito (pocketmon) is still selling some pre-soldered small 5x5cm pcbs for $15 each..

Are you going to be releasing the eagle files?

 

[ajw85]

ajw85: Sorry, but as i have worked quite close with pocketmon when i have made this board, i don't think it's right trying to earn money on his project. At most i think i'll part with the six spare boards i already have at home.
Otherwise i think vito (pocketmon) is still selling some pre-soldered small 5x5cm pcbs for $15 each..

I somehow missed that this is where you could purchase the board:
http://vito.tw/brewmaniacex-brewshield/

 

[RollE2k]

Are you going to be releasing the eagle files?

I will probably release the gerber-files, but that will take some time before i do.. This because i will solder a board and send to vito, and finish two boards too myself for testing both BrewManiacEx and BrewPiLess, so we can for shure know everything works as expected.

 

[RoatanBill]

Subscribed.

Interesting project.

 

[Feijoeiro]

Hi, is this project compatible with regular RTD temperature sensors?
Can we use a different display like nextion displays?
Could specify the necessary parts (models)?

Thanks and congrats for this awesome idea.

 

[pocketmon]

Check post#4 at first page. There is a list. I can't provide exact links, though.
This project uses DS18B20, not compatible to RTS sensors.
You can use other display only if you program to support it.

 

[moad]

Thanks very much for this (and BrewpiLess). It is amazing what you can do with the little D1 mini board...
I love the beerxml import feature, that is amazing.

Will you be working on the web interface? It seems a little buggy for control, I know you said it wasn't meant for primary control which I understand but I would prefer to not have an LCD if possible. Thanks again!

 

[pocketmon]

Most of the functions can be accessed from the web interface. The missing functions are multi- sensor setup and combined button pressing.
However, I found that browsers are giant monsters that have bugs or unexpected behavior. Let alone the stability of WiFi connection during the whole brew.

I would recommend to use a LCD. An I2C LCD costs about 5, and only four wires are needed. What is the reason for you to deny it?

 

[Feijoeiro]

Does anybody know how to get these customized sticker/cover with the printed names of the buttons for the controller?

I am going to use the membrane keypad like this one so the cover must handle pushing "infinite" times":

 

[pocketmon]

Does anyboady know how to get these customized sticker/cover with the printed names of the buttons for the controller?

I am going to use the membrane keypad like this one so the cover must handle pushing "infinite" times":

That controller box is produced by a friend of mine. I believe that it is manufactured, not DIY-ed.

 

[SandroRibeiro]

Some tests.

 

[user 242193]

Hi,
this is an excellent project. Thanks much for sharing!
I built my PCB using components so it's a little bit different but works fine.

 

[pocketmon]

May I ask how you use the keypad?

if you are using the relay module for heating control, you might run into trouble.
I am not an expert, but AFAIK mechanical relays are not good for PID control because of fast switching.

 

[user 242193]

Thanks for the advice.
In the final version the relay won't be used but SSR. I had the relay and this 4x4 keyboard and i don't want to wait until the ordered components arrive from China
So far I use just the first row of the 4x4 keyboard (1,2,3,A).

 

[snowtires]

Any new news on this project? Final working PCB etc? All my parts finally came in. I have not tried my PCB design yet. Summer is always so busy, I'm just mashing on my ardbir biab system and was thinking about wifi again.

 

[Bigdaddyale]

Any update on releasing the files?

I will probably release the gerber-files, but that will take some time before i do.. This because i will solder a board and send to vito, and finish two boards too myself for testing both BrewManiacEx and BrewPiLess, so we can for shure know everything works as expected.

 

[RollE2k]

Any update on releasing the files?

Yes, i acually tested it a while ago, seems to work fine with both softwares...
But there was some small bugs / fixes i have made to the board - and i haven't tried the last revision - because i haven't even ordered the PCB's for it (my board works as fine, just some silkscreen and stuff missing - and a added connector and so on).

