# iSpindel Digital Hydrometer



## Mattrox

I thought I'd start a thread instead of posting in another and have this buried.

The iSpindel is a fairly young project and is developing all the time.

It is fairly simple to build and the instructions are here: 

http://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/

I recommend using Google translate when following the build pictures as it is more complete than the English documentation.

It had cost me under $50 to build. It is monitored on the internet via ubidots.com and the developer of brewpiless (brewpi via a single wifi board) is integrating it into his project so you can have fermentation profiles that follow s.g. rather than time.

The materials are all available cheaply on ebay.

There is one issue that is not fully resolved on the github page. Instead of a 470 ohm resistor, use a BAT-43 shottky diode. The iSpindel has a deep sleep mode and with the resistor it sometimes goes into deep sleep.

The drawer or sled which slides into the bottle is 3D printed and the design on Github does not easily fit the xxl pet bottle blanks available on ebay. This design does fit:

https://www.tinkercad.com/things/1TcD78DvxQu

It also has a spot for a 20g calibration weight from ebay ($1.54). This is to help the hydrometer tilt at an appropriate angle.

Mine is a work in progress. Will keep you all posted.


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## Benn

Jeez I wish I had the brain power for stuff like this


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## Mattrox

Benn said:


> Jeez I wish I had the brain power for stuff like this


When I started doing homebrew projects I knew virtually nothing about electronics. I cut my teeth on hacking an STC 1000 to make the STC 1000+.
github.com/matsstaff/stc1000p

I built a brewpi temperature control and found that challenging at the time, but then added the wifi and LCD option. The soldering for the LCD gave me a lot of practice. 

If you want to do it you will. The stuff is cheap enough that you actually order surplus and if you stuff it up, it's no big deal. I messed up soldering the 1st time and re-did it.

And there is always help at hand.


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## Moad

Mattrox...legend.

Any chance you could put a parts list together once you get it working? I've been following the HBT thread but it still seems like a work in progress.

I am stinging to get some of these built to feed into the Brewpiless controllers I am running.


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## rude

wow interesting


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## mr_wibble

Benn said:


> Jeez I wish I had the brain power for stuff like this


It's not difficult.
If you want to make a start, get a beginner's Arduino kit (like the "Freetronics" one available online and from Jaycar), or roll your own with cheap parts from ebay/aliexpress.

Read some online tutorials, build something:
https://core-electronics.com.au/tutorials/arduino-workshop-for-beginners.html .

There's a bunch of people here (_even though_ it's a brewing forum) who'd just about bust-their-budgie in delight to help someone with some Arduino wiring and/or programming. Maybe start with something simple like a digital temperature probe, then extend it into a fermentation temperature logger.

I used to teach Arduinio stuff to kids (ages 12 & up) in an after-school workshop just for the fun of it - none of them had much trouble building simple projects. (And geeze, some were complete wizards!) - Just for the record: I have never been a teacher.


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## blotto

Good job, I've been thinking of starting a thread myself to get all this information in the same place. 

I've got my draw printed and most of the gear has arrived from ebay, just a few more things and I can start my build. 

This is the bottle I'm using and the draw fits in it great, XXLBIG PET. I made the mistake of only getting the XLBIG PET but you need the XXLBIG PET. Also I asked the seller to make sure they couldn't rub together on the trip over here as the first lot of smaller ones had some marks where they were touching in the package and they were very obliging. I'm not sure the rub marks will harbour too many nasties but better to start with as smooth a surface as possible, of course if your only getting one you wont have to worry. 

I used the top one in the github drawer page, drawer-36x133-thing2231986.stl as this is smaller than the other designs on account of the bottles from ebay are slightly smaller than what the people in Europe are getting. There are a few other draw designs out there tho.


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## Coxy

Great job!

I'm currently in the process of setting up my own Raspberry Pi temp controller which I hope to have done by this weekend's brew day. Rather than using the existing brewpi stuff that's out there, I've started from scratch and am using Amazon's IOT framework (with a light javascript/html frontend) and Lambda (serverless logic in Python). This was mostly just because I wanted to learn some cloud architecture stuff, frontend and electronics all at the same time (I work as a Python backend developer). I'll do a post on it once it's done.

Next up is for me is auto-sparge with float valves and pump control, but this gives me the goosebumps! I've added it to the list of the things I want to do.


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## gezzanet

Great idea. I've been following the HBT and German sites as well and have all the bits now. I bought the wrong pettling but have 10 of them so ill persevere for now. I think i might be able to squeeze the bits in. Its 31mm ID and nearly 200mm long. Just in the middle of a house move so tough to find the time. just up to finishing the board solder up.
Interested to see if the diode works as ive solder up the 470ohm resistor at this stage.


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## Mattrox

I'll pop up a list of materials because by far the most economical way to get everything is from e-bay. It takes a while, sometimes for things to arrive from China.

Wemos D1 Mini
GY-521 Gyroscope Sensor
DS18B20 Temperature sensor (buy 5, its cheap enough, but don't by the ones that are assembled with leads and a metal tip, just the electronic component) 
Perferated circuit board (I bought 3cm by 7cm and cut it down)
Resistors 1x each
4.7 k ohm (the temperature sensor needs this)
220 k ohm
(The documentation says 470 ohm resistor but this can cause problems) 
Bat 43 Schottky diode replaces this resistor (a 370 ohm resistor is suggested as working better than the 470 ohm resistor "sometimes", but the diode is apparently a better solution)
A micro switch. A reed switch can be used and the device turned off by holding a magnet next to it. (I like a regular switch)
Lipo Battery Charger TP4056 (6 pin recommended)
3.7v 18650B Lithium Polymer battery (I got the Panasonic 3400 mAh battery)
XXLBIG PET bottle blank. (Sold as a geocaching container)
male header pin strip. (The Wemos should come with some, but you might need more)
8 pin female header (1 long pins, 1 short pins) 

You will need a soldering iron, solder and some wire to make connections.

I used the pictures on this page to assemble.
https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/blob/master/docs/iSpindelbreadboard.md

I suggest getting 2 Wemos boards and 2 GY-521 because if you stuff up soldering or fry a component you will be waiting ages for a replacement.


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## Moad

Legend... thankyou


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## malt junkie

One of the HBT guys has done a PCB for this, I think his first try had issues, but he has a second iteration at fab now.


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## Mattrox

I have put in a 330 ohm resistor as I don't have a BAT-43 diode on hand. I have ordered some, but unsoldering and taking the charger off was a PITA so I won't be doing that again. It will be better to build a board from scratch.

I will let you know how the lower value resistor works.

*Edit. Looks like it isn't working. I'll wait for the parts and make the perf board section again.


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## gezzanet

Bugger Hope the diode works


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## Maheel

if your considering the build and need the 3DP part from Mattrox in the 1st post give me a shout

Got one running right now printing bipedal robots .....

happy to do a few if u r serious


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## Mattrox

I found an error in my resistor values. Re-wired and testing again.

Be careful with the temperature sensor. The legs bend and eventually break from the movement.


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## Mattrox

I re-worked it again. 

It is now working with a 330 ohm resistor. 

Now for the 3D print.


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## Mattrox

So to get into the iSpindel to configure it, hit the D1 mini's reset button a bunch of times and when the iSpindel shows up on your WIFI network connect your computer to it.

In a browser you need to connect to the iSpindel config pages. 192.268.4.1 works for mine. You can test to see if data is being sent. In the Config page select your wifi network (SSID) and password. I set the interval for 15 seconds while making sure everything was (or wasn't working) once I saw the blue lights on the wifi board flashing every 15 seconds, I changed it to 900 seconds (15 minutes) suitable for logging and ensuring the battery lasts a fermentation.

Some hints that will help. I used the tag end wires from the resistors to make the linkages required.

My soldering isn't pretty but it seems to be working.


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## Mattrox

This is the board I stuffed up 1st time around. I have now reworked it and removed the 470 ohm resistor and will use the diode.


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## Mattrox

This shows the battery being charged. Red led on the battery charger board.

The blue light that flashes on the wifi board when it sends data. 

Also the bodgy soldering is shown, and it still works.


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## gezzanet

Did you solder the wires to the battery directly or did your battery come with tags?


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## Mattrox

gezzanet said:


> Did you solder the wires to the battery directly or did your battery come with tags?


I soldered it directly.


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## dibbz

Asprin works better than normal flux on stainless if you are having trouble getting it to stick to battery terminals. Lemon juice also.


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## bevan

I'm pretty impressed by this! Going to get this happening I think (along with the brewpiless)



Mattrox said:


> XXLBIG PET bottle blank. (Sold as a geocaching container)


Did you get this from eBay out of the UK? Seems to be the only place I can find.


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## Matplat

So, electronics aside, how does it work? does the floating angle of the vessel change with attenuation?


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## kaiserben

Mattrox said:


> I'll pop up a list of materials because by far the most economical way to get everything is from e-bay. It takes a while, sometimes for things to arrive from China.
> 
> Wemos D1 Mini
> GY-521 Gyroscope Sensor
> DS18B20 Temperature sensor (buy 5, its cheap enough, but don't by the ones that are assembled with leads and a metal tip, just the electronic component)
> Perferated circuit board (I bought 3cm by 7cm and cut it down)
> Resistors 1x each
> 4.7 k ohm (the temperature sensor needs this)
> 220 k ohm
> (The documentation says 470 ohm resistor but this can cause problems)
> Bat 43 Schottky diode replaces this resistor (a 370 ohm resistor is suggested as working better than the 470 ohm resistor "sometimes", but the diode is apparently a better solution)
> A micro switch. A reed switch can be used and the device turned off by holding a magnet next to it. (I like a regular switch)
> Lipo Battery Charger TP4056 (6 pin recommended)
> 3.7v 18650B Lithium Polymer battery (I got the Panasonic 3400 mAh battery)


For the Lipo Battery Charger is this one suitable? http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/10pcs-TP4056-Micro-USB-5V-1A-Lithium-Battery-Charging-Module-Lipo-Charger-TE585-/172590124256?hash=item282f2c4ce0:g:aSAAAOSwvKtY9v1l

For the 3.7v 18650B Lithium Polymer battery: These should cost about $10 each on eBay, right? Like this: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2x-Panasonic-NCR-18650-B-3-7V-3400mAh-Li-Ion-Lithium-Rechargeable-Battery-/322206993918?hash=item4b05088dfe:g:9XIAAOSwTZ1XmL4P

Got a link for the micro switch that you bought?


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## Mattrox

kaiserben said:


> For the Lipo Battery Charger is this one suitable? http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/10pcs-TP4056-Micro-USB-5V-1A-Lithium-Battery-Charging-Module-Lipo-Charger-TE585-/172590124256?hash=item282f2c4ce0:g:aSAAAOSwvKtY9v1l
> 
> For the 3.7v 18650B Lithium Polymer battery: These should cost about $10 each on eBay, right? Like this: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2x-Panasonic-NCR-18650-B-3-7V-3400mAh-Li-Ion-Lithium-Rechargeable-Battery-/322206993918?hash=item4b05088dfe:g:9XIAAOSwTZ1XmL4P
> 
> Got a link for the micro switch that you bought?


The charger I got was this. Notice the subtle difference in solder points.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/162327066778

The panasonic battery is the one I got.

I ordered these switches but I stole one from the Little One's broken bubble blower toy. Yes, she let me try to fix it, the plastic gears were stripped and she was happy for me to salvage parts.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/302198276542


The new D1 mini pro has an attachment for an external antenna for better wifi reception.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/262671685292
https://www.ebay.com.au/p/?iid=272609208646&chn=ps&var=571728694067&rmvSB=true&ul_ref=http%253A%252F%252Frover.ebay.com%252Frover%252F1%252F705-53470-19255-0%252F1%253Fff3%253D4%2526toolid%253D10001%2526campid%253D5336768701%2526customid%253D42682X1148083Xb427da751d68518fef246aad0221a8f5%2526mpre%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.ebay.com.au%25252Fp%25252F%25253Fiid%25253D272609208646%252526chn%25253Dps%252526var%25253D571728694067%2526srcrot%253D705-53470-19255-0%2526rvr_id%253D1216061184361


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## Mattrox

bevan said:


> I'm pretty impressed by this! Going to get this happening I think (along with the brewpiless)
> 
> Did you get this from eBay out of the UK? Seems to be the only place I can find.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/142295113730

This is the buyer I used. No affiliation.


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## Mattrox

Matplat said:


> So, electronics aside, how does it work? does the floating angle of the vessel change with attenuation?


Yes.

The angle it floats at is calibrated to a SG. 

You have got it.


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## kaiserben

Mattrox said:


> The charger I got was this. Notice the subtle difference in solder points.
> http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/162327066778


Perfect. Thanks.

(Yep, I had noticed that difference and suspected what I posted had 4 points, not 6).


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## bevan

Mattrox said:


> http://www.ebay.com/itm/142295113730
> 
> This is the buyer I used. No affiliation.


That's the one I was looking at, thanks for the reply! Love how this community works! [emoji482]


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## Mattrox

bevan said:


> That's the one I was looking at, thanks for the reply! Love how this community works! [emoji482]


I still have to find out if the 3D print fits that.

At least the iSpindel electronics is working for me.

I will be making a 2nd one with the D1 mini pro and external antenna. Think I will do the brewpiless with one too.


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## kaiserben

I'd rather not rely on cloud-based services. I assume some people have ditched the cloud-based stuff to capture their data locally?


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## Matplat

Mattrox said:


> Yes.
> 
> The angle it floats at is calibrated to a SG.
> 
> You have got it.


Wow! I didn't think that would be something that would change significantly enough to be able to measure accurately!

Obviously I have no basis for this assumption, the old adage 'you learn something new every day' still holding its own!


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## Lyrebird_Cycles

Re the perfboard: if anyone's interested and can send me the circuit I'll draft a proper PCB. If there's enough interest I'll get them made by Silver Circuits.


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## Lionman

Mattrox said:


> I still have to find out if the 3D print fits that.
> 
> At least the iSpindel electronics is working for me.
> 
> I will be making a 2nd one with the D1 mini pro and external antenna. Think I will do the brewpiless with one too.


It would be pretty easy to adjust the print to fit a different size vessel.




Matplat said:


> Wow! I didn't think that would be something that would change significantly enough to be able to measure accurately!
> 
> Obviously I have no basis for this assumption, the old adage 'you learn something new every day' still holding its own!


It basically the same thing as a normal hydrometer. They are just well balanced and so move straight up and down depending on the SG.

These devices are purposefully unbalanced so as the SG changes, the changing angle can be measured.


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## Moog

I'm following this with interest, and once a few have been finished and are working ok, would be happy to order a circuit board from you Lyrebird


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## fdsaasdf

I would also be keen on a circuit board or two; keen to implement this once I've got my fermentation controller all soldered and installed...


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## Mattrox

There is an open source circuit board under development. When it's available I'll post a link.


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## Mattrox

kaiserben said:


> I'd rather not rely on cloud-based services. I assume some people have ditched the cloud-based stuff to capture their data locally?


If you integrate it into brewpiless the data is easily captured locally.

iSpindel is designed to push data to the cloud easily. But can be configured. I don't know how to do that atm.


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## malt junkie

I have too many projects, having said that this is definitely on my list, I have boards and all the bits(bar one part) together and waiting for brewpiless, the Ispindle integration seems a logical step. The other advantage is by the time I get brewpiless and brewmaniacEx done and dusted, you boys will have this well sorted. Lyrebird I'll be needing some boards fabbed in the next month or so, I'll be in touch.


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## Mattrox

malt junkie said:


> I have too many projects, having said that this is definitely on my list, I have boards and all the bits(bar one part) together and waiting for brewpiless, the Ispindle integration seems a logical step. The other advantage is by the time I get brewpiless and brewmaniacEx done and dusted, you boys will have this well sorted. Lyrebird I'll be needing some boards fabbed in the next month or so, I'll be in touch.


There is one modification of code to the iSpindel to make it work with brewpiless. But it's easy. When I get up to that stage, I will let you know.


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## kaiserben

Well I pulled the trigger and bought all the parts on eBay. 

Now the waiting game; A lot of the parts are on their way via a slow boat from China ...


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## Benn

Would this work inside a pressure Fermenter i.e Kegmenter or would the fluctuation of atmospheric pressure in the FV mess with the calibration/readings? would the ispindel housing withstand the (albeit relatively low) higher pressure?
Could a DIY kit, similar to the Mathos Controller be an option eventually? 
Should I wear my lucky socks today or save them for later in the week?


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## malt junkie

Benn said:


> Could a DIY kit, similar to the Mathos Controller be an option eventually?


Matho's originally was a PCB that you soldered yourself. From what I understand there are a few guys working on PCB's for this. If your also talking ferment control with ispindle incorporated then brewpiless is what your after and there are PCB's already available. Between the 2 it's a fairly complex build, but as more and more people do them, pit falls and bugs will be identified, and resolved which should make it easier for those who follow.


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## Benn

Thanks MJ,
Sorry if I was a bit unclear with my question earlier, I hadn't considered the ispindel for temp control. What I'm wondering is if a DIY kit including the 3D printed thing etc. may eventuate. Really just thinking out loud I guess.
I realise it's early days, I'll continue to follow with interest.
Keep at it you Tech guys :beer:


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## Mattrox

Benn said:


> Would this work inside a pressure Fermenter i.e Kegmenter or would the fluctuation of atmospheric pressure in the FV mess with the calibration/readings? would the ispindel housing withstand the (albeit relatively low) higher pressure?
> Could a DIY kit, similar to the Mathos Controller be an option eventually?
> Should I wear my lucky socks today or save them for later in the week?


You could chuck the iSpindel into the fermenter and take gravity samples along the way to check.

A calibration could be done if differences are found.


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## Mattrox

I just spotted this.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/222292484948

At under $2! Bargain.


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## kaiserben

Maheel said:


> if your considering the build and need the 3DP part from Mattrox in the 1st post give me a shout
> 
> Got one running right now printing bipedal robots .....
> 
> happy to do a few if u r serious



Is it too late to take you up on this offer? I reckon I'll need 3 of the 3D printed sled thingies. 

If not, could someone suggest a 3D printing service in Sydney near the CBD that won't rip me off? (I searched google, tried to figure out what public libraries have one, but not much apart from out at Rhodes or Sutherland).


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## Mattrox

In my home made boards the one with a 330ohm resistor works. The one I have used the diode has not worked yet. Still trouble shooting.

However, I did pull the trigger on these as it is a neater solution. $10 for 4 boards. Less fiddly soldering, just the components in the correct places.


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## Maheel

Hey KB going to PM you about 3DP parts


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## Mattrox

Don't know what I did, but it is working. I did go to the test page and then re-configure and now it works.

With the diode, the cathode side (marked with the ring) goes towards the D0 pin on the wemos.


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## bevan

Mattrox said:


> However, I did pull the trigger on these as it is a neater solution. $10 for 4 boards. Less fiddly soldering, just the components in the correct places.


I'm guessing there should be a link for what you've bought?


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## blotto

bevan said:


> I'm guessing there should be a link for what you've bought?


It was posted on home brew talk, they have a good thread going. https://pcbs.io/share/8gbKR


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## Maheel

could someone confirm the best slide design to use

i just 3DP printed the one in the 1st post for someone....

looks a good print but i have no idea about the size of what it's going into...


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## bevan

Maheel said:


> could someone confirm the best slide design to use
> 
> i just 3DP printed the one in the 1st post for someone....
> 
> looks a good print but i have no idea about the size of what it's going into...


That's the one I got printed, I liked it because it has the spot for the weight. I'm still waiting for the container to arrive so don't know how well it's going fit.


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## kaiserben

Mattrox said:


> It also has a spot for a 20g calibration weight from ebay ($1.54). This is to help the hydrometer tilt at an appropriate angle.



Is this needed? (It's just not in the list of parts that I've been following)


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## bevan

kaiserben said:


> Is this needed? (It's just not in the list of parts that I've been following)


If you read through the Homebrewtalk forum topic (34 pages!) on it, it comes up a bit that you need to add weight to get the right tilt angle. I like that this was incorporated into the sled.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=598187


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## mfeighan

Benn said:


> Would this work inside a pressure Fermenter i.e Kegmenter or would the fluctuation of atmospheric pressure in the FV mess with the calibration/readings? would the ispindel housing withstand the (albeit relatively low) higher pressure?



I am interested in this too, as i ferment in pressurised conicals. I think the other part to think about is whether you can get wifi inside your stainless fermenter too, as it would act similar to a Faraday cage? I also think a concern is if external pressure is applied liquid may slowly force its way in through the screwtop lid. I have used the geocaching containers before im pretty sure they will not crumble under pressure



Edit:
I just saw this http://hobbybrauer.de/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=11235&start=700
for wireless charging!


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## Mattrox

kaiserben said:


> Is this needed? (It's just not in the list of parts that I've been following)



Some sort of weight is generally used to get 25 degree tilt for 1.000 sg reading.


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## Mattrox

bevan said:


> I'm guessing there should be a link for what you've bought?



There should be. And here it is.
https://pcbs.io/share/8gbKR


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## Mattrox

mfeighan said:


> I am interested in this too, as i ferment in pressurised conicals. I think the other part to think about is whether you can get wifi inside your stainless fermenter too, as it would act similar to a Faraday cage? I also think a concern is if external pressure is applied liquid may slowly force its way in through the screwtop lid. I have used the geocaching containers before im pretty sure they will not crumble under pressure
> 
> 
> 
> Edit:
> I just saw this http://hobbybrauer.de/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=11235&start=700
> for wireless charging!




The Wemos D1 mini pro has a spot for an external antenna. I bought 2, 1 for brewpiless and one for iSpindel. This might be the way to go.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/262671685292?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/High-Qua...r-IPEX-Connector-150mm-Black-GX/282297584917?

I am still to figure out which is the diode to cut on the Mini pro as it is a different layout to the original D1 mini


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## mfeighan

yeah i ordered the pros and antennae the other day, hoping it all works out. Worst case is i can give the finished products to a friend if i do not get reception inside the fermenters.


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## Alchomist

Mattrox said:


> So to get into the iSpindel to configure it, hit the D1 mini's reset button a bunch of times and when the iSpindel shows up on your WIFI network connect your computer to it.
> 
> In a browser you need to connect to the iSpindel config pages. 192.268.4.1 works for mine. You can test to see if data is being sent. In the Config page select your wifi network (SSID) and password. I set the interval for 15 seconds while making sure everything was (or wasn't working) once I saw the blue lights on the wifi board flashing every 15 seconds, I changed it to 900 seconds (15 minutes) suitable for logging and ensuring the battery lasts a fermentation.
> 
> Some hints that will help. I used the tag end wires from the resistors to make the linkages required.
> 
> My soldering isn't pretty but it seems to be working.



This Configuration part has me stumped.
I can log in & enter network ssid & p-word, but nothing is saved.

Is there some trick to this, like manually entering things into the Arduino IDE that i'm missing?


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## gezzanet

I had that config problem as well. Changed the 470 ohm to a shottky and then it worked. Them my internet went down with nbn and haven't got it back to play any further yet.


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## Alchomist

Installed the shottky but it still won't save wifi details or log-in. The Wemos can see 6 wifi signals/extensions but can't log into any of them. It keeps saying error config corrupted then goes into config mode. Weird how it can read temp, tilt & battery & transmit it to the monitor, then get a wifi error & shut down.

Does it sound like a dodgy soldering issue?


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## gezzanet

Alchomist said:


> Installed the shottky but it still won't save wifi details or log-in. The Wemos can see 6 wifi signals/extensions but can't log into any of them. It keeps saying error config corrupted then goes into config mode. Weird how it can read temp, tilt & battery & transmit it to the monitor, then get a wifi error & shut down.
> 
> Does it sound like a dodgy soldering issue?


how close are you to your router when doing it? just wondering if the signal strength is poor.Otherwise i would try reflashing the wemos.


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## Alchomist

Thanks for the response gezzanet, turns out it was a soldering issue. Posted the error msg on GitHub & universam1 deciphered it to be a conflict with the ds18b20 - soldering. The program was shutting down as soon as it encountered this error. You need hands like a freakin fly to get in there & solder these things.

I did do a signal test when I was playing around with it. Range was about 50m from the router, incredibly for such a tiny cheap unit. It'll be interesting to see how iSpindel performs in the kegmenter.

Anyone tested it in a s/s vessel yet?


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## gezzanet

I've got one now ready to roll. So depending on what I get to brew next it might either be in the plastic or a ss. Saw some people using ss had some luck with having a wifi router close to the fermenter and one guy put a simple wire aerial In the fermenter. Also there are some who are using the wemos pro which has an external aerial jack. So there seems to be some success with ss


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## Scarabrew

Has anyone tried any wireless charging version?

Would this work?






https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Qi-...32365102543.html?spm=a2g0s.8937460.0.0.SCfnUv


----------



## kaiserben

All my parts have arrived (I've had most of them for ages, but have been too lazy to get started). 

I begin the job of soldering tonight.


----------



## bevan

I've got all my parts except the pc board which is at the heart of the whole thing.


----------



## Alchomist

Well after lots of help from the iSpindel team, I finally got it sorted. The biggest headache I had was having to use a larger switch that meant redesigning the layout. But she's calibrated, charged up & pumping out data to ubidots. Time for a sherbet

I took someone's advice on this thread & bought spares, so there's a primary & 2 secondaries in the pic


----------



## gezzanet

Very cool


----------



## fdsaasdf

Alchomist said:


> I took someone's advice on this thread & bought spares, so there's a primary & 2 secondaries in the pic
> 
> View attachment 106916


Great job! 

Where did you get the enclosures from? I'm having trouble finding any ebay sellers who have stock and will ship to Australia. 

Any tips for those who are also (slowly) collecting all the bits but are yet to commence the build?


----------



## kaiserben

I bought mine from here: LINK 

But it now says the listing has ended.


----------



## bevan

kaiserben said:


> I bought mine from here: LINK
> 
> But it now says the listing has ended.



That's where I got mine from too, maybe they've been cleaned out of stock by brewers. Send them a message and see if they are going to restock.

Slight side track, kaiserben how did you change the link description to say "link"?


----------



## kaiserben

I typed out "LINK" first, then highlighted the text, then clicked the hyperlink icon, which brings up a box where you can paste in the URL. Then click 'Insert' and it's done.

Edit: The hyperlink icon is the one that looks like a chain link, the 7th icon along above the box you type in.


----------



## Scarabrew

You still can bought from the original seller out of the Ebay platform (and it's cheaper):

http://www.geoshop.lt/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=242#.WWbiHYgrKHt


----------



## bevan

Just to let you know the pet XXL containers have been relisted on eBay.
STILL WAITING for the pc boards from china, hopefully they arrive soon so I can get building!


----------



## Korev

Alchomist said:


> Well after lots of help from the iSpindel team, I finally got it sorted. The biggest headache I had was having to use a larger switch that meant redesigning the layout. But she's calibrated, charged up & pumping out data to ubidots. Time for a sherbet
> 
> I took someone's advice on this thread & bought spares, so there's a primary & 2 secondaries in the pic
> 
> View attachment 106916



Looks great - what weight did you use and where did you get it

Thanks
Peter


----------



## kaiserben

Those solder points are bloody close together! I've decided to hold off till I can get a magnifying glass thingamyjig to help with the soldering job.


----------



## Scarabrew

I got the boards from the website. Still need some time to collect all the pieces from the drawer for soldering but the boards look good and well manufactured.


----------



## Moad

Looks like these are at a point where they are working well... time to start ordering parts!


----------



## Dag Frode Aasnes

Hello visit our new Online Monitor.beer that makes it easy for home brewers to get graphical display of the fermentation process with Tilt hydrometer, Ispindel hydrometer or Plaato hydrometer from anywhere.

Plaato is a running kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1792157374/plaato-reinventing-the-airlock.

Ispindel is a DIY Hydrometer: http://hackaday.com/2017/03/01/iot-device-pulls-its-weight-in-home-brewing/

On Monitor.beer you will have a full overview throughout the fermentation process wherever you may be. Having full control during fermentation is a must for brewing a fantastic beer.

Here you will find us: https://monitor.beer

Online information during fermentation:

Continuous alcohol%.
Continuous yeast attenuation%.
Continuous fermentation%.
Continuous temperature.
Ongoing SG.
How long sg is stable for days.
Minimum temperature through fermentation.
Average temperature through fermentation.
Maximum temperature through fermentation.
Number of days fermentation.


----------



## bevan

Question for someone who's bought the pcb. What switch did you use? The one I got has the pins pitch too wide (2.5mm)/ pins themselves too thick. It needs a switch that has 2mm pitch on the pins/ 0.5mm pin diameter.
Cheers
Bevan


----------



## mfeighan

bevan said:


> Question for someone who's bought the pcb. What switch did you use? The one I got has the pins pitch too wide (2.5mm)/ pins themselves too thick. It needs a switch that has 2mm pitch on the pins/ 0.5mm pin diameter.
> Cheers
> Bevan


i just used the cheapest switched i found on ebay, and bridged a connection on the pcb, now im going to need some calibration weights at mine pretty much floats on its side right now


----------



## bevan

mfeighan said:


> i just used the cheapest switched i found on ebay, and bridged a connection on the pcb, now im going to need some calibration weights at mine pretty much floats on its side right now



Ok I see what you did there. Thanks!


----------



## bevan

Thought I'd chuck a few photos up of the board stack. Very impressed with the pcb! Well worth getting!


----------



## gezzanet

Cool. Still waiting for my boards. How long did yours take to show up ?


----------



## bevan

gezzanet said:


> Cool. Still waiting for my boards. How long did yours take to show up ?



Ordered it on the 27/07/17 and arrived on the 11/08/17. Not bad considering they had to be made.


----------



## gezzanet

I think mine are lost then.


----------



## gezzanet

seems to be no way to check with pcb.io on their website so maybe a bit hit and miss. Tracking says Your item departed our USPS facility in MIAMI FL INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER on June 25, 2017 at 9:14 pm. The item is currently in transit to the destination. 
looks like a donation to the beer gods. Any other board manufacturers used by anyone?


----------



## bevan

gezzanet said:


> seems to be no way to check with pcb.io on their website so maybe a bit hit and miss. Tracking says Your item departed our USPS facility in MIAMI FL INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER on June 25, 2017 at 9:14 pm. The item is currently in transit to the destination.
> looks like a donation to the beer gods. Any other board manufacturers used by anyone?



I'd send them an email to

[email protected]

You should have a reference for your order.


----------



## gezzanet

Cool thanks I'll try it out.


----------



## gezzanet

So I contacted them through [email protected] and they were very prompt and sent out more boards. They said boards should arrive in 7-10 days to Australia as they keep some spare boards as they said they are very popular. Good news for those wanting to get some boards.


----------



## mfeighan

yeah my boards arrived way before half of my stuff from china. my gyros disappeared in the post somewhere so i paid triple to cost to get another one from an australian supplier


----------



## Moad

double post sorry


----------



## Moad

Ok I have everything except the temp sensor now. The pcb's are great and look like they will make life easier.

Going to have a crack at soldering this week, can anyone tell me the easiest way to remove the diode on the D1 mini. I dont think I could get to it with an iron without messing it up!


----------



## gezzanet

Use a small pair of sidecutters and snip it off. Easy as.


----------



## bevan

Finished product. Just need to load the software and play with it.


----------



## Moad

I had a fair bit of trouble flashing the arduino once I soldered everything up. I couldn't get the nodemcu flasher to flash the .bin properly so ended up flashing with the arduino IDE then had to play around with drivers for some time to get it detected as a COM port again. I was then able to flash with the nodemcu flasher again. 

My only issue is the temp is reporting as -127, those pads for the ds18b20 are so close together I must have crossed them when soldering. Not worried I won't be using that temp anyway, I will be more careful on other boards.

Picking up a sled this afternoon so will report back with some pics. I do need to get some weights before it will go in to production.


----------



## Moad

Bevan, did you have to file down the pcb board at all? Mine is slightly too big for the printed sled but other than that it is all fitting nicely.

