Arduino Development Thread

[matho]

Matho (and perhaps others)

I received my NetDuino last night and after quickly doing the "Hello World" equivalent of flashing the onboard LED, and listening for the button push to flash the led, I wanted to quickly move onto something a bit more substantial. I have a spare temp sensor (I bought the stainless steel one for immersing in my fermenter) from my Fridgemate and thought I would hook that up. I couldn't really find any info on what requirements it needed: voltage, etc, etc. I have done some reading on NTC temp sensors and none of them really mention voltage requirements, more on current.

Or do I just ignore the Fridgemate sensor as I can't find technical data and purchase a temp sensor designed for the Arduino/Netduino?
Thanks,
Angus.

sorry angus i missed your post

i don't know too much about reading NTC's with the arduino, have a look at the arduino play ground, I found THIS library with a search for thermistor. The main reason I went with the DS18B20 is that it is accurate to 0.5 deg and it is easy to connect up, one of the problems i had with using a NTC in an analog circuit was the NTC would drop in resistance when current started to flow through it, which makes sense, resistance and current equals power which equals heat, its a fine line between too much current and not enough volts across it.
hope this helps

cheers

 

[Lurks]

A quick thing I knocked up out of some spare parts and a Arduino, a digital temp probe using a cheap DS18B20 probe.

Since this photo was taken I added some software features to graph the temperature, show me the rate of change, ping on alerts and added a boil timer. Simple project but worked well.

 

[angus_grant]

Thanks for the posts guys. I was not really finding much info about NTC temp probes and Arduino/Netduino so am happy to change to use the DS188B20 probe give that there is a support library for it for Netduino.

What LCD is that? Looks like a nice one.

I am only just starting with micro-controllers and associated electronics so I think it will be a confusing first few months for me. Have run through Blinky, Light-Switch sample projects (amongst others) and started messing around with an HTTP server on the Netduino listening for requests and switching light on and off, etc. So it is time to start doing something useful.

My first project is to hook up a temp controller to the Netduino, and then a relay to power an urn (or submerged heating element in pot) for my first forays into non Kit + kilo brews. I would like to control the boil time on the urn so start timer and power urn through relay for required time. Then power a water pump through another relay and circulate water through to cool contents of urn.

And then it is onto a full "BrewBot" setup.

 

[angus_grant]

woohoo, ordered two DS18B20 temp probes so should receive those early next week. Where do you guys buy components from? I have bought a book and these two temp probes from Australian Robotics. Anywhere cheaper?

Looking forward to playing with the Netduino and actually doing something useful. Although I did manage to annoy the hell out of my wife with the "blinky" project after a while, so I guess that was somewhat useful.

 

[Edak]

woohoo, ordered two DS18B20 temp probes so should receive those early next week. Where do you guys buy components from? I have bought a book and these two temp probes from Australian Robotics. Anywhere cheape
Looking forward to playing with the Netduino and actually doing something useful. Although I did manage to annoy the hell out of my wife with the "blinky" project after a while, so I guess that was somewhat useful.

I buy my electronics from seeedstudio, dealextreme, australianrobotics, toysdownunder and eBay.. Seeedstudio is great for getting pcbs, enclosures, cheap arduino stuff and xbee modules. They are a little slower but offer free shipping for orders over 50usd.

I still had no comments on my brew fridge... :-(

 

[angus_grant]

I like your controller setup.

Is that "zip" a power supply for your micro-controller? And the card towards the top left is a relay?

I bought two Fridgemates to control my keg fridge and my fermentation fridge, but I am looking at building a very simple "BrewBot". I suppose after building the BrewBot V1 I would be able to build a Fridgemate but oh well, too late.

 

[Edak]

I like your controller setup.

Is that "zip" a power supply for your micro-controller? And the card towards the top left is a relay?

I bought two Fridgemates to control my keg fridge and my fermentation fridge, but I am looking at building a very simple "BrewBot". I suppose after building the BrewBot V1 I would be able to build a Fridgemate but oh well, too late.

Thanks angus_grant, the zip is an old 5v power supply i had lying around from an old zip drive. Yes, the card on top left is a relay boa"rd. I posted my major parts earlier in the thread.

Honestly I have gone over the top on this project but it keeps me sane and I enjoyed it. If I were to build another, I would probably wait for "raspberry pi" to be available and build in Linux.

There's always next time!