So, here you go, the download is here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_QoTJWXUR4IdVNCVmxRWVRkTVk/view?usp=sharing

If there is anything you don't understand about the board just ask.

If feeding the board straight on with 5v - then jumper the input diode (D4) with a wire (or increase voltage to above 5.7v if possible) and also jumper the reg-bypass with a wire.

If feeding the regulator with ~9v or above, then use both diode and a 5v regulator. But to much voltage may overheat the regulator. I have tested with 12v with no trouble.
Also the IC-chip (IC1) should be PCF8574 (not PCF8574A) if you want to use the board with "default" settings for display and such. The IC3 doesn't matter, since the board scans for that chips adress.

Also, the pads by the Buzzer - these are for choosing 12v(input voltage really) or 5v (if using regulator) for the possibility of powering different buzzer-types.

LCD is piggyback standard 20x4 LCD, but there is also connector added for wiring an offboard LCD.. if offboard lcd is used, then one can skip adding Q5, IC3 and TR1.

Hope you'll like it. And do get back if you build it, so that i know everything work as expected with the PCB-design.

 

[gonzalito]

So.. Does anyone here have a pcb to print and transfer? I cannot figure out hoew you make this PCBs, at least the way you are able to do It.

And second.. How do you upload this? Downloaded VSCode and platformio, but its way over my league..

 

[pocketmon]

So.. Does anyone here have a pcb to print and transfer? I cannot figure out hoew you make this PCBs, at least the way you are able to do It.

And second.. How do you upload this? Downloaded VSCode and platformio, but its way over my league..

Installation of PlatformIO isn't difficult:
http://platformio.org/get-started/ide?install=vscode

If you are using Windows, you can use nodemcu-flasher to program a Nodemcu or D1 mini.
https://github.com/nodemcu/nodemcu-flasher

You might skip the PCB. In my first platform, I used a PCF8574 module, a NodeMcu, and relays connected directly to the GPIOs.

However, this is a DIY project. You will have to figure out how to connect the hardware and setup software by yourself.

 

[gonzalito]

Installation of PlatformIO isn't difficult:
http://platformio.org/get-started/ide?install=vscode

If you are using Windows, you can use nodemcu-flasher to program a Nodemcu or D1 mini.
https://github.com/nodemcu/nodemcu-flasher

You might skip the PCB. In my first platform, I used a PCF8574 module, a NodeMcu, and relays connected directly to the GPIOs.

However, this is a DIY project. You will have to figure out how to connect the hardware and setup software by yourself.

Yes I have no troubles with the circuit itself, but the main thing is with the file/s upload part. Are there also any librearies to place anywhere special?

I installed VScode without any trouble and also platformIO. The thing is I am not sure which files to select for opening the project and then how to upload.

If node mcu flasher is an option I´ll try it. Are there any libraries i have to setup first aswell? Or is it just a single file to upload?

Thought it would be as simple as ardbir but there are no tutorials of this. Even though it seem much better.

 

[pocketmon]

Yes I have no troubles with the circuit itself, but the main thing is with the file/s upload part. Are there also any librearies to place anywhere special?

I installed VScode without any trouble and also platformIO. The thing is I am not sure which files to select for opening the project and then how to upload.

If node mcu flasher is an option I´ll try it. Are there any libraries i have to setup first aswell? Or is it just a single file to upload?

Thought it would be as simple as ardbir but there are no tutorials of this. Even though it seem much better.

There is a user manual document.
https://github.com/vitotai/BrewManiacEsp8266/blob/master/docs/BrewManiacExManual_0.3.pdf

If you have installed VSCode+PlatformIO successfully. Just download the source from GitHub. Open the directory that contains "platformio.ini", then you can build and upload
More info:
http://docs.platformio.org/en/latest/ide/vscode.html


The web files can be downloaded OTA. You will be guided to download them when you connect to it. (Check chapter 5 in user manual.)