I got some tyre weights but have ordered the calibration weights to make it all nice and tidy


----------



## Lionman

Whats the best way to get the parts for this? I can print the sled, are there more of those PCBs available?


----------



## bevan

Moad said:


> Bevan, did you have to file down the pcb board at all? Mine is slightly too big for the printed sled but other than that it is all fitting nicely.
> 
> I got some tyre weights but have ordered the calibration weights to make it all nice and tidy



No it fitted pretty well.


----------



## bevan

Lionman said:


> Whats the best way to get the parts for this? I can print the sled, are there more of those PCBs available?



You get the pcb's from here
https://pcbs.io/share/8gbKR
The rest I just got from eBay.


----------



## Moad

must have been the print, I had to file off a bit from the bottom of the sled and also the toggle switch to fit it all in but its nice and snug.

Time to calibrate and get it ready for the first ferment.

I have mine feeding in to my brewpiless which is absolute gold


----------



## Lionman

Thanks for the link. Ordered some PCBs.

Putting a cart of parts together on ebay, the correct encloser size is 4.5cm x 15cm right? XXL PET Geocaching container.

Might need a new iron and a helping hand too.


----------



## malt junkie

Moad said:


> must have been the print, I had to file off a bit from the bottom of the sled and also the toggle switch to fit it all in but its nice and snug.
> 
> Time to calibrate and get it ready for the first ferment.
> 
> I have mine feeding in to my brewpiless which is absolute gold


Are you running fermtrack or Brewpiless stand alone?


----------



## Schikitar

Anyone putting these together and selling ready-to-go?


----------



## Lionman

All the bits ordered. Hopefully they arrive in this lifetime.

I think Fasttech.com is better for 18650s. seems a little cheaper than ebay.

I'm going to just use some I have already for lights, which I may replace them with some better ones.

The 18650 to get is the Sony VTC6. Great performing cells, although the load on this build is tiny so probably doesn't matter that much.

Will be able to build 5 units for about $100 I think.


----------



## Moad

I'm running brewpiless stand alone and I haven't actually been able to get it feeding in yet. Not sure why, it reports to ubidots no issue


----------



## Moad

Schikitar said:


> Anyone putting these together and selling ready-to-go?



You can buy a commercial version called tilt. I am doing up a guide which should make it easy for you to pick up and run with


----------



## WoopWoop

Hi guys. I've built up a iSpindel circuit board using "stripboard", all seems fine. Not as pretty as the pcb, I'll probably order this at some point. 

Now it's time to get it working. I managed to flash it using Node MCU, and in a terminal window I can see:

NodeMCU 0.9.5 build 20150318 powered by Lua 5.1.4
lua: cannot open init.lua​
I've also started a ubidots account.

I've been over the documentation on Github, but for the life of me I can't work out what to do next. Would it be possible to post a basic outline of the steps to connect it to wifi, link to ubidots and calibrate?


----------



## Schikitar

Moad said:


> You can buy a commercial version called tilt. I am doing up a guide which should make it easy for you to pick up and run with


I've seen the tilt but at $200 it's a stretch, would love to see a guide though as I'd be happy to DIY (but need the guidance)!


----------



## Moad

Well I finally got my ispindel reporting to brewpiless. There is a version of ispindel in the bpl GitHub under the extras folder that is the only one that would work for me.

I've now put 4 of these together.

I'll be soldering a few more tonight so will get the guide started and hopefully completed in the next few days. 

i am also now pumping bpl data (including gravity now) out to ubidots which is much nicer than google sheets

I should have one completed unit spare in a few weeks, parts are ~$35 and my time is worth something so make an offer


----------



## Moad

What weight have you guys used? The 20g alone didn't weigh it down enough I have had to put 30g in to get the angle in water at 20 degrees.

I took a leap of faith and soldered straight on to the battery today, waaaaay better. I have one unit fully complete and should finish a few more tomorrow night once I file the sled off a little.


----------



## kaiserben

Moad said:


> What weight have you guys used? The 20g alone didn't weigh it down enough I have had to put 30g in to get the angle in water at 20 degrees.



I haven't got to that stage yet (will be finishing it this Sunday - fingers crossed), but luckily I bought a few sets of weights (each set with 20g, 10g, 5g, 2g & 1g weights in it) for the few sets of builds I intend on doing.


----------



## Moad

Schikitar said:


> I've seen the tilt but at $200 it's a stretch, would love to see a guide though as I'd be happy to DIY (but need the guidance)!



Have you ordered the parts?

It is all pretty straight forward, the hardest part is soldering the temp probe (if you buy the pcb). I can help with the rest via pm or happy to have a chat on the phone. If you are in Newcastle and need a hand let me know. Guide is coming, just trying to juggle work, uni, family and brewing!


----------



## Schikitar

Moad said:


> Have you ordered the parts?



Not exactly sure what I need to buy, so no, not yet! Appreciate the help, I might just wait for your guide, hopefully you find the time but understand how hard it is to fit everything in! I'm in Tas by the way, haven't been to Newcastle since 1996!


----------



## Moad

Will post up parts today so you can get started.

Best investment I made for this project is a "third hand" with a magnifying glass. I grabbed one from jaycar for $20. It makes soldering so much easier.

I was going to brew this arvo but I am not sure I'll muster the energy after a bucks show yesterday, should get some time to get the guide started

Since 1996, you are missing out... lots happening in Newy these days


----------



## farsonic

Just ordered some PCB's for this .... do you happen to have the parts list needed? I'll look to build a few of these 

Ordered most of the components tonight also.

I'm horribly confused over which containers to order and what the matching sled is I'd need to get printed.

Can anyone suggest known working combinations?


----------



## kaiserben

Was a bit confused about how to attach the switch (and what the switch is for). 

The width between the pin holes does not line up with my board at all. 

(I didn't buy the pre-made pcb board. I've been trying to do it all from scratch). 

So I gave up and have given it to someone else to do for me.


----------



## gezzanet

Depend on the switch you get. I made my first one with a perf board. Needed to drill some bigger holes to get the switches I have to fit. Have since gone to the preprinted ones. Will prob have to do something similar for these as well as I didn't get the exact ones


----------



## Moad

I've the exact switch that fits perfect on the pcb, sorry been sick since Sunday

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/New...-Switch-Side-Knob-SK12D07VG3/32723161171.html


----------



## farsonic

Moad said:


> I've the exact switch that fits perfect on the pcb, sorry been sick since Sunday
> 
> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/New...-Switch-Side-Knob-SK12D07VG3/32723161171.html



Do you have any of those switches surplus? I'm looking for three...looks like you need to order 10. Then again, it is only 99c


----------



## Moad

Sorry no I put 10 of them together

Will post other parts shortly


----------



## gezzanet

Gota get me some of them Switches


----------



## Moad

XXL Pet Bottles http://www.geoshop.lt/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=242#.WXgNdoiGOUm
Sled 3dhubs
PCB Board https://pcbs.io/share/8gbKR
Gyro https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10P...lgo_pvid=cfa9aeeb-bb2e-41be-9931-90370fccf6e7
ds18b20 https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1PC...0.html?spm=a2g0s.13010208.99999999.264.U5hoeh
4.7k ohm resistor https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Fre...Film-Resistor-1-4-7K-ohm-4K7/32376043790.html
shottkey diode http://au.rs-online.com/web/p/products/2513025/
220k ohm resistor https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...ohm-Resistors-0-5W-220KR-Ohm/32688226277.html
D1 Mini https://www.aliexpress.com/item/D1-...lgo_pvid=05784ea6-d1bd-46cd-b52b-c4b70bfd2686
tp4056 https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10-...lgo_pvid=eb2ebb5a-85d7-429a-8177-b2598d96a065
microswitch https://www.aliexpress.com/item/New...-Switch-Side-Knob-SK12D07VG3/32723161171.html
20g weights http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/CALIBRATION-WEIGHT-Set-10g-20g-50g-100g-200g-500g-DIGITAL-SCALES-GRAM-WEIGHTS/182716935626?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&var=690032293823&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
battery https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4-P...7.html?spm=a2g0s.13010208.99999999.264.6DkxoH



Edit: You will also need some cable to go from the board to the battery and obviously some solder.


----------



## Moad

There may be cheaper places and I got a few items in bulk but all of these parts I can confirm are working!

More to come...


----------



## Moad

The data below is not real for anything except the temp on fermenter 1. I need to calibrate the hydrometers and I have just finished the other two temp controllers. I'm running brewpiless and logging the data from brewpiless up to ubidots. I was pretty happy to get this working so thought I would post it. 

I have a little bit more work to do with the calibration to get them in to production (tomorrow night) and then I will do a thorough write up on how to get to here!


----------



## charliwest

Hey everyone.

Joined after finding your forum which I used to help me set up my ispindel (still not working yet, hopefully tomorrow!) and saw the info about getting it working with a brewpi. I am in the process of getting it working and wanted to make you aware. https://github.com/charliwest/brewpi-www https://github.com/charliwest/brewpi-scripts and soon https://github.com/charliwest/brewpi-docker. 

This is a bit early as I thought I was finisihed until I spoke to elco who pointed out some issues and how docker would actually make it much easier! But if you know anything about python etc maybe you can also help me getting it working 

Thanks for the help you gave with previous posts and take a look at my github repos if you think they might help you with getting even more data about your brew! Cheers


----------



## farsonic

Moad - which sled did you end up getting printed to work with your set up?


----------



## Moad

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0h3t5ylwl71tb87/iSpindel 2.1.stl?dl=0

I had to file it down at the ends to make it fit, there may be better options but it does fit with a little bit of work


----------



## kaiserben

In this "circuit" diagram, where does the orange cable go at the Wemos end? 

https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/blob/master/docs/circuit_diagram_en.md


----------



## Moad

kaiserben said:


> In this "circuit" diagram, where does the orange cable go at the Wemos end?
> 
> https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/blob/master/docs/circuit_diagram_en.md



I used the pcb so it took all of the guess work out of that, it says further down:


+ IN to USB + 5V of the Wemos D1 mini (optional)


----------



## kaiserben

Interesting that it's optional.


----------



## phul

So i noticed that there's a few people building these and was thinking about building one myself, but it's tempting to ask if others would sell one of their surplus builds...stuff it I'll ask.

Anyone got one for sale? Alternatively, all the parts in a kit?


----------



## Scarabrew

Let's go wirelessly, babe!


----------



## wheat and hops

This is a brilliant project. Paiakan that is a brilliant addition.

After a 10 year break from brewing to have kids and family craftbeerpi and projects such as this have changed my drinking issues into a nice past time.


----------



## charliwest

OK, I think I have the iSpindel version with the current brewpi non-legacy branch.

If you are using docker, where you did with docker
docker pull brewpi/brewpi-ubuntu
instead do
docker pull charliwest/brewpi-ispindel

If you are using a “standard” older install, go to /home/brewpi and do git remote set-url origin https://github.com/charliwest/brewpi-script .
Then go to /var/www/html (or wherever your brewpi web stuff is, for me its /var/www/html/brewpi because of proxying) and do git remote set-url origin https://github.com/charliwest/brewpi-www .

Then give everything a restart. Please BACKUP everything before you begin, I take no responsibility if you destroy your brewpi set up. You should just be able to remove the extra parts by switching git remote back git remote set-url origin https://github.com/BrewPi/brewpi-script . etc.

I have no idea what I am doing with this, I only got this far with previous work from @Gmasem @sbowler and of course @Elco, so thanks all.

If you find things wrong I will try and help out as best I can, but really I am bumbling around in the dark here!






Good luck!


----------



## kaiserben

I've got as far as charging up the battery. Getting closer now ...


----------



## chris.w

Hey @Paiakan, how's your wireless charging system going? Which one did you end up with (recent pix look a bit different to earlier ones)?


----------



## farsonic

Does anyone have the original EAGLE files for the PCB? I'm looking to get these made elsewhere as the linked supplier is super slow.....


----------



## Scarabrew

chris.w said:


> Hey @Paiakan, how's your wireless charging system going? Which one did you end up with (recent pix look a bit different to earlier ones)?


Bought this one: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/A-Q...32724345585.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.AcNW6Y

Still working great!


----------



## Uyllii

chris.w said:


> Hey @Paiakan, how's your wireless charging system going? Which one did you end up with (recent pix look a bit different to earlier ones)?



I got round to building an iSpindle last weekend (after having parts dribble in for what seemed like forever). I have gone the wireless charging route too, and am using the following product:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Wireless-Charger-Receiver-Module/32279028531.html

It gets a little warmer than I would like and doesn't have two way communication smarts to turn itself off (like the cell phone ones do) but charges the battery successfully. I just turn it off when the battery lipo charger board lights up blue.

The receiver coil fits inside the inner lip of the lid of the PET bottle so the bottle can sit upside-down on its lid and charge.

I aim to never open my bottle once it is calibrated so I picked up a couple of magnetic reed switches (https://www.jaycar.com.au/glass-reed-switch-n-o/p/SM1002) from Jaycar.
One to replace the toy switch (to turn off the device when sitting in my charging station), and one to replace the Wemos reset switch so i can double tap the switch to enter config mode.


----------



## chris.w

Thanks @Paiakan - I've just ordered one of those to give it a try.

I just saw suggestion from @Uyllii, which looks interesting too - may be better suited to PET bottle. However, about never opening the bottle once calibrated (a worthy goal), I understand the concept of magnetic reed switches but how would you use one to "double tap the switch to enter config mode"? In fact, with two such switches in close proximity, how would you target a particular switch in preference to the other?


----------



## Uyllii

chris.w said:


> Thanks @Paiakan - I've just ordered one of those to give it a try.
> 
> I just saw suggestion from @Uyllii, which looks interesting too - may be better suited to PET bottle. However, about never opening the bottle once calibrated (a worthy goal), I understand the concept of magnetic reed switches but how would you use one to "double tap the switch to enter config mode"? In fact, with two such switches in close proximity, how would you target a particular switch in preference to the other?



Fair questions. I am yet to actually put the switches in place (the wireless charging is done and working and tested). The double tapping for config is the same way config is entered now, press the reset switch on the wemos twice in a row and it enters the config mode. I'll unsolder the reset switch on the wemos and put the reed in its place. Moving the magnet towards and away twice in a second or so should trigger the config mode.

I hope the switches will be far enough apart not to trigger at the same time, with a weak enough magnet it should be fine. I plan on testing this last part after work today so i'll let you know how I go.

I also realised I will need a NC reed switch or a SPDT reed switch (or even a tilt switch) to toggle the device on off when charging as I want it off when the magnet is in proximity.


----------



## Scarabrew

Very interesting hack by @Uyllii, although I'm afraid I don't have skills to unsolder the reset button from Wemos, but will wait for your final veredict.


----------



## Lionman

farsonic said:


> Does anyone have the original EAGLE files for the PCB? I'm looking to get these made elsewhere as the linked supplier is super slow.....



I got mine in under 2 weeks. I don't think that's very slow for custom pcb.


----------



## bevan

Lionman said:


> I got mine in under 2 weeks. I don't think that's very slow for custom pcb.



Me too.


----------



## Lionman

Sat down last night to assemble one and realised I forgot to order the gyro, DOH!

What a bummer! Have to wait even longer for bits to arrive.


----------



## Scarabrew

farsonic said:


> Does anyone have the original EAGLE files for the PCB? I'm looking to get these made elsewhere as the linked supplier is super slow.....


Right from the horse's mouth: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/pcky14x23m4h9vz/AADW4gWNtIcgbDrlAnKMMaUOa?dl=0


----------



## Gout

Is there anywhere online that will 3d print the cradle? 
Have asked someone to print it for me but not sure it will ever happen.


----------



## bevan

Gout said:


> Is there anywhere online that will 3d print the cradle?
> Have asked someone to print it for me but not sure it will ever happen.



Have checked your local library? Not all of them have one but some do. One close to me has a printer. What's your location, someone on here might be able to help.


----------



## Gout

wow i never even considered a library, I might do a search.
I'm in Ferntree Gully - Melbourne


----------



## bevan

Gout said:


> wow i never even considered a library, I might do a search.
> I'm in Ferntree Gully - Melbourne



Ask your local library, they should be able to tell you if another one nearby has one.

If you get stuck I should be able to get one made by a friend who did mine. 
I'm in the process of slowly get together the bits to build a 3D printer myself.


----------



## Gout

I have been helped out by a very helpful ahb member so now have the 3d printed part. Very greatful for that.

Now I just need the remaining parts to trickle in (PCB, container and a few other bits)


----------



## farsonic

Gout said:


> Is there anywhere online that will 3d print the cradle?
> Have asked someone to print it for me but not sure it will ever happen.



I got my cradles/sleds printed on 3DHubs and specifically used Kerry's Hub as the person doing the printing. This guy was fantastic and responded within minutes of me uploading my print request. He ran an initial test print on the sled to make sure it would work before committing to printing three of them. Shipping was quick and arrived in a few days. Highly recommend using this guy if you can. His 3DHubs URL is https://www.3dhubs.com/service/3d-easy-printing

I also have a referral code, if you sign up for their service feel free to use this link. 

http://3dhubs.refr.cc/KQTZJCF

Cheers

F


----------



## farsonic

Rainy Sunday here today so decided to tackle the first iSpindle build. I have most of the components, minus the battery and weights.

View media item 10541View media item 10542View media item 10543View media item 10544View media item 10545View media item 10546View media item 10547View media item 10548View media item 10549View media item 10550View media item 10552View media item 10551
I had the sled printed online at https://www.3dhubs.com/service/3d-easy-printing and this was an amazingly great guy to deal with. Need to get the battery and the weights now.

What did I learn from this....piece the entire build together as much as possible on the desk before soldering! The build process needs to be in the right steps otherwise you will end up removing stuff and restarting. I ended up using some risers on the PCB to attach the mini-d1 which I had to trim down to get this all to fit nice and snug.

Overall, simple enough though  I seem to be missing a photo of the final "stack" also...will look to upload soon.

Beer I have at the end is my Citra Smash (100% Maris), which is incredibly simple and everyone loves it!

F


----------



## farsonic

ok, I fired this up tonight and noticed that the Tilt sensor wasn't reporting any values. The temp sensor seemed to be checking in ok though. Noticed that I hadn't followed the instructions to remove the diode on the Wemos...did this and now nothing works  This is mentioned in the German, English and some Dutch examples that I've found. However, removing this seems to disable the onboard USB from working, I no longer see a USB serial port appearing on my Mac. 

What is the intention of removing this part? How do you flash the wemos now that it seems to have killed USB and seemingly Wifi also? 

F


----------



## Scarabrew

farsonic said:


> ok, I fired this up tonight and noticed that the Tilt sensor wasn't reporting any values. The temp sensor seemed to be checking in ok though. Noticed that I hadn't followed the instructions to remove the diode on the Wemos...did this and now nothing works  This is mentioned in the German, English and some Dutch examples that I've found. However, removing this seems to disable the onboard USB from working, I no longer see a USB serial port appearing on my Mac.
> 
> What is the intention of removing this part? How do you flash the wemos now that it seems to have killed USB and seemingly Wifi also?
> 
> F


My 0.02:
1 - If the Temp sensor was working but not the Gyro sensor, it could be a faulty gyro sensor or bad soldering. The tip is to use a multimeter to check continuity at the pins.

2 - Here are some explanation from the creator of the iSpindel for the "why":


> Nevertheless, don't forget to remove that very diode, otherwise you are powering the battery directly by 5V from Wemos and might lead to a nice fire in your house...


.

3 - After removing the LED, the only way to feed the Wemos is from battery. Charge the battery first, after finish keep feeding the Wemos from batteryb and connect the microUSB cable at the Wemos. It should work. If not, you probably killed the Wemos.


----------



## farsonic

Paiakan said:


> My 0.02:
> 1 - If the Temp sensor was working but not the Gyro sensor, it could be a faulty gyro sensor or bad soldering. The tip is to use a multimeter to check continuity at the pins.
> 
> 2 - Here are some explanation from the creator of the iSpindel for the "why":
> .
> 
> 3 - After removing the LED, the only way to feed the Wemos is from battery. Charge the battery first, after finish keep feeding the Wemos from batteryb and connect the microUSB cable at the Wemos. It should work. If not, you probably killed the Wemos.





The original circuit has the battery connected to the diode connector....is this still the case with the PCB? 

Cheers

F


----------



## farsonic

Lionman said:


> I got mine in under 2 weeks. I don't think that's very slow for custom pcb.



I eventually got the PCB's but was about 4 weeks. Must have been some hold up ... oh well they arrived but were just thrown in a bag with no padding etc and were rattling around when they arrived. One had some minor damage but it isn't enough to make the PCB unusable. 

Cheers

F


----------



## Scarabrew

farsonic said:


> The original circuit has the battery connected to the diode connector....is this still the case with the PCB?


Yes, you still have to remove it even if use the PCB.


----------



## farsonic

And still run a wire from the battery then? That would make sense  

Cheers 

F


----------



## Scarabrew

farsonic said:


> And still run a wire from the battery then? That would make sense
> 
> Cheers
> 
> F


If you use the Mikmonken board you don't have to use that orange wire from the original diagram since this job is done by the Mikmonken PCB.


----------



## TheBlackMini

Well just jumped on board and ordered all my parts! Just need the sled(s).

The waiting game begins! 30-45 days...


----------



## Engibeer

Hey farsonic,

Looks great!!!

I trust that this is from thingiverse?

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1996171/#files

Did you order drawer-combo-short-spring2

?



farsonic said:


> Rainy Sunday here today so decided to tackle the first iSpindle build. I have most of the components, minus the battery and weights.
> 
> 
> View media item 10552View media item 10551
> I had the sled printed online at https://www.3dhubs.com/service/3d-easy-printing and this was an amazingly great guy to deal with. Need to get the battery and the weights now.
> 
> What did I learn from this....piece the entire build together as much as possible on the desk before soldering! The build process needs to be in the right steps otherwise you will end up removing stuff and restarting. I ended up using some risers on the PCB to attach the mini-d1 which I had to trim down to get this all to fit nice and snug.
> 
> Overall, simple enough though  I seem to be missing a photo of the final "stack" also...will look to upload soon.
> 
> Beer I have at the end is my Citra Smash (100% Maris), which is incredibly simple and everyone loves it!
> 
> F


----------



## Engibeer

Anyone order their PCB from here?

https://pcbs.io/search?query=MIKMONKEN

Looks easy to order from there...

Anyone have a spare they want to sell, or anyone else need one - I won't need 4x and the order is a set of 4!

$7.45 for a set of 4 - cheap as chips!


----------



## chris.w

Engibeer said:


> Anyone order their PCB from here?
> https://pcbs.io/search?query=MIKMONKEN
> Looks easy to order from there...
> Anyone have a spare they want to sell, or anyone else need one - I won't need 4x and the order is a set of 4!
> $7.45 for a set of 4 - cheap as chips!


Yes - delivery was just over 3 weeks.

If you're in Brisbane I can give you one if you want to pick it up but otherwise it's easy and cheap enough to source directly from the maker isn't it?


----------



## Engibeer

chris.w said:


> Yes - delivery was just over 3 weeks.
> 
> If you're in Brisbane I can give you one if you want to pick it up but otherwise it's easy and cheap enough to source directly from the maker isn't it?



Thanks for the offer Chris - but probably easier to source it from pcbs.io as you said. I didn't realise that shipping from there was free!? Incredible.

I've placed my order for 4x units so I may as well get the other parts to make 4x seeing as it's all so cheap!


----------



## aussiechucka

If anyone is after the PCB for this project please PM me I stuffed up and order 4 sets of 4. So I have an extra 12 if needed. I can sell them for $3 AUD each and $1 for postage.
This is the boards I bought. 
https://pcbs.io/search?query=MIKMONKEN


----------



## aussiechucka

Just to make it clear for everyone. I bought 16 boards shipped here to Australia for 48.24 AUD. I am selling them at $3 each with postage at $1. I have 12 available.


----------



## phul

farsonic said:


> I had the sled printed online at https://www.3dhubs.com/service/3d-easy-printing and this was an amazingly great guy to deal with. Need to get the battery and the weights now.
> 
> F



There's quite a few different sled files on github, which did you get made?


----------



## kaiserben

Got my iSpindel working. I'm running through a fast ferment for calibration right now. 

I ended up needing 30g of weight to make sure the iSpindel was at a good angle in tap water (my angle there was 23.32°).


----------



## stilvia

aussiechucka said:


> Just to make it clear for everyone. I bought 16 boards shipped here to Australia for 48.24 AUD. I am selling them at $3 each with postage at $1. I have 12 available.


Pm sent


----------



## Engibeer

Moad said:


> XXL Pet Bottles http://www.geoshop.lt/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=242#.WXgNdoiGOUm



Hey Moad,

This website lists the ID of the tubes as 34mm however I found DRAWER-COMBO-SHORT-SPRING2_STL is 38.2mm wide.

Did you use this sled and bottle combination?

Has anyone else used this combination without any issues? Is 34mm the nominal diameter, or representative of the diameter at the tapered end?

Cheers,

Matt


----------



## Engibeer

Okay, Moad I found your post with your sled on dropbox (red)

Below is a comparison of the size of this versus DRAWER-COMBO-SHORT-SPRING2_STL (blue)

The one a lot of users had printed by Kerry from 3D hubs is significantly bigger.

What bottle did you guys find to work with this?


----------



## aussiechucka

aussiechucka said:


> Just to make it clear for everyone. I bought 16 boards shipped here to Australia for 48.24 AUD. I am selling them at $3 each with postage at $1. I have 12 available.


Hi everyone. Sorry I just did a recount of the boards i bought. I ended up getting 25 @ $48.48 So works out around $2 per board. I have some with spares from Aliexpress. Would have been good if I counted the boards before I posted on the forum. Anyway pm me if intrested. The extra spares will be $1extra. This includes the micro switch, the diode, the usb charging port and the two resistors.


----------



## bevan

Engibeer said:


> Okay, Moad I found your post with your sled on dropbox (red)
> 
> Below is a comparison of the size of this versus DRAWER-COMBO-SHORT-SPRING2_STL (blue)
> 
> The one a lot of users had printed by Kerry from 3D hubs is significantly bigger.
> 
> What bottle did you guys find to work with this?
> 
> View attachment 109498


I used the sled from post #1, the tinkercad one I think it is. This fits loose in the XXL bottle from eBay. I added a little bit of padding on each side and it sits nice and snug


----------



## Engibeer

Thanks Bevan,

I found the XXL bottles on ebay https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/5-pcs-X...354252?hash=item1ed26ca48c:g:rnQAAOSwv0tU4JMN

They have an ID of 35-41mm. Length is only quoted as ~122mm. I assume this is to the beginning of the taper, as external length is 150mm? Length of mine is 132.7mm but this is only 2.7mm longer than yours.

Hopefully they will fit my 38.2mmW sled without any padding.


----------



## kaiserben

kaiserben said:


> Got my iSpindel working. I'm running through a fast ferment for calibration right now.
> 
> I ended up needing 30g of weight to make sure the iSpindel was at a good angle in tap water (my angle there was 23.32°).



*I'm seeking a bit of advice from anyone who has set one up already*. 

My calibration angle in tap water was *23.32°* 

I made up a 1.084 SG sugar solution and pitched yeast into that. Initially the iSpindel angle was *~58°*. All good at that stage. 
I pitched some SO4 and noticed fermentation activity, krausen etc. 24 hours after first pitching yeast I notice that the angle has actually increased by ~5° to be *~63°*. It's only gone back down a few degrees since then. So how on earth do I take this rise in angle into account for calibrating? A bit hard to get it accurate with a 5° discrepancy for the starting gravity of 1.084.


----------



## Moad

I don’t think they are very accurate for various reasons. I’ve seen this as well and I don’t know why.

I won’t be using mine to change temps as it is not accurate but it does give you a decent idea of where the ferment is up to based on the graph. You’ll at least know when your ferment is done and be able to take one sample to take FG rather than a few along the way


----------



## Uyllii

I have only done one brew with mine but I found the readings to be very stable.

This is my tilt angle curve (I haven't calibrated it properly yet so just no SG on this) , the biggest blips were less than 1% apart from the cold crash. Of note are the hydrometer readings (taken from the tap at the bottom of my plastic fermentation vessel), both of them caused a drop in angle (possibly from pressure drop in the fermenter after taking a 100ml sample?). Also the dry hop addition caused an increase in angle (I think I bumped the iSpindle)


----------



## fungrel

Uyllii said:


> I have only done one brew with mine but I found the readings to be very stable.
> 
> This is my tilt angle curve (I haven't calibrated it properly yet so just no SG on this) , the biggest blips were less than 1% apart from the cold crash. Of note are the hydrometer readings (taken from the tap at the bottom of my plastic fermentation vessel), both of them caused a drop in angle (possibly from pressure drop in the fermenter after taking a 100ml sample?). Also the dry hop addition caused an increase in angle (I think I bumped the iSpindle)
> View attachment 109546


Dry hopping introduces fermentables in the form of glucose and enzymes contained in the hops. I recent talk from Yakima Farms at home brew con talked about this.


----------



## Uyllii

fungrel said:


> Dry hopping introduces fermentables in the form of glucose and enzymes contained in the hops. I recent talk from Yakima Farms at home brew con talked about this.



That is interesting. Does that mean I should be leaving it longer to ferment before cold crashing after dry hopping. I always assumed that hop oils were unfermentable and usually cold crash and fine one day after adding them so I get a total of 3/4 days dry hopped before kegging.


----------



## fungrel

Uyllii said:


> That is interesting. Does that mean I should be leaving it longer to ferment before cold crashing after dry hopping. I always assumed that hop oils were unfermentable and usually cold crash and fine one day after adding them so I get a total of 3/4 days dry hopped before kegging.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByXOZQrWlgGYNEM3WU5jcUpxN3c/view?usp=drivesdk


----------



## JF99

Uyllii said:


> I got round to building an iSpindle last weekend (after having parts dribble in for what seemed like forever). I have gone the wireless charging route too, and am using the following product:
> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Wireless-Charger-Receiver-Module/32279028531.html
> 
> It gets a little warmer than I would like and doesn't have two way communication smarts to turn itself off (like the cell phone ones do) but charges the battery successfully. I just turn it off when the battery lipo charger board lights up blue.
> 
> The receiver coil fits inside the inner lip of the lid of the PET bottle so the bottle can sit upside-down on its lid and charge.
> 
> I aim to never open my bottle once it is calibrated so I picked up a couple of magnetic reed switches (https://www.jaycar.com.au/glass-reed-switch-n-o/p/SM1002) from Jaycar.
> One to replace the toy switch (to turn off the device when sitting in my charging station), and one to replace the Wemos reset switch so i can double tap the switch to enter config mode.



Hi, some options to consider:


Replace you reed switch with a Capacitive Touch sensor (TTP223B). This works through some surfaces. It can be connected to the RST to reset the Wemos, or as a general purpose switch. So device is 100% sealed, but with touch sensistive switches 
If you never want to open it again I suggest you put the Wemos into "deep sleep" mode. In this mode is uses virtually no battery. Depending on your battery quality, could last for years. The Wemos can be scheduled to wake every hour or so and grab a sample. This reduces battery consumption enormously, and no need to worry about LEDs, as they will be mostly off.
Small TTP223B: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10P...lgo_pvid=85d13aeb-a47d-4473-bb27-1c7a148f045a


----------



## Moad

the cheapo wireless chargers work a treat, I just run them all the time and charge when out of the fermenter.


----------



## aussiechucka

aussiechucka said:


> Hi everyone. Sorry I just did a recount of the boards i bought. I ended up getting 25 @ $48.48 So works out around $2 per board. I have some with spares from Aliexpress. Would have been good if I counted the boards before I posted on the forum. Anyway pm me if intrested. The extra spares will be $1extra. This includes the micro switch, the diode, the usb charging port and the two resistors.


Just let people know. I have none of the spares left. The boards I still have and will post out with the resistors. $2 each board and $1 for postage.


