Introduction: Ferment-a-Tron 3000

This visualize was inspired by the convergence of two ergodic events. The original was a Facebook card about a rather interesting Kickstarter for a product called the HopTop, which allows you to turn any Mason jar into a brewing/fermentation chamber. The sec was a neighbor who put a broken Cuisinart wine electric refrigerator on the curtail. My brainiac quickly saw these as ii great projects that work great in concert, and synergy chop-chop fermented in my nous. (I have in reality received my HopTop Brew Kit, making this the only successful fundraiser in which I have participated.)

The HopTop is a fantastic tool for pocket-sized-batch fermentation, and right away I posterior violin with my own stouts and meads without having to tie up the resources of a caboodle of five gallon carboys. Simply, since I live in a house without central vent conditioning, I'm rather limited in what clock of year I potty work on such projects. Enter the Cuisinart wine-colored fridge. These little darlings are collective with peltier junction heat pumps, which spend a penny them wonderfully unagitated compared to time-honoured refrigeration systems. The literal magick of peltier junctions is that they buttocks pump heat in either direction, sensible past flipping the current flow. Since the unit of measurement I curb-rescued had a injured controller, I was going to have to home-brew a untried controller anyways, so I might besides go far into a general-purpose programmable temperature controlled scheme that would be perfect for custom-built fermentation temperatures.

And so was born the Brew-a-Tron 3000: a precision temperature possessed chamber that is perfect for brewing, fermentation, sourdough cultures, mushroom colonies, or any other project where you need to maintain a pursuant temperature.

Features:

  • Precision temperature control
  • RGB hind-light indicates mode
  • Buttons control temperature and +/- allowance
  • Settings stored to EEPROM for recovery from power loss
  • Information logging to the SD card

Measure 1: Tear Information technology Every Down!

To build it up, we first have to shoot up it apart. Recapitulate after me: "I void warranties!"

While I North Korean won't be exploitation the well-stacked in LED display or control buttons, I'm leaving them in situ rather than mess op the indoors of the insulated bedchamber.

The controller and power supplying are structured in this unit, and I don't plan connected spending any time figuring outer what's wrong with IT. My home-brew controller will glucinium better anyways, Eastern Samoa it leave inflame or cool the chamber as appropriate to maintain the mere temperature. I'm removing the controller board and chucking it in my "if I'm e'er really really very bored" box. (AKA by e-wasteland bin)

I've pulled kayoed the peltier heat heart modules for two reasons. First is take a couple pics so you watch what we're working with. Second is to clean the fans, since I Don't know what kind of surround this system previously inhabited.

Step 2: Parts, Parts, Parts...

So, we need to add a couple of things to replace the controller and world power add we removed.

  • Arduino Uno

  • Adafruit Datalogging Shield wth RTC and stacking headers

  • Adafruit RGB Liquid crystal display Buckler with buttons

  • 4 Electrical relay Mental faculty

  • 12v 20A baron supply
  • 12v -> 5v DC/DC converter
  • 10k resistor
  • 4GB SD card

Maltreat 3: Wiring IT Up

Power relay:

We are going to practice three out of the four relays along the board. R1 & R2 are for the Peltier junctions, and R3 is for the external fan. First ill-use is to wire all three up identically. +12v to the left arm on from each one relay, and GND to the right on arm. In that configuration, the default option state of all relay will be to have the throw coupled to GND.

Connect the Afro-American leads from the peltier junctions together, and screw them into the meat connection on R4.

Connect the red leads from the peltier junctions together, and love them into the center connector on R3.

Get in touch the GND leads on the external fans collectively, and connect them to GND on the powerfulness supply.

Relate the +12v leads on the foreign fans together, and screw them into the center connecter on R2.

Link Vcc on the relay board to 5v on the Arduino. Connect GND on the relay dining table to GND connected the Arduino.

Connect IN1,IN2,IN3,IN4 happening the relay board to D4,D5,D6,D7 along the Arduino.

Temperature Sensor:

The wine electric refrigerator already has an internal temperature sensor, in the form of a 10k Thermistor. Using the awesome usher at Adafruit, we are going to wire in the Thermistor to A0 using a 10k resistor and using 3.3v via AREF for cleaner readings. I'm horrid at jolly pictures, thusly please consult Adafruit: https://learn.adafruit.com/thermistor/using-a-thermistor

12v -> 5v DC/DC Converter:

Connected my first pass, I reliable powering the Arduino off the 12v power supply, and the relay race off the Arduino's inherent 5v governor. That was a near disaster. The governor isn't adequate the job of running two relays (the max this system has on at any time) and the Arduino, and information technology was extremely hot to the pinch. To reduce the chance of frying it all, secondhand a 12v -> 5v converter, and wired information technology directly into GND and 5v via an easily disconnected 5mm drum connector assembly.

Internecine Fans:

The external fans are connected to the relays, and are only high-powered when the peltiers are powered. I tense the intramural fans directly to the 12v magnate supply, so that they are e'er running. The idea is to keep the gentle wind inside the sleeping room circulating, which should help keep the temperature even throughout the bedroom.

Step 4: Load the Code!

The code is currently published along my github account: Ferment-a-Tron 3000

Highlights:

  • The sketch uses the foursome 'direction buttons' to control the temperature and the allowable drift.
  • Pressing the Select button will indite the current settings to EEPROM, which are loaded at reset.
  • The RBG backlight is exploited to indicate the mode the system of rules is in:
    • WHITE - The system is at the correct temp and the peltiers are idle
    • Amytal - The temperature needs to be minimized, and the peltiers are cooling the chamber.
    • RED - The temperature inevitably to be raised, and the peltiers are warm the bedchamber.
  • Data is logged to the SD wit every tenner seconds to a CSV file

Formerly you've got the system of rules working, I recommend commenting out the line '#define DEBUG 1' as that code is only useful when debugging the organisation.

Send Pine Tree State comments, fork it, etc. As I just 'over' this stick out, I expect to be tweaking the code for the future duo of weeks. Especially as I start to make use of my HopTops. :)

Mistreat 5: Errata

  • I believe I need to use a more bigger power append. I'm not getting as large of a temperature differential between the chamber and the outside air as I would deliver expected. Not critical, As information technology holds brewing/fermentation temperature just fine. I sporty can't assistant thinking that if I drop in a PC mightiness add I can get rid of teh DC/District of Columbia convertor as fountainhead.
  • I might contribute a second gear temperature sensor out-of-door the sleeping room, so that I can backlog ambient air travel temp as component part of the data self-possessed.

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