 

[DJR]

Not arduino but I have odered lots of 1-wire stuff ( ds1820, ds 2413 ) from RS online- may not be the cheapest but fast free shipping on lots of things

 

[angus_grant]

@edak: the link to the parts you used mentioned an 8-channel relay board. I note in the photo of your controller that there are only 4 relays on the board. Did you chop an 8-relay board in half?

@chinamat: what LCD module did you use there?

I have had to lend my Windows laptop to father-in-law as his has blown up and he needs a pc for ongoing work commitments. Not that it matters as Aus Robotics sent me just the temp sensors and not the probes (has cable plus connector), so they will have to be sent back. sigh...

Cheers,
Angus.

 

[Edak]

@edak: the link to the parts you used mentioned an 8-channel relay board. I note in the photo of your controller that there are only 4 relays on the board. Did you chop an 8-relay board in half?

@chinamat: what LCD module did you use there?

I have had to lend my Windows laptop to father-in-law as his has blown up and he needs a pc for ongoing work commitments. Not that it matters as Aus Robotics sent me just the temp sensors and not the probes (has cable plus connector), so they will have to be sent back. sigh...

Cheers,
Angus.

Ah yes, I did change a few things...

This is the list of the parts I used.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/270844526066 <<< temp sensors
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/250863942182 <<< 4 channel relay board
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/140672654374 <<< my cheap fridge
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/8x-digital-tu...ed-module-81873 <<< display+keypad -- I love this thing!
http://www.freetronics.com/products/etherten <<< the Arduino with Ethernet on board, probably from Ausrobotics

Used 5V power supply from ZIP drive.
Power sockets, 4-way plug/socket (to attach/detach sensors) and enclosure from jaycar
USB "service port" socket (not originally pictured) from Altronics

I already had Ethernet socket, CAT5, power cable, dremel, epoxy, etc.

 

[keifer33]

Ok you smart guys Im looking at getting into this whole Arduino thing as I need a new challenge. Now Id like to start off by building something I can use in my brewery so a temperature readout for my mashtun sounds pretty good as a stick thermometer sucks. Now comes the killer question what do I need and can someone who hasn't done anything like this before handle getting an arduino + lcd + temp sensor working with minimal programming?

So what I have worked out I need so far

Arduino Kit - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Arduino-Uno-R3-...#ht_1008wt_1396
LCD - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Arduino-IIC-I2C...#ht_4309wt_1163
DS18B20 - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/270844526066#ht_2658wt_1396

Ive got an old 5v usb wall charger already and will source a case at a later date. Is there anything else I'm missing or am doing wrong?

 

[Edak]

Ok you smart guys Im looking at getting into this whole Arduino thing as I need a new challenge. Now Id like to start off by building something I can use in my brewery so a temperature readout for my mashtun sounds pretty good as a stick thermometer sucks. Now comes the killer question what do I need and can someone who hasn't done anything like this before handle getting an arduino + lcd + temp sensor working with minimal programming?

So what I have worked out I need so far

Arduino Kit - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Arduino-Uno-R3-...#ht_1008wt_1396
LCD - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Arduino-IIC-I2C...#ht_4309wt_1163
DS18B20 - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/270844526066#ht_2658wt_1396

Ive got an old 5v usb wall charger already and will source a case at a later date. Is there anything else I'm missing or am doing wrong?

It looks like you have chosen the same LCD module as I originally was going to use. There was a trick to get it to work but I can help you with that. Do you have any programming experience in C?
The 5V power supply may be enough, but this means you will be bypassing the on board regulator, so I recommend a 9V supply.

It's really quite simple but if you have never programmed before or never used a multimeter then I would not expect it to be easy.
If you only want a readout then there are displays on eBay that come as a package.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-LED-C-F-Th...=item56483daea0

 

[gava]

Looks good! Im doing the same type of project at the moment with a little differences... How are you tracking time? millis()? did you allow for the overflow at 50days or you just going to power on for each brew?

OK, so I have completed my brewing controller and it is testing wonderfully.

I thought you might like to see a few photos of the set up.

I am really looking forward to starting my first brew in there, currently it's testing with water...

A little unassuming....

A nice bright and large display so I can see it from anywhere

A tidy rear-panel, with two outputs and Ethernet

A look inside the box, where the magic happens

Doors open

Interface

Tell me your thoughts...

 

[keifer33]

It looks like you have chosen the same LCD module as I originally was going to use. There was a trick to get it to work but I can help you with that. Do you have any programming experience in C?
The 5V power supply may be enough, but this means you will be bypassing the on board regulator, so I recommend a 9V supply.