----------



## Dwayne Dibley

The link to the stli on post 1 does not work. I ran a few of the stl files through the quote mechanism on 3D Hubs and they all error for PLA with some walls too thin for FDM printing.
Anyone know where you can buy a kit of parts? Might be just as cheap when multiple shipping charges are factored in (I'm in Canada btw).


----------



## nfragol

Dwayne Dibley said:


> The link to the stli on post 1 does not work. I ran a few of the stl files through the quote mechanism on 3D Hubs and they all error for PLA with some walls too thin for FDM printing.
> Anyone know where you can buy a kit of parts? Might be just as cheap when multiple shipping charges are factored in (I'm in Canada btw).



Hi Dwayne, have a happy new year. 
Maybe you may want to take a look at this eshop (https://www.3d-mechatronics.de/en/ispindel-diy-set_151.html).
That is where I got my kit from. Everything needed is supplied except a 20 gram counterweight that might also be needed.


----------



## Dwayne Dibley

Thanks for the link and happy new year.
What do those of you who sourced the parts yourself reckon you ended up paying for the finished ispindle ? Just wondering what the saving would be over buying the kit in the above link.
I'm planning on getting 2 or 3. Which would cost $120-180 CAD +shipping and possibly duty.


----------



## Uyllii

Dwayne Dibley said:


> Thanks for the link and happy new year.
> What do those of you who sourced the parts yourself reckon you ended up paying for the finished ispindle ? Just wondering what the saving would be over buying the kit in the above link.
> I'm planning on getting 2 or 3. Which would cost $120-180 CAD +shipping and possibly duty.



My costs are not the cheapest possible. Diodes, resisters and battery were from local shops (ie 200% markup) and wireless charger was local stock off ebay (50% markup). Rest was from ebay/aliexpress and all includes shipping. AUD but not far from CAD



Code:


Temp Probe        1.85
PET Bottle        3.87
Gyro              1.35
Sled              5.63 (13.03 + 9.50 shipping for 4 sleds)
LiPo Charger      0.53
LiPo Battery      8.90
Wemos D1 Mini     3.99
Resistors         0.96
Diode             1.50 (replaced reset resistor)
Switch            1.95 (tilt - replaced toy switch)
PCB               1.49 (7.45 for 5)
                 =====
                 32.02

Optional:
Switch            2.75 (magnetic reed - replace Wemos reset)
Wireless Charger  7.99
                 =====
                 42.76


----------



## aussiechucka

aussiechucka said:


> Just let people know. I have none of the spares left. The boards I still have and will post out with the resistors. $2 each board and $1 for postage.


Hi Everyone,
I have sold out of the boards. 
Still yet to build the ones I bought. Hope I have helped some people out to get started.
Cheers
Chucka


----------



## Zorco

Great project man


----------



## kingo102

Was keen to make a glass version of this. Anyone endeavoured to source a suitably sized glass test tube or similar?


----------



## Scarabrew

kingo102 said:


> Was keen to make a glass version of this. Anyone endeavoured to source a suitably sized glass test tube or similar?


Just my 2 cents (and maybe I'm wrong) 
I was thinking about this and still not sure if it's a good idea. Glass is much heavier than the plastic tube so the rate of angle variation / gravity will be smaller than in the plastic one.

As a conclusion you will have a device that can measure gravities over 1.100 but will lose a lot in terms of resolution.


----------



## nfragol

Hi guys, just build my ispindel and ran it through 2 calibration tests. It seems to be working fine but after each calibration, i test it again in plain water and keep getting a sg reading of 1.003 both times.
Cant seem to get it to 1.000. I did make a variable in ubidots though that subtracts the extra .003 but dont know if i should be doing that.

Does anybody know how to make a variable in ubidots that can show ABV value as fermentation progresses ?
Or anyway of grabbing only the initial reading of OG ?

Thanks


----------



## Scarabrew

nfragol said:


> Hi guys, just build my ispindel and ran it through 2 calibration tests. It seems to be working fine but after each calibration, i test it again in plain water and keep getting a sg reading of 1.003 both times.
> Cant seem to get it to 1.000. I did make a variable in ubidots though that subtracts the extra .003 but dont know if i should be doing that.
> 
> Does anybody know how to make a variable in ubidots that can show ABV value as fermentation progresses ?
> Or anyway of grabbing only the initial reading of OG ?
> 
> Thanks


1 - Check your results from your calibration. Maybe the error at 1.000 could be something around 0.003.
2 - For me, I don't think that 0.003 would be a big problem. The main reason I am using iSpindel is to check when the primary fermentation has finished (attenuation is over), so if the final density is 1.009 or 1.012 it's not a big deal (for me).

3 - Yes, you can create a widget to add the ABV . Check this: http://help.ubidots.com/faqs-and-troubleshooting/derived-variables-functions


----------



## DaFooze

Need some help here please. Got an Ispindel via 3-D Mechatronic in Germany, all good.
Soldered her up as per the instructions but when I try to access the IP page it is no good. I hit the reset button on the Wemos and nothing different seems to happen. 
I initially have a flashing blue LED, about a flash every 3 sec, hit the reset and still flashes every 3 sec. It's my understanding that it should flash about once a second?
There is a Wifi access point that comes up, but not Ispindel, it is a ESP number. I can connect to that, but then it all stops there.
Any ideas out there in AHB world? Anything I can go and check? I ran a ping to it and the 44byte packets were going thru, but the 56byte ones not, not sure if that means anything.


----------



## Scarabrew

DaFooze said:


> Need some help here please. Got an Ispindel via 3-D Mechatronic in Germany, all good.
> Soldered her up as per the instructions but when I try to access the IP page it is no good. I hit the reset button on the Wemos and nothing different seems to happen.
> I initially have a flashing blue LED, about a flash every 3 sec, hit the reset and still flashes every 3 sec. It's my understanding that it should flash about once a second?
> There is a Wifi access point that comes up, but not Ispindel, it is a ESP number. I can connect to that, but then it all stops there.
> Any ideas out there in AHB world? Anything I can go and check? I ran a ping to it and the 44byte packets were going thru, but the 56byte ones not, not sure if that means anything.


If you see an ESP-Something wifi access point instead of "ispindel" then the BIN file wasn't flashed properly.

Try again to upload the BIN file. Are you using NodeMcu flasher?


----------



## nfragol

You need to install the firmware first before you can access the device.

get the firmware here : https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/releases

then follow this page : https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/blob/master/docs/Firmware_en.md


----------



## nfragol

Paiakan said:


> 1 - Check your results from your calibration. Maybe the error at 1.000 could be something around 0.003.
> 2 - For me, I don't think that 0.003 would be a big problem. The main reason I am using iSpindel is to check when the primary fermentation has finished (attenuation is over), so if the final density is 1.009 or 1.012 it's not a big deal (for me).
> 
> 3 - Yes, you can create a widget to add the ABV . Check this: http://help.ubidots.com/faqs-and-troubleshooting/derived-variables-functions


 
Well the error in the excel sheet does say -0.78 P at 27.33 tilt and a plato reading of 0.0, but i cant understand how to use this error number to correct this.

I know that I can create a widget for ABV, but I am new to this. I don't know how to keep the initial reading of the ispindle for the ABV to be calculated as the fermentation progresses.

Can someone please explain what the error field in the excel sheet actually means ?


----------



## Scarabrew

nfragol said:


> Well the error in the excel sheet does say -0.78 P at 27.33 tilt and a plato reading of 0.0, but i cant understand how to use this error number to correct this.
> 
> I know that I can create a widget for ABV, but I am new to this. I don't know how to keep the initial reading of the ispindle for the ABV to be calculated as the fermentation progresses.
> 
> Can someone please explain what the error field in the excel sheet actually means ?


Try this page: http://dumpa.com.br/ispindel/calibration/

It gives you the error in gravity. 

The error means the difference between the real gravity and the cslculated gravity (calculated by the 2nd or 3rd degree equation)


----------



## nfragol

this brings up 2 formulas, which one should i use ?


----------



## Scarabrew

nfragol said:


> this brings up 2 formulas, which one should i use ?


Sometimes a 2nd order equation fits better than a 3rd one. You will pick the one that has smaller errors.


----------



## DaFooze

nfragol said:


> You need to install the firmware first before you can access the device.
> 
> get the firmware here : https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/releases
> 
> then follow this page : https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/blob/master/docs/Firmware_en.md



Thanks for the reply, just a question tho, how do I determine the COM port that the Wemos is plugged into? I have it plugged into a USB.


----------



## DaFooze

Morning all, 
Well I'm about to throw this thing in the bin. It just is not connecting to the computer thru any COM port. The computer doesn't make that normal "ping" sound when you connect a USB device, I just have a steady blue flashing LED. I can't see another way to load the flash bin file.
I have ordered a BAT43 diode to see if that helps as the resistor that I got sent with my pack is a 390ohm instead of a 470ohm. Not sure if that would make a difference.
Is there anyone out there that could shed some light into reasons I may not be able to connect to a computer? I have tried multiple USB's as well.
Cheers


----------



## Uyllii

DaFooze said:


> Morning all,
> Well I'm about to throw this thing in the bin. It just is not connecting to the computer thru any COM port. The computer doesn't make that normal "ping" sound when you connect a USB device, I just have a steady blue flashing LED. I can't see another way to load the flash bin file.
> I have ordered a BAT43 diode to see if that helps as the resistor that I got sent with my pack is a 390ohm instead of a 470ohm. Not sure if that would make a difference.
> Is there anyone out there that could shed some light into reasons I may not be able to connect to a computer? I have tried multiple USB's as well.
> Cheers



Make sure you are using a charge and data USB cable. Some cables only charge devices and cannot transfer data. (If your phone/tablet/... can connect to PC with it it should be fine)


----------



## scotthbutler

DaFooze said:


> Morning all,
> Well I'm about to throw this thing in the bin. It just is not connecting to the computer thru any COM port. The computer doesn't make that normal "ping" sound when you connect a USB device, I just have a steady blue flashing LED. I can't see another way to load the flash bin file.
> I have ordered a BAT43 diode to see if that helps as the resistor that I got sent with my pack is a 390ohm instead of a 470ohm. Not sure if that would make a difference.
> Is there anyone out there that could shed some light into reasons I may not be able to connect to a computer? I have tried multiple USB's as well.
> Cheers



Your not using a Mac are you? I had to change to a PC for it to be recognised through the USB.


----------



## Korev

Hi Guys,
I have built a brewpiless v2.6 which is working and now I have completed my iSpindel v5.8.5. However, I am stuck trying to configure the iSpindel with the brewpiless - which I suspect is my lack of knowledge about networks. If someone has a worked example on what they set up for the iSpindel Configuration and likewise the brewpiless it would really help

Thanks
Peter


----------



## Scarabrew

Korev said:


> Hi Guys,
> I have built a brewpiless v2.6 which is working and now I have completed my iSpindel v5.8.5. However, I am stuck trying to configure the iSpindel with the brewpiless - which I suspect is my lack of knowledge about networks. If someone has a worked example on what they set up for the iSpindel Configuration and likewise the brewpiless it would really help
> 
> Thanks
> Peter


Hi Peter,

The BrewPiLess settings are very simple. All you have to do is click/tap at the "gravity sensor" menu and tick the "gravity sensor option,like this:







After that you must set your iSpindel like this:






You can change the "Update interval" to something shorter but I think 1 hour for gravity measurement is more than enough since we don't take a gravity reading every hour.

Any doubt, let us know!


----------



## Korev

Paiakan said:


> Hi Peter,
> 
> The BrewPiLess settings are very simple. All you have to do is click/tap at the "gravity sensor" menu and tick the "gravity sensor option,like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After that you must set your iSpindel like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You can change the "Update interval" to something shorter but I think 1 hour for gravity measurement is more than enough since we don't take a gravity reading every hour.
> 
> Any doubt, let us know!



Thanks I had a few things set wrong. My next challenge is to find out the brewpiless IP - I do not have the login to the router. Perhaps I should set brewpiless as a static IP/Gateway? at least I would know what it was!
P


----------



## Scarabrew

Korev said:


> Thanks I had a few things set wrong. My next challenge is to find out the brewpiless IP - I do not have the login to the router. Perhaps I should set brewpiless as a static IP/Gateway? at least I would know what it was!
> P


You can discover your BrewPiLess IP by using an app at your smartphone called IP Tools (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appworld.iptools),

Download it and tap on "Lan Scanner". It will find all devices hooked into your network. The BrewPiLess is the one with "Expressif Inc.".

Or you can reset your BPL, log into it's SSID, tap on "Configure Wi-Fi" . At the end of the page you can find the Static IP options (only available at the 2.5 and newer versions)


----------



## Korev

Paiakan said:


> You can discover your BrewPiLess IP by using an app at your smartphone called IP Tools (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appworld.iptools),
> 
> Download it and tap on "Lan Scanner". It will find all devices hooked into your network. The BrewPiLess is the one with "Expressif Inc.".
> 
> Or you can reset your BPL, log into it's SSID, tap on "Configure Wi-Fi" . At the end of the page you can find the Static IP options (only available at the 2.5 and newer versions)



Some progress today, I think - I had to use a different program for my Windows laptop which provided the IP of the brewpiless . Using your suggested settings didn't work. So I used Putty to see what the iSpindel was doing (not that I know what a good message looks like!) then reconfigured and connected to Ubidots and confirmed that the iSpindle was working with 20s updates.

Then I set a static IP address in both brewpiless and Spindel also configured an update interval of zero and it brought up the iSpindel details on the brewpiless interface - progress

But when I reconfigured the iSpindel to a 360s interval it stopped working again - I have left the putty connected to log overnight

P


----------



## Scarabrew

Well, there is no reason to fix the ispindel IP to static. And even when you change the interval to 0 s the isoindek is able to update around 20 to 30s, that's it as minimum.


----------



## Korev

Paiakan said:


> Well, there is no reason to fix the ispindel IP to static. And even when you change the interval to 0 s the isoindek is able to update around 20 to 30s, that's it as minimum.



I think that there must be something wrong at the brewpiless end as the ispindel worked fine to ubidots

Perhaps I should re flash the brewpiless?

P


----------



## Scarabrew

Sometimes this is the best way to solve an unknown problem. Let's try it.


----------



## Korev

So I spent some time reloading the BPL and iSpindel but with no luck so I lodged an issue on Github

https://github.com/vitotai/BrewPiLess/issues/82

Based on the feedback I changed the iSpindel version 5.1.2 from the BPL extras and have modified BPL 2.7 with 20 instead of 12 per below
Check ExternalData.h, find processJSON()
bool processJSON(char data[],size_t length, bool authenticated, uint8_t& error) { const int BUFFER_SIZE = JSON_OBJECT_SIZE(12);

I am testing how stable this is by monitoring the iSpindel with Putty and it has been updating on BPL every 20" for 45 minutes so far - fingers crossed Update still working after 4 hours

I would be interested to know what versions of BPL and iSpindel others are using?

Peter


----------



## Korev

Died in the proverbial after 7.5 hours and successfully sending 649 times.

Recharging the iSpindel and will run again overnight

P


----------



## Fro-Daddy

I'm thinking about making a couple of these and from reading in here DIY seems to be the way to go for cost and wireless charging.
Is the parts list that was mentioned early on in this thread still the best way to go? I read a few people upgrading/changing things but it started to get a bit confusing.

One other thing I'm still unsure about is how you read the data. Can I just use my laptop and read it live over WiFi? Or do I need the BrewPi?


----------



## Scarabrew

Fro-Daddy said:


> I'm thinking about making a couple of these and from reading in here DIY seems to be the way to go for cost and wireless charging.
> Is the parts list that was mentioned early on in this thread still the best way to go? I read a few people upgrading/changing things but it started to get a bit confusing.
> 
> One other thing I'm still unsure about is how you read the data. Can I just use my laptop and read it live over WiFi? Or do I need the BrewPi?


Things got easier.

Use this Aliexpress shop list but replace the 470 ohm resistor for a BAT43 Schottky Diode.
For the board, buy this one: https://pcbs.io/board/cc3e8a392dc8a9521a15ef98ed3e7abace9f9888af7625a097aafc75fa2716fc
For the PET tube, use this one: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/5-pcs-X...354252?hash=item1ed26ca48c:g:rnQAAOSwv0tU4JMN
Use this drawer to make things easier, too: https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/tree/master/drawer/mwx-Edition






You can also use a wireless charger, but is optional: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/A-Q...32724345585.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.oyw8Rh

And NO, you don't have to build a BrewPi to read it's measurements. The iSpindel itself sends data to a website (usually Ubidots) so you can check it in realtime.


----------



## Fro-Daddy

Is there a link missing for the shop list?
I might start ordering parts tonight, thanks!


----------



## Scarabrew

Fro-Daddy said:


> Is there a link missing for the shop list?
> I might start ordering parts tonight, thanks!


I edited the post. Now it's complete.


----------



## Mister clark

Paiakan said:


> Things got easier.
> 
> Use this Aliexpress shop list but replace the 470 ohm resistor for a BAT43 Schottky Diode.
> For the board, buy this one: https://pcbs.io/board/cc3e8a392dc8a9521a15ef98ed3e7abace9f9888af7625a097aafc75fa2716fc
> For the PET tube, use this one: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/5-pcs-X...354252?hash=item1ed26ca48c:g:rnQAAOSwv0tU4JMN
> Use this drawer to make things easier, too: https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/tree/master/drawer/mwx-Edition
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You can also use a wireless charger, but is optional: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/A-Q...32724345585.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.oyw8Rh
> 
> And NO, you don't have to build a BrewPi to read it's measurements. The iSpindel itself sends data to a website (usually Ubidots) so you can check it in realtime.



Thanks for posting the shopping list, that will make things easier!

I've just finished reading the thread so apologies if this is a silly question but regarding the sled, did you use the same guy others have referenced to do the 3D printing for you?

Thanks in advance.


----------



## Scarabrew

Mister clark said:


> Thanks for posting the shopping list, that will make things easier!
> 
> I've just finished reading the thread so apologies if this is a silly question but regarding the sled, did you use the same guy others have referenced to do the 3D printing for you?
> 
> Thanks in advance.


No, I didn't.

Actually I don't even live in Australia.


----------



## tateg

Hi Guys, 
i am looking at getting the following sled printed.
https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/tree/master/drawer/mwx-Edition
Just wondering if any one else has used it, or is there a better option?
I have already ordered these PET Tubes.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/5-pcs-X...=item1ed26ca48c:g:rnQAAOSwv0tU4JMN&rmvSB=true

Thanks


----------



## BrewYaute74

Hi guys,

I'm struggling to make my temp sensor work. It is showing -127°c on the web page.

Is anyone have a solution for that ? I did not removed the diodes though.

Thank you all


----------



## Scarabrew

BrewYaute74 said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I'm struggling to make my temp sensor work. It is showing -127°c on the web page.
> 
> Is anyone have a solution for that ? I did not removed the diodes though.
> 
> Thank you all


I had this problem twice. It was a bad soldering problem.


----------



## fdsaasdf

I bought some parts last year for this but was otherwise distracted. I now have some spare time, components and the PET enclosures. Is there an updated ideal parts/build list since the last one @Paiakan posted?


----------



## Nj11

I bought extras of everything except the 3d printed sled, enough to make about 5 or so iSpindels. If anyone is keen I am selling for what the parts cost me, $28 plus shipping if required.
Most stuff bought off aliexpress.
Includes:
PET Bottle
PCB
Wemos d1 mini
GYRO
TP4056
Battery (NCR18650B)
Switch
Resistors+diode
DS18B20


----------



## owynp

Nj11 said:


> I bought extras of everything except the 3d printed sled, enough to make about 5 or so iSpindels. If anyone is keen I am selling for what the parts cost me, $28 plus shipping if required.
> Most stuff bought off aliexpress.
> Includes:
> PET Bottle
> PCB
> Wemos d1 mini
> GYRO
> TP4056
> Battery (NCR18650B)
> Switch
> Resistors+diode
> DS18B20


I'd be interested - can you PM me and we can arrange payment? Many thanks in advance


----------



## gabbawocky

Nj11 said:


> I bought extras of everything except the 3d printed sled, enough to make about 5 or so iSpindels. If anyone is keen I am selling for what the parts cost me, $28 plus shipping if required.
> Most stuff bought off aliexpress.
> Includes:
> PET Bottle
> PCB
> Wemos d1 mini
> GYRO
> TP4056
> Battery (NCR18650B)
> Switch
> Resistors+diode
> DS18B20



I'd be interested too.


----------



## Thomas Wood

Nj11 said:


> I bought extras of everything except the 3d printed sled, enough to make about 5 or so iSpindels. If anyone is keen I am selling for what the parts cost me, $28 plus shipping if required.


Yeh if there are easy enough instructions to do this I would be keen as well!


----------



## phul

Thomas Wood said:


> ...if there are easy enough instructions ...



[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]


----------



## Weizenbonk

phul said:


> [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]


Yeah, nah.
I have made my first one of these and it is working a treat. I haven't tried it in my kegmenter to see what the signal is like inside a stainless vessel, as I have a brew finishing off. Signal is ok in a fermenter fridge about 20m from the access point and a few through walls. Pretty amazing for a little device! I am thinking I will probably need a repeater close by....luckily I have a spare ESP8266 for this project - https://hackaday.com/2017/12/25/the-wifi-repeater-you-probably-have-on-your-bench/
Amazing piece of tech - loving it. I found the guide on this page really helpful for the soldering work - http://www.3d-mechatronics.de/en/ispindel-diy-set_151.html (see Soldering Guide - Downlod) - the only issue I had was that I used a BAT43 as per current recommendations and it has polarity. Of course I put it in the wrong way first up (cathode/band to D0 is correct).
I bought and waited for enough parts for 4 units, but I only need 2. So I have parts for 2 complete units which I am looking sell, either as parts or a completed unit if you don't fancy the soldering. PM me if you are interested.
Next project - Keg level monitoring in my Keezer using an ESP8266 and 5 load cells...


----------



## kaljade

Weizenbonk said:


> Yeah, nah.
> I have made my first one of these and it is working a treat. I haven't tried it in my kegmenter to see what the signal is like inside a stainless vessel, as I have a brew finishing off. Signal is ok in a fermenter fridge about 20m from the access point and a few through walls. Pretty amazing for a little device! I am thinking I will probably need a repeater close by....luckily I have a spare ESP8266 for this project - https://hackaday.com/2017/12/25/the-wifi-repeater-you-probably-have-on-your-bench/
> Amazing piece of tech - loving it. I found the guide on this page really helpful for the soldering work - http://www.3d-mechatronics.de/en/ispindel-diy-set_151.html (see Soldering Guide - Downlod) - the only issue I had was that I used a BAT43 as per current recommendations and it has polarity. Of course I put it in the wrong way first up (cathode/band to D0 is correct).
> I bought and waited for enough parts for 4 units, but I only need 2. So I have parts for 2 complete units which I am looking sell, either as parts or a completed unit if you don't fancy the soldering. PM me if you are interested.
> Next project - Keg level monitoring in my Keezer using an ESP8266 and 5 load cells...



Hi there,

Thanks for posting the link to the soldering guide! I've also decided to go down the diode path and already ordered all my parts, I'm just wordering if you could post a pic of the correct diode placement as I'm not too sure looking at the guide?

Appreciate your time!

Cheers,

Kal


----------



## eviltabouleh

What's the going rate for getting the sled printed.
I have a 3D printer and a supply of filament so I can print some. Who wants to swap for random parts.?
You scratch mine I'll scratch yours


----------



## Weizenbonk

kaljade said:


> Hi there,
> 
> Thanks for posting the link to the soldering guide! I've also decided to go down the diode path and already ordered all my parts, I'm just wordering if you could post a pic of the correct diode placement as I'm not too sure looking at the guide?
> 
> Appreciate your time!
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Kal



Yeah the guide uses the 330ohm resistor. Don’t judge me by the solder job on the bat43, I had to resolder it. Important bit it to make sure the band end points towards the centre of the pcb (towards D0).


----------



## kaljade

Weizenbonk said:


> Yeah the guide uses the 330ohm resistor. Don’t judge me by the solder job on the bat43, I had to resolder it. Important bit it to make sure the band end points towards the centre of the pcb (towards D0).
> View attachment 113059


Awesome, much appreciated @Weizenbonk!


----------



## bluc

I have the same motherboard as the one in the picture two posts up. I wanted to use a reed switch but unsure how to achieve it. The switch in the pic above is a two position on or off switch correct? So how do I achieve this using a reed switch??

Edit ok I see I still need the switch then desolder the on off switch on the wemos and replace it with the reed switch.


----------



## Strontium_Dog

Morning all, first time on this forum so greetings.

I was just wondering if anybody else is having an issue with the device not updating at the predefined interval?

I have it set on 30s update but it's only updating hourly. I've factory reset, updated the firmware and changed the default update time to 15s and 20s but still only getting an hourly update!

Can anyone help?


----------



## kaljade

Weizenbonk said:


> Yeah the guide uses the 330ohm resistor. Don’t judge me by the solder job on the bat43, I had to resolder it. Important bit it to make sure the band end points towards the centre of the pcb (towards D0).
> View attachment 113059


Excuse my ignorance, but just wanted to make sure I ordered the right diodes, do these look like the right ones to you: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/252037761818 ?


----------



## Weizenbonk

bluc said:


> I have the same motherboard as the one in the picture two posts up. I wanted to use a reed switch but unsure how to achieve it. The switch in the pic above is a two position on or off switch correct? So how do I achieve this using a reed switch??
> 
> Edit ok I see I still need the switch then desolder the on off switch on the wemos and replace it with the reed switch.



Can you post up some photos if you get this working? I am pretty sure I will be unscrewing the lid to clean it completely everytime, so not too concerned about the "never open the lid" dream, but keen to see how you got this working. Do you actually need to desolder the switch? Can you not just solder on the Reed switch to the contacts?


----------



## Weizenbonk

kaljade said:


> Excuse my ignorance, but just wanted to make sure I ordered the right diodes, do these look like the right ones to you: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/252037761818 ?



They do, but I have no idea about diodes so that's why I used the ones linked by @Paiakan in previous Page. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32847923150.html - I know they work because using his list as a basis, I have now completed 4 ispindels and they all successfully wake from sleep.


----------



## kaljade

Weizenbonk said:


> They do, but I have no idea about diodes so that's why I used the ones linked by @Paiakan in previous Page. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32847923150.html - I know they work because using his list as a basis, I have now completed 4 ispindels and they all successfully wake from sleep.


Nor do I so also gonna go AliExpress for them as well. Thanks again!


----------



## bluc

Weizenbonk said:


> Can you post up some photos if you get this working? I am pretty sure I will be unscrewing the lid to clean it completely everytime, so not too concerned about the "never open the lid" dream, but keen to see how you got this working. Do you actually need to desolder the switch? Can you not just solder on the Reed switch to the contacts?


Still has me a bit baffled with no exact info on what needs to be done. For sure will post if I work it out..


----------



## Dave Robinson

Hi, just wondering if anyone has found the PET bottles on AliExpress as I live in NZ and getting stuff shipped here can be a bit of a pain


----------



## peterlonz

Hey guys life is complicated enough.
Who needs this admittedly wonderful bit of tech.
We are home brewers & I don't see this device actually allowing an improvement in the quality of output.
What would be useful is a simple, easy to read, beer only hydrometer, for the very odd occasion that such is needed.
I don't think I am alone in struggling to read my hydrometer with any level of confidence but not many will admit to this.


----------



## mashmaniac

peterlonz said:


> Hey guys life is complicated enough.
> Who needs this admittedly wonderful bit of tech.
> We are home brewers & I don't see this device actually allowing an improvement in the quality of output.
> What would be useful is a simple, easy to read, beer only hydrometer, for the very odd occasion that such is needed.
> I don't think I am alone in struggling to read my hydrometer with any level of confidence but not many will admit to this.


Yeah I get that this tech is not required to make good beer. And 'need' is not really quantifiable across the board. Knowing current Gravity of a brew can help with repeatability, for D rests and sugar additions (candy). And obviously this device will let you know if active fermentation has started, stalled, or finished all without being anywhere near the fermenter.
Yes we are home brewers, and I can honestly say, some of the brews being produced out of someones back shed in this country put similar commercial offerings to shame. Home brewers are always looking for that edge, quite a few have mash and fermentation systems that have far tighter control, than any commercial brewery. And I'm not saying finite control is the answer to producing award winning beer. However those who have gone to the enth degree, have usually done so across the board, water calcs, ph, recipe balance and design, yeast health and quantity, oxygenation, and then all the temp control and so forth.
This is just another string in the bow.


----------



## yochris77

Dave Robinson said:


> Hi, just wondering if anyone has found the PET bottles on AliExpress as I live in NZ and getting stuff shipped here can be a bit of a pain



I ordered mine from Geoshop.Lt yesterday. I’m in Aus


----------



## sp0rk

I'm interested in building myself an Ispindel, just wondering if anyone had the parts spare from their builds to make 1 or 2 kits?
I live out west and don't have access to a 3d printer, so this is my main roadblock to building one


----------



## Weizenbonk

sp0rk said:


> I'm interested in building myself an Ispindel, just wondering if anyone had the parts spare from their builds to make 1 or 2 kits?
> I live out west and don't have access to a 3d printer, so this is my main roadblock to building one


I have a completed unit spare for sale. It has been built, tested and succesfully uploading to Ubidots. It just needs to be calibrated. PM me if interested.


----------



## Pugdog1

Should I get the wemos pro or just regular?


----------



## mashmaniac

Pugdog1 said:


> Should I get the wemos pro or just regular?


The pro has a little plug for an Ariel (wire) that will give a lot better signal, and will fit in the build.


----------



## bluc

Bit more on reed switch you apparently need a spdt version. It has three legs. I have a "normally closed, normally open" version coming hopefully its the right one. Been assembling as bits arrived now only need switch and diode. Everything else here and assembled . One other question is it nessacary to remove the led, I thought with deep sleep the small amount energy the led used would not majorly effect battery life...


----------



## kaljade

bluc said:


> Bit more on reed switch you apparently need a spdt version. It has three legs. I have a "normally closed, normally open" version coming hopefully its the right one. Been assembling as bits arrived now only need switch and diode. Everything else here and assembled . One other question is it nessacary to remove the led, I thought with deep sleep the small amount energy the led used would not majorly effect battery life...


Keen to hear how you get on with the reed switch, I'm also interested in persuing that option. Cheers, Kal


----------



## bluc

Reed switch is all I am waiting for now. Wondering about the wireless charging. When I have my mat inside the tube with the electronics and place it on the pad, the led on the charging pad changes from red to blue but the light does not turn on on the charging board. if I have he mat outside the tube and place it flat on the pad the led on the board lights up and the charging pad led changes to blue. Seems it does not like the curve. Anyway around this? this is the one I bought. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/A-Q...585.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dn17l9Z


----------



## Weizenbonk

bluc said:


> Reed switch is all I am waiting for now. Wondering about the wireless charging. When I have my mat inside the tube with the electronics and place it on the pad, the led on the charging pad changes from red to blue but the light does not turn on on the charging board. if I have he mat outside the tube and place it flat on the pad the led on the board lights up and the charging pad led changes to blue. Seems it does not like the curve. Anyway around this? this is the one I bought. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/A-Q...585.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dn17l9Z


Mine works well through the tube. Just note you must have the "Wireless Charger" side on the outside. I bought type B unfortunately, and it should be Type A - it still works but requires you to twist it. Maybe your issue is you have the mat facing the wrong way?


----------



## bluc

What do you mean you have to twist it? Heres a pic


----------



## bluc

I didnt opt for a or b but seems to be the right plug. Well it works when outside tube..


----------



## bluc

Feel a bit slow but how do you access the web interface to setup the ispindle wifi/ubidots etc?


----------



## Thomas Wood

bluc said:


> Feel a bit slow but how do you access the web interface to setup the ispindle wifi/ubidots etc?


To get it in configuration mode, press the reset button on the esp8266 about six times in quick succession. After a few seconds the blue led will flash every second-ish. Then you can see the iSpindel SSID appear on your phone or pc. When you connect to it, it will take you to the config webpage.


