# Ramp/soak pid controlled by rasbpi?



## Truman42 (13/10/13)

I've seen a couple of projects online where guys are using the rasbpi to control an element in a kettle or a fermentation fridge and they use a PC interface for the display and settings etc.

Anyway I got thinking about if it would be possible to have a rasbpi (or even an Arduino board) connected to an Auberins ramp/soak pid that would then communicate via wireless to my PC or laptop. So I could use a PC interface to program or change the steps, start stop the pid etc, even have an alarm that sounds on the PC when the stepped mash is finished?
I've noticed the pid has baud settings so I assume it has some sort of communication capabilities.

I've emailed Auberins asking the same thing but wanted opinions and ideas from guys here that have played around with this sort of thing before.


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## 5teve (13/10/13)

First depends if your model has an RS232 or RS485 interface. Then you'd need to know what comms protocol it uses, eg modbus, or their own proprietary thing which they may have software for. I had a quick google but found SFA info about it. If they come back to you and say it supported something like modus and you could find the list of registers then something like that could be doable.


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## 5teve (13/10/13)

Of course it's probably easier to just keep programming it manually the way you're doing now.


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## Truman42 (13/10/13)

5teve said:


> Of course it's probably easier to just keep programming it manually the way you're doing now.


It sounding like that already Steve. I will see what their response to my email is.

Thanks,,


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## TheCarbinator (13/10/13)

I will be interested in this!


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## Edak (13/10/13)

I am guessing that if you have a raspi then all you would need the PID for is the analog measurements. That's serious overkill!


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## spog (13/10/13)

TheCarbinator said:


> I will be interested in this!


as am I,but an English ( not taking the piss ) translation would be great,all the interface,protocol etc is not my thing but I like what Truman is looking for/asking.

...cheers..spog


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## Truman42 (13/10/13)

Edak said:


> I am guessing that if you have a raspi then all you would need the PID for is the analog measurements. That's serious overkill!


But wouldn't I need the pid to control the stepped mash? All the rpi would do is pass the information from the pid to the computer?

And allow you to pass settings such as a stepped mash program back to the pid. Assuming of course that all this is possible.

I did a bit of searching Nd found SFA too but did find a pid that interfaces with a PC and can be adjusted etc. from the PC.
EDIT:
Unless of course there was a way you could get the RPI to control your SSR. Then use a program on your PC that switches the SSR on and off via the PI. Then the Program becomes your Ramp / soak PID and the RPI just does the heavy lifting. Now were talking.... Can it be done Kade?


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## Truman42 (13/10/13)

I think something like this might be a start. 

https://github.com/steve71/RasPiBrew

Then it would just be a matter of setting it up to do a stepped mash.


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## nathan_madness (13/10/13)

Have you looked in to BCS-462. Covers everything that your wanting to do. I'm currently building my 3v using the 462.


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## Truman42 (14/10/13)

nathan_madness said:


> Have you looked in to BCS-462. Covers everything that your wanting to do. I'm currently building my 3v using the 462.


Now that looks like the go. Although I would only require the BCS460 as I only have 2 temp sensors to control. (And there $100 cheaper) Thanks for that, Ive started reading some more information on them.


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## nathan_madness (14/10/13)

The guys from *https://www.brewershardware.com/ *have all the gear (no affiliation). They sent me the wrong 8" probes and they had no issues just sending out the replacement ones.

The Embedded Control forum is a very good place to start there is heaps of great info. 

I just have a couple of things to get before I start the electrical side of my build. Currently i'm looking at getting a Inspiron One 20 to use as my control panel.


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## Jono_w (14/10/13)

The problems I have run into is that most ramp soak controllers don't have all of the data available via rs485/modbus . You can easily read temp and setpoints and write the same but the ramp time data is not usually available.


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## nathan_madness (14/10/13)

I think that this http://wiki.embeddedcc.com/index.php/Ramp_Setpoint_Mode might help out.


Jonathon said:


> The problems I have run into is that most ramp soak controllers don't have all of the data available via rs485/modbus . You can easily read temp and setpoints and write the same but the ramp time data is not usually available.


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## MastersBrewery (14/10/13)

Or you could go down the same path as many others such as kegbot and brewPI, use an arduino for control and the RPI as the back end server, nice interface in PHP, wonder if someone wants to write one up for Matho's controler


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