It's really quite simple but if you have never programmed before or never used a multimeter then I would not expect it to be easy.
If you only want a readout then there are displays on eBay that come as a package.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-LED-C-F-Th...=item56483daea0

Thanks for the link. Might grab that for now and work on getting a starter kit to learn the basics and then try and build something more complex/fun. Might be easier to start with something that has instructions

 

[Edak]

I am tracking time with millis and my overflow method tests to see if millis is less than the previous time. It will create a discontinuity but will keep working.

It was a fun project and I am still thinking of refinements but it works well at the moment. My biggest issue is the number of bugs in the ethernet library of arduino 1.0. I set up a watchdog timer to reset the system if ethernet locks up.

 

[gava]

Not as good as above but Im giving my fermenting controller a test run..

 

[Edak]

Nice gava, is that a tablet PC? Nice to have one of those spare.. (I have an Android one but can't bring myself to dedicate to the brewery.

What is your bill of materials?

Went to the BIAB demo at the G+G today and feel as though I left with a bunch of new knowledge (and nearly a 40L crown urn).

 

[gava]

materials. hmmm..
$23~ arduino
$4.90~ 4 relay shield
$?? project box
$10~ 1-wire chips
$free cat5 port
$free HP tablet PC
$free cat5 cable
$free Old power extention leads for power
$time for programming.. well my version of it anyway
$2 for resisters for the 1-wire setup

thats loose numbers off the top of my head.
If you have old switches floating around i.e. rack mounted ones they have power supplies that could be suitable and got spot to mount..
I'll be chanign it to a old 10mb HUB that was decommisioned at work.

 

[angus_grant]

well just as an update to people, I have received my two DS18B20 temp probes and have wired up to breadboard + Netduino and am reading temps. yay!!! >-| Hey, it's baby steps at the moment!! I have not tried using parasite power mode for them a I can't really find a wiring diagram/code pattern for Netduino yet. And I am figuring if I release this public at some point it will be easier to have it set to two separate pins as inputs for other people. I am also wondering if need to start a "Netduino development" thread?

I also have them wired to to D0 and D1 (1st and 2nd digital pins set to input mode) on the Netduino as I couldn't really understand how to read multiple sensors on the same bus/pin..... At this stage, not a problem as I have plenty of pins available but I really need to crank out my first BIAB to see what else I need to (and am able to) automate.

Does anyone have a Terminator arm sitting around in a storage facility? That would be a sweet BIAB automated crane set-up!!!!!!!

But at this stage I am happy to be reading two different temp sensors on two different pins. Next step is to sneak in a Craft Brewer heating element into next months purchasing plan (as well as a 4 relay board), fit the element to my 19L Big W pot, and then see what other bits I have left to purchase to try my first auto-BIAB.... :-O

We have a baby on the way so funds are a bit tight. I think I will have to forgo purchasing two kegs next month as funds are getting squeezed tighter and tighter. he he

 

[gava]

When our first was on the way and my partner was still working I spent up big an brought all my beer gear I wanted. Was easier to not miss the cash back then new baby and new house = not much beer play money

well just as an update to people, I have received my two DS18B20 temp probes and have wired up to breadboard + Netduino and am reading temps. yay!!! >-| Hey, it's baby steps at the moment!! I have not tried using parasite power mode for them a I can't really find a wiring diagram/code pattern for Netduino yet. And I am figuring if I release this public at some point it will be easier to have it set to two separate pins as inputs for other people. I am also wondering if need to start a "Netduino development" thread?

I also have them wired to to D0 and D1 (1st and 2nd digital pins set to input mode) on the Netduino as I couldn't really understand how to read multiple sensors on the same bus/pin..... At this stage, not a problem as I have plenty of pins available but I really need to crank out my first BIAB to see what else I need to (and am able to) automate.

Does anyone have a Terminator arm sitting around in a storage facility? That would be a sweet BIAB automated crane set-up!!!!!!!

But at this stage I am happy to be reading two different temp sensors on two different pins. Next step is to sneak in a Craft Brewer heating element into next months purchasing plan (as well as a 4 relay board), fit the element to my 19L Big W pot, and then see what other bits I have left to purchase to try my first auto-BIAB.... :-O

We have a baby on the way so funds are a bit tight. I think I will have to forgo purchasing two kegs next month as funds are getting squeezed tighter and tighter. he he