----------



## bluc

Thanks thomas. So after a couple of hours of searching it seems my bin file is not flashed correctly. I just went to this page https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/releases and on 5.8.6 release clicked on the "firmware bin" file and it downloaded a 409Kb file. Have I done this right? In the documentation here https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/blob/master/docs/Firmware_en.md it says *"Important: select the Download button to download the file correctly" *I cant see a download button I just clicked on the file name and it downloaded. When I connect via putty at 115200 I get "mem failed" and when I connect at 9600 I get "NodeMCU 0.9.5 build 20150318 powered by Lua 5.1.4 lua: cannot open init.lua " so after more googling I found this page https://hobbybrauer.de/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11826&start=1100 after some translation of second post on the page I find out it has been incorrectly flashed. Help


----------



## bluc

I worked it out when I flashed it it was not right anyone that gets the above error in the esp8266 flasher app in the config tab it should look like this note how path to bin file is green and offset is blue and at offset 0x00000


----------



## bluc

GOt the wifi charging working to was just a bit picky about posistion on charger


----------



## bluc

Another question in the setup menu before wifi settings etc are entered in the maitenence menu it has calibrate, where you lay it flat for 2mins. Should this be done before or after calibration in fermenting wash/sugar water....


----------



## Thomas Wood

bluc said:


> Another question in the setup menu before wifi settings etc are entered in the maitenence menu it has calibrate, where you lay it flat for 2mins. Should this be done before or after calibration in fermenting wash/sugar water....


I imagine it has to be done before. That's what I did


----------



## Weizenbonk

Just a couple of observations on my first iSpindel use in anger. 
1/ being able to see temperature data constantly was an eye opener. My heat belt was directly on my kegmenter and what the logging showed was that it was over shooting the temp every cycle by up to 3 degrees and the fridge was kicking in. I moved the belt out of direct contact and got much smoother peaks and troughs, +/-0.5 degrees from SP. I think the metal held the heat for longer and continued to cook it. See screenshot. 
2/ fermenting under pressure definitely effects the gravity reported by the ispindel. At 10psi it seems to be 4 SG points lower. I purged the vessel and the SG jumped instantly. Verified that with a hydro to eliminate Krausen factor. 
3/ the ispindel will work in a kegmenter BUT the range is terrible. Think around 1-2 metres. I put a repeater (ESP8266) in the fermenter fridge next to kegmenter and it is working nicely. 
I have sold all my spare units now, but I have most parts for another batch of iSpindels. If 4 people are interested I will put them together.
Using the instructions I posted earlier, it is easy to do it yourself too. Either way, great insight into what’s going on and improving your process.


----------



## bluc

So my reed switchs dont work I bought these ones http://r.ebay.com/rU5H98 the unit is permantly off untill a magnet is nearby then it turns on but only stays on while magnet is nearby. Any ideas the exact type reed switch we need..If I turn the switch around it does nothing with or without the magnet.


----------



## bluc

Paiakan said:


> 3 - Yes, you can create a widget to add the ABV . Check this: http://help.ubidots.com/faqs-and-troubleshooting/derived-variables-functions


Do you have a new link for this guide the one you posted is dead. Also to do a widget for s.g


----------



## Alchomist

Weizenbonk said:


> Just a couple of observations on my first iSpindel use in anger.
> 1/ being able to see temperature data constantly was an eye opener. My heat belt was directly on my kegmenter and what the logging showed was that it was over shooting the temp every cycle by up to 3 degrees and the fridge was kicking in. I moved the belt out of direct contact and got much smoother peaks and troughs, +/-0.5 degrees from SP. I think the metal held the heat for longer and continued to cook it. See screenshot.
> 2/ fermenting under pressure definitely effects the gravity reported by the ispindel. At 10psi it seems to be 4 SG points lower. I purged the vessel and the SG jumped instantly. Verified that with a hydro to eliminate Krausen factor.
> 3/ the ispindel will work in a kegmenter BUT the range is terrible. Think around 1-2 metres. I put a repeater (ESP8266) in the fermenter fridge next to kegmenter and it is working nicely.
> I have sold all my spare units now, but I have most parts for another batch of iSpindels. If 4 people are interested I will put them together.
> Using the instructions I posted earlier, it is easy to do it yourself too. Either way, great insight into what’s going on and improving your process.



Weizenbonk,
Can you elaborate on item 3/ please.
This is something I’ve struggled with. I got a piZero to read & transmit data, but couldn’t work out how to store it in CraftBeerPi. Was the second esp8266 easy to set up?


----------



## Weizenbonk

Alchomist said:


> Weizenbonk,
> Can you elaborate on item 3/ please.
> This is something I’ve struggled with. I got a piZero to read & transmit data, but couldn’t work out how to store it in CraftBeerPi. Was the second esp8266 easy to set up?


It was a piece of piss...once I read the instructions. Go here - https://github.com/martin-ger/esp_wifi_repeater and read the instructions - especially the Building and Flashing section to get the flash config correct. I setup a basic repeater which took 2 shakes once it was flashed.
The ispindel in the kegmenter couldn't see the repeater when it was just outside the fermenter fridge. I had to put it basically on the kegmenter to get a signal out. The repeater, to its credit, was able to get a decent signal in a fridge, in a shed, 20m+ from the router. It is a pretty poweful use of the tech, especially as you can use that same firmware to create your own (probaly really slow) mesh network. 
I am not using CraftBeerPi so can't help there sorry.


----------



## Thomas Wood

Weizenbonk said:


> as you can use that same firmware to create your own (probaly really slow) mesh network.
> I am not using CraftBeerPi so can't help there sorry.


Newish Asus routers can be used together to create a mesh network with the latest firmware. That's what I have done with two RT-AC68U's and it runs like a dream.



bluc said:


> Do you have a new link for this guide the one you posted is dead. Also to do a widget for s.g


Go to Devices -> iSpindel -> Add Variable -> Derived

To add the SG you need to calibrate the iSpindel using the "Kalibration" spreadsheet and it will give you the formula. This can also be saved in the iSpindel configuration and will automatically be sent to ubidots.

Once you have that the ABV formula is something like this:
(1.045-SG)*131.25
Where 1.045 is your original gravity from your first reading, and SG is the Ubidots variable.


----------



## bluc

And I thought I was lost before so excel file gives me" 0.005260869*tilt^2 - 0.109407614*tilt + 0.28238996"and my first calibration sample was 1.090 so I do what with your equation? Does it mean 131.25× sg = plato? Thanks for the help I am not the sharpest tool in the shed...


----------



## bluc

That wifi repeater sounds like just the ticket to get wifi to powerless shed. Wonder if I could run it off a battery...


----------



## Thomas Wood

bluc said:


> 0.005260869*tilt^2 - 0.109407614*tilt + 0.28238996


So this is your Plato formula. The iSpindel already automatically sends the tilt, so go into Ubidots and at the top navigate to Devices -> Your iSpindel -> Add Variable -> Derived Function
Then in the formula you need to enter the above, clicking on the tilt variable from 'Add Data Source' so that it gets inserted and highlighted. It's pretty annoying how the input works so it might take you a couple of goes.






Afterwards you can save that as your Plato formula
You can then use Plato to create your SG as so:




And then finally an approximation of your ABV





See this doc as well: https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/blob/master/docs/Calibration_en.md#forumla


----------



## bluc

Thanks thomas that put me on the right track. I had previously been going off the github page you linked. So everytime I tried to enter a derived expression for plato I got an error "underfined" so then it finally twigged. It automatically sets up "gravity" so I tried using that and bingo worked straight off. When I filled in the data I hit the gravity button twice then filled in around it then for abv I hit the sg button once and filled in around it. here is how I formated it for sg and abv


----------



## bluc

One last thing can we trim sg and abv to 4 decimal places?


----------



## Thomas Wood

Sweet that looks good. Yeh the gravity is only correct if you set the formula in the iSpindel config. I didn't do that originally so I am still using the Plato derived function just because I am too lazy to change it over.

Remember to change the 1.045 value to your first hydrometer reading when you do your next brew


----------



## Thomas Wood

bluc said:


> One last thing can we trim sg and abv to 4 decimal places?


Yes, but you do that from your dashboard, not from the device settings.
Go Create Widget -> Metric -> Last Value
After you have created your widget, hit the down arrow on it, and then click on Settings
*|number:2* is how many decimal places it should show.

You can also do calculations like I have done:






This means a gravity of 1.0147 will actually display as 14.7


----------



## bluc

Ok makes more sense changing the 1.045 to the sg of each brew  do you you know how to trim decimal place when using a table? I go to setting but I don't see any way of doing it..


----------



## Thomas Wood

bluc said:


> do you you know how to trim decimal place when using a table? I go to setting but I don't see any way of doing it..


No sorry, I have only really fiddled with those settings for the Metric


----------



## Weizenbonk

bluc said:


> That wifi repeater sounds like just the ticket to get wifi to powerless shed. Wonder if I could run it off a battery...


I would guess that it wouldn't last long on battery. It needs to run constantly so I imagine it would chew threw the power pretty quick. You could try one of these - https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/396685 or the 20,000mAh even better. 
I am working on a solar solution at the moment for another project. Totally agricultural, but I have solar panel from a dead garden light which runs 12V, plus an old stripped down car cigarette lighter adapter to convert from 12V to USB, in to a TP4056 left over from my iSpindel build, charging an 18650. It is working nicely in the sun today and charging the battery, but no idea whether the solar panel will be enough (especially in Melbourne) to keep the battery topped up.
I think we are still on topic....


----------



## bluc

Is anyone using the tcp server? If so do you know how to connect to it from outside the home network? I forwardered the port changed protocol in ispindle to http and added ip and port to server adress but nothing. No data..


----------



## angus_grant

Sounds like some knowledgeable peeps in here. Will I be able to post readings to somewhere else apart from ubidots? I'm probably capable of some C programming (assuming that is what firmware is written in), although i have a guy at work who could get stuff worked out if my C#/VB.Net brain is just not capable... 

I have my own website which allows users to add hot side and cold side readings (and a bunch more stuff). It would be awesome to have a device that takes readings and feeds them into my website. I don't have an external API yet, but am capable of implementing one. Just need to know that this device firmware could be altered to feed readings into my website instead of ubidots.

@Weizenbonk: if readings can be fed into custom web-api, I'd like to grab all 4 you have spare


----------



## Weizenbonk

bluc said:


> Is anyone using the tcp server? If so do you know how to connect to it from outside the home network? I forwardered the port changed protocol in ispindle to http and added ip and port to server adress but nothing. No data..



Can I recommend that even if you can get this working - which should be just a config on your router with port forwarding, assuming it works locally - you do not do that. These services are not hardened enough to open up to the big bad internet.


----------



## Weizenbonk

angus_grant said:


> Sounds like some knowledgeable peeps in here. Will I be able to post readings to somewhere else apart from ubidots? I'm probably capable of some C programming (assuming that is what firmware is written in), although i have a guy at work who could get stuff worked out if my C#/VB.Net brain is just not capable...
> 
> I have my own website which allows users to add hot side and cold side readings (and a bunch more stuff). It would be awesome to have a device that takes readings and feeds them into my website. I don't have an external API yet, but am capable of implementing one. Just need to know that this device firmware could be altered to feed readings into my website instead of ubidots.
> 
> @Weizenbonk: if readings can be fed into custom web-api, I'd like to grab all 4 you have spare



Good question, one I am looking at as well at the moment. I just noticed yesterday that the new firmware includes MQTT which is pretty cool. I run OpenHAB so will feed in nicely to a brewhouse sitemap I am building with my 5 kegs in the keezer volume measurer already up and running. 
Ubidots is fine but the interface is a bit limited and it’s initially free and then requires ‘in-app’ purchases. I guess it does make it easy to do the Plato to SG calc. 
Here is the list of supported services:
Ubidots 
Craftbrewpi / fermentrack
HTTP (json or csv)
Tcontrol
FHEM
TCP
Influxdb
Prometheus 
MQTT

Gotta be one that suits.


----------



## bluc

Weizenbonk said:


> Can I recommend that even if you can get this working - which should be just a config on your router with port forwarding, assuming it works locally - you do not do that. These services are not hardened enough to open up to the big bad internet.


Bugger ok yea works local port is open according to port forward.com but no data. Is there a http /tcp server up to the task you would recomend instead?


----------



## angus_grant

Weizenbonk said:


> Good question, one I am looking at as well at the moment. I just noticed yesterday that the new firmware includes MQTT which is pretty cool. I run OpenHAB so will feed in nicely to a brewhouse sitemap I am building with my 5 kegs in the keezer volume measurer already up and running.
> Ubidots is fine but the interface is a bit limited and it’s initially free and then requires ‘in-app’ purchases. I guess it does make it easy to do the Plato to SG calc.
> Here is the list of supported services:
> ...
> HTTP (json or csv)
> ...
> 
> Gotta be one that suits.



Bingo, I'd be accepting readings via json over http. 

How much did you want for your spares? And would they include all required components?


----------



## Weizenbonk

angus_grant said:


> Bingo, I'd be accepting readings via json over http.
> 
> How much did you want for your spares? And would they include all required components?



Should be a very power efficient way to go, I was reading MQTT is pretty power hungry. My last batch just finishing up and the ispindel ran for a month with 60 second updates, and still got a bit in the tank. If I drop that back to 15 minutes I will have plenty of juice for MQTT. 
If you just want parts, then hit AliExpress using the shopping list in the previous post. I also put up a link to a soldering guide. It is pretty easy to assemble if you have basic soldering skills. Plenty of people here have build experience if you run into trouble. Just a tip, a third hand is a great investment... oh and buy spares of the cheaper parts because they are sometimes DOA and take ages to replace. 
I helped a few guys out who didn’t want to tackle the soldering part, I would need to do a stocktake if you were wanting the same as I have used some parts on other projects. Just PM me if you do.


----------



## Weizenbonk

bluc said:


> Bugger ok yea works local port is open according to port forward.com but no data. Is there a http /tcp server up to the task you would recomend instead?



Ubidots?


----------



## dazz1975

I am not technically savvy. Is there anywhere I can purchase the ispindel with wireless charging already assembled and calibrated?


----------



## Thomas Wood

Weizenbonk said:


> My last batch just finishing up and the ispindel ran for a month with 60 second updates, and still got a bit in the tank. If I drop that back to 15 minutes I will have plenty of juice for MQTT.


Mine is set to 15 min intervals however the WiFi power drops incredibly after about 3 or 4 days. From full charge for the first 3-4 days I can get a clear reading with the garage completely closed off. 3-6 days I need the garage door open a touch, and then after that it needs to be completely open.


----------



## bluc

Weizenbonk said:


> Ubidots?


Should have elaborated meant home server..


----------



## yochris77

Anyone else having problems with the drawer.stl? I have downloaded a number of times and the file is reporting as being incomplete or corrupt on 2 different applications. 
TIA


----------



## Weizenbonk

dazz1975 said:


> I am not technically savvy. Is there anywhere I can purchase the ispindel with wireless charging already assembled and calibrated?



Hmmm... what about a Tilt? They are available at grain and grape for around the $200 mark I think. My issue with them is that they are Bluetooth not wifi and I would be surprised if it was strong enough to get out of a kegmenter. 
ISpindel would require you to get your hands a bit dirty but it’s nothing too scary. 
I have enough slow to arrive parts now to make 5 of these puppies. If I get 5 people interested I will pull the trigger on the expensive bits like batteries and 3D printing the trays. PM me if interested.


----------



## Weizenbonk

bluc said:


> Should have elaborated meant home server..



Fermentrack looks good. I have installed it and tried it out but I want a way of displaying the volume of beer in my kegs in the keezer, so I am going to be using openHAB talking over MQTT. I am not sure whether it would be safe to open fermentrack to the Internet, you would need to check that.


----------



## Weizenbonk

Thomas Wood said:


> Mine is set to 15 min intervals however the WiFi power drops incredibly after about 3 or 4 days. From full charge for the first 3-4 days I can get a clear reading with the garage completely closed off. 3-6 days I need the garage door open a touch, and then after that it needs to be completely open.



Thomas, you need a repeater in that garage of yours, plugged in to a power point. See one of my earlier posts for the deets. You just need to buy an Wemos d1 mini for $4 off AliExpress as per the shopping list in the earlier posts, install that firmware and you’ll be set. No more open garage doors!


----------



## Weizenbonk

yochris77 said:


> Anyone else having problems with the drawer.stl? I have downloaded a number of times and the file is reporting as being incomplete or corrupt on 2 different applications.
> TIA



Yes. Had the same issue. Make sure you log in to GitHub to be able to download the file. If you look at what you are downloading, it’s an HTML page, that is why it is not working. Once you log in you get a proper download link. PM if you still can’t get it working.


----------



## Thomas Wood

I left my iSpindel on and wireless charging yesterday whilst I cleaned my fermenter. Made my next brew and put it in, but it seemed to have stopped sending to Ubidots an hour before I put it in. I took it out this morning and it won't turn on. It seems to charge fine. Has anyone encountered this issue before? I'll debug more tonight.


----------



## yochris77

Weizenbonk said:


> Yes. Had the same issue. Make sure you log in to GitHub to be able to download the file. If you look at what you are downloading, it’s an HTML page, that is why it is not working. Once you log in you get a proper download link. PM if you still can’t get it working.


Tried again, signed in and had the same result. The file I was trying to DL is https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/*blob*/master/drawer/mwx-Edition/iSpindelBackbone2.stl. I had used MeshLab and Solidworks to try and open the file, but both failed. 

But, I did eventually get it to work. The way I did this was by DL'ing the "raw" file here https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/*raw*/master/drawer/mwx-Edition/iSpindelBackbone2.stl


Chris.


----------



## Thomas Wood

Thomas Wood said:


> I left my iSpindel on and wireless charging yesterday whilst I cleaned my fermenter. Made my next brew and put it in, but it seemed to have stopped sending to Ubidots an hour before I put it in. I took it out this morning and it won't turn on. It seems to charge fine. Has anyone encountered this issue before? I'll debug more tonight.


Reflashing with the latest firmware seems to have fixed the issue


----------



## Weizenbonk

Thomas Wood said:


> Reflashing with the latest firmware seems to have fixed the issue



Did you update the firmware before this? I guess not because you didn't have the drivers. There was a fix for what you described in the latest version. Weird that it just stopped. Anyway, glad it is back.
What are you brewing next?


----------



## Thomas Wood

Weizenbonk said:


> Did you update the firmware before this? I guess not because you didn't have the drivers. There was a fix for what you described in the latest version. Weird that it just stopped. Anyway, glad it is back.
> What are you brewing next?


Yeh I am not sure what it was running before, but I had never updated it. Took me 4hrs just to get the drivers installed lol. Not sure why it just stopped and if it was related to the battery or charging at all. Got there in the end though.

I've got an XPA that I only put in last night. Fermentation took off in under 24hrs which is the fastest I have had yet for the generic yeasts  (I only do Extract at the moment)


----------



## bee2gee

Hey Guys,

Long time lurker, first time poster. I saw Cherry Philip's new PCB and spoke with him to make some tweaks and integrate a battery holder so we're not longer having to solder batteries. These also fit in the XL Petlings instead of the XXL which you needed with the 3D printed sleds. My local brew club was keen on getting in on the action so I've bought enough bits and pieces for 50 of these units. I'm keen to help people in Aus buy from a local supplier at a reasonable cost and get their units within the week no matter where they are in Au, I'll have an online store finished in the next few weeks. I'm looking at selling the first few at $55 including shipping and assembly. If anyone is interested in the mean time you can PM me, In the mean time I'll use a PayPal invoice so you get full buyer protection and no risk, after all buying from some forum random can be daunting! I do have an ABN [34 395 323 405] which will be used for the online store .


----------



## Weizenbonk

Here's an updated shopping list for AliExpress and XXL Petling tubes. I have used all of these and they are fit for purpose. Using this tube, you will have to trim about 2mm off the end of the tray to give it a snug fit.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1PC...le-Protection-Dual-Functions/32467578996.html (make sure you have a spare)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/A-Q...ceiver-For-Android-Phone-THL/32724345585.html (Model A!)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/MPU...odule-3V-5V-compatible-For-Ar/1858984311.html (get 1 or 2 spares of these - failure rate seems high)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Nod...tes-Development-Board-Module/32703511086.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/5PC...ermometer-Temperature-Sensor/32658602137.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32847923150.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/New...-Switch-Side-Knob-SK12D07VG3/32723161171.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Fre...-Film-Resistor-1-10K-ohm-10K/32377250299.html (probably get these anywhere eg Jaycar)
http://www.geoshop.lt/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=242 (shipping is high but more units it becomes very economical)
When sourcing a 18650 battery, it is recommended to not get one with protection because it could interfere with the protection onboard the TP4056.
Enjoy!


----------



## angus_grant

So @bee2gee would these be a complete unit ready to go for $55?


----------



## bee2gee

angus_grant said:


> So @bee2gee would these be a complete unit ready to go for $55?



Complete unit in XL petling ready to go and tested working. Will need a battery and the calibration completed. It's a bit tough to ship 18650 batteries so I've chosen not to offer them as an option.

I've had a few people interested, if you'd like one of these please confirm if you require a flat top or button top battery holder on the PCB and the colour you'd prefer; red, green, yellow, black, blue from the picture above.

I should have items out within the week, I'll give an estimate if there are any delays


----------



## Weizenbonk

bee2gee said:


> Complete unit in XL petling ready to go and tested working. Will need a battery and the calibration completed. It's a bit tough to ship 18650 batteries so I've chosen not to offer them as an option.
> 
> I've had a few people interested, if you'd like one of these please confirm if you require a flat top or button top battery holder on the PCB and the colour you'd prefer; red, green, yellow, black, blue from the picture above.
> 
> I should have items out within the week, I'll give an estimate if there are any delays


bee2gee, 
The designs that get rid of the tray are a great innovation. Who has a 3D printer lying around anyway, and its another part to wait and pay for. And the size reduction is welcome! From experience, different batteries have different weights which effect your ability to hit 25 degrees in tap water at ambient temp. Will you include a range of weights to balance the units as you are not supplying the battery?

Also, what you are offering sounds like a commercial endeavour, using open source IP. Do you plan to share your innovations back with the community? I really hope you have the iSpindel team's blessing...a lot of people have put a lot of time into the development of that code and selling that without permission is not cool. From ispindel.de:
*license*​Any commercial reproduction or use is prohibited in principle. Applicable patents are violated.
All rights reserverd, any commercial use is violated and patents.
When we are talking ABN, invoices and warranties, smells pretty commercial...


----------



## bee2gee

Weizenbonk said:


> bee2gee,
> Also, what you are offering sounds like a commercial endeavour, using open source IP. Do you plan to share your innovations back with the community? I really hope you have the iSpindel team's blessing...a lot of people have put a lot of time into the development of that code and selling that without permission is not cool. From ispindel.de:
> *license*​Any commercial reproduction or use is prohibited in principle. Applicable patents are violated.
> All rights reserverd, any commercial use is violated and patents.
> When we are talking ABN, invoices and warranties, smells pretty commercial...



Due to not supplying batteries, weights aren't being included, they are also very cheap on eBay if needed. This PCB does sit quite close to 25 degrees with battery by default. If you do calibrate them at different SG values and update the calibration for the device, balancing may not be absolutely important given relatively close figures 22-28 degrees with good calibration.

100% agree with doing things in an open source manner. I am working on a site at the moment which will provide links to the various open source components which are in use, nothing is closed source. For example, if people wish to use the same boards I am and order them, everyone is very welcome to:
https://www.pcbway.com/project/shareproject/New_iSpindel_PCB_2_1__new_TP4056_module_.html

Using the above ensures that Cherry Philip receives a small commission for his work and contribution whilst still making it available to anyone and everyone. Yes you can download the Gerbers and print your own, import, modify, make it yours, essentially the work we've done together is there for the community to use if they wish to.

The intention for me at least is to provide a local supply of kits and provide a build service if people don't have the equipment or time to do so. I am certainly not charging for, reproducing or modifying their software (Intellectual Property), only providing means for someone to be part of the project and a device where the software/firmware can be flashed onto. I personally don't feel by providing the means to use iSpindel that there would be any issues with the Open Source License, being a one stop shop, so to speak, versus; one of many AliExpress retailers, Jaycar, PCBWay/PCBS.io, people who offer 3D printing. The end result is similar, people are paying commercial entities for the equipment to use iSpindel, the difference here would be one entity versus many.

The use of an ABN and PayPal invoicing to start with is to ensure a consumer feels protected by local governance. I personally don't like sending money to strangers, however, when there is some additional accountability and consumer protection, I am much happier.


----------



## greg58

bee2gee said:


> Hey Guys,
> 
> Long time lurker, first time poster. I saw Cherry Philip's new PCB and spoke with him to make some tweaks and integrate a battery holder so we're not longer having to solder batteries. These also fit in the XL Petlings instead of the XXL which you needed with the 3D printed sleds. My local brew club was keen on getting in on the action so I've bought enough bits and pieces for 50 of these units. I'm keen to help people in Aus buy from a local supplier at a reasonable cost and get their units within the week no matter where they are in Au, I'll have an online store finished in the next few weeks. I'm looking at selling the first few at $55 including shipping and assembly. If anyone is interested in the mean time you can PM me, In the mean time I'll use a PayPal invoice so you get full buyer protection and no risk, after all buying from some forum random can be daunting! I do have an ABN [34 395 323 405] which will be used for the online store .


Thanks, I would like 1 unit as well with the raised top. I would PM you but can't see how to do it.


----------



## Muzzaguzza

Hi All
I've sourced the parts as follows:
1 x Wemos D1R2
1 x GY-521
1 x 18B20 board

I've wired them up and downloaded the latest iSpindel bin file, can log into it to add the SSID and password. Ubidots token added as per my Ubidots API credentials.

When I'm in the config screen everything is working as per normal getting reading of the tilt, voltage and the temperature but for the life of me nothing is showing up in Ubidots. Is this supposed to appear automatically or do I need to set it up.
I've tried setting devices up but there appears to be nothing getting sent. Checked config file many times, checked the token many times. I'm really lost to what to try next.

Any help appreciated in advance.


----------



## bee2gee

greg58 said:


> Thanks, I would like 1 unit as well with the raised top. I would PM you but can't see how to do it.


Hey Greg,

I sent you a PM on Friday, you can view the "conversation" once you're logged in by clicking this link: https://aussiehomebrewer.com/conversations/


----------



## bee2gee

Muzzaguzza said:


> Hi All
> I've tried setting devices up but there appears to be nothing getting sent. Checked config file many times, checked the token many times. I'm really lost to what to try next.



Time sometimes helps with these, I've always left mine on for a little while and come back to results. Sometimes if the API key / device ID is wrong you can have issues as well.


----------



## Weizenbonk

Muzzaguzza said:


> Hi All
> I've sourced the parts as follows:
> 1 x Wemos D1R2
> 1 x GY-521
> 1 x 18B20 board
> 
> I've wired them up and downloaded the latest iSpindel bin file, can log into it to add the SSID and password. Ubidots token added as per my Ubidots API credentials.
> 
> When I'm in the config screen everything is working as per normal getting reading of the tilt, voltage and the temperature but for the life of me nothing is showing up in Ubidots. Is this supposed to appear automatically or do I need to set it up.
> I've tried setting devices up but there appears to be nothing getting sent. Checked config file many times, checked the token many times. I'm really lost to what to try next.
> 
> Any help appreciated in advance.



Try upgrading to the latest firmware. There was a bug with an earlier version which sounded exactly like your problem. Let us know how you go.


----------



## Engibeer

bee2gee said:


> Hey Guys,
> 
> Long time lurker, first time poster. I saw Cherry Philip's new PCB and spoke with him to make some tweaks and integrate a battery holder so we're not longer having to solder batteries. These also fit in the XL Petlings instead of the XXL which you needed with the 3D printed sleds. My local brew club was keen on getting in on the action so I've bought enough bits and pieces for 50 of these units. I'm keen to help people in Aus buy from a local supplier at a reasonable cost and get their units within the week no matter where they are in Au, I'll have an online store finished in the next few weeks. I'm looking at selling the first few at $55 including shipping and assembly. If anyone is interested in the mean time you can PM me, In the mean time I'll use a PayPal invoice so you get full buyer protection and no risk, after all buying from some forum random can be daunting! I do have an ABN [34 395 323 405] which will be used for the online store .



Hey bee2gee,

I've got most of the parts to make myself 5x units, but only 2x printed sleds. I got most of them almost a year ago, including the old style PCB https://pcbs.io/share/8gbKR

Would you be willing to sell 1x assembled unit along with 4x single PCBs, so that I can assemble my own using the parts I've acquired and your assembly as a physical guide?

Cheers,

Matt


----------



## bee2gee

Engibeer said:


> Hey bee2gee,
> 
> I've got most of the parts to make myself 5x units, but only 2x printed sleds. I got most of them almost a year ago, including the old style PCB https://pcbs.io/share/8gbKR
> 
> Would you be willing to sell 1x assembled unit along with 4x single PCBs, so that I can assemble my own using the parts I've acquired and your assembly as a physical guide?
> Matt



No problem, I'll send you a PM. I'll just pass on my cost of the PCBs, I ordered 50 which was their limit of their cheapest freight so I got them quite cheap, happy to pass on the saving!


----------



## Muzzaguzza

Weizenbonk said:


> Try upgrading to the latest firmware. There was a bug with an earlier version which sounded exactly like your problem. Let us know how you go.


Hey there.

I fixed it by doing a factory reset. It works now but isn't reporting back to Ubidots and i have the reporting time set at 15 seconds. It's also not displaying the battery voltage for some reason being displayed at .02v.

Cheers


----------



## Ballaratguy

Hey would anyone have an ISpindel for sale? Or would make me one?
Or would also take a tilt (if not yellow or red as I already have these)


----------



## bee2gee

Muzzaguzza said:


> It's also not displaying the battery voltage for some reason being displayed at .02v



From the last post it seemed you were having ubidots issues as well, they don’t seem fixed either? Does the initial go through however no subsequent sets of data or none at all?

Battery voltage doesn’t seem right, afaik this comes off the wemos itself. How did you factory reset?


----------



## bee2gee

Ballaratguy said:


> Hey would anyone have an ISpindel for sale? Or would make me one?



Sent you a quick PM. I’m making some for people if they need.


----------



## Muzzaguzza

bee2gee said:


> From the last post it seemed you were having ubidots issues as well, they don’t seem fixed either? Does the initial go through however no subsequent sets of data or none at all?
> 
> Battery voltage doesn’t seem right, afaik this comes off the wemos itself. How did you factory reset?


Hi bee2gee

You can do a factory reset when you are in the Maintenance section of iSpindel. I should have clarified a little better. I can reach Ubidots but only when i jump out of the config mode of the iSpindel and only everytime i manually press the Wemos reset button. I have Putty connected to see exactly what is going on and everything is working as it should but just not reporting. Doesn't matter what figure i put in the timings.

I think my Wemos may be at fault somehow.


----------



## Gkire

Muzzaguzza said:


> Hi bee2gee
> 
> You can do a factory reset when you are in the Maintenance section of iSpindel. I should have clarified a little better. I can reach Ubidots but only when i jump out of the config mode of the iSpindel and only everytime i manually press the Wemos reset button. I have Putty connected to see exactly what is going on and everything is working as it should but just not reporting. Doesn't matter what figure i put in the timings.
> 
> I think my Wemos may be at fault somehow.




Perhaps your bat43 diode is misplaced. I had this. It would send data once and then not wake up any more from deep sleep. Make sure the black ring is positioned right.


----------



## Mattrox

I am tweaking the tilt angle in tap water. I'm using M8 nuts. This is what I have now.

Do I need to drop another 5 degrees or is this going to work?


