Braumeister NEXTGEN Build

[kelbygreen]

is that for your 140lt pot you got ages ago tony??? or have you got another one since?

 

[Edak]

Ooooooo :huh:

Can you please put up the dimentions (H x Dia) of that pot please.

It looks like it could make a good malt pipe for my build

Top edge (diameter) = 420mm
Bottom Edge (diameter) = 390mm
Height = 395mm

They had HEAPS of pots there, both Al and SS.
SS pots in this cheap range included 20L 36L 50L 70L and something larger. There were also lower profile pots, but these aren't really suitable. There was also a one-of-a-kind 20L thinner taller pot, which I was keen to get but it was poorly finished. When I asked to look at the 50L pot (they are on te top shelf so you ask for a ladder) he asked immediately "for homebrew?" and said that this is common for 50L.

The pizza plate seems quite rigid, I would have some (limited) trouble deforming it by hand, I am more concerned about the hole distribution and it is quite thin.


My dad left his angle grinder here last time he was around so I might pick up a flap disc if that is what I need... I have never used an angle grinder though.

Hey LukeC, I like your keggle, I was going to use my keggle (you see it in the back of the photo) but decided against it because of the comments on here.


Where is everyone getting the center rod from? The only ones I have seen are the zinc plated ones at Bunnings and I didn't think that this would be suitable.

Other equipment I have (for comment):
* keg-king green mag pump
* SS Skin fittings
* All electronics including a new 20x4 LCD (damn right! No cramming stuff on that tiny little screen!)

I read about making custom panels for electronic projects by printing onto transparency film. This allows you to get nice sharp edges and neat logo, marking and LCD "bezel".

 

[Tony]

Its only 92L but im thinking of getting a fully custom "vessle" made with a nice rigid 3mm plate SS base.

Something i can drill and tap

Most of the 50L pots i have found on ebay are 400 x 400mm and i want a tube closer to 350mm dia and 5oo high..... and i can get one custom made for about $100

 

[Edak]

Hi everyone,



Ive been watching this thread with great interest for ages and decided to contribute some pics of my build so far.

The only things now are the element, which im having professionaly bent for a perfect fit and the march pump which will be installed tomorrow.

Hey LukeC,

What are you using as the filter plate there? It looks similar to what I have, but is a different colour.. does it have a non-stick coating or something?

 

[lukec]

Hey LukeC,

What are you using as the filter plate there? It looks similar to what I have, but is a different colour.. does it have a non-stick coating or something?

I hey edak, I have some spare stainless allthread you can have for nothing if you like.The filter is a pizza tray cut down. Not sure if I will use it or not yet.

 

[keifer33]

These guys have threaded rod in various M sizes quite cheap. Found heaps in 1m and 0.5m lengths that are willing to post to australia.

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Bolt-Store

 

[Edak]

I hey edak, I have some spare stainless allthread you can have for nothing if you like.The filter is a pizza tray cut down. Not sure if I will use it or not yet.

That's really kind of you Luke. What dimensions has the rod (thread size and length)? How would I get it from you?

That eBay store was really cheap so I wouldn't want to inconvenience either of us.

 

[lukec]

Size is M10, length is what ever you like up to 2.7m, I'm a plumber and we use it at work. I work in cbd and live in Yarra Valley. No stress f you don't want it though.

 

[Edak]

Size is M10, length is what ever you like up to 2.7m, I'm a plumber and we use it at work. I work in cbd and live in Yarra Valley. No stress f you don't want it though.

It's an awesome offer and thank you but I think Burwood is a little out of the way I am guessing that I will start with about 500mm and work down from there.

 

[Smokomark]

That's really kind of you Luke. What dimensions has the rod (thread size and length)? How would I get it from you?

That eBay store was really cheap so I wouldn't want to inconvenience either of us.

I just went to the local nut and bolt store ( capalaba ) this arvo and purchased 1 metre length of 10mm SS threaded rod for $9.50

 

[Edak]

I just went to the local nut and bolt store ( capalaba ) this arvo and purchased 1 metre length of 10mm SS threaded rod for $9.50

Nut and bolt store? I have looked at all hardware stores near me and can't find any. Will try that mob on eBay I guess..

 

[matho]

you could always try all things stainless, I have never dealt with them so I don't know what they are like but they do have Australian wide delivery

 

[matho]

there is also coventry fasteners give them a call to see

 

[Florian]

Has anyone thought about designing a hop feeder yet?

I'd like to automate my system as much as possible, a hop feeder would mean that I only need to attend once during the process to lift the malt pipe (automated PID controlled winch anyone?).

After looking at this (scroll down a few posts for hop feeder pics) I had a look if I could find something similar pre made, but all I could find were automated fish feeders, which require one unit for each addition, and it also means that you have to wait until the boil starts and then program each one individually, not worth the hassle.

