The Brauduino (Matho’s Controller) Build/Advice/Question Thread

[Mister Wilson]

Wrapped to finally have this in my hands.

I have not started on the 240v side of things but hit a little hurdle with the pump/heater LEDs. I have the buttons all connected but when I start up via USB the pump LED lights up fine but the heater one doesn't light up despite it registering on the screen.

I swapped the LEDs around just to rule out a faulty LED and the red one lit up when I was pushing the pump button. So it doesn't seem to be an LED problem just wonder if the board has some sort of fault or if there is something else that can be done.

 

[SBOB]

I have the buttons all connected but when I start up via USB the pump LED lights up fine but the heater one doesn't light up despite it registering on the screen.

my led's didn't work first time as I hadn't pushed them in far enough. The heater one was getting slightly caught on the board above meaning it didn't connect properly (I had already mounted the board to the front panel making plugging them in a little harder than it should have been)

 

[Kingy]

I had the same problem with mine as I didn't want to force them on. Fixed the problem by pushing them right in.
I'm only new to these things but playing around in the mash step profiles I can't seem to set the temp lower than 68degrees but I'm sure it's operater error.

 

[lespaul]

First up, I have no idea about electronics/electrics, but I'm planning on wiring this up and then getting a qualified sparky to check it... Learning experience

Just sat down to have a crack and it was over before it began... Only 3 hex screws.

So I'm going down to alronics to get some more, but while I'm down there I was going to get some lugs. http://www.altronics.com.au/p/h1991a-red-4.8mm-female-spade-crimp-pk-10/. Do these look like the right ones to be getting?

Do I just need 2, one for each of the SSRs for grounding?

Also I have some "2&e tps" wire, but it's 4mm. Will only have 10a running (single 2400w element and pump). No good?

Rookie question I'm sure, but thanks for the help!!!!

 

[SBOB]

http://www.altronics.com.au/p/h1991a-red-4.8mm-female-spade-crimp-pk-10/. Do these look like the right ones to be getting?

Do I just need 2, one for each of the SSRs for grounding?

depends how you wire it, but at a minimum you are going to need (in total) 15 4.8mm terminals
BUT
depending on wire thickness and how you join each terminal the 'size' of the terminal might vary

e.g. those red ones you linked will take a 0.75-1mm cable. Definitely on the low side for what I would be using for a permanent install like in this box (especially for 10A which is likely what the heater will be drawing)

You are more likely going to need the blue size (takes a 1.5-2.5mm cable), but for those terminals requiring two wires (like grounds where you are looping) or the main power in where you might want to branch it off to two locations you will need to look for the yellow terminals as they will take a wire size of ~4.5mm (or two of the 1.5-2mm cables twisted together)

The SSRs and 12V transformer can be wired without terminals if need be by claming the bare wire under the screw down terminals

 

[lespaul]

thanks for the quick reply!

ok so tomorrow ill get:
2 x http://www.altronics.com.au/p/h1851-red-4.8mm-male-spade-crimp-pk-10/
for each of the power inlet and outlets

and for the SSR ground ill need 2 ring crimps
http://www.altronics.com.au/p/h1825-yellow-8mm-ring-crimp-pk-10/

And ill just ditch the 4mm cable i have and get new 2mm (edit: ill get 2.5mm, they dont make 2 :lol: )

with regards to heatshrink, is it advisable to just put the heatshrink on the wire but not heat it yet until the sparky has checked it?
something like this will be OK on the terminals: http://www.altronics.com.au/p/t2480-iroda-micro-therm-mj-600-gas-flameless-heat-gun/

 

[SBOB]

thanks for the quick reply!

ok so tomorrow ill get:
2 x http://www.altronics.com.au/p/h1851-red-4.8mm-male-spade-crimp-pk-10/
for each of the power inlet and outlets

Wrong type...you need the female spade connectors
and they will only work for those terminals with a single wire going in
For the ones where you need to branch two wires out you will need the yellow coloured ones
Look at zwitters document for some images (or use my image in the previous page if you want to see one slightly less well done)

and for the SSR ground ill need 2 ring crimps
http://www.altronics.com.au/p/h1825-yellow-8mm-ring-crimp-pk-10/

Might struggle getting the ring ones in place due to the tight spacing. I used the U shaped spade connectors as these dont have to line up with the hole exactly and can be more easily bent 90 degrees

with regards to heatshrink, is it advisable to just put the heatshrink on the wire but not heat it yet until the sparky has checked it?
something like this will be OK on the terminals: http://www.altronics...eless-heat-gun/

Personally I dont think there is any need for any heatshrink as the terminals are covering any exposed areas of the cable (and the box should never be powered on when opened anyway)

 

[bigmacthepunker]

Wrapped to finally have this in my hands.

I have not started on the 240v side of things but hit a little hurdle with the pump/heater LEDs. I have the buttons all connected but when I start up via USB the pump LED lights up fine but the heater one doesn't light up despite it registering on the screen.