----------



## Bourkie

bee2gee said:


> Hey Guys,
> 
> Long time lurker, first time poster. I saw Cherry Philip's new PCB and spoke with him to make some tweaks and integrate a battery holder so we're not longer having to solder batteries. These also fit in the XL Petlings instead of the XXL which you needed with the 3D printed sleds. My local brew club was keen on getting in on the action so I've bought enough bits and pieces for 50 of these units. I'm keen to help people in Aus buy from a local supplier at a reasonable cost and get their units within the week no matter where they are in Au, I'll have an online store finished in the next few weeks. I'm looking at selling the first few at $55 including shipping and assembly. If anyone is interested in the mean time you can PM me, In the mean time I'll use a PayPal invoice so you get full buyer protection and no risk, after all buying from some forum random can be daunting! I do have an ABN [34 395 323 405] which will be used for the online store .


Hey @bee2gee, couldn't figure out how to PM you. You still making these for people who are interested?


----------



## bee2gee

Mick Bourke said:


> Hey @bee2gee, couldn't figure out how to PM you. You still making these for people who are interested?



You're only fresh so can't PM yet, I've posted on your profile instead 

The DOA failure rate of the gyro and chargers are a bit higher than I thought, has anyone else found this? I've ended up testing each component prior to soldering them in, by the time you fsck around with de-soldering you end up throwing a board away and just starting again! Build time has gone from 30-45 mins to 45-60mins I'd say.

Some new ones I made up this weekend.


----------



## guitarsnbeer

bee2gee said:


> You're only fresh so can't PM yet, I've posted on your profile instead
> 
> The DOA failure rate of the gyro and chargers are a bit higher than I thought, has anyone else found this? I've ended up testing each component prior to soldering them in, by the time you fsck around with de-soldering you end up throwing a board away and just starting again! Build time has gone from 30-45 mins to 45-60mins I'd say.
> 
> Some new ones I made up this weekend.


Hey mate, looking good! Just stumbled across this thread as I was looking at a Tilt or 2. Am capable of building my own but it's pretty attractive for a turn key solution!

I'm interested in 3 of these I reckon, just signed up so prob can't pm just yet...

What's the difference in the battery holders?

Cheers!


----------



## bee2gee

Mattrox said:


> Do I need to drop another 5 degrees or is this going to work?



I'd probably try and keep it +/- 2-3 degrees off 25. Either way, if you can use a 10L tub and 1kg of sugar you should get 1.040, take your initial reading then start tipping out then adding water to try and get 1.030 and re-measure. I use a refractometer so I don't waste to much sugar water in the process. The more graduations you have the better calibration you generally get. Depends on how exact you want to get or if you're happy to have these 1 or 3 points off but still use them to provide you with a nice graph of fermentation and evidence of terminal gravity.

One thing I noticed, 6.0.0 can be temperamental, try going to 6.0.1.


----------



## bee2gee

guitarsnbeer said:


> Hey mate, looking good! Just stumbled across this thread as I was looking at a Tilt or 2. Am capable of building my own but it's pretty attractive for a turn key solution!
> I'm interested in 3 of these I reckon, just signed up so prob can't pm just yet...
> What's the difference in the battery holders?
> Cheers!



Just posted on your wall. The PCB is available for anyone to purchase if you've got the parts already handy from other designs. I'm happy to just send you parts if you needed as well.
https://www.pcbway.com/project/shareproject/New_iSpindel_PCB_2_1__new_TP4056_module_.html

The only main difference with these is the battery holder and battery charging module. I have been playing around iwth the flap top and button holder, the button tops work just fine in the flat top holders so that's moot now.
Keystone 1043 holder (can be found elsewhere, not just Element 14):
https://au.element14.com/keystone/1043/battery-holder-18650-th/dp/2673611
Charging module:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10P...dicator-Automatic-Protection/32842874590.html


----------



## guitarsnbeer

bee2gee said:


> Just posted on your wall. The PCB is available for anyone to purchase if you've got the parts already handy from other designs. I'm happy to just send you parts if you needed as well.
> https://www.pcbway.com/project/shareproject/New_iSpindel_PCB_2_1__new_TP4056_module_.html
> 
> The only main difference with these is the battery holder and battery charging module. I have been playing around iwth the flap top and button holder, the button tops work just fine in the flat top holders so that's moot now.
> Keystone 1043 holder (can be found elsewhere, not just Element 14):
> https://au.element14.com/keystone/1043/battery-holder-18650-th/dp/2673611
> Charging module:
> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10P...dicator-Automatic-Protection/32842874590.html


Haven't gone down the rabbit hole of electronics projects just yet (I've done a bunch of soldering though, on guitars etc) so prob just go turn key for now.

Which WEMOS module did you end up going? I've got a SS fermy in an upright freezer, do you reckon there'll be any issues with Wi-Fi reception? It's not the best reception where the brewhouse is but I can always install a repeater (or move the AP)

Also wouldn't mind integrating wireless charging, rather than opening up the container everytime for a charge. I assume that would be pretty easy, just solder on the module to the battery lugs...?

Thanks again!


----------



## Aydos

@bee2gee how much would you price up a parts list to me make these at home for?
Cheers

Aydos


----------



## misenko

Hi Guys,

I've just build up one of these and have couple of questions. What is your average WiFi strength ? If I place it next to the router I have -30 RSSI, 3m from the router -50 RSSI, in a room 5m from the router with a thin wall -60 RSSI and if I put it into a plastic bucket with water in the same room it drop to -75 RSSI. I've noticed that at this strength not every record is transmitted over the wifi into ubidost. Therefore the question - what is the lowest wifi strength where the device still works reliable and what's your numbers ?

Another question is for battery. When I charge the battery it shows 4.25V which I guess is the maximum. Do you know what is the lowest value when the device shut down and stops transmitting ?

Thank you!


----------



## bee2gee

guitarsnbeer said:


> Which WEMOS module did you end up going? I've got a SS fermy in an upright freezer, do you reckon there'll be any issues with Wi-Fi reception? It's not the best reception where the brewhouse is but I can always install a repeater (or move the AP)
> Also wouldn't mind integrating wireless charging, rather than opening up the container everytime for a charge. I assume that would be pretty easy, just solder on the module to the battery lugs...?



I've gone with the WeMos D1 Mini Pro, it has an external antenna connection which you do need to do a small mod to use, basically the link needs to be moved from the ceramic antenna to the connector
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/WeM...enna-Contor-ESP8266-WIFI-IOT/32863297827.html





You should be able to use one of the mico USB charge pads which will connect straight into the charger module, no need to solder or anything. I haven't gone that far just yet, I know there have been others who have posted and used them in this thread.


----------



## bee2gee

misenko said:


> what is the lowest wifi strength where the device still works reliable and what's your numbers ?



I guess that really comes down to if the device can reliably negotiate at the time. I've been playing around with a small router which lets me select frequency and throughput ie: if you only allow that SSID to use 802.11g/n with 2.4ghz and 1mbit or so frequency profiles. This way you're using the lower bands in the frequency, in turn speed which doesn't matter when sending a few lines of text. These "should" naturally have the highest quality as there will be less loss. It also means things like initial negotiation and renegotiation should be very limited as well. If you don't have that option you can always try a repeater sitting next to your fermenters.



misenko said:


> When I charge the battery it shows 4.25V which I guess is the maximum. Do you know what is the lowest value when the device shut down and stops transmitting ?



I think you'd have to go through the source code, maybe it's even part of the wemos themselves. There is one Github issue thread with someone having problems at 2.94v.
https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/issues/185


----------



## guitarsnbeer

bee2gee said:


> I've gone with the WeMos D1 Mini Pro, it has an external antenna connection which you do need to do a small mod to use, basically the link needs to be moved from the ceramic antenna to the connector
> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/WeM...enna-Contor-ESP8266-WIFI-IOT/32863297827.html
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You should be able to use one of the mico USB charge pads which will connect straight into the charger module, no need to solder or anything. I haven't gone that far just yet, I know there have been others who have posted and used them in this thread.



Awesome, thanks man. Totally in for 3, I'll respond to your wall post


----------



## Thomas Wood

misenko said:


> I've just build up one of these and have couple of questions. What is your average WiFi strength ? If I place it next to the router I have -30 RSSI, 3m from the router -50 RSSI, in a room 5m from the router with a thin wall -60 RSSI and if I put it into a plastic bucket with water in the same room it drop to -75 RSSI. I've noticed that at this strength not every record is transmitted over the wifi into ubidost. Therefore the question - what is the lowest wifi strength where the device still works reliable and what's your numbers ?


There's some information here about what the numbers mean: https://www.metageek.com/training/resources/understanding-rssi.html
But basically anything below 70 you should be fine.

Mine is around 40-50 and that is going from Router1 -> Entire House -> Closed Garage in backyard -> Router2 in the garage -> Back of the garage -> Fermentation Fridge -> Sealed iSpindel. The routers are both 
*ASUS RT-AC68U *set up as a mesh network, which I can't recommend enough.


----------



## chesl73

Question for the guys who have one of these... Are you using it regularly when you brew and is it meeting your expectations?


----------



## bee2gee

chesl73 said:


> Question for the guys who have one of these... Are you using it regularly when you brew and is it meeting your expectations?



I try to use mine in every beer I do, sometimes if I run into a firmware issues I'll need to give it a miss and do something like an Ale instead of a fast ferment Larger. They're definitely still DIY but they're fun if you're into this sort of thing. Mine is +/- 0.02 generally however I do use it as a guide and check final gravity with a hydrometer just to be sure.


----------



## Thomas Wood

I try and use mine each brew as well. Sometimes I need to reflash it because it just wont reconnect to my router. Only takes 30s and is done wirelessly though.
Mine still isn't calibrated well (it's way off) but is a perfect indicator for temperature, fermentation start and fermentation end, so I use it to plan when I want to dry hop.


----------



## Bourkie

Thomas Wood said:


> Mine still isn't calibrated well (it's way off) but is a perfect indicator for temperature, fermentation start and fermentation end, so I use it to plan when I want to drop hop.



When do you know when to dry hop?


----------



## Thomas Wood

Mick Bourke said:


> When do you know when to dry hop?


When it's dropped quite a bit and is starting to steady out (so fermentation is nearly over). Usually between day 4 and 6 depending on the speed of fermentation.


----------



## Muzzaguzza

All sorted


----------



## krz

Information for people who are thinking of, or have bought from bee2bee.

I ordered 2 and paid with paypal.
They arrived some days later. I went down to jaycar and bought a battery but found it that with the battery installed, its an extremely tight fit into the housing (both units the same).
So tight, that I doubt you'd get it back out again. I thought that the jaycar battery were slightly too big, so I ordered from ebay some panasonic 18650B's, but the same dilemma. So, I got out the dremel and sanded off a tiny bit from each of the tray's edges.
It fits in well now.

Other than that, bee2gee's units are well put together, and I have successfully configured and it functions as intended.


----------



## Pik000

Does anyone have a good soldering guide? I have the 3D mechatonics one but its saying to remove a diode and an LED but its pretty basic and don't want to remove the wrong thing. Any help appreciated.


----------



## Neil Buttriss

krz said:


> Information for people who are thinking of, or have bought from bee2bee.
> 
> I ordered 2 and paid with paypal.
> They arrived some days later. I went down to jaycar and bought a battery but found it that with the battery installed, its an extremely tight fit into the housing (both units the same).
> So tight, that I doubt you'd get it back out again. I thought that the jaycar battery were slightly too big, so I ordered from ebay some panasonic 18650B's, but the same dilemma. So, I got out the dremel and sanded off a tiny bit from each of the tray's edges.
> It fits in well now.
> 
> Other than that, bee2gee's units are well put together, and I have successfully configured and it functions as intended.


When I made my purchase from bee2bee this was mentioned in the PM he sent me. Looking forward to using it but I wont be home for a bit yet


----------



## bee2gee

Pik000 said:


> Does anyone have a good soldering guide? I have the 3D mechatonics one but its saying to remove a diode and an LED but its pretty basic and don't want to remove the wrong thing. Any help appreciated.



The diode removal detail is here, it is optional however you do need to consider it:
https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/issues/47
https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/issues/119

The diode itself depends on the wemos board and revision you're using, the basic instructions are below but a photo will help us determine which one you need to remove if you want to go down that path:
https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/blob/master/docs/iSpindelbreadboard.md

The LED removal should only be if you wanted to save some extra battery imho.



krz said:


> So tight, that I doubt you'd get it back out again. I


You can trim down the pins on the wemos controller, I leave them full length just so people can adjust as required depending on their battery size. It' much easier to make them smaller if needed rather than making them bigger. It's certainly something I include when sending shipping info now as a few people have mentioned it


----------



## bee2gee

For anyone looking at ordering more kits or assembled iSpindels, I've just received my next order of wemos and battery clips.


----------



## angus_grant

bee2gee said:


> You can trim down the pins on the wemos controller, I leave them full length just so people can adjust as required depending on their battery size. It' much easier to make them smaller if needed rather than making them bigger. It's certainly something I include when sending shipping info now as a few people have mentioned it



I ended up very gently bending the pins inwards to let it fit into the supplied tube. Slides in with a little force and slides out with a little force, just the way I like it....

One of the devices required a reflash of the firmware to constantly send updates to my website. It would send one set of readings, and then nothing. It was also fairly erratic about when saving readings in config mode. I would have to try it 3 or 4 times and eventually it would save.

After the reflash it worked as expected. I ended up finding some threads that explained a reflash would normally solve the "one reading only" problem.

All working well now. This was running tests with the device sitting on my desk, so pretty rubbish readings. I'll be putting it into my next real batch and see how it works in the real world.


----------



## BierMate

Hi Everyone,
been following the discussion after I got aware of the iSpindel. I recently put a BrewPiLess together and it runs well on the first live test in my current brew. 
Since I buy PCBs from PCBway frequently I added the CherryPhilip PCB to the last order - thanks for the link. Got the remaining parts from eBay - almost there.
So here is my question: Has anyone a spare (or 2) PET tube XL that he is willing to sell /trade?
Getting them from Estonia seems to take ages, or is there another source?

Cheers, Peter


----------



## bee2gee

BierMate said:


> Has anyone a spare (or 2) PET tube XL that he is willing to sell /trade?



I have a few spares, my cost per unit was about $4 I think, cheapest AusPost shipping is $8.55 for a 500g satchel.


----------



## kaypee

Hey, long time reader, first time poster - I've had a skim through the whole thread, really great info in here 

I've managed to gather all of the bits and pieces to make 1-5 of these (we'll see how good my skill levels are ), but I'm having trouble sourcing a 3d printer locally for the sled, so I'm glad I came across this thread with the PCB+battery holder that will fit the XL petlings.

Anyway! The point of my post, @bee2gee - I had a look at a few sites (including the one you linked to) that would ship the Keystone 1043 battery holders to me in NZ, but the shipping from each one I looked at is up there a bit ($15-40 minimum). 

I had a quick poke around for some local options, and saw that Jaycar sell something similar-looking - here - are you able to tell if these holders would be suitable for the PCB? My local Jaycar (5min drive away) have stock, so I'd save myself the shipping bill if the ones they have would work ok. If that Keystone brand is necessary, I will bite the bullet though.

Cheers in advance!


----------



## bee2gee

They may fit, just with some glue. You’d have to work out a way to solder the leads onto the PCB or the right line based on the tracks. The edge height may be an issue given how square they look, nothing a light file wouldn’t help haha

I could send you some holders, they’re about $3-$4ea and shipping is $15-$20. Not the cheapest option but worth thinking about.


----------



## BierMate

bee2gee said:


> I have a few spares, my cost per unit was about $4 I think, cheapest AusPost shipping is $8.55 for a 500g satchel.


Thanks bee2gee - if you are happy to part with 3 of them we have a deal. That mitigates the postage a little. How do I pay you?
Peter


----------



## kaypee

Ahh ok, my skill with this sort of thing is pretty... _beginner _(but keen as to give it a go), so I should probably just spring extra for the proper ones that will fit and have an easier time of it 

Thanks for the offer on sending some over, but that's ok, a couple of the prices I saw (shipping + units) were about the same, so I'll save ya the hassle and just go through them. Thanks again!


----------



## Adam1967

Hi bee2gee can you PM me re purchase.


----------



## Engibeer

iSpindels seem to work fine in KegLand 58L SS kegmenter... placed in empty Kegmenter with lid and signal is all good.... Can't imagine that liquid will affect that too much?


----------



## McPhelly

bee2gee said:


> For anyone looking at ordering more kits or assembled iSpindels, I've just received my next order of wemos and battery clips.


Hi Bee2Gee, I left a message on your profile. Can you PM me re: a fully assembled iSpindel?

cheers
Martin


----------



## BierMate

Hi All,

my iSpindel is nearing completion and I look forward to putting it into action next weekend.
I realised that the next brew is going to be a wheat beer. Has anyone used the ISpindel with top fermenting yeast? Is the yeast building up on top of the wort going to affect the iSpindel reading? In a big way?

Cheers, Peter


----------



## bee2gee

Engibeer said:


> iSpindels seem to work fine in KegLand 58L SS kegmenter... placed in empty Kegmenter with lid and signal is all good.... Can't imagine that liquid will affect that too much?



It may, I wouldn't think it'd affect things too much given the position of the unit. Let me know how it goes!


----------



## bee2gee

BierMate said:


> Hi All,
> I realised that the next brew is going to be a wheat beer. Has anyone used the ISpindel with top fermenting yeast? Is the yeast building up on top of the wort going to affect the iSpindel reading? In a big way?
> Cheers, Peter



I've had plenty of success. Recently did an Amber Ale with some pure Oxygen and English Ale yeast. Massive krausen and she was done in 24hrs which is sort of spooky. Temp controlled at 18c, I was planning on doing 1c rise at half way but the yeast beat me to it, finished at 20c before cold crashing.


----------



## Nullnvoid

@bee2gee Do you sell these as a complete unit or just some of the bits?

I'm having trouble working out which is the case.


----------



## bee2gee

Nullnvoid said:


> @bee2gee Do you sell these as a complete unit or just some of the bits?.



Both types, I've just sent you a PM with more info so I'm not clogging up the thread.


----------



## sp0rk

Engibeer said:


> iSpindels seem to work fine in KegLand 58L SS kegmenter... placed in empty Kegmenter with lid and signal is all good.... Can't imagine that liquid will affect that too much?


Is that with a normal Wemos or Wemos Pro?


----------



## bee2gee

sp0rk said:


> Is that with a normal Wemos or Wemos Pro?



That's running Wemos Pro.


----------



## sp0rk

Sweeeeeeeet


----------



## Ballaratguy

Hey guys I’ve purchased a couple of iSpindles but they came in calibrated & not configured. I think I may have got the configuration (I’m using Brewfather) but the calibration and maybe the configuration has me thinking that I’m gunna bin these bloody things
Is there anyone that I can send these things to so they could calibrate them for me (naturally I’m prepared to pay for the service)


----------



## bee2gee

Ballaratguy said:


> Hey guys I’ve purchased a couple of iSpindles but they came in calibrated & not configured.



When you connect a battery to the units, you will be able to join a wifi network called iSpindel after about 10-15 seconds, maybe longer. Once you join the network, depending on your device, you will either be taken to the configuration page automatically. If not, you can go to http://192.168.4.1 and configure the device. The process is documented on the Github project page:
https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/blob/master/docs/README_en.md#portal

You will need to trim the pins on the sleds to they fit snug without going crazy, inside the bottle. Only place the PCB in a small way, enough so that the lid can be secured correctly, then place in tap water. The aim is the get to 25 degrees tilt via the webui however +/- 4 degrees should be okay. The further the PCB is the lower the tilt, for example; you may start at 45 degrees however tapping it in slightly more will see you get closer to 25.

You can calibrate them easily enough by ensuring the tilt angle is known in water, then also known in your wort before fermentation. This will give you a good indication of the fermentation process. You can fine tune them with water with dissolved sugars to take additional points, this will give you a nicer curve and a more true reading during fermentation.

The full calibration procedure is provided via the GitHub project as well:
https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/blob/master/docs/Calibration_en.md


----------



## Ballaratguy

bee2gee said:


> When you connect a battery to the units, you will be able to join a wifi network called iSpindel after about 10-15 seconds, maybe longer. Once you join the network, depending on your device, you will either be taken to the configuration page automatically. If not, you can go to http://192.168.4.1 and configure the device. The process is documented on the Github project page:
> https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/blob/master/docs/README_en.md#portal
> 
> You will need to trim the pins on the sleds to they fit snug without going crazy, inside the bottle. Only place the PCB in a small way, enough so that the lid can be secured correctly, then place in tap water. The aim is the get to 25 degrees tilt via the webui however +/- 4 degrees should be okay. The further the PCB is the lower the tilt, for example; you may start at 45 degrees however tapping it in slightly more will see you get closer to 25.
> 
> You can calibrate them easily enough by ensuring the tilt angle is known in water, then also known in your wort before fermentation. This will give you a good indication of the fermentation process. You can fine tune them with water with dissolved sugars to take additional points, this will give you a nicer curve and a more true reading during fermentation.
> 
> The full calibration procedure is provided via the GitHub project as well:
> https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/blob/master/docs/Calibration_en.md


Thanks for the info that does help however, every time I go to the ubidots link it opens up with a create new account page, I’ve put my info in but have never found the api or the token to use 
Sorry if I seem to be dumb with this but I have found this to be quite a frustrating experience


----------



## bee2gee

Ballaratguy said:


> every time I go to the ubidots link it opens up with a create new account page, I’ve put my info in but have never found the api or the token to use



@angus_grant might have something to help.

Alternatively you should be using: https://ubidots.com/education/ - this is the free version which everyone seems to use. Under your profile icon, top right, you should be able to click on your avatar then go to API Credentials.


----------



## Ballaratguy

Jeez I thought I was reasonably tech savvy but this process is about the most frustrating thing that I have done
I have followed your advice bee1gee (thanks for that). I have the token as per gif instructions to write it down but now can’t find anywhere to stick it
My concern is I have configured both tilts but have nowhere for thi info from them to go to. This u idiots thing is the most frustrating experience yet devised
Is there a phone app or web app like Brewfather (which I use) that will recognise the iSpindle and then just run with it (similar to they way that the tilt works with google sheets)


----------



## angus_grant

Hey @Ballaratguy,

I am finalising documentation on my brewing website this weekend for integrating iSpindels and attaching readings to ferment logs. The website is all set up to integrate the devices and accept readings, I just have to finish off the documentation.

I don't have a commercial/sponsor account on this forum so probably can't say much more.

Cheers,
Angus.


----------



## Ballaratguy

Angus that sounds awesome
I think I may have it worked out but it’s been an awkward road 
I feel it would be a lot less hassle if the instructions were dumbed down and links were actually links to where we needed to go to and not just the home page where you need to try every button to get to where you need to go
I also have the query that I’ll chase up once I get these things usable, is how the wifi charging works and some of the other bits and pieces that the iSpindle has over the over priced tilt
Also a big thanks to bee2gee for his assistance with this


----------



## angus_grant

While the Tilt may seem over-priced, it's environment is so much easier to use than the iSpindel. It worked from the moment I pulled it out of the packet.

Install app on phone
Tilt the "Tilt" device to turn it on (no internal switch to turn it on and off - you just sit it upright and it turns off)
Automatically displays in phone app (no Bluetooth pairing required)
I changed settings in app to use my website
All done within 5 minutes

I can view the app at any point to make sure the Tilt device is still sync'd.
I can force a manual reading transmission from the app.

So for my money and ease of install/use, I'd choose the Tilt.

If the iSpindel had the app where you could see what was happening, then it would be a much better product. Or some way to see what was happening when it is in run-mode it would be much better. I understand it's to improve battery life, but you should be able to switch it into "diagnose mode" so you can access it and diagnose problems knowing you're burning through battery. When everything is working, you switch it into "low-battery" mode.

You can hook a cable up to the micro-USB plug, and access it using a serial reader. It then displays all the information you need to diagnose problems
But what can you do when it is in your fermentor? And how does a non-technical person hook up a serial reader?


----------



## bee2gee

@angus_grant totally agree there, the Tilt is awesome but $199 + shipping versus the iSpindel which is much cheaper ~$55. I went the iSpindel route because I needed 4 and my pockets would rather nice things like an O2 bottle, reg etc for happier yeast... so I can measure them haha. The trade-off comes in the form of time spent learning and calibrating. I must admit, there was a decent learning curve however my pocket and production is happier I went the iSpindel route. If you are more time poor or have little desire to learn because you've got enough to learn constantly already, fix the problem with money -> Tilt.

I definitely don't judge people either way, horses for courses for sure. It's one of the main reasons I started offering kits / builds, it certainly wasn't about money, just to give people accessible and easy to build kits or pre-built units if cost / equipment was a hurdle.

In regards to the software on the iSpindels, there's plenty of room for improvement. I think it would take someone to redo the whole web server package in a Github PR and see if the creator would be happy with it. One of the biggest things is battery and no LP bluetooth, wifi is a hungry beast and 15min polls are a good thing haha. You could try a branch for your site for pre-configuration if you had the time? I would give it a shot but I'm not much of a software guy.


----------



## angus_grant

If I wasn't intergrating the tilt into my website, I would have just bought ispindles. Once the software environment around the Ispindle is improved, then the tilt will just seem like an expensive alternative. 

The one big limitation for the tilt is that it only has 8 different devices. There is no way I've found to identify different devices with the same colour. Each orange device has the same identifier so you can't have 2 orange tilts connecting to the same Bluetooth receiver. 

It all would have been so much easier if I'd known about the serial logging from the start. 

I might have a crack at a pull request including an option choice for my website. Would be harder to ignore if all the work is already done.


----------



## nathanvonbeerenstein

Hey all,
Hoping you could help you troubleshoot some software issues with the iSpindel
Hardwares working fine but can’t for the life of me get the flashing right
I’ve re-flashed countless times now and all I ever get is ‘ESP_04F825’ after in the wifi connections.
When I try to connect it connects momentarily, disconnects and connects again. It just repeats this cycle.
Constant blue blinking
I’m using the latest firmware release and Nodemcu flasher to no avail.
Have my flash size as both 16 and 4mb’s in different tests and same result.
Have my bin file in the first line with 0x00000
It successfully flashes the device and after have a blue blink every second. Clicking 3 times does nothing.

Please help a brutha out here! Have one other that works as expected but nada here.

Cheers


----------



## nathanvonbeerenstein

Should also add, I have the bee2bee version too, very nice build!
I didn’t have to file mine down though and still fits securely without moving.


----------



## bee2gee

@nathanvonbeerenstein they should all come flashed with the latest version unless this is the previous gen where it could have done with a firmware upgrade. What happens when you connect it to USB power and use something like Termite to monitor the device's COM port on start up (this is probably the most important things to do)? There should be an error message of some type usually. It may be worth running an erase and re-flash? What settings do you have in the Advanced tab?


----------



## nathanvonbeerenstein

bee2gee said:


> @nathanvonbeerenstein they should all come flashed with the latest version unless this is the previous gen where it could have done with a firmware upgrade. What happens when you connect it to USB power and use something like Termite to monitor the device's COM port on start up (this is probably the most important things to do)? There should be an error message of some type usually. It may be worth running an erase and re-flash? What settings do you have in the Advanced tab?



Not entirely sure what happened, but i can verify it definitely did arrive with the firmware on it and is a top notch product, i most likely fudged it myself during setup.
When i monitor it with Termite, it goes bonkers after i plug it in with a bunch of (what seems to programming illiterate me) mumbo-jumbo. ill copy it out below.

how exactly do I do an erase? I've tried installing what i think is an empty bin to it but no dice, still just reads as above and disconnects/connects every other second.

in the advanced tab: 
bitrate: 230400
flash size: 16mb and have also tried 4mb
flash speed: 40mhz
SPI mode: DIO

im only writing to the first line too, at 0x00000.
no errors in the log, that i know of.

Appreciate any help you could offer, i feel like an erase and clear might help but unsure if im successfully doing it myself.


----------



## nathanvonbeerenstein

nathanvonbeerenstein said:


> Not entirely sure what happened, but i can verify it definitely did arrive with the firmware on it and is a top notch product, i most likely fudged it myself during setup.
> When i monitor it with Termite, it goes bonkers after i plug it in with a bunch of (what seems to programming illiterate me) mumbo-jumbo. ill copy it out below.
> 
> how exactly do I do an erase? I've tried installing what i think is an empty bin to it but no dice, still just reads as above and disconnects/connects every other second.
> 
> in the advanced tab:
> bitrate: 230400
> flash size: 16mb and have also tried 4mb
> flash speed: 40mhz
> SPI mode: DIO
> 
> im only writing to the first line too, at 0x00000.
> no errors in the log, that i know of.
> 
> Appreciate any help you could offer, i feel like an erase and clear might help but unsure if im successfully doing it myself.



Update: bridged one of the terminals to ground and was able to reflash successfully. All is go now! And even better, was BANG ON 27 degrees after mounting with the suggested size battery and pushing to very bottom of the unit.
Thanks for the fine device


----------



## lespaul

Sorry for OT, its just the most active "electronics" thread.
I want to complete a Brewpi project that can integrate into iSpindel. Hopefully complete this first to wrap my head around this stuff.
Is this the project that I'm looking for? https://github.com/vitotai/BrewPiLess / https://www.homebrewtalk.com.br/thr...fermentação-via-wi-fi-e-interface-web.410517/
Thanks in advance, sorry again for OT


----------



## sp0rk

bee2gee said:


> That's running Wemos Pro.


Mine just arrived in the mail, I'm looking forward to putting it together
Thanks again!


----------



## kaljade

lespaul said:


> Sorry for OT, its just the most active "electronics" thread.
> I want to complete a Brewpi project that can integrate into iSpindel. Hopefully complete this first to wrap my head around this stuff.
> Is this the project that I'm looking for? https://github.com/vitotai/BrewPiLess / https://www.homebrewtalk.com.br/thr...fermentação-via-wi-fi-e-interface-web.410517/
> Thanks in advance, sorry again for OT


That is for Brewpiless, which is different to Brewpi (which uses an RPi & Arduino(s) so is more feature rich than Brewpiless). If you are talking full Brewpi, check out this instead: https://github.com/NFBrewingTech/BrewPi-iSpindel

Cheers,

Kal


----------



## bee2gee

nathanvonbeerenstein said:


> Update: bridged one of the terminals to ground and was able to reflash successfully. All is go now! And even better, was BANG ON 27 degrees after mounting with the suggested size battery and pushing to very bottom of the unit.
> Thanks for the fine device



Awesome! Sometimes after a few flash attempts the wemos can get a bit mad, I've had to short D3 (I think) and GND before, subsequent flashes has been totally fine. Really good to hear things are working well, you had me worried there!


----------



## portsparky

Hi, I'm interested in a couple of your iSpindel units @bee2gee . What's the best way to get in touch with you ? I am [email protected] .


----------



## chesl73

Hi all,
I've calibrated and have been using my iSpindel on a current brew, all going pretty well. I log my data to the brewing software Brewfather and it's looking good. However, after three days of pretty reliable updates the readings/updates have stopped. I'd have to then sanitise some tongs and pull it out and after putting it in operational mode and generally just restarting it a few times and so on (no real logic to getting it to work) it seemed to reconnect and start updating again, a few hours later it stopped again. When it stops and I take it out the fermenter, I leave it there for a while next to my modem but it still doesn't update and checking my RSSI strength it's decent so can't be that. Not sure what it is. Having to physically reset the WEMOS is a major shortcoming and a pain. 
The firmware is 6.0.2, thinking I might 'downgrade' to 5 something and see how that goes. 
Any thoughts on the above?

I was also thinking of hooking up the USB and seeing what spits out via Putty or Termite. I've tried this and just wanted to confirm what I'm doing here is correct/incorrect?

Do I switch the device off, hook up the cable then switch it on and I should see some stuff? 
What I find is that I don't see anything until when it transmits the data and what I see is just complete nonsense (attached screenshot). Am I doing something wrong? 
Thanks.


----------



## bee2gee

@chesl73 they shouldn't need a reset every 3 days. That sounds like the firmware or something is crashing after 3 days or there's an issue with sending. If you wanted to go back a version, I would say try 6.0.0 or even re-flash 6.0.2. 

I know this sounds boring, but, when there are issues, if you sit there and watch it for 15 mins, you should see it wake and the blue wemos activity light flash a few times before it goes off. 