Would it be easy to hook them up to the controller though? That could be an option.

I like the feeder from the German dude, but he boils with the lid on and only a small vent pipe which I can't say I'm a fan of (although he now has incorporated a foam detector in the lid which turns the element of for 30 seconds or so until the foam has gone back down).

Anyway, has anyone else given this a bit of thought?

 

[benno1973]

There's a great video somewhere of Zizzle's modified servos as hop dispensers. Hang on, here it is...

There's also another one of a guy who built one on a 360 degree servo, can't remember the specifics, but it had a bunch of pvc pipes that he filled with hops for each addition, and the pipes all sat on a disc with a single outlet dropper which sat on the servo. The servo rotated 60 degrees putting one of the hop pipes above the dropper and the hops would fall into the boil. Another 60 deg and the next addition, and so on. That's a really bad explanation though, it's much clearer in my head

 

[DJR]

If you are going to do an automated hop dropper a screw-in-pipe (auger feed) design I reckon is the way to go....

Something like a wide diameter auger drill bit attached to a servo motor, stuck into some PVC pipe. Load the hops into a screw or two of the auger bit, then the second addition a few screw turns up and then program the servo to do a few revs of the auger bit when required. Put the end of the PVC pipe close to the edge of the boiling wort so it can drop in easily

If you look at a modern vending machine it is the same concept and pet food dispensers are similar too

Not sure whereabouts you'd find a cheap plastic auger piece though, you might be able to make one out of lots of short pieces of wood with a central rod, or some ally sheet cut into round sections and some pop rivets or JB weld to bond sections together into a long screw piece wrapped around a rod of some sort

Or... you could just visit the boiling wort two or three times to add your hops manually

 

[DJR]

I like the feeder from the German dude, but he boils with the lid on and only a small vent pipe which I can't say I'm a fan of (although he now has incorporated a foam detector in the lid which turns the element of for 30 seconds or so until the foam has gone back down).

Anyway, has anyone else given this a bit of thought?

You'd probably need to think about either turning off the element for a little bit before adding your hops and then start the element again, or just remember to always use anti-foam in your production process to stop boilovers. If you are controlling the hop dropper and the element in the same controller then turning off the element for a little bit while adding hops and allowing some heat to release (not sure how long, maybe only 15-30 secs would be enough) would probably stop most of the boilover problem

 

[NickB]

Suppose it really depends on what size kettle you're running what sized batch in.... No worries if it's a 90L kettle with 60L in it. I suppose though that we're really talking 'all-in-one' breweries, so the batch size will be almost max relative to the kettle size used...


I would definitely look at an oversized kettle if thinking of automated hop additions for the above mentioned boil over reasons though. Depends on price I reckon...

Cheers

 

[Zizzle]

Ah, one of my favourite topics

For my original brewbot I used a design like the german one (actually inspired by ArnieW and his Herman).



As you can see I had to put the lot in a plastic box. There is a computer fan at the back that pressurises the box.

Without that the hops would swell with the steam from the boil and not go down the chute reliably.

The other problem with that design is that you lose an unpredictable amount to the pellets coming apart, turning into powder and coming out between the gap at the bottom of the tubes.

As for the newer design that Kaiser posted, I wanted something quick to build for the design contest, a little more compact, that avoided the steam issue and the hop powder issue. I noticed that you can get micro servos on ebay for under $2 each delivered, so got a bunch of those.

They are a bit underpowered for the job and pretty fragile, but have worked reliably despite some rough handling: the brewbot has been fedexed to California, driven to Texas and "professionally" moved to Colorado.

Never had any boil over problem with any of my brewbot designs.

There is a third design that my good mate Brad back on the Gold Coast put together for his brew machine. It's basically a 6cm wide rubber belt around 2 pulleys. Cups are bolted to the belt - like a conveyor. One end hangs over the kettle. Each cup turns upside down as it goes over the pulley.

One problem with hop droppers is just that they get in the way. Now if you have an angled chute so the droppers aren't directly over the kettle then you have problems with the hops not rolling down or coming apart in the chute. The chute of course will like to form a lot of condensation causing hops to stick. Similarly if you have any mechanism over the boil it will cause condensation drip, so you want to be careful about what it is made of.

With the latest brewbot design, the hop dropper cups are angled such that their lowest point is outside the perimeter of the kettle. So the drips don't end up in the beer.

But I would also consider a design where there is mechanism to have the droppers mounted out of the way and move over the boil just before each drop.

 

[dkaos]

Hi everyone,



Ive been watching this thread with great interest for ages and decided to contribute some pics of my build so far.

The only things now are the element, which im having professionaly bent for a perfect fit and the march pump which will be installed tomorrow.

Hi Luke,
How did you go with the element and the March pump getting fitted? I'll be using a keg to make my BM as well, so if you could show pics of the malt pipe seal that would be gold.

Cheers,

Clint