I swapped the LEDs around just to rule out a faulty LED and the red one lit up when I was pushing the pump button. So it doesn't seem to be an LED problem just wonder if the board has some sort of fault or if there is something else that can be done.

Hi Mister,
The heat LED doesn't work if the temp of the probe is higher than the set temp, I have realised. I hope that this fixes your problem.
Cheers
Bigmacthepunker

 

[Ferg]

Also, I am interested to see how everyone plans to do their plumbing including the output to a tap and if you will restrict the flow out of the pump back to the malt pipe as full flow may be too much. Please post your ideas / thoughts / drawings / pics of your setup.

Beers

Croz

This is what I went with. Everything is hard plumbed in with the pump detachable from the skin fittings via the union fittings.
The three way ball valve allows the pump to be primed (although in reality its not really needed) and also for the wort to be pumped out at the end. As I am using a plate chiller it allows me to pump through that if I wanted and also then to recirculate some cleaning solution later on. It also mean I don't have to add another ball valve on the side of the pot (in theory).

A few things I have discovered; the angle between the inlet and outlet of the pump is not 90 degrees, its more like 95 which puts the whole thing on the piss. It still sealed up properly though. You need to make sure you get a port T type ball valve as the L type will not work....

As an aside, on the wort side of my plate chiller I want to add some of the stainless quick connects from keg king (http://kegking.com.au/misc-plumbing-fittings/quick-connects.html). Does anyone know if they are compatible with the standard garden hose fittings? Ideally I would like to be able to swap over so I can back flush with the garden hose if I need to.

# This post probably belongs more in the next gen thread..

 

[zwitter]

Hi Mister,
The heat LED doesn't work if the temp of the probe is higher than the set temp, I have realised. I hope that this fixes your problem.
Cheers
Bigmacthepunker

Absolutely correct, think this is in my document, caught me out too, a long time ago.
Zwitter


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[zwitter]

A few comments
Les Paul
Insulated crimp terminals do not need heatshrink.
For the SSRs I think the space is a bit tight for crimp terminals and twisting the strands then make a U shape and tighten down well. the U should go both sides of the screw so it calmps down flat if on one side the joint will not be as good.

The 4.8mm crimps will need a little squishing to get a good connection.
For the ground on the SSRs and heatsink you can use the ring type terminals. then bend them, tight but will fit.

4mm will be too hard to work with and over kill for this project. The SSRs can switch 40A but the rest is not up to that current.

Mister Wilson
What is the temp set to in manual mode? As the element does not turn on if the target temp is already reached. Did you run the setup and enter some values etc? Do you have anything plugged in to the temp output of the board?

Lael and I have done some videos and they should answer some questions.

zwitter

 

[lespaul]

Spent so long focusing on blue/red I linked the wrong male version haha got it though.
Thanks for the feedback guys. Ordered an automatic wire stripper and crimper off eBay, so I'll have to wait for that sucker to arrive. Hopefully well have some videos by then

 

[LiquidCurrency]

I don't have my kit at the moment but are those things fully bonded together, if not, is it possible to replace the coloured part?

Have ordered a few on eBay. Only $1 ea

 

[LiquidCurrency]

I had the same problem with mine as I didn't want to force them on. Fixed the problem by pushing them right in.
I'm only new to these things but playing around in the mash step profiles I can't seem to set the temp lower than 68degrees but I'm sure it's operater error.

Have you changed it to Celsius from F?

 

[LiquidCurrency]

Still need to point to point test but pretty much done!

 

[real_beer]

.

 

[SBOB]

Still need to point to point test but pretty much done!

ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1447032013.957051.jpg

ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1447032061.873080.jpg

nice work
what size/types of cables are they for the 240v side?

 

[Mister Wilson]

Thanks for the help guys.

Been tied up with kids and work since hitting the hurdle but hopefully get back to it later this week.

 

[LiquidCurrency]

You will get away with using 1.5mm on a 2000w element however I've used 2.5mm on the 240 side as it will cope with higher current if i decide to use a larger element on a different system in the future.
The plugs and SSR's are also rated to 20A so in theory you should be able to drive up to a 4800w element (x2 for each relay) providing you have a 20A supply at your socket outlet.
PS. I tend to over-engineer things, it's a bad habit of mine.

 

[LiquidCurrency]

Don't forget all your earths MUST measure <1 ohm back to the plug.

 

[lespaul]

When you just use a larger wire to get the maximum capacity the unit has to offer, does seem over engineered... Seems pretty logical to me!

 

[SBOB]

You will get away with using 1.5mm on a 2000w element however I've used 2.5mm on the 240 side as it will cope with higher current if i decide to use a larger element on a different system in the future.