With Termite, you'll want to be using a baud of 115200 if they're in run mode, which yours should be when it's on, lower baud for boot issues. It would be interesting to know if it's waking up, if it is, what the message in Termite says when it is waking up and not able to send event data.


----------



## chesl73

Thanks for the info. I'll try re doing the firmware first and see how that goes.


----------



## Brewey

Hi @bee2gee did you ever get the website running that you were gong to sell the iSpindel on, or can you please let me know how I can go about buying one from you?


----------



## bee2gee

@chesl73 how'd you get on?



Brewey said:


> Hi @bee2gee did you ever get the website running that you were gong to sell the iSpindel on, or can you please let me know how I can go about buying one from you?


Still considering the website! You can reach out via email, the address is on my profile wall/comments


----------



## chesl73

Hi. I've been away the last two weeks with the family to Merimbula so haven't had a chance! Back at the weekend so will redo the firmware then. I won't be able to fully test it until my next brew but will let you know. Thanks


----------



## angus_grant

Alright, so finally getting around to actually getting a WiFi extender into my shed, and things seem to be working finally. These iSpindels seem very temperamental if they miss getting WiFi access one time. I keep getting "Rescue WiFi credentials" messages when the WiFi drops out once. This was even inside with my primary WiFi network.

It's out in the ferment fridge and seems to be submitting readings to my website now, so fingers crossed. If it works out, I will be using it in a ferment this weekend. I've also written a CraftBeerPi plugin which uses PT100 temp probes to submit readings to my website. I'll still be using the iSpindel for gravity readings, but the CraftBeerPi will submit temp readings.

The cool thing is that you can define a ferment schedule in the website based on gravity readings. My website receives the gravity readings, checks the ferment schedule, and if the gravity has passed into the next ferment step, it updates the current ferment temperature.

The CraftBeerPi reads the current ferment temp from the website and updates it's fermentor control temperature to match.

So a completely automated gravity reading controlled fermentation system.


----------



## angus_grant

And it timed out at 1AM (about 2 hours after I put it in there) and got the old "Rescue Wifi Credentials" problem.

A reset booted it into config mode where it complained about ROM CRC not being valid and no OneWire temp sensor

Can someone run through their flashing process? It seems very flaky and I wonder if I am flashing correctly


----------



## 5teve

I reflashed mine with NodeMCU flasher, and used following advanced settings: 
Baud rate:74880 bps; Flash size: 4MB; Flash Speed: 40MHz; SPI Mode: DIO

Hasn't skipped a beat since through over half a dozen ferments paired with BrewPiLess.


----------



## krz

A warning to all.
My first Ispindel drowned, the cap leaked and was full of wort and unrecoverable.
Lucky I bought 2.

I didnt water test it before I placed in in the fermenter, so make sure you do.
I'm thinking of a bit of teflon tape will help.


----------



## David

Haven't seen it mentioned in the thread. Latest firmware(6.x) was giving me odd tilt values. reverting to older firmware (5.8.6) and the tilt value is correct.

hint 1 - flash the WEMOS before you assemble the board - not much fun troubleshooting/rebuilding once all soldered up.
hint 2 - the admin web page/ access point is harder to get into than you'd expect. Looks like you need to hit the reset button before boot and reading to website. Suspect looking for failed boot to get into config mode.


----------



## bradwhite087

Paiakan said:


> I edited the post. Now it's complete.


I'm trying to get the parts list, but it doesn't load. I suspect the shopping list has expired. Any chance you could send it again?


----------



## bee2gee

bradwhite087 said:


> I'm trying to get the parts list, but it doesn't load. I suspect the shopping list has expired. Any chance you could send it again?



What board were you looking at? Happy to link you to the materials. If you're using the normal PCB and 3D printed sled, the GitHub doc has all the parts. If you're using the Cherry Philip design, you'll need the smaller battery charger module.
https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/blob/master/docs/Parts_en.md


----------



## bradwhite087

bee2gee said:


> What board were you looking at? Happy to link you to the materials. If you're using the normal PCB and 3D printed sled, the GitHub doc has all the parts. If you're using the Cherry Philip design, you'll need the smaller battery charger module.
> https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/blob/master/docs/Parts_en.md


I was thinking of going the Cherry Philip design as it seems slightly easier. Do you have the parts list required, at least a link to the smaller battery charger module required? 

Cheers


----------



## bee2gee

bradwhite087 said:


> I was thinking of going the Cherry Philip design as it seems slightly easier. Do you have the parts list required, at least a link to the smaller battery charger module required?
> Cheers



Parts list will be the same as the GitHub page except the charger module:
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/pr...h-Led-Indicator-Over/1414081_32675099957.html

Battery holder:
https://au.mouser.com/ProductDetail...=sGAEpiMZZMt13fpse6CWDUGg/8fzvjZvv8iRCb3qg5g=


----------



## chesl73

5teve said:


> I reflashed mine with NodeMCU flasher, and used following advanced settings:
> Baud rate:74880 bps; Flash size: 4MB; Flash Speed: 40MHz; SPI Mode: DIO
> 
> Hasn't skipped a beat since through over half a dozen ferments paired with BrewPiLess.



So... on this screen (attached), what do I enter?
ie, I have a single file called firmware601.bin (I assume that's all I need?) in c:\temp folder on my Windows laptop.
Do I remove the first line saying 'INTERNAL://NODEMCU' and replace this with 'c:\temp\folder\firmware601.bin' ?
Or do I put 'c:\temp.... etc on the line underneath 'INTERNAL...'? And if I do that, what is the offset value?

Doesn't seem to be any reasonable documentation on this hence my questions, thanks for the help.


----------



## angus_grant

Click on the gear icon, and then navigate your way to the temp folder and select the bin folder.


----------



## aamcle

The answer may well be here somewhere but ..... I'm going to ask 

My iSpindel works I calibrated it and can access the configuration without difficulty. 
It connects to Ubidots but only sends one or two packets of data then nothing, I have not been able to find out much about this fault except a number of people have reported it. 

Any suggestions as to how I might sort it out?

Thanks All.


----------



## chesl73

angus_grant said:


> Click on the gear icon, and then navigate your way to the temp folder and select the bin folder.



Thanks - but.... Do I remove the first line saying 'INTERNAL://NODEMCU' and replace this with 'c:\temp\folder\firmware601.bin' ?
Or do I put 'c:\temp.... etc on the line underneath 'INTERNAL...'? And if I do that, what is the offset value?


----------



## angus_grant

Click on the gear icon for the "internal://" line. You 'll end up replacing that with 'c:\temp\folder\firmware601.bin'


----------



## chesl73

Thanks. Just wanted to be clear before I did it. Have re-flashed it. Cheers.


----------



## Nullnvoid

Still haven't set mine up yet! Need to get a battery so I can start playing with it.


----------



## Nathan McCann

Today I received my iSpindel. Tonight I've put it all together and joined the device wi-fi into its GUI. I set it up with my home WiFi and UNIdots, I went across to my network all good. However I can not get it to switch back to it own wifi as I now need to change a setting and calibrate it.

Pressing the reset button does not seem to work

**Edit**
I got it working, didn't read the instructions correctly, therefore didn't press it quickly after the first time


----------



## JnR_Mc

My iSpindle is all assembled and finally calibrated (after making the kitchen into a science room).

I was using UniDots, but could not get the calibration formula to work, so changed up and set a Raspberry Pi as a FermenTrack machine.

As soon as my STC-100 Rocks up, I'll get a new batch on and really test out the iSpindle.


----------



## Em Tubby

chesl73 said:


> Hi all,
> I've calibrated and have been using my iSpindel on a current brew, all going pretty well. I log my data to the brewing software Brewfather and it's looking good. However, after three days of pretty reliable updates the readings/updates have stopped. I'd have to then sanitise some tongs and pull it out and after putting it in operational mode and generally just restarting it a few times and so on (no real logic to getting it to work) it seemed to reconnect and start updating again, a few hours later it stopped again. When it stops and I take it out the fermenter, I leave it there for a while next to my modem but it still doesn't update and checking my RSSI strength it's decent so can't be that. Not sure what it is. Having to physically reset the WEMOS is a major shortcoming and a pain.
> The firmware is 6.0.2, thinking I might 'downgrade' to 5 something and see how that goes.
> Any thoughts on the above?
> 
> I was also thinking of hooking up the USB and seeing what spits out via Putty or Termite. I've tried this and just wanted to confirm what I'm doing here is correct/incorrect?
> 
> Do I switch the device off, hook up the cable then switch it on and I should see some stuff?
> What I find is that I don't see anything until when it transmits the data and what I see is just complete nonsense (attached screenshot). Am I doing something wrong?
> Thanks.


Just get a Tilt and be done with it


----------



## Nullnvoid

Em Tubby said:


> Just get a Tilt and be done with it



From where would you suggest?


----------



## kaljade

Em Tubby said:


> Just get a Tilt and be done with it


Tilts are ridiculously overpriced for what you get, but I guess if you'd rather someone else to build it for you that makes sense, $50 worth of parts plus $150 labour.


----------



## Em Tubby

Nullnvoid said:


> From where would you suggest?


Grain and Grape and Keg King sell them or get them online direct.


----------



## Em Tubby

kaljade said:


> Tilts are ridiculously overpriced for what you get, but I guess if you'd rather someone else to build it for you that makes sense, $50 worth of parts plus $150 labour.


Well I guess the manufacturer needs to make some profit for coming up with the idea. You can make so many things cheaper if you follow what someone has done before. At least you get something out of the box that works, is properly calibrated and you have warranty. That is why they cost what they cost.


----------



## kaljade

Em Tubby said:


> Well I guess the manufacturer needs to make some profit for coming up with the idea. You can make so many things cheaper if you follow what someone has done before. At least you get something out of the box that works, is properly calibrated and you have warranty. That is why they cost what they cost.


Yeah fair point, but for me needing six of them it was a choice between $1,200 for Tilts or build my own for a quarter of the price. 

Same thing could be said about brewing, you can make a keg of craft beer for $50 or you can pay a manufacturer $80 for a carton that works out of the box 

But each to their own, I'm certainly not judging anyone, just offering an alternative perspective.


----------



## Em Tubby

kaljade said:


> Yeah fair point, but for me needing six of them it was a choice between $1,200 for Tilts or build my own for a quarter of the price.
> 
> Same thing could be said about brewing, you can make a keg of craft beer for $50 or you can pay a manufacturer $80 for a carton that works out of the box
> 
> But each to their own, I'm certainly not judging anyone, just offering an alternative perspective.


Well with the Tilts you can get all the different colours and they have the same colour on the graph so makes it breeze to know which one is in which fermenter.

For beer there are many recipes from thousands of years which are not copyrighted. For the small crowd that makes the Tilt its their livelihood and I reckon they deserve to make a bit of something and not get done over.


----------



## kaljade

Em Tubby said:


> Well with the Tilts you can get all the different colours and they have the same colour on the graph so makes it breeze to know which one is in which fermenter.


I 3D printed the sleds for mine in different colours, and the coding is irrelevant because I feed mine into my BrewPi server.


Em Tubby said:


> For beer there are many recipes from thousands of years which are not copyrighted. For the small crowd that makes the Tilt its their livelihood and I reckon they deserve to make a bit of something and not get done over.


Lol, that's a good one, but in actual fact it's no different. If I find a craft beer I like and imitate the recipe for my own personal use I'm not impacting anyone's "livelihood", nor is anyone getting "done over" if I build an iSpindel for my own personal use. In fact unlike Tilt their code is open source, not in copyright violation in any jurisdiction and I'm not selling them to anyone, so not sure what you are trying to say here?


----------



## Em Tubby

kaljade said:


> I 3D printed the sleds for mine in different colours, and the coding is irrelevant because I feed mine into my BrewPi server.
> 
> Lol, that's a good one, but in actual fact it's no different. If I find a craft beer I like and imitate the recipe for my own personal use I'm not impacting anyone's "livelihood", nor is anyone getting "done over" if I build an iSpindel for my own personal use. In fact unlike Tilt their code is open source, not in copyright violation in any jurisdiction and I'm not selling them to anyone, so not sure what you are trying to say here?



Well I talked to Baron Brewing in California last year and they reckon the basic idea was copied in the iSpindel design. Not verified it though.


----------



## kaljade

Em Tubby said:


> Well I talked to Baron Brewing in California last year and they reckon the basic idea was copied in the iSpindel design. Not verified it though.


Yeah, the basic design of all automobiles were copied from the model T Ford, doesn't make it a copyright violation though. But the point is iSpindel don't actually sell anything, so their not out there trying to profit from Baron Brewing (who hold a patent for a product quite dissimilar to the iSpindel), otherwise they could have quite succeussfully sued them.

It does smack a little of sour grapes for them to be making those accusations, albeit quietly, but still not overly professional.


----------



## kaljade

At the end of the day, it comes down to personal preference, if you prefer Tilt that's great, there's a separate thread here for Tilt. This thread is for iSpindel, so remember Ghostbusters 101 and "never cross the beams".


----------



## chesl73

bee2gee said:


> @chesl73 they shouldn't need a reset every 3 days. That sounds like the firmware or something is crashing after 3 days or there's an issue with sending. If you wanted to go back a version, I would say try 6.0.0 or even re-flash 6.0.2.
> 
> I know this sounds boring, but, when there are issues, if you sit there and watch it for 15 mins, you should see it wake and the blue wemos activity light flash a few times before it goes off.
> 
> With Termite, you'll want to be using a baud of 115200 if they're in run mode, which yours should be when it's on, lower baud for boot issues. It would be interesting to know if it's waking up, if it is, what the message in Termite says when it is waking up and not able to send event data.



I re-flashed the firmware to 6.0.1. 
I had it working and dropped into the fermenter - worked very well for about 2.5 days then as normal just stopped sending data. I took it out, put it into/out of operational mode and checked it connects and dropped it in again. After 3 days it stopped again. 
Really strange given it works for a 2 - 3 days then just stops. 
The blue light still flashes on the 30 minute mark when it should do. 
I hooked it up to USB and ran Termite and this is what I get:







This seems to suggest it has issues with connecting to the WIFI but it's been okay for the previous 3 days!
Any thoughts anyone?
I might try and drop down to a version 5 firmware for the next brew just to see how that goes.


----------



## Nullnvoid

Finally bought a battery for mine yesterday.... Got home, all excited put the battery in put it all into the tube and it was tight as F! Pushed it down as best I could and couldn't get it further down than 60degrees. Tapped it down and noticed it wasn't looking great so stupidly grabbed some small pliers and pulled it out so I could snip the long prongs off.

In the process I have snapped off the reset button on the side and the blue light that flashes no longer flashes 

Guess I just wasted a bit of money being careless....****!


----------



## angus_grant

ohh dude, that sucks. Was looking forward to someone else integrating it into my site.

Sounds like you "might" be able to replace just the wifi module, and not the entire board.

I very gently bent my pins towards the centre of the boards as it was a very tight fit same as yours. It then miraculously settled straight at 26 degrees so I threw a tiny shrink-wrapped nut in the bottom for 25 degrees. Score.

My other iSpindel I have to replace the gyro as it's not transmitting angles. Still transmits temperature info. Hopefully that is a small job.


----------



## Nullnvoid

I've given it to a mate to take to work and hopefully one of the guys there can solder it back on. 

If not I'll probably try and get a new one. 

But for the brief time it was working, it integrated really well with BC and keen to give it another go!


----------



## Bourkie

Hey Angus, I'm happy to give your site a crack next time. I don't want to pay for ubidots, so will give BC a crack next time. Although this won't be for a while as I've got three batches aging in bottle and about to go on holidays.


----------



## angus_grant

We all need 4 batches aging at one time. 

Good news. Hopefully you find the integration as easy as NullnVoid


----------



## krz

Well unfortunately the ispindel doesn't work in my all SS unitank fermenter.
It works outside, but the signal doesn't make it thru the steel walls to my router which is 10m away,


----------



## angus_grant

Your SS tank is pretty much the worst environment to try and get signals out of.

You "might" get a signal out by breaking the metallic connection between the body and lid. Thick silicon seal between lid and body. You might also need to break the metallic connection between hinges/clamps.

Try isolating lid and fermentor body. If that doesn't work, are you able to put your router right next to the fermentor?


----------



## krz

angus_grant said:


> Your SS tank is pretty much the worst environment to try and get signals out of.
> 
> You "might" get a signal out by breaking the metallic connection between the body and lid. Thick silicon seal between lid and body. You might also need to break the metallic connection between hinges/clamps.
> 
> Try isolating lid and fermentor body. If that doesn't work, are you able to put your router right next to the fermentor?



Yeah I know. I could place another spare router right next to it, that might work. Unable to break the seals as I usually ferment closed.
I have heard that the tilt works with my fermenter so maybe bluetooth works better than wifi.


----------



## Terry

I put an AP using another ESP8266 with an external antenna in the fridge with my SS fermenter. The iSpindel in the SS fermenter worked via the AP without any issues. The main router is about 15m away from AP.


----------



## angus_grant

Based on my experience Bluetooth Tilt works better than the iSpindel.

I had to add a higher powered Bluetooth antenna to my Raspberry Pi so I didn't have to place the Pi right next to the seal.

This was working with 120L commercial SS jacketed fermentors.


----------



## pbezza

krz said:


> Well unfortunately the ispindel doesn't work in my all SS unitank fermenter.
> It works outside, but the signal doesn't make it thru the steel walls to my router which is 10m away,


Put an esp8266 wifi repeater above your fermenter https://github.com/martin-ger/esp_wifi_repeater


----------



## cliffo

angus_grant said:


> I had to add a higher powered Bluetooth antenna to my Raspberry Pi



Mate, do you have details of the antenna?

I have to put my RPi in the fermenting fridge to be able to get the signal from the Tilt through my kegmenter.


----------



## angus_grant

Sorry about the delay:
http://rfmodules.com.au/UD100-G03?search=UD100-G03 (USB bluetooth module)
+
http://rfmodules.com.au/DAT5-G01R?search=DAT5-G01R (add-on antenna)

You will need to disable the on-board bluetooth so the 2 bluetooth modules don't argue with each other.
This page worked for me: https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=178485

I also have this saved as well, but that seems to say the same as the first page
https://discourse.osmc.tv/t/disable-rpi3-internal-bluetooth-device/15760/2


----------



## Lyons

has anyone had any success integrating the iSpindel into CraftBeerPi? i got iSpindel from bee2gee last week and finally got around to playing with it, have got it sending data to ubidot, but when i try and link it to craftbeerpi i dont receive any data


----------



## Joachim

Dear Lyons,
I am Joachim from Germany... and i also looking for infos to connect my Ispindel to cbpi. Did youn have success with it?
It’s hard to find information...

Regards 
Joachim


----------



## bee2gee

@Lyons and @Joachim, just doing some reading, there doesn't seem to be a lot on the subject, whilst I don't have CBP myself, the below might be useful.

https://github.com/Manuel83/craftbeerpi/wiki/iSpindel
Reference to CBP 2.2, unsure if this is relevant anymore or you can build with the 'hydrometer branch' as recommended. This eludes to the UI in the iSpindel having the ability to select CBP from the drop down of providers.

https://github.com/IndyJoeA/cbpi_iSpindel
This seems to be a CBP 3.0 plugin, based on https://github.com/Manuel83/craftbeerpi-plugins/blob/master/plugins.yaml it suggests this as the recommended plugin for iSpindel and CBP 3.0.

Keen to see how you get on.


----------



## Joachim

Dear all,
thank you for the links...
i installed the plugin. In the moment i think I'm using the wrong ip.....
I see an ip in the browser wich is different from an ip a see in an extra port scanner. 
Even when i use the ip from the scanner ... no data in CBP .

How can i identify the correct IP?

When using my Spindel with Brewfather ... everything is ok.. so the spindle is OK:

Joachim 

Lörrach ( in the south of Germany )


----------



## bee2gee

The IP address you would usually configure in the iSpindel should be that of your CBP setup. Without knowing your network topology, the IP of the iSpindel may change every 15 minutes when it re-associates with your network. This may be a question for the CBP folk.


----------



## angus_grant

It's a bit more technical, but I would suggest logging into your router device and assign DHCP reservations for both your Raspberry pi and iSpindel devices. That way you lock in the IP address they use, and you know exactly what IP addresses you are using.

Echoing what bee2gee said, I would have thought you'd put in your CBPi IP address into the iSpindel configuration (much like you do with BrewFather). And the CBPi iSpindel plug-in would just be listening to http posts from any IP address


----------



## Joachim

Dear all,
I am using that plugin with CBP 30.... without excess.


----------



## Mattrox

I got my iSpindel working, but due to a lack of brewing I haven't set it up properly yet.

However, I am using it as a STEM project in my year 10 Science class. Part of the project is to redesign the sled to fit properly.


----------



## bluc

Anyone have the tcp server working and care to share an image. I have downloaded the image from homebrauer and tried updating it several times with no luck...also tried from scratch install..


----------



## JnR_Mc

Bee2gee, are you still selling complete kits, unassembled?


----------



## grahambayley

bluc said:


> Anyone have the tcp server working and care to share an image. I have downloaded the image from homebrauer and tried updating it several times with no luck...also tried from scratch install..


What do you need to know? It’s just a python script, mine tuns on the pi and starts from the startup script, I’ve also modified it to send mttq messages to my hassio box.


----------



## bee2gee

JnR_Mc said:


> Bee2gee, are you still selling complete kits, unassembled?



Sure am  Just PM me or check out my profile for an email address.


----------



## krz

krz said:


> Well unfortunately the ispindel doesn't work in my all SS unitank fermenter.
> It works outside, but the signal doesn't make it thru the steel walls to my router which is 10m away,



Today I bought a Tilt2 ($200 !!!!) because the iSpindel didnt work in my SS fermenter.
The Tilt2 does, so I now have
1 x spare iSpindel that I bought from bee2gee in February
2 x batteries
1 x Battery charger

Open to offers.
Location is SE Melbourne, and if you pickup you can sample a taste of my Bells Two Hearted IPA


----------



## bee2gee

krz said:


> the iSpindel didnt work in my SS fermenter.



Oh damn  Try doing the whole electrical isolation? assuming it was also an external antenna/pro version as well. The WiFi and Bluetooth frequencies are pretty close together, both around 2.4ghz. Good to hear you got something working in the end though!


----------



## digety

krz said:


> Today I bought a Tilt2 ($200 !!!!) because the iSpindel didnt work in my SS fermenter.
> The Tilt2 does, so I now have
> 1 x spare iSpindel that I bought from bee2gee in February
> 2 x batteries
> 1 x Battery charger
> 
> Open to offers.
> Location is SE Melbourne, and if you pickup you can sample a taste of my Bells Two Hearted IPA


Pm sent


----------



## McPhelly

I have both the ispindel and Plaato set up to Brewfather. I'd like to do a side by side comparison once both are set up accurately. 

My issue is that my ispindel is not sending the temperature information. I've checked that the temperature sensor is working, and it responds to temperature change using the ispindel setup. I am fermenting in an SS brew bucket.

I have tried putting cardboard between the lid clips and the sides of the brew bucket, but that hasn't worked.

Anyone have this problem? Have a solution?


----------



## bee2gee

@McPhelly do you get the angle and no temp or neither reported? Where is your wifi router is relation to the brew chamber? You should definitely be able to get a reading out of stainless as long as you have some electrical isolation of the lid.


----------



## McPhelly

bee2gee said:


> @McPhelly do you get the angle and no temp or neither reported? Where is your wifi router is relation to the brew chamber? You should definitely be able to get a reading out of stainless as long as you have some electrical isolation of the lid.



Getting angle but no temp, router is about 5-6m away with only 1 wall between router and fermenter


----------



## bee2gee

McPhelly said:


> Getting angle but no temp, router is about 5-6m away with only 1 wall between router and fermenter



That's definitely a config type issue. If you're getting temp in AP mode as well as Brewfather seeing angle reported, there's no communication issue or problem with the temp probe. Running the latest iSpindel firmware? Had any luck with any other reporting apps/sites (Ubidots / brewersfriend) ?


----------



## Nullnvoid

Got my new iSpindel! Thanks Bee2Gee. 

Got it in and all setup, but unfortunately the next issue is it doesn't get signal in the fermentation fridge. Looks like I will have to get a wifi extender.

Also I can highly recommend Brewers Chronicle, a great way to record those readings from the iSpindel


----------



## McPhelly

bee2gee said:


> That's definitely a config type issue. If you're getting temp in AP mode as well as Brewfather seeing angle reported, there's no communication issue or problem with the temp probe. Running the latest iSpindel firmware? Had any luck with any other reporting apps/sites (Ubidots / brewersfriend) ?



Upgraded to latest firmware and magically the temp started being recorded




!


----------



## Bourkie

Hey guys, can anyone tell me what my tilt formula is, as the gravity reading is wrong.

I have two readings:

Tilt 39.28 (SG: 1044)
Tilt 25.5 (SG: 1000)


----------



## Nullnvoid

After a few miss-starts finally getting my iSpindel sorted! First one I bought, I farked it by trying to jam the bloody thing into the tube. Tried to fix it, but alas it was more busted than first thought





Bought another one and with a bit more care (and better instructions) I managed to set it up! Happy days. Next problem, WiFi doesn't reach into the solid fridge, inside the small shed, down the driveway. Shit! So saved up and bought a WiFi extender. Picked it up yesterday and set up last night.

Now finally, I can get readings via Brewers Chronicle! Now I have it working in a bucket of water, I'll put it in a ferment and really take it for a spin.

Was meant to be a relatively inexpensive exercise that has turned into an expensive exersice, but that's ok, we don't brew to save money right?


----------



## Bourkie

Let me know how you go setting the tilt formula @Nullnvoid.

I was also very impressed at how easy it was to integrate with brewers chronicle.


----------



## Nullnvoid

Bourkie said:


> Let me know how you go setting the tilt formula @Nullnvoid.
> 
> I was also very impressed at how easy it was to integrate with brewers chronicle.



The tilt formula was already loaded? I didn't have to do anything. I possibly need to push it down the tube a but more it's about 2 points out. 

And yeah very easy to integrate with brewers chronicle!


----------



## Bourkie

Yeah, mine was loaded too. But when I put the it in my first batch I checked the hydro v the ispindel SG and they were vastly different


----------



## Nullnvoid

Bourkie said:


> Yeah, mine was loaded too. But when I put the it in my first batch I checked the hydro v the ispindel SG and they were vastly different



Sorry, I don't know enough to help you. I am assuming you need to try and get the parts pushed down the tube further so that you achieve it closer to 25 degrees. Maybe one of the other gurus will be better placed to help!

For what it's worth, I probably won't be using mine for a definitive number, rather a guide to how fermentation and my temperatures are going and will still use the Hydro for the final reading.


----------



## Nullnvoid

My question is, how often does the battery need to be charged? Does it need to charged after each brew?


----------



## McPhelly

Nullnvoid said:


> My question is, how often does the battery need to be charged? Does it need to charged after each brew?



If you like Russian Roulette, then charge whenever, otherwise why wouldn't you charge after each brew


----------



## McPhelly

Bourkie said:


> Yeah, mine was loaded too. But when I put the it in my first batch I checked the hydro v the ispindel SG and they were vastly different



I have just finished a brew and have taken readings twice per day, I'll use those along with the recorded tilt to update my equation

https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/blob/master/docs/Calibration_en.md


----------



## bee2gee

I've always set mine up as close to 25 degrees as possible and take a calibration point. When I put a new brew down with known gravity from a refracto, I use that as a calibration point. Usually a mid fermentation measurement or two can't go astray. I use mine as general guides for fermentation, it's generally bang on when I test. The more calibration points you take or setup using sugar+water, the more accurate your results. I personally use Fermentrack which is super easy to add calibration points, doesn't need internet access and "just works". With Fermentrack you can also set calibration points whenever you feel like versus having to do anything with config mode as well.


----------



## Nullnvoid

I tihnk I know the answer to this, but is it possible to set the iSpindel to give readings to two places, ie, Brewers Chronicle and also Brewfather?

I'm guessing the answer is no, but you never know, if you asked me a couple years ago that I could actively monitor the ferment right the way through and I would have called you coco bananas!


----------



## bee2gee

Nullnvoid said:


> is it possible to set the iSpindel to give readings to two places, ie, Brewers Chronicle and also Brewfather?



Not that I've seen. If it was supported on the device, I'd expect to see a 25-50% hit on the battery life making the extra call. I've spoken to one or two other people who have written some local web services which ingest the response then duplicate it in the correct format to however many services they'd like to send it.


----------



## littlejohn

Nullnvoid said:


> I tihnk I know the answer to this, but is it possible to set the iSpindel to give readings to two places, ie, Brewers Chronicle and also Brewfather?
> 
> I'm guessing the answer is no, but you never know, if you asked me a couple years ago that I could actively monitor the ferment right the way through and I would have called you coco bananas!


 Anything is possible, from a quick look around you can configure it to send its data to any server like ubibots or https://brewerschronicle.com/KB/ViewArticle/2018/11/ispindel_integration. The problem will be pointing your software / GUI to read from a shared source, they usually are proprietary and don't like sharing. I havent played with either but you could try to find / write a programming script which can copy and repost the data across several servers, which may be an easier solution.


----------



## angus_grant

Brewers Chronicle does not have the capability to forward readings through to other services, and I doubt any of the other various services would provide that feature either for security reasons.
If BC was to post readings through to UbiDots, then it would need to have on record your UbiDots APi credentials.
Or your BrewFather credentials, etc, etc.

As has been mentioned (more particularly by littleJohn), you would need find someone who has written a software proxy which would receive the iSpindel readings.
This software would then send readings to your target web services.
And also, this software would need to know the credentials for all the target services as well.

I never got the iSpindel TCP server working so I don't know what it actually does....


----------



## Truman42

For those of you that have both the tilt and the Ispindel which do you prefer? I was originally going with the Tilt until I found out about the Ispindel. I like the way that Tilt is just plug and play but not sure how well the bluetooth function will work as I am going to have it inside a stainless fermenter which is also inside a fridge. I assume I will have to open the fridge and hold my phone up to the fermenter each time I want a reading which will then mean the graphing function of seeing the fermentation change over time will be useless. (Not that it bothers me that much really)

The Ispindel seems to be better suited (using Wifi) and certainly cheaper than the tilt. If I use an ethernet over power device (Which I have) connected to a second router sitting above my fridge should the Ispindle connect to it no worries even when its inside a stainless brewtech chronical?


----------



## Ferment8

Hi Truman42
Ive been looking at what is available to do similar to you. I have just had an ispindel arrive and first impressions are very good. Still waiting for the battery so only been running dry with usb power for demo purposes. 
I used a powerline adapter to get the network to the shed then a raspberry pi 3b+ with fermentrack and acting as a wifi access point. I put together a brewpi controller using a cheap wemos d1 mini and all talks to each other nicely. Having the pi as an access point on top of the fermenting fridge allows thr ispindel to connect without issue but im only using plastic fermenter. 
A bit of messing about but a very versatile setup


----------



## Truman42

Ferment8 said:


> Hi Truman42
> Ive been looking at what is available to do similar to you. I have just had an ispindel arrive and first impressions are very good. Still waiting for the battery so only been running dry with usb power for demo purposes.
> I used a powerline adapter to get the network to the shed then a raspberry pi 3b+ with fermentrack and acting as a wifi access point. I put together a brewpi controller using a cheap wemos d1 mini and all talks to each other nicely. Having the pi as an access point on top of the fermenting fridge allows thr ispindel to connect without issue but im only using plastic fermenter.
> A bit of messing about but a very versatile setup


Hey mate Im wanting to do the same thing as you and use my raspberry pi and fermentrack. Ive ordered my Ispindel through bee2gee. 

So you mention using your Raspberry pi as an access point? So does the Ispindel connect directly to the Raspberry pi and the PI plugs into the powerline adaptor?? if so how is this setup and will this work with a Raspberry pi Model b 2? If it doesnt work with the pi on top of the fridge I was thinking about using a wifi usb dongle with a lead and place that on top of the fermenter.


