Particle Photon (as used in Brewpi controller)

[Tex N Oz]

This buy is pretty much for the techno-geeks. I'm going to make some Brewpi Spark controllers and was going to order the brains and build the rest myself.

My design idea is to build a version of this http://www.brewpi.com/introducing-brewpi-spark/ without the touch screen, fancy case and associated crap.
I'll start a build thread when the parts come in.

I was about to order some Particle Photon boards from https://store.particle.io and realized the shipping was $31 AUD for 1 board the size of a large postage stamp that in itself is only $26 AUD each.
If anyone else wishes to delve into the realms of high tech and wants to own a Photon without the heavy shipping charges, sign up here and we'll get some rolling.
If we get 10 or more, the shipping drops to $3.70 each board. However, whatever the shipping charges, they'll get divided up to each controller purchased.
I'm happy to post them out from here to anywhere in Oz for postage costs which will be ~$2AUD for your order or you can pick up here in Sydney's Hills district.

There's no minimum but the more the merrier. Order is being placed on the 12/01/16 (next Tuesday)

 

[SBOB]

possibly interested

You planning on using it for relay control also, or just monitoring?
Planning to combine it with a PC or a rasberry pi to provide the web server interface?

 

[Tex N Oz]

possibly interested

You planning on using it for relay control also, or just monitoring?
Planning to combine it with a PC or a rasberry pi to provide the web server interface?

I'll be running it for both control and monitoring. I've already got a handful of RPis so I'll probably stick with them for webservice.
That whole $150 AUD board can easily be built with a $10 mosfet breakout board and a $3 dc-dc power supply board.
I'm happy to forgo the touch TFT, fancy case, alarm buzzer and RJ11/12 connections.

 

[mr_wibble]

I had a quick read of the photon example code.

It basically looks Arduino C-like, but with some internet-kruft in there.

Can you connect directly to the photon? All their example code proxies though "api.particle.io" to do anything (so tough-******* if you or that server is offline). Seems a bit of a naff way to communicate in that respect. If you can connect directly to the board, then no problem, but I can't see that in the example code.

While we're on (or off) the subject, the $5 "HC-05" bluetooth boards are an easy wireless way to talk to your project. With an Arduino, just connect the HC-05 Tx/Rx to Arduino Rx/Tx and your Serial.print()s are just be bluetooth streamed, it's very simple.

 

[Tex N Oz]

I had a quick read of the photon example code.

It basically looks Arduino C-like, but with some internet-kruft in there.

Can you connect directly to the photon? All their example code proxies though "api.particle.io" to do anything (so tough-******* if you or that server is offline). Seems a bit of a naff way to communicate in that respect. If you can connect directly to the board, then no problem, but I can't see that in the example code.

While we're on (or off) the subject, the $5 "HC-05" bluetooth boards are an easy wireless way to talk to your project. With an Arduino, just connect the HC-05 Tx/Rx to Arduino Rx/Tx and your Serial.print()s are just be bluetooth streamed, it's very simple.

I haven't visited the github site for the Brewpi Spark coding as of yet. I believe it communicates exactly in the same way the pi/arduino based setup did. The pi is just the webserver and programming interface for the Photon. Once programmed it's stand-alone. The pi and Photon interface through the mini-usb port on the particle module dev board, however, I'm not sure the wifi of the Photon is being used in the existing code unless it's the comms interface to the pi. I'll have a look at the code soon.
I'm not too keen to re-invent their code because I do know it's a dozen programmers working on it. I'm more keen to adapt the hardware to their software as it's all open-source. I am a bit disappointed that they've abandoned the AVR controller so quickly as there are thousands of purchased boards out there. I'm not sure if they are truly expanding the tech or if it's a good reason for a tax hike (cashing in).

All the Photon code is at https://github.com/BrewPi/firmware
Make sure you're linked to the master to get what's distributed. All the code for everything is there.

 

[SBOB]

Gonna skip on this

My nerd wish list is just logging/graphing/remote monitoring of fermentation fridge so a raspberry pi (need to buy regardless) + Arduino Uno (already have) will tick that box (http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=466106)

The extra memory and wireless of this doesn't seem to add anything to this solution for what I want.

Interested to monitor your build thread though

 

[Tex N Oz]

Gonna skip on this
My nerd wish list is just logging/graphing/remote monitoring of fermentation fridge so a raspberry pi (need to buy regardless) + Arduino Uno (already have) will tick that box (http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=466106)

The extra memory and wireless of this doesn't seem to add anything to this solution for what I want.

Interested to monitor your build thread though

I've just finished making a 3 chamber raspberry Pi/Ardiuno Uno (x3) and it required a huge amount of rework to make happen with the latest code.
If anyone is interested I'm happy to make a thread on that. The old set of instructions don't work to make this build. I've also gotten a SD card image and HEX file for the arduinos so if someone wants.



edit: included photo

 

[SBOB]

I got a single probe set up done the other week without 'too' much hassle.. Once knowing that I needed to go down the legacy path, and had to flash the arduino direct from my mac (easier than trying to get the raspberry pi to see it)..
just waiting on the temperature probes to arrive from China..

+ would be interested to see how you got a multi-chamber setup working, so please do post a thread detailing what/how you did it

 

[lael]

Sounds awesome! What did you do?

 

[Tex N Oz]

I've got the Multi-chamber thread started here if anyone wants to have a look.