PS. I tend to over-engineer things, it's a bad habit of mine.

nothing wrong with that, the plugs are rated to 20A so makes sense to wire internally for 15-20A use in the future so that should that day ever come you dont need to rewire it

Looking at yours, I'm wishing I had used slightly more flexible 2.5mm cabling (i just used some tps+earth I had lying around which made neatly bending/routing the cables a bit trickier)

 

[LiquidCurrency]

nothing wrong with that, the plugs are rated to 20A so makes sense to wire internally for 15-20A use in the future so that should that day ever come you dont need to rewire it

Looking at yours, I'm wishing I had used slightly more flexible 2.5mm cabling (i just used some tps+earth I had lying around which made neatly bending/routing the cables a bit trickier)

Yea I thought about using that too. The 2.5 TPS is nice and rigid in that it bends and sets neatly and stays that way.
I did use it on the pump relay too which, even for flex, i found a bit rigid for the plug at the board. Just need to be delicate with it when opening.

 

[zwitter]

Hi Liquidcurrency
Quote"
Yea I thought about using that too. The 2.5 TPS is nice and rigid in that it bends and sets neatly and stays that way.
I did use it on the pump relay too which, even for flex, i found a bit rigid for the plug at the board. Just need to be delicate with it when opening."

The Pump circuit in the Brauduino is a relay so a mechanical switch with contacts rated at 5A. The reason for using a relay and not an SSR is that the SSRs only switch AC power and do not work with DC power. So any one using the LBP on 12 volts can still use our controller.

If you plug even a 2000W element into the pump outlet and switch the relay on you may well burn the relay contacts. The relay can be replaced but not a good idea.

2.5 wire (from twin and earth TPS) is really not suitable for the connection to the little green connector to the relay. if you see the photos of mine you will see I used thinner flexible 240v wire as you would find in a power cord from any electrical device. the flex will save risking the plug coming off or putting strain on the PCB.

the 5A on the relay will switch power for march 809, Chugger etc on 240v and also if wired for 12v will switch power for LBP etc. If anyone needs assistance to wire for 12v pump then let me know and will provide information.

zwitter

 

[ramu_gupta]

If anyone needs assistance to wire for 12v pump then let me know and will provide information.

zwitter

Hey zwitter

Would appreciate some information about best practice for wiring up a LBP.

 

[Ferg]

Still need to point to point test but pretty much done!

ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1447032013.957051.jpg

ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1447032061.873080.jpg

That's some tidy wiring! What did you use to loop the ssrs on the 12v side?

 

[SBOB]

Hey zwitter

Would appreciate some information about best practice for wiring up a LBP.

The switching of the pump power is done via the relay on the board (connecting the left to the right side of the plug connection on the board for the pump). If you want to wire the pump outlet to be only 12V then wiring only 12 V through this will provide you with a switched 12V source you can use for the LBP

The following should be taken with whatever grains of salt you feel comfortable with, with respect to getting advice of a random person on a forum regarding electrical work:
Assuming you want to connect it using the same plug/sockets on the back, you could do the following (I'm assuming the 12V transformer is capable of running the LBP, I'm sure Zwitter will clarify if it isnt)

For the socket you are going to use for the pump outlet from the box:
- Wire the N to the -ve output from the 12V transformer (12v side)
- Wire the L to the right output of the pump connector/relay on the board
- Wire the Ground as normal (though I dont think the LBP has a ground/earth connector)

- Wire the +ve from the 12V transformer (12v side) to the left output of the pump connector/relay on the board

Now when the pump is called to run the pump relay will switch/activate and 12V will be present on that socket.

Wire the plug to suit (N to the -, L to the + ) using whatever external cabling you feel suitable for the LBP. for the LBP however you intend to wire it)

 

[SBOB]

That's some tidy wiring! What did you use to loop the ssrs on the 12v side?

if you look at the board side image you will see that they have taken two wires out of each of the +/- connectors on the heater plug.
Then each wire is run into one of the +/- connectors on the SSRs (so technically there is no loop as each is being driven/switched directly from the board)

 

[LiquidCurrency]

if you look at the board side image you will see that they have taken two wires out of each of the +/- connectors on the heater plug.
Then each wire is run into one of the +/- connectors on the SSRs (so technically there is no loop as each is being driven/switched directly from the board)

That's true. I decided not to loop at the SSR's, and to run pair for each relay. Not sure why, I think I just found it neater.
I prefer not to loop too much. Continuous looping can cause over loading on the cable at the start of the loop circuit, would take a fair few SSR's to do this however.

 

[zwitter]

Hi ramu_gupta

SBOB has described the correct way but is a little confusing.
Basically the realy on the PCB is just a switch. When on the two terminals are connected together. The power supply (it is not a transformer) is rated to deliver 2Amps. The PCB and arduino Mega and driving the SSRs etc uses only a fraction of that. The LBP says it draws 0.67 amps so should be fine using the internal supply. Would probably drive 2x LBPs but would need to be mindful that the extra draw will create additional heat in the controller.

You can use the pump socket supplied and use the active and neutral pins. Then it is just a matter getting polarity correct. V- to the pump socket, V+ to the relay plug and other side of relay plug to the other pin of the pump socket.

I would still connect the earth to the socket and to any metal of the pump as appropriate.

Or can add additional socket if you can find the space on the back of the controller.

Zwitter


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