----------



## Ferment8

Truman42 said:


> Hey mate Im wanting to do the same thing as you and use my raspberry pi and fermentrack. Ive ordered my Ispindel through bee2gee.
> 
> So you mention using your Raspberry pi as an access point? So does the Ispindel connect directly to the Raspberry pi and the PI plugs into the powerline adaptor?? if so how is this setup and will this work with a Raspberry pi Model b 2? If it doesnt work with the pi on top of the fridge I was thinking about using a wifi usb dongle with a lead and place that on top of the fermenter.


I got my ispindel thru him as well. Does a really nice job. I thought i wouldn't have time to build it myself but the weather has been so bad ive had more time than i thought lol. 

I have the pi connected to the power line Adapter and have the pi set up as a wifi access point. The 3b+ has built in wifi. The b2 probably would need a wifi dongle. Raspbian on the pi with fermentrack. You will need wifi to talk to the ispindel. I sit the pi on the fridge. I got the long antenna on the ispindel too. But your idea if the dongle at the end of the usb cable should work also. 

Build yourself a wemos mini d1 brewpi controller and connect it also and you are fully set for temp control and gravity monitoring


----------



## Truman42

Ferment8 said:


> I got my ispindel thru him as well. Does a really nice job. I thought i wouldn't have time to build it myself but the weather has been so bad ive had more time than i thought lol.
> 
> I have the pi connected to the power line Adapter and have the pi set up as a wifi access point. The 3b+ has built in wifi. The b2 probably would need a wifi dongle. Raspbian on the pi with fermentrack. You will need wifi to talk to the ispindel. I sit the pi on the fridge. I got the long antenna on the ispindel too. But your idea if the dongle at the end of the usb cable should work also.
> 
> Build yourself a wemos mini d1 brewpi controller and connect it also and you are fully set for temp control and gravity monitoring


I also ordered the Ispindel with the longer antenna so hopefully that helps. 
I just brought a raspberry pi zero with wireless as they were cheap enough and mine doesnt have wifi. Im even thinking of sitting the Pi on top of the fermenter (if I dont get any signal with it on top of the fridge) and running an ethernet cable from it to the powerline adaptor which should work.

Hmmmmm A wemos mini d1 brewpi controller hey??? Sounds like it might have to be my next project. Cheers.


----------



## Ferment8

Truman42 said:


> I also ordered the Ispindel with the longer antenna so hopefully that helps.
> I just brought a raspberry pi zero with wireless as they were cheap enough and mine doesnt have wifi. Im even thinking of sitting the Pi on top of the fermenter (if I dont get any signal with it on top of the fridge) and running an ethernet cable from it to the powerline adaptor which should work.
> 
> Hmmmmm A wemos mini d1 brewpi controller hey??? Sounds like it might have to be my next project. Cheers.


I was really surprised how easily it went together. Only sitting in bread board at the moment. I have ordered some boards but they will be a few weeks. 
Check out 
https://github.com/thorrak/brewpi-esp8266/tree/master/docs
For the controller.

And here 
https://www.fermentrack.com/
For fermentrack

The zero should work fine. Im sure i saw it mentioned somewhere. I had a 3b+ laying around after upgrading a media player to 4k


----------



## bee2gee

@Ferment8 and @Truman42 good to see you here! I've never tried using a Pi as a wifi router for these, it's a decent concept. I did try once to use a Mikrotik mAP Lite via PoE but the iSpindel doesn't seem to work at all with it so chucked my old AirPort Extreme 802.11n on top of the fermentation fridges. I ferment in the 7gal SS Brew Buckets and I do get wifi reception using the standard model in the closer one and use the extended antenna model in the further away fridge. 

I personally use Fermentrack and love it, wouldn't use anything else. I did try and use the ESP controller side, however, I found it oscillated my fridges too much and fell back to BrewPiLess which works perfect. I haven't integrated the iSpindels with them purely because I like the recording and graphical output of Fermentrack and I would prefer to modify the temp settings myself.


----------



## Ferment8

Hi @bee2gee
Thanks again for the awesome ispindel build i got from you!. I'm in the process of moving at the moment so everything is just prototyping right now. Next week I hope to have it set up and ready for action.
On the bench the pi works great as the AP and fermentrack host. The wemos brewpiless controller appears to be working fine (relays due in next week). I'm having a few dramas getting the LCD to work but its only really bling and not required for operation.
Next step is to try incorporate it into Home Assistant


----------



## Truman42

Ok iv bread and re read the instructions and Im stuck. I found the ispindel in my wifi networks and connected to it no problem. I entered the settings for my wifi network and the token from ubidots. But thats as far as I got. I cant see it anymore at 192.168.4.1.

I also cant find SOURCES anywhere in Ubidots to add the ispindel. Any help much appreciated.


----------



## JnR_Mc

I currently run two ispindels and two ESP8266 BrewPi all through my RaspberryPi Zero W which handles all without missing a beat.


----------



## Truman42

Righto I managed to reset it and connect to it again. It still had my SSID and password in there and the token info so I click on save. It brings up a window saying to try to connect in 10 seconds but then that goes away and nothing else comes up. I cant connect to it at 192.168.4.1. If I look at my router I have a device called ESP-A52F96 with an IP address of 192.168.1.130 but I cant open that address in another browser window.


----------



## Truman42

Well I had no luck trying to get this to connect to Ubidots but I did manage to get it to connect to Fermentrack via a raspberry pi. However the temperature reading is in Fahrenheit instead of celsius. Ive got it set to celsius in Fermentrack?

Edit:- Added a new device again and this time it managed to stay in Celsius.


----------



## Ferment8

Truman42 said:


> Righto I managed to reset it and connect to it again. It still had my SSID and password in there and the token info so I click on save. It brings up a window saying to try to connect in 10 seconds but then that goes away and nothing else comes up. I cant connect to it at 192.168.4.1. If I look at my router I have a device called ESP-A52F96 with an IP address of 192.168.1.130 but I cant open that address in another browser window.


It won't be able to connect on 192.168.4.1 after you do this because it turns its own soft ap off and connects to the network you set up. I never really got it working with ubidots either but worked fine with fermentrack


----------



## bee2gee

@Truman42 I used Ubidots once, their UI is not intuitive, I managed to find what I was looking for however the experience lead me to just using Fermentrack because it was local, easy, used one of my many Pi's sitting around doing nothing and it's pretty


----------



## Truman42

bee2gee said:


> @Truman42 I used Ubidots once, their UI is not intuitive, I managed to find what I was looking for however the experience lead me to just using Fermentrack because it was local, easy, used one of my many Pi's sitting around doing nothing and it's pretty


Yeah your not wrong there. I was going to wait until I got my Pi zero and just use Ubidots to set it up. But it was a PITA and much easier setting it up with my PI anyway. Now Ill just swap the flash card over to the zero when it arrives.


----------



## Truman42

Brought my ispindel from Bee2Gee and received it yesterday. Works great. I got the model with the external antenna and it connects to my wifi router whilst sitting in a stainless fermenter that is inside a fridge. Cant recommend Bee2Gees ISpindels enough, very happy with my purchase.


----------



## Truman42

So I calibrated my Ipsindel as per the instructions in fermentrack and tonight I put it in my first batch and its out by 14 points. The refractometer gives me a reading of 1.055 but Ispindel says its only 1.041. Anyone else have this much error?


----------



## bee2gee

@Truman42 seems like you may not have completed the profile in Fermentrack correctly, you should provide at least two points. This will be under the 'Calibration Points' section of the device configuration. Adding the angle and the gravity for water (1.000) and at least one other point ie: the tilt in your fermenter with a known gravity via refractometer. I definitely recommend letting the unit sit in liquid/wort for at least 15 mins to settle, doing a measurement too quick may result in some undesirable offsets. I have personally never run through the guided calibration.


----------



## Truman42

bee2gee said:


> @Truman42 seems like you may not have completed the profile in Fermentrack correctly, you should provide at least two points. This will be under the 'Calibration Points' section of the device configuration. Adding the angle and the gravity for water (1.000) and at least one other point ie: the tilt in your fermenter with a known gravity via refractometer. I definitely recommend letting the unit sit in liquid/wort for at least 15 mins to settle, doing a measurement too quick may result in some undesirable offsets. I have personally never run through the guided calibration.


I did the guided calibration using sugar and water. But I did not wait 15 minutes between each measurement so maybe thats what the issue was. I have the calibration point for water which was 26 Degrees so should I leave that in and delete all the rest except the current angle and reading of my wort of 1.055?


----------



## Truman42

Im doing it again but this time in plain water it reads 23 degrees instead of 26 degrees like last time.

Edit:- Ive noticed the angle has changed when the ispindel is in the wort. before it was showing as being 52 degrees = 1.055 (Going on a refractometer check)

Now in the wort its changed its angle to 48 degrees. How can it change so much in 30 mins which is how long it took me to do some more calibration steps?


----------



## Cstew

Truman42 said:


> Im doing it again but this time in plain water it reads 23 degrees instead of 26 degrees like last time.
> 
> Edit:- Ive noticed the angle has changed when the ispindel is in the wort. before it was showing as being 52 degrees = 1.055 (Going on a refractometer check)
> 
> Now in the wort its changed its angle to 48 degrees. How can it change so much in 30 mins which is how long it took me to do some more calibration steps?



Place it horizontal as per diagram (Maintenance menu -> calibration offset) and then vertical and see what angle it is reading (should be 90*,0* respectively). If not you have the same issue as me. There is a problem with the "calibration offset" not saving after a power cycle. Workaround is you perform a "calibration offset" procedure each time you turn it on.

https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/issues/275#issuecomment-502721257


----------



## Truman42

Cstew said:


> Place it horizontal as per diagram (Maintenance menu -> calibration offset) and then vertical and see what angle it is reading (should be 90*,0* respectively). If not you have the same issue as me. There is a problem with the "calibration offset" not saving after a power cycle. Workaround is you perform a "calibration offset" procedure each time you turn it on.
> 
> https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/issues/275#issuecomment-502721257



I tried running the calibration offset procedure again after I had turned it on and found it wasnt working properly. But then hit reset 4 times to change the poll times to 20 seconds so I could check it. Does doing this reset power cycle the unit? If so then after I check the calibration again Im going to have to wait an hour to check that it is reading 90 degrees becasue if I change it to 20 seconds it will need to stay on 20 seconds?

Thanks for the tip.


----------



## Cstew

Truman42 said:


> I tried running the calibration offset procedure again after I had turned it on and found it wasnt working properly. But then hit reset 4 times to change the poll times to 20 seconds so I could check it. Does doing this reset power cycle the unit? If so I will set it to an hour poll, then run the calibration offset again and just have to wait an hour to see what it reads.
> 
> Thanks for the tip.


It is not clear what is not working from your reply. You need to be in configuration mode to access the maintenance menu (press reset button just after you switch it on)


----------



## Truman42

Cstew said:


> It is not clear what is not working from your reply. You need to be in configuration mode to access the maintenance menu (press reset button just after you switch it on)


Ok so the calibration offset procedure is where you access it from your wifi list through a phone or tablet etc? Then lie it flat and press on calibration? I thought you meant add the gravity and angle readings in fermentrack itself.

So basically I turn it on, hit reset 4 times, connect to it via wifi, lie it on a flat surface and click on calibrate. Chnage the poll time to 20 seconds, and then see if it reads 0 and 90 degrees when vertical and horizontal?

Assuming it does read 0 and 90 I then have to re do my sugar and water calibrations to enter my calibration points. BUT....I have to hit reset 4 times to change it back to a poll time of 20 seconds to do this. 
So will hitting reset 4 times power cycle the device causing the 90 degree calibration to be wiped again???


----------



## Cstew

Truman42 said:


> Ok so the calibration offset procedure is where you access it from your wifi list through a phone or tablet etc? Then lie it flat and press on calibration? I thought you meant add the gravity and angle readings in fermentrack itself.



Correct.


Truman42 said:


> So basically I turn it on, hit reset 4 times, connect to it via wifi, lie it on a flat surface and click on calibrate. Chnage the poll time to 20 seconds, and then see if it reads 0 and 90 degrees when vertical and horizontal?



Change poll time first, then calibrate.


Truman42 said:


> Assuming it does read 0 and 90 I then have to re do my sugar and water calibrations to enter my calibration points. BUT....I have to hit reset 4 times to change it back to a poll time of 20 seconds to do this.
> So will hitting reset 4 times power cycle the device causing the 90 degree calibration to be wiped again???



It will automatically reset to which ever config you had it set to prior to entering configuration access mode. Basically with this workaround the last thing you do before dropping it in wort is hit calibrate offset, let it finish then auto reset, then drop it in wort.

However, if you already get ~0 and ~90 after a power cycle then you don't need this workaround.


----------



## Truman42

Cstew said:


> It will automatically reset to which ever config you had it set to prior to entering configuration access mode. Basically with this workaround the last thing you do before dropping it in wort is hit calibrate offset, let it finish then auto reset, then drop it in wort.


Ok Im a bit confused. 
Wouldnt the first thing I do is hit calibrate offset to make sure its at 0 and 90 degrees first?
Then run the sg calibration tests and enter the data and update it in fermentrack.
Then hit reset and go back into config mode and change the poll back to 1 hour and save before throwing it in my wort?


----------



## Cstew

Truman42 said:


> Ok Im a bit confused.
> Wouldnt the first thing I do is hit calibrate offset to make sure its at 0 and 90 degrees first?
> Then run the sg calibration tests and enter the data and update it in fermentrack.
> Then hit reset and go back into config mode and change the poll back to 1 hour and save before throwing it in my wort?



I think you are possibly confusing the "calibration process" with "calibrate offset"

1. check what you are currently getting horizontal and vertical (should be 90, 0)
2. If you don't get 90 and 0 then you need to use the workaround in following steps.
3. setup you configuration settings (update interval, service type etc) then hit save
4. go back to configuration mode (by hitting reset while it is booting)
5. Place iSpindel horizontal as pictured
6. go to maintenance menu then click 'calibrate offset', it will automatically reset after it finishes and use whatever settings you set in step 3
7. drop in wort. (you need to repeat steps 4-6 every time you switch iSpindel off then on again) If you have not yet done the sg calibration process then you start it at step 7 also after completing previous steps.


----------



## Truman42

Cstew said:


> If you have not yet done the sg calibration process then you start it at step 7 also after completing previous steps.



Awesome thanks for that. Makes sense now. But I thought that even if I had done the sg calibration already I would need to do it again as it woudnt be accurate if my offset calibration of 90 degrees was out when I did it???
EDIT:- I turned off the Ispindel after doing the offset calibration as I did the sg calibration the next day. Mine has the latest firnware so Im assuming the offset didnt save making the sg calibrations out to.


----------



## Truman42

Also just to confirm that hitting reset 4 times to change the poll time from 20 seconds back to 1 hour after an sg calibration is not the same as power cycling and WILL NOT reset the offset calibration settings????


----------



## Cstew

Truman42 said:


> Also just to confirm that hitting reset 4 times to change the poll time from 20 seconds back to 1 hour after an sg calibration is not the same as power cycling and WILL NOT reset the offset calibration settings????


haven't tested that, but you should be able to check by placing horizontal and vertical before and after hitting reset 4 times. Have you done step 1 first to check if you even needed to do offset calibration.


----------



## Truman42

Cstew said:


> haven't tested that, but you should be able to check by placing horizontal and vertical before and after hitting reset 4 times. Have you done step 1 first to check if you even needed to do offset calibration.


No not yet, Im still at work. Will check it when I get home and procede as per your steps. I hope it is out or Im back to square one. Thanks again for the help.


----------



## Truman42

Well it was out a little bit around 84 degrees from memory. So I re calibrated it lying at 90 degrees and it read around 89.8 degrees. I re did the sg calibration and then it started dropping wifi so I think the battery might have gone a bit too flat. Was reading 3.7V and its a 3.7V battery.

So Im charging it now and hopefully that wont reset the offset calibration again.


----------



## Cstew

Truman42 said:


> Well it was out a little bit around 84 degrees from memory. So I re calibrated it lying at 90 degrees and it read around 89.8 degrees. I re did the sg calibration and then it started dropping wifi so I think the battery might have gone a bit too flat. Was reading 3.7V and its a 3.7V battery.
> 
> So Im charging it now and hopefully that wont reset the offset calibration again.


Did you check vertical that is the one that shows a larger error as per the GitHub description.


----------



## Truman42

Cstew said:


> Did you check vertical that is the one that shows a larger error as per the GitHub description.


The vertical angle after I re did the offset calibration was around .85 to 1.2 degrees I couldn't get it to 0.


----------



## Truman42

All good now and is working well. Thanks for the help.


----------



## bee2gee

@Cstew thanks for sharing your experience with the calibration offset. Hopefully it gets rolled into 6.10.0 when the ArduinoJSON v6 change is tested stable. Seems I missed out on all the fun, was away for a few days!


----------



## Speedracer

@bee2gee Im interested in building one of the Cherry Phillips iSpindel can you provide me a parts list to build it? I have downloaded the pdf on this page but it is more of loose instructions than parts list https://www.pcbway.com/project/shareproject/New_iSpindel_PCB_2_1__new_TP4056_module_.html. Also if you have any information on the Cherry Phillips design that would be great. After stumbling upon this thread it looks like one of the better ones but you are one of the only people i can find posting information about it. 

Thanks


----------



## bee2gee

@Speedracer sure thing, happy to provide a kit. You won't be able to use a forum message but there's an email address you can use on my profile page comments. 

I personally like the Cherry Philip design. I used a few of his first PCB which required the batteries to be soldered to pins and the use of ballast. I worked with him to develop the ones you see now with the battery clip because I really didn't like scratching up and soldering expensive batteries down. I saw a lot of people posting parts lists from various sellers etc and figured I may as well help people get access to them. The price I provide them for is +-/ a few dollars compared to if you sourced parts yourself, it's definitely a love thing. They're awesome little units, way more functionality compared to the Tilt (minus bluetooth) and they're less than 1/3 the price.


----------



## angus_grant

They both have pluses and minuses. Cost of iSpindel being a major plus for us home-brewers.

One big plus Tilt has over iSpindel is in-fermentor connection verification. The Tilt app you can see straight away that a connection is made to your blue Tilt, and you can manually test data being sent through to API target. The iSpindel is a complete mystery as to what it is doing once you've placed it in the fermentor. Is it connected to the WiFi, is it sending readings, etc??

And once you've sealed the iSpindel and placed it in fermentor, you can't create calibration points. So a feature I am going to build into my Brewers Chronicle website is the ability to set a calibration figure on your registered iSpindel devices. This would then adjust received readings from the iSpindel (and also a manual bulk correction process for already received readings). More than once I've hurriedly replaced the battery and thrown the iSpindel into the fermentor. And then started receiving whacky readings because I didn't calibrate it again.

What functionality is different between the Tilt and iSpindel? I thought they did the same thing: temp and gravity readings. What am I missing out on?? :-D


----------



## Nullnvoid

angus_grant said:


> They both have pluses and minuses. Cost of iSpindel being a major plus for us home-brewers.
> 
> One big plus Tilt has over iSpindel is in-fermentor connection verification. The Tilt app you can see straight away that a connection is made to your blue Tilt, and you can manually test data being sent through to API target. The iSpindel is a complete mystery as to what it is doing once you've placed it in the fermentor. Is it connected to the WiFi, is it sending readings, etc??
> 
> And once you've sealed the iSpindel and placed it in fermentor, you can't create calibration points. So a feature I am going to build into my Brewers Chronicle website is the ability to set a calibration figure on your registered iSpindel devices. This would then adjust received readings from the iSpindel (and also a manual bulk correction process for already received readings). More than once I've hurriedly replaced the battery and thrown the iSpindel into the fermentor. And then started receiving whacky readings because I didn't calibrate it again.
> 
> What functionality is different between the Tilt and iSpindel? I thought they did the same thing: temp and gravity readings. What am I missing out on?? :-D



That is my biggest issue with the iSpindel, you chuck it in the fermenter and just hope it keeps giving out the readings. I find that if the wifi goes down it just stops giving readings, sometimes it may come back, but most of the time it doesn't or does a few days later...maybe, you just don't know.

The ability to be able to correct the readings would be good. I know mine is 2 points off. Not game to try and shove it further down as thats how I broke my first before I got to use it so now I just put two points on all my gravity readings.

But still, it is a great piece of kit when it works!


----------



## bee2gee

Nullnvoid said:


> That is my biggest issue with the iSpindel, you chuck it in the fermenter and just hope it keeps giving out the readings. I find that if the wifi goes down it just stops giving readings, sometimes it may come back, but most of the time it doesn't or does a few days later...maybe, you just don't know.
> 
> The ability to be able to correct the readings would be good. I know mine is 2 points off. Not game to try and shove it further down as thats how I broke my first before I got to use it so now I just put two points on all my gravity readings.



I did a fair it of testing to make sure I got good reception with the unit in my fermenters. I ended up with a pretty powerful router on top and in the middle of my two main fermentation fridges/chambers. There are a few projects out there to use a RasPi as a wifi repeater and I've noticed the Tilt also has a repeater unit available now.

As far as adjusting points on the fly, that's the main reason I moved to using Fermentrack. If you're not happy with the calibration or it moves, you can always re-calibrate at the current state without having to reset the whole unit.


----------



## JnR_Mc

bee2gee said:


> I did a fair it of testing to make sure I got good reception with the unit in my fermenters. I ended up with a pretty powerful router on top and in the middle of my two main fermentation fridges/chambers. There are a few projects out there to use a RasPi as a wifi repeater and I've noticed the Tilt also has a repeater unit available now.
> 
> As far as adjusting points on the fly, that's the main reason I moved to using Fermentrack. If you're not happy with the calibration or it moves, you can always re-calibrate at the current state without having to reset the whole unit.


Same, I find myself adding a reading to the calibration points every now in order to get my readings nice and accurate


----------



## Moad

Openwrt is a good wifi repeater for the pi. I’m using it as a bridge but you can also setup repeaters


----------



## Mikeyr

I want to concur on Truman's comment on Bee2Gee, great communication, great service all around decent bloke!

Mine has worked from day one and for those that have a Grainfather, you can add the iSpindel as equipment and track on their website. I didn't think of "Education" subs on Ubidots and $50/m is a bit steep! Found the GF one by accident.


----------



## WEF

Mikeyr said:


> I want to concur on Truman's comment on Bee2Gee, great communication, great service all around decent bloke!
> 
> Mine has worked from day one and for those that have a Grainfather, you can add the iSpindel as equipment and track on their website. I didn't think of "Education" subs on Ubidots and $50/m is a bit steep! Found the GF one by accident.
> 
> View attachment 116440



I decided to opt for Ubidots as you can add a custom Graph with a range of outputs and you also get to see the Voltage, WiFi strength, tilt angle and Plato along with the Temperature and Gravity (after inputting a formula) in your group of variables whereas the GF site only provides the Gravity and Temperature variables...


----------



## JnR_Mc

Brewfather, has option to have the ispindel report to their site, so you can track the progress (including, voltage, RSSI, angle). I have a premium account, so not sure if it's on the free version also.

I personally highly rate this integration


----------



## chesl73

It's not on the free version, only the paid. I use Brewfather with my iSpindel and it works really well.


----------



## GrumpyPaul

Have just set up my ispindel and have it in its first ferment.

I set it to read at 15 minute intervals.

I'm getting temp readings every 15 minutes but gravity is only reading intermittently.

Any thoughts or ideas on why I'm not getting gravity every time it reads?


----------



## Edward Rowe

NoClue2Brew said:


> Have just set up my ispindel and have it in its first ferment.
> 
> I set it to read at 15 minute intervals.
> 
> I'm getting temp readings every 15 minutes but gravity is only reading intermittently.
> 
> Any thoughts or ideas on why I'm not getting gravity every time it reads?



Mine does this too, so I'm interested in what people say


----------



## bee2gee

NoClue2Brew said:


> I'm getting temp readings every 15 minutes but gravity is only reading intermittently.



What have you got the iSpindel setup with for reporting and what firmware version are you running? It sounds like an issue with wifi reception, less likely would be the polynomial not working - I would however expect this to be persistent, not intermittent. I'm not sure if it's too late or not, however, it'd be interesting to see results of the iSpindel in closer proximity to the wifi router it is connecting to. Either just sitting on it's side or in a small bucket of water. This would help rule out the reception issue and point towards something else.


----------



## GrumpyPaul

bee2gee said:


> What have you got the iSpindel setup with for reporting and what firmware version are you running? It sounds like an issue with wifi reception, less likely would be the polynomial not working - I would however expect this to be persistent, not intermittent. I'm not sure if it's too late or not, however, it'd be interesting to see results of the iSpindel in closer proximity to the wifi router it is connecting to. Either just sitting on it's side or in a small bucket of water. This would help rule out the reception issue and point towards something else.



Ive got it linked with Brewers Chronicle.

I think the initial problem of intermittent gravity readings might have be a Brewers Chronicle thing - because I it was actually getting the reading every 15 minutes but only storing the temp.

That seems to have resolved itself and Im getting regular temp and gravity readings. But I reckon I need to recalibrate my iSpindel.

I had it calibrated perfectly - but just before I put it into the fermenter I dropped it on the bench. Only a small knock - but in hindsight enough to make the board slide further into the tube and muck up the calibration. Which will mean the polynomial is out of whack.

My initial reading should have been 1.055 but iSpindel had it at 1.010
Since it started getting regular readings it has been going in reverse as fermentation progressed. SG has increased????







I think in fairness to iSpindel my issues are user error. I just need write the first ferment off as a learning experience and be more careful next time


----------



## bee2gee

I saw a few comments earlier about offset calibration. The offset calibration isn't always necessary. If you have calibrated the iSpindel correctly at the right degree from the start, you should be right to continue using it.

I can see an open issue with calibration offsets not saving, looks like someone has rail-roaded it a little but it is still open from the OP:
https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/issues/275

I find my iSpindels are either dead on or maybe 1 point out. They aren't generally meant to use as an absolute measurement, they are however a very good guide of fermentation and help with identifying D-rest time and when fermentation is complete.


----------



## Cstew

Nah it doesn't work without doing the offset calibration, it doesn't reach a usable range no matter what angle you hold. Without calibration it shows ~16° at vertical and no matter what angle you hold it you can't get it less than 16°. There is speculation that it is bad memory on the wemos, or not enough delay to correctly write the memory. I've tried flashing various versions and still no joy. The issue has only been resolved by OP by swapping the wemos board.


----------



## bee2gee

Cstew said:


> Without calibration it shows ~16° at vertical and no matter what angle you hold it you can't get it less than 16°.



16° vertical will cause issues, you're right.



Cstew said:


> There is speculation that it is bad memory on the wemos, or not enough delay to correctly write the memory. I've tried flashing various versions and still no joy. The issue has only been resolved by OP by swapping the wemos board.



Seems a bit drastic having to change the whole wemos board. I'd first look at the assembly of the gyro to make sure it's square on the pins and parallel correctly with the main PCB. I ended up having a very bad batch of gyros at one stage, showing 20-40° vertical and 50-60° laying flat. I had to do a tonne of testing for each build before I found another manufacturer. Out of curiosity, was this a pre-built or kit I provided?


----------



## Cstew

I previously checked the gyro board to check it was square and parallel, also checked all connections with a multimeter. Yes it was one of your pre-built ones so the solder points were perfect, can't fault the quality of your assembly, must be the underlying hardware.


----------



## angus_grant

bee2gee said:


> I saw a few comments earlier about offset calibration. The offset calibration isn't always necessary. If you have calibrated the iSpindel correctly at the right degree from the start, you should be right to continue using it.
> 
> I can see an open issue with calibration offsets not saving, looks like someone has rail-roaded it a little but it is still open from the OP:
> https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/issues/275
> 
> I find my iSpindels are either dead on or maybe 1 point out. They aren't generally meant to use as an absolute measurement, they are however a very good guide of fermentation and help with identifying D-rest time and when fermentation is complete.



yep, you are right: if calibrated correctly then no need for offset. But it's necessary if you drop it on the bench just prior to ferment and don't have time to calibrate again. 

I like the idea of being able to externally adjust values coming from the iSpindel without having to crack the fermentor open, and then the tube to put iSpindel into config mode.

I've actually made the database and API adjustments, and am currently using it on a ferment now.

Will make the website UI adjustments over the weekend.


----------



## angus_grant

@NoClue2Brew: sorry, I missed your post. Tag me next time so I get notified. Type the @ symbol and then start typing my name. It should pop up a list to choose from.

Did you end up sorting your problems out? What is your BC username and I can have a look at the database values. They will reflect the website though, so I don't think that will provide any clues. Maybe I can add API audit trail so user can review raw values coming in


----------



## Cstew

The offset calibration issues doesn't relate to movement of the board in the tube, it relates to resetting the calibration after a power cycle as documented on the github issue. No amount of calibration can make it work after the power cycle.


----------



## bee2gee

Cstew said:


> Yes it was one of your pre-built ones so the solder points were perfect, can't fault the quality of your assembly, must be the underlying hardware.



Okay, I don't know how that got through my testing in that case. I've just sent you a PM, keen to sort it out for you. It's a shame the offset doesn't work as intended after a power cycle. Are you able to paste the URL in the browser address bar after you to go save it in a PM to me? Just remove your wifi password and other things. I may or may not be able to sort you out with a firmware version with the offset built into it.


----------



## Truman42

My Ispindel seemed to work fine for the first 2-3 brews I did. But Ive noticed lately that its always way out. I performed a guided calibration with sugar and water when I first started using it. And I always calibrate it at 90 degrees at the start of each brew and check it by lying it vertical where it reads around .89-1.1 degrees and 89.XX degrees horizontal. So close enough.

But tonight its reading 1.040 when the actual gravity is 1.062 which is a fair way out.


----------



## bee2gee

Truman42 said:


> But tonight its reading 1.040 when the actual gravity is 1.062 which is a fair way out.



If you're able to, try another reporting tool like Brewspy.


----------



## takai

Planning on building a couple of new iSpindels, and i see things have come along a fair bit since the earlier versions. So a couple of questions.

1. Are we still using the same cylinders, and is there a source for them in Australia? 
2. I take it that the CherryPhilip PCB version is now the preferred option, or is there something else on the horizon?


----------



## bee2gee

takai said:


> 1. Are we still using the same cylinders, and is there a source for them in Australia?


The change to the Cherry Philip PCB reduces the Petling from XXL to XL


takai said:


> 2. I take it that the CherryPhilip PCB version is now the preferred option, or is there something else on the horizon?


Definitely, it's much more simple, compact and doesn't require 3D printed parts. There are a few, more commercialised designed, kicking around. These have pre-completed SMD parts just to help speed the build process up. Ultimately, the same skills are required as far as firmware handling, calibration and some soldering.

There are probably a few people in Aus who are providing parts, complete kits and pre-builds. I definitely do and likely won't stop anytime soon as there's a decent demand. Depending on the model you're looking at $35-$45 for the kit, $20 if you want me to fully build and test and postage on top which is between $9-$12. I'm certainly not in it for the money, just keen to make them accessible to folk from varied degree of technical experience and equipment availability.


----------



## bee2gee

@Cstew helped out and performed a tonne of testing, no more issues with saving offsets *and* the process is also greatly improved


----------



## Rusted

Just received a couple of Ispindels. Looks like a great open source project.

Unfortunately I seem to have killed one, not sure what went wrong. Trimmed back pins and sanded down the board to fit the tube no worries. When it fires up it doesn't connect to wifi properly.

Checked battery charge and that appears OK (blue light).

