iSpindel Digital Hydrometer

[bee2gee]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

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]

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]

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]

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]

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