Re-flashed the latest .bin from here - https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel/blob/master/docs/Firmware_en.md

Putty log shows something wrong with json config for a start... partial log file below

_FW 6.2.0
2.2.1(cfd48f3)
Worker run!
mounting FS... mounted!
ERROR: failed to load json config

ERROR config corrupted
scanning for OW device on pin: 5
No devices found!
scanning for OW device on pin: 12
No devices found!
scanning for OW device on pin: 116
No devices found!
scanning for OW device on pin: 121
No devices found!
ERROR: cannot find a OneWire Temperature Sensor!
offsets not available
Boot-Mode: External System
power-cycle or reset detected, config mode
...........
ERROR no Wifi credentials

going to Config Mode
reboot RFCAL
{l lÜŸ| Œlà|„lìc|Çƒì›;“cŒbÄò'oŸlnoÜãìcpÄ‡lrl{$xónà‚dŒœcgã|läŽcŒónoï dÄ‡l`nod`n{’“ocœl;““ocÜlœ„ldäŒd`üƒoÜ
FW 6.2.0
2.2.1(cfd48f3)
Worker run!
mounting FS... mounted!
ERROR: failed to load json config

ERROR config corrupted
scanning for OW device on pin: 5
No devices found!
scanning for OW device on pin: 12
No devices found!
scanning for OW device on pin: 116
No devices found!
scanning for OW device on pin: 121
No devices found!
ERROR: cannot find a OneWire Temperature Sensor!
offsets not available
Boot-Mode: Deep-Sleep Wake
...........
ERROR no Wifi credentials

going to Config Mode


Exception (28):
epc1=0x402098f3 epc2=0x00000000 epc3=0x00000000 excvaddr=0x00000000 depc=0x00000000

>>>stack>>>

ctx: sys
sp: 3ffffd60 end: 3fffffb0 offset: 01a0
3fffff00: 0031d4b0 3ffeee60 3ffef85c 4020a22a 
3fffff10: 00000000 4053300b 3ffef460 40202550 
3fffff20: 0031d4b0 3ffeee60 3fff290c 40202ea8 
3fffff30: 3ffee148 402421dd 3ffee79c 4022154e 
3fffff40: 40250bac 3fff290c 3ffeee60 40221bb6 
3fffff50: 60000600 3fff290c 3ffeee60 40250bb9 
3fffff60: 40250bfe 3fffdab0 00000000 3fffdcb0 
3fffff70: 3ffeee70 3fffdab0 00000000 00000004 
3fffff80: 40000f49 40000f49 3fffdab0 40000f49 
3fffff90: 40000e19 40001878 00000002 00000000 
3fffffa0: 3fffff10 aa55aa55 000000ec 40104f60 
<<<stack<<<

ets Jan 8 2013,rst cause:2, boot mode3,6)

load 0x4010f000, len 1384, room 16 
tail 8
chksum 0x2d
csum 0x2d
v8b899c12
~ld
_​
There is more logged from Putty if required.

Any ideas?


----------



## Truman42

Are you pushing the reset button 4 times first then looking for the device in your wifi list?


----------



## Rusted

Yes, tried the four button reset. No change.

From the Putty terminal I can see the device looping through the same json config errors


----------



## Rusted

I would say its cactus but would be great to figure out which component it might be in order to replace.


----------



## gwb

From the logs, looks like the firmware can't see a temperature sensor so never initializes properly.
Could be dodgy sensor but more likely bad solder joint.


----------



## angus_grant

So I'm still having problems with my second iSpindel device.

I can't write to the flash or erase it even. Various tools used to try and wipe the flash

esptool
I get "A fatal error occurred: MD5 of file does not match data in flash!" exception when trying to write 6.1.1 firmware to device.

I get "Timed out waiting for packet header" exception when trying to erase_flash

Other tools can't complete the flash process, or writing firmware to device
NodeMCU Flasher never times out from the erase_flash process.

Frustrating....


----------



## gwb

Maybe try another USB cable if you haven't already.
If MD5 doesn't match then there is corruption / mismatch between the write and then the check read back


----------



## angus_grant

Diff USB cable, same problem.
Both cables flash ESP32's with no problem so I don't think I suspect the cable at all


----------



## bee2gee

angus_grant said:


> Diff USB cable, same problem.
> Both cables flash ESP32's with no problem so I don't think I suspect the cable at all



You might need to force flash mode by bridging D3 and GND on boot. I've had a few get upset with my messing around too much and I've had to resort to it.


----------



## angus_grant

Same problem with new bin file not being written to flash and causing md5 checksum errors

C:\Users\angus\Desktop\Brewers Chronicle\iSpindel>esptool.exe --port COM4 write_flash 0x0000 "6.1.1 - firmware.bin"
esptool.py v2.6-beta1
Serial port COM4
Connecting....
Detecting chip type... ESP8266
Chip is ESP8266EX
Features: WiFi
MAC: 84:f3:eb:04:fa:5a
Uploading stub...
Running stub...
Stub running...
Configuring flash size...
Auto-detected Flash size: 16MB
Flash params set to 0x0290
Compressed 445840 bytes to 308888...
Wrote 445840 bytes (308888 compressed) at 0x00000000 in 27.3 seconds (effective 130.6 kbit/s)...
File md5: c46e06e7b1bb26b02d1ca7f13076090d
Flash md5: e64bdd306a81180f3d28aa120794646b
MD5 of 0xFF is 4e4998a1b7412b7a88189d2e9b60ea60

A fatal error occurred: MD5 of file does not match data in flash!

C:\Users\angus\Desktop\Brewers Chronicle\iSpindel>


----------



## HardEight

Hi, I've recently built and been running a BrewPiLess on my ferment fridge. Now I'm collecting bits for a few iSpindel's. I bought a heap of bits for the older style 3d printed drawer kind. Then bought a couple of these https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000088868912.html (did I waste my money lol?). 
Anyway I am now after the Petling cylinder things to have a bash and jam all this junk into but have no idea where to source them locally? (instead of the other side of the world on ebay for $$$). Can someone point me in the right direction please 
Cheers.


----------



## Rusted

Rusted said:


> I would say its cactus but would be great to figure out which component it might be in order to replace.


Have not given up on this purple iSpindel. I had a similar problem with orange iSpindel but fixed it by re-flashing the firmware. Thought I would try the same again on purple.

Anyway, firmware will not flash to purple. NodeMcu sits in "waiting" mode waiting the iSpindel. Putty logs shows the iSpindel looping through what looks to be the startup scripts. The iSpindel appears on the network and just as quickly disappears. Tried reset button 3-4 times and no change.

Is there a way to wipe the iSpindel's current memory or rest the device and re-flash the firmware?


----------



## Cstew

> Is there a way to wipe the iSpindel's current memory or rest the device and re-flash the firmware?


nodemcu flasher
1st Line: INTERNAL://NODEMCU 0x00000
2nd Line: INTERNAL://BLANK 0x01000

Also there is an option to clear flash using NodeMCU pyFlasher


----------



## chesl73

Hey bee2gee

Your iSpindel is still working wonders but I was about to use it today and I got lucky and noticed that the lid has split (see attached) before I put it in contact with any liquid. 

So, any ideas where I can buy a replacement lid for the ispindel you make up? 

Thanks


----------



## Rusted

chesl73 said:


> Hey bee2gee
> 
> Your iSpindel is still working wonders but I was about to use it today and I got lucky and noticed that the lid has split (see attached) before I put it in contact with any liquid.
> 
> So, any ideas where I can buy a replacement lid for the ispindel you make up?
> 
> ThanksView attachment 117204



The tubes are blanks for PET bottles so you might be able to find a top that fits from a milk or juice bottle.


----------



## chesl73

Thanks. A milk top is too small. I'm hoping bee2gee can respond with a specific suggestion given he makes them up himself.


----------



## MICHAEL LAFLEUR

bee2gee,

Saw the posts here regarding the iSpindel from Cherry Philip. I bought a number of brewpiless boards from PCBWay that Cherry Philip shared. However, I have absolutely no documentation about the board. I see you have a way to communicate with Cherry. Can you help?

Thanks,

Mike



bee2gee said:


> Hey Guys,
> 
> Long time lurker, first time poster. I saw Cherry Philip's new PCB and spoke with him to make some tweaks and integrate a battery holder so we're not longer having to solder batteries. These also fit in the XL Petlings instead of the XXL which you needed with the 3D printed sleds. My local brew club was keen on getting in on the action so I've bought enough bits and pieces for 50 of these units. I'm keen to help people in Aus buy from a local supplier at a reasonable cost and get their units within the week no matter where they are in Au, I'll have an online store finished in the next few weeks. I'm looking at selling the first few at $55 including shipping and assembly. If anyone is interested in the mean time you can PM me, In the mean time I'll use a PayPal invoice so you get full buyer protection and no risk, after all buying from some forum random can be daunting! I do have an ABN [34 395 323 405] which will be used for the online store .


----------



## chesl73

Thanks for the suggestion Rusted. 
I took myself off to the Juices section in Coles and there were various options. I settled on a bottle of Cranberry juice and the lid works perfectly. Cheers!


----------



## bee2gee

Rusted said:


> Have not given up on this purple iSpindel. I had a similar problem with orange iSpindel but fixed it by re-flashing the firmware. Thought I would try the same again on purple.
> 
> Anyway, firmware will not flash to purple. NodeMcu sits in "waiting" mode waiting the iSpindel. Putty logs shows the iSpindel looping through what looks to be the startup scripts. The iSpindel appears on the network and just as quickly disappears. Tried reset button 3-4 times and no change.
> 
> Is there a way to wipe the iSpindel's current memory or rest the device and re-flash the firmware?



I would double check your startup logs. It might be crashing due to a missing OW sensor (your temp probe). It's a common issue which causes a reboot loop and can be because it's around the wrong way, a dry solder joint or faulty.


----------



## bee2gee

chesl73 said:


> Thanks. A milk top is too small. I'm hoping bee2gee can respond with a specific suggestion given he makes them up himself.



I always get spares in which are free. If you contact me I can organise to send two spares out for the cost of postage $2.20 and the little CD case box from AusPost $1.50.


----------



## bee2gee

MICHAEL LAFLEUR said:


> bee2gee,
> 
> Saw the posts here regarding the iSpindel from Cherry Philip. I bought a number of brewpiless boards from PCBWay that Cherry Philip shared. However, I have absolutely no documentation about the board. I see you have a way to communicate with Cherry. Can you help?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Mike



Hey Mike, what sort of troubles are you having? The PCBs should have screening on them to show which components go where including direction. He has shared a PDF in one of the past build versions as well, still quite relevant. Are you using any specific version?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5lwl436oonqsmnx/iSpindel PCB_assembly.pdf?dl=0


----------



## bee2gee

Rusted said:


> Have not given up on this purple iSpindel. I had a similar problem with orange iSpindel but fixed it by re-flashing the firmware. Thought I would try the same again on purple.
> 
> Anyway, firmware will not flash to purple. NodeMcu sits in "waiting" mode waiting the iSpindel. Putty logs shows the iSpindel looping through what looks to be the startup scripts. The iSpindel appears on the network and just as quickly disappears. Tried reset button 3-4 times and no change.
> 
> Is there a way to wipe the iSpindel's current memory or rest the device and re-flash the firmware?



Sorry for the super late reply. I don't get emails from this forum very well :/ I can send you a kit locally if you haven't already sourced all the parts you're after.


----------



## sittingaround

bee2gee said:


> Sorry for the super late reply. I don't get emails from this forum very well :/ I can send you a kit locally if you haven't already sourced all the parts you're after.


How much for a kit?


----------



## bee2gee

sittingaround said:


> How much for a kit?



Just sent you a pm with all the info.


----------



## RRising

Hi @bee2gee

Do you still make ispindel kits? I am interested in buying one.


----------



## bee2gee

@RRising yep, just sent you a PM.

There hasn't been too much movement with the iSpindel project in the last few months. The major release 6.2.0 almost completes all outstanding items. It is quite a mature project with plenty of online resources and advice for anyone wishing to obtain parts themselves.


----------



## Mattym

chesl73 said:


> Thanks for the suggestion Rusted.
> I took myself off to the Juices section in Coles and there were various options. I settled on a bottle of Cranberry juice and the lid works perfectly. Cheers!



Good to know! I don’t suppose you remember what brand juice you bought? I’ve not had much luck so far, with ones I’ve picked up having different thread patterns to the petling...

Cheers!


----------



## mynameisrodney

I recently bought an iSpindel and haven't been able to get it working properly. Even sitting right next to the router, it sometimes goes days without any data getting sent. I have tried both ubidots and brewspy. Whats the best way to go about debugging this?


----------



## bee2gee

mynameisrodney said:


> Whats the best way to go about debugging this?



Best bet is to remove the battery and power the larger board (Wemos) via USB from a computer. You'll need a program like Termite (baud 115200) if you are using Windows. This will show you the debug output from the device each time it wakes up, letting you know why it is likely failing.


----------



## mynameisrodney

ok cheers, I'll have a crack tonight.


----------



## Ferment8

I was having an issue with 1 ispindel not connecting reliably. It would send the first reading, I would chuck it in the fermenter in the fridge and I wouldn't hear from it again until I fished it out and it maybe sent another update or two. I thought it was 'deaf' compared to my other ispindel that works no problem at all.
@bee2gee was great with giving me advise on how to troubleshoot it but real world time became an issue and I put it on the back burner.
Pulled it out again the other day and followed the advice @bee2gee gave me back in about December I think it was.
Hooked up to a linux desktop via usb and monitored with minicom. Noticed it would send one (or a couple if I was lucky) updates and then when it woke up gave an error message and timed out. Something about wifi credentials. Found a few places on the internet that spoke of this error and turns out to be an incommpatabilty with certain APs.
I changed the AP to my NBN modem AP and lo and behold it sent every update!
Now I cant rememeber what my other ispindel is set to (Its in a fermenter ATM) but I thought it was to the same AP I tried with this one originally. 
I have an AP running on a DDWRT54G with DDWRT firmware that it will not connect to after the first update or two. I also have a RPI3B+ running fermentrack that I also had set as a wifi AP. I THINK that didnt work either (Will retry that later to confirm)

Long story short, if you have trouble getting reliable updates maybe try a different AP if you can.


----------



## RRising

@Ferment8 I think i might have a similar issue with my iSpindel as what you had, i can get to the default 192.168.1.4 IP when its in config mode but once i put it my wifi details and hooked it up to brewfather, it spat out a local IP, BF sees it and logs it successfully but i cannot connect to the local IP and even weirder my modem router doesn't see it as a connected device.

I also tried using my phones local hotspot and nothing.


----------



## bee2gee

RRising said:


> @Ferment8 I think i might have a similar issue with my iSpindel as what you had, i can get to the default 192.168.1.4 IP when its in config mode but once i put it my wifi details and hooked it up to brewfather, it spat out a local IP, BF sees it and logs it successfully but i cannot connect to the local IP and even weirder my modem router doesn't see it as a connected device.
> 
> I also tried using my phones local hotspot and nothing.



Completely normal behaviour. Once configured, the device runs every 900s only. It’ll connect to your wifi, send stats then go back to sleep. There’s no functional reason to have to reconnect whilst it’s in a brew and it allows the battery to last 4+ weeks. To go into config mode, you need to press the reset button on the Wemos a few times. This will then re-enable the AP and broadcast the iSpindel SSID for your to connect to. This should all be covered in the Github documentation as well.


----------



## RRising

bee2gee said:


> Completely normal behaviour. Once configured, the device runs every 900s only. It’ll connect to your wifi, send stats then go back to sleep. There’s no functional reason to have to reconnect whilst it’s in a brew and it allows the battery to last 4+ weeks. To go into config mode, you need to press the reset button on the Wemos a few times. This will then re-enable the AP and broadcast the iSpindel SSID for your to connect to. This should all be covered in the Github documentation as well.



Ah... thank you, that makes sense. I did re-enable the config mode a few times and it always connected.

Also, i'm guessing it does but still worth asking but does this have proper charge protection? i bought a 18650 battery from Batteryworld it has an integrated protection circuit, having double the fail safes is always good with lithium ion batteries.


----------



## RRising

Has anyone had this problem, i am using mine for the first time today in a brew and even though i have calibrated it correctly (it sat near on perfectly at 25° in clean 20°C water) but when i put it in the fermenter its reading nearly 20 points higher than the hydrometer and refrac reading i took. Hydrometer and refrac read 1.048 and iSpindel is reading 1.065.


----------



## Ferment8

You need to have a few calibration points. The more the better the calibration. I usually calibrate in filtered water for 1.000 then add a known point. eg if I put it in the fermenter with a wort I measured at 1.048 I would get the angle and add that as the second point. You could then calibrate (I do it in fermentrack) with those 2 points. Wont be exact but close enough. Then every time I put it in another wort I add that as another point. Should be more accurate every time I use it.


----------



## RRising

Ferment8 said:


> You need to have a few calibration points. The more the better the calibration. I usually calibrate in filtered water for 1.000 then add a known point. eg if I put it in the fermenter with a wort I measured at 1.048 I would get the angle and add that as the second point. You could then calibrate (I do it in fermentrack) with those 2 points. Wont be exact but close enough. Then every time I put it in another wort I add that as another point. Should be more accurate every time I use it.



The calibration instructions i got with my iSpindel which i bought from @bee2gee said to put it in 20°C water and adjust the unit until it sits at around 25° which i did right before i put it into my Fermzilla AR.

Brewfather lets you adjust the offset so i put it at 1.048 and now the few hours its been in there, the gravity is rising  I'll let the brew do its thing before i go fishing it out.


----------



## bee2gee

RRising said:


> The calibration instructions i got with my iSpindel which i bought from @bee2gee said to put it in 20°C water and adjust the unit until it sits at around 25° which i did right before i put it into my Fermzilla AR.
> 
> Brewfather lets you adjust the offset so i put it at 1.048 and now the few hours its been in there, the gravity is rising  I'll let the brew do its thing before i go fishing it out.



Ideally you need to follow the rest of the instructions on GitHub for a multi-point calibration and then configure the polynomial in the iSpindel. If you get it close to 25° in 20° C water, you will still need to do the polynomial. The 25° angle is just the optimal angle to get a more accurate reading throughout the tilt range.


----------



## Mat B

I've been following the calibration guide on github, but it asks you to make a new variable in ubidots using a derived value method. Problem is, the educational version of ubidots no longer has this feature. I've done the calibration exercise to record all the different points. I've spent all night trying to find out how to get this calibration sorted in ubidots so I can get a brew going with it. Everything else is working great. I used a kit from @bee2gee, which was high quality and he has been very helpful (and patient). Anyone got similar experience with ubidots?


----------



## Bourkie

Has anyone else had issues with getting their iSpindel tilt close to 25? I think the PCB board is too wide for the tube I have, so it gets stuck before it sits in the bottom. When I see YouTube videos, the board just slips in and out but mine is jammed in the bottom. Is it possible to get a slightly bigger tube? Any other suggestions?


----------



## Ferment8

A bit of sandpaper on the edge of the pcb will do the trick. Don't go to far though, you want it reasonably tight so it doesn't move


----------



## Bourkie

Cool, thanks mate!


----------



## RRising

Ferment8 said:


> A bit of sandpaper on the edge of the pcb will do the trick. Don't go to far though, you want it reasonably tight so it doesn't move



Yes, i took too much off mine and had to put a couple of strips of duct tape back on fill it out.

Get a big piece of sandpaper and go two passes on each side and it should only take maybe 2 go's to get it in.


----------



## RRising

A question about calibration? can i use a brew and get readings with a hydrometer for the polynominal formula?


----------



## Ferment8

RRising said:


> A question about calibration? can i use a brew and get readings with a hydrometer for the polynominal formula?


That's pretty much what i do


----------



## grahambayley

Hi All

Getting a strange effect from my Second Spindel, its done this for 4-5 brews now .... 

Pop in the spindle, get a low reading, then it jumps in SG. you can see from the attached image. When I Calibrate its spot on and water cal gives 23.4 deg for 1.000 SG @ 22 Deg C

Any Ideas ???


----------



## HarryBlue

grahambayley said:


> Pop in the spindle, get a low reading, then it jumps in SG. you can see from the attached image. When I Calibrate its spot on and water cal gives 23.4 deg for 1.000 SG @ 22 Deg C
> 
> Any Ideas ???



I am seeing exactly the same jump in SG with my four brews since building the iSpindel. Why I don't know, my temperature remains stable, I guess it just would not be noticed with a conventional hydrometer. The brew also generates a couple of degrees of heat, which I would not notice had it not been for the iSpindel.


----------



## bluc

I keep breaking the micro usb port on the battery charger. Anyone know if there are other options for the charger port?


----------



## bee2gee

only thing I can think about is a different cable, hopefully one which sits a little more loose-fitting


----------



## HarryBlue

RRising said:


> A question about calibration? can i use a brew and get readings with a hydrometer for the polynominal formula?



Adjust it for the 25 degree list at 20C, then use the sugar calibration method to get a polynomial fomulae accurately. 

You just need a container just deep enough, wide enough to allow the iSpindel to float vertically and horizontally. A 2L plastic jug worked for me, then measure the sugar in and dissolve. I got five SG reference points that way and my results are very accurate, much better than an hydrometer could possibly produce.


----------



## Enkie

Diode removal - Wemos D1 mini pro

Dear all, I am new to the forum, I bought a set to solder the ispindel yourself from someone containing all parts. I have the cherry phllip 4.0 board and the Wemos d1 mini pro (brand: rainsun), this is where my question is.
I want to remove the diode to prevent overloading of the battery (iSpindel Assembly | Open Source Distilling), but it is somewhere else than on the other d1 boards. Can you tell me which is the diode to remove to prevent charging with 5v. Is it indeed the red circled component?


----------



## bee2gee

I don't think you need to worry about the diode, especially with the USB port for the Wemos pointing downwards and not generally accessible unless you remove the PCB. You do however need to swap the 0 ohm resistor from the vertical to horizontal position in order to enable the IPX port - assuming you intend on using it.


----------



## Enkie

Hi Bee2Gee, thank you for your reply, first question is when not removing the diode as described on the website earlier mentioned, what is the on position? 

How it’s now on the picture or in the other position?

Second question, what do you mean with the 0 ohm resistor, can you point it out, on one of the pictures, and why is there a need to change position? 
I don’t know if I need to use the IPX port, as I am new to this forum and with the ispindel. I want to is use it like everybody else..

Than you and others for your support and waiting on a reply.


----------



## bee2gee

The diode is generally removed to avoid issues with using the USB on the Wemos whilst having the iSpindel turned on and also powered via battery. This is the reason I suggested that it's not really needed as you can't really "accidentally" power the Wemos independently, given the rotation of the USB port (not facing up).

The antenna on the D1 Pro usually isn't as good as the normal D1 mini, unless you're using the IPX port with an antenna. Based on the orientation of your first photo, take a look at the top, mid-left. There is a small surface mount component with a 0 or 000 on it. You can follow the track out of the ceramic antenna and the IPX socket which has a pad with nothing on it.


----------



## Enkie

bee2gee said:


> The diode is generally removed to avoid issues with using the USB on the Wemos whilst having the iSpindel turned on and also powered via battery. This is the reason I suggested that it's not really needed as you can't really "accidentally" power the Wemos independently, given the rotation of the USB port (not facing up).
> 
> The antenna on the D1 Pro usually isn't as good as the normal D1 mini, unless you're using the IPX port with an antenna. Based on the orientation of your first photo, take a look at the top, mid-left. There is a small surface mount component with a 0 or 000 on it. You can follow the track out of the ceramic antenna and the IPX socket which has a pad with nothing on it.


If I understand correctly I need to resolder the 0 ohm resistor into the green position. In that case the ceramic antenna is not working anymore and have to buy an external antenna like in the attached picture? Only if the signal is not sufficient at the moment.

Can you also help me out with the on/off position of the board, I pictured in the previous reply my current situation of which I do not know if it is on or of.

Third, what would you suggest, buy a new Wemos d1 mini and replace the current mini pro or go for the external ipx antenna? Only the wire part and remove the large golden connection for the fixed pet shown on the picture.
I can always check if I have a bad WiFi connection at the moment before changing something to the current situation..

Practical question on this reply, the possibility to add a picture in this box is greyed out, is this normal, I can only attach a file, which I will.

Thank you for your reply


----------



## bee2gee

I'm not sure what you mean by the on position, if you're referring to the switch, it's relatively obvious as the gyro LED will be on when the iSpindel is on.

Correct, the 0 ohm resistor needs to be moved into the green position if you find you are not getting enough reception. The antenna you have linked is fine, although you might be able to get some 150mm, thin wire antennas like they use on radio controlled cars/planes etc.


----------



## Enkie

Rusted said:


> Have not given up on this purple iSpindel. I had a similar problem with orange iSpindel but fixed it by re-flashing the firmware. Thought I would try the same again on purple.
> 
> Anyway, firmware will not flash to purple. NodeMcu sits in "waiting" mode waiting the iSpindel. Putty logs shows the iSpindel looping through what looks to be the startup scripts. The iSpindel appears on the network and just as quickly disappears. Tried reset button 3-4 times and no change.
> 
> Is there a way to wipe the iSpindel's current memory or rest the device and re-flash the firmware?



I have the same problem, somebody solved this problem during flashing?
It does nothing after you push the flash button.

The logg shows:
Noteetect serial port changed.
Note:Auto MAP serial port.Port-->COM3

Note:Serial port connected.
Note:Begin find ESP8266.

the following message appears as a sequience during the 'flashing' but does not come to an end.
connect.world()
require("wifi")
require("gpio")















Tried multiple USB cables, similair for the software, latest release but also some of the versions that was shown in a youtube movie explaining how to flash.
Hope somebody can help me out.

Kr. Pieter-Paul


----------



## Nath151

Maybe give Brew Flasher a try and see if that works.
Also on one of my d1 mini wasn't entering flash mode when the usb was connected and I had to short d3/gpio0 to ground 

Hope that helps 
Nath


----------



## Enkie

Enkie said:


> I have the same problem, somebody solved this problem during flashing?
> It does nothing after you push the flash button.
> 
> The logg shows:
> Noteetect serial port changed.
> Note:Auto MAP serial port.Port-->COM3
> 
> Note:Serial port connected.
> Note:Begin find ESP8266.
> 
> the following message appears as a sequience during the 'flashing' but does not come to an end.
> connect.world()
> require("wifi")
> require("gpio")
> 
> View attachment 119389
> View attachment 119390
> View attachment 119391
> View attachment 119392
> 
> 
> Tried multiple USB cables, similair for the software, latest release but also some of the versions that was shown in a youtube movie explaining how to flash.
> Hope somebody can help me out.
> 
> Kr. Pieter-Paul



Gents and Ladies,

I received a new Wemos D1 mini Pro from the guy I bought the whole set from.
Inmediately before desoldering and soldering I tried to flash this Wemos, with a positive result.

It was apparently a faulty Wemos causing me problems flashing.
After it was in pace on the board, I calibrated (to horizontal) and then placed it in water of 25 degree Celsius, tilt: 19 degree...

Found the following solution to come to a 24,12 degree tilt, adding two mini nuts and some hot glue.












Next step during the weekend will be a calibration on sugar water.

Thank you all for thinking along and I am glad it works!!

Kr. Pieter-Paul


----------



## dwalsh27

Rusted said:


> Just received a couple of Ispindels. Looks like a great open source project.
> 
> Unfortunately I seem to have killed one, not sure what went wrong. Trimmed back pins and sanded down the board to fit the tube no worries. When it fires up it doesn't connect to wifi properly.
> 
> Checked battery charge and that appears OK (blue light).
> 
> Re-flashed the latest .bin from here - universam1/iSpindel
> 
> Putty log shows something wrong with json config for a start... partial log file below
> 
> _FW 6.2.0_​_2.2.1(cfd48f3)_​_Worker run!_​_mounting FS... mounted!_​_ERROR: failed to load json config_​​_ERROR config corrupted_​_scanning for OW device on pin: 5_​_No devices found!_​_scanning for OW device on pin: 12_​_No devices found!_​_scanning for OW device on pin: 116_​_No devices found!_​_scanning for OW device on pin: 121_​_No devices found!_​_ERROR: cannot find a OneWire Temperature Sensor!_​_offsets not available_​_Boot-Mode: External System_​_power-cycle or reset detected, config mode_​_..........._​_ERROR no Wifi credentials_​​_going to Config Mode_​_reboot RFCAL_​_{l lÜŸ| Œlà|„lìc|Çƒì›;“cŒbÄò'oŸlnoÜãìcpÄ‡lrl{$xónà‚dŒœcgã|läŽcŒónoï dÄ‡l`nod`n{’“ocœl;““ocÜlœ„ldäŒd`üƒoÜ_​_FW 6.2.0_​_2.2.1(cfd48f3)_​_Worker run!_​_mounting FS... mounted!_​_ERROR: failed to load json config_​​_ERROR config corrupted_​_scanning for OW device on pin: 5_​_No devices found!_​_scanning for OW device on pin: 12_​_No devices found!_​_scanning for OW device on pin: 116_​_No devices found!_​_scanning for OW device on pin: 121_​_No devices found!_​_ERROR: cannot find a OneWire Temperature Sensor!_​_offsets not available_​_Boot-Mode: Deep-Sleep Wake_​_..........._​_ERROR no Wifi credentials_​​_going to Config Mode_​​​_Exception (28):_​_epc1=0x402098f3 epc2=0x00000000 epc3=0x00000000 excvaddr=0x00000000 depc=0x00000000_​​_>>>stack>>>_​​_ctx: sys_​_sp: 3ffffd60 end: 3fffffb0 offset: 01a0_​_3fffff00: 0031d4b0 3ffeee60 3ffef85c 4020a22a _​_3fffff10: 00000000 4053300b 3ffef460 40202550 _​_3fffff20: 0031d4b0 3ffeee60 3fff290c 40202ea8 _​_3fffff30: 3ffee148 402421dd 3ffee79c 4022154e _​_3fffff40: 40250bac 3fff290c 3ffeee60 40221bb6 _​_3fffff50: 60000600 3fff290c 3ffeee60 40250bb9 _​_3fffff60: 40250bfe 3fffdab0 00000000 3fffdcb0 _​_3fffff70: 3ffeee70 3fffdab0 00000000 00000004 _​_3fffff80: 40000f49 40000f49 3fffdab0 40000f49 _​_3fffff90: 40000e19 40001878 00000002 00000000 _​_3fffffa0: 3fffff10 aa55aa55 000000ec 40104f60 _​_<<<stack<<<_​​_ets Jan 8 2013,rst cause:2, boot mode3,6)_​​_load 0x4010f000, len 1384, room 16 _​_tail 8_​_chksum 0x2d_​_csum 0x2d_​_v8b899c12_​_~ld_​​
> There is more logged from Putty if required.
> 
> Any ideas?


Hi,

Did you ever figure this out? I am getting similar errors. Thanks


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## bee2gee

"_ERROR: cannot find a OneWire Temperature Sensor!_ "

The error occurs when the temp probe cannot be found, it will cause the iSpindel to boot loop. There are a few general causes for it. Generally, it is from the solder joints at the back of the temp probe, piercing the battery casing and shorting it out. You can put a piece of hard plastic between them or attempt to use some flush cutters to reduce the size. The other reason for this would either be an incorrectly soldered temp probe or faulty temp probe. It *might* be possible to have a faulty Wemos, however this is probably the least likely cause.


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## brewlove

Enkie said:


> Diode removal - Wemos D1 mini pro
> 
> Dear all, I am new to the forum, I bought a set to solder the ispindel yourself from someone containing all parts. I have the cherry phllip 4.0 board and the Wemos d1 mini pro (brand: rainsun), this is where my question is.
> I want to remove the diode to prevent overloading of the battery (iSpindel Assembly | Open Source Distilling), but it is somewhere else than on the other d1 boards. Can you tell me which is the diode to remove to prevent charging with 5v. Is it indeed the red circled component?
> View attachment 119239


Hi Enkie, 

It's been a while since this post (hopefully your unit is up and running) however I just joined today and facing the same question/s for build/setup.

The way I read the recommendations is to protect the battery from being supplied direct 5V when you have the USB cable connected to the WeMoS for firmware flashing etc. Too much voltage could cause the battery to heat up or catch fire.

The how-to that I followed suggests that when flashing and to avoid this - remove the battery from the unit.
Otherwise if you don't connect the USB to the WeMoS whilst battery is in you should be good.

Interested to see if others interpreted it this way or if I should also remove the diode?

Cheers


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