Arts and crafts on a stormy day

Hér má ræða allt er viðkemur græjum til gerjunar. Segðu okkur frá skemmtilegri heimasmíði (DIY) eða áhugaverðum tækjum sem þú rakst á eða fékkst þér.
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karlp
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Joined: 8. May 2009 00:27

Arts and crafts on a stormy day

Post by karlp »

Got the brew pot connected last week, today, a nice "stay at home" day, I put the control box together. Currently running unmodified firmware on the STC1000, but it's had a programming header soldered on, so I'll probably put the "plus" firmware on at a later date. (enable step mashing and get alarms for hops and all that sort of thing) Realised a bit late in the day that I didn't have suitable sockets to make the sensor probes detachable, will do that "later" Pretty happy with it in the end, though it was a bit tight getting both outlets mounted in the side wall, and "cheap tools are cheap" always sucks a bit...

STC1000 from brew.is, most of the rest from Johann Rönning. No PID, Don't really see the point when it's not a HERMS/RIMs setup. Driving a 2800 W element, so a bit out of spec for the STC1000, but should hopefully be ok, given that I'm not trying to drive it on and off all the time like a PID controller.
bottom inside
bottom inside
top inside
top inside
(Planning on RCA female sockets for the sensor probes here, but realized a bit late I didn't have them)
top outside
top outside
living breathing
living breathing
on tap: Nothing! new beer fridge in planning
gassing/maturing: bad beers growing up to maybe be good beers
Fermenting: nothing!
HKellE
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Joined: 28. Dec 2013 12:32

Re: Arts and crafts on a stormy day

Post by HKellE »

No PID, Don't really see the point when it's not a HERMS/RIMs setup.
So you will be on/off controlling the temperature? Are you doing BIAB in a single pot?

I have that setup, but with a circulation pump as well.

I find that the "inertia" of all that mass of water requires PID control
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karlp
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Re: Arts and crafts on a stormy day

Post by karlp »

HKellE wrote:I find that the "inertia" of all that mass of water requires PID control
Yeah, plan is BIAB, single pot. Guess I'll find out :) If I'm insulating the pot (soon!) I don't see a lot of difference vs my old separate mash tun and water just raised to a set point and dumped into the mash tun. PID is just on off too, just that some of the terms are non-zero ;)
on tap: Nothing! new beer fridge in planning
gassing/maturing: bad beers growing up to maybe be good beers
Fermenting: nothing!
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karlp
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Posts: 305
Joined: 8. May 2009 00:27

Re: Arts and crafts on a stormy day

Post by karlp »

So, first thoughts after it's first road trip...
  • The stock STC1000 firmware is (predictably) not very useful for maintaining a boil at less than 100%. No surprise there. Will have to poke the sct1000plus firmware a bit
  • The pot will absolutely need some insulation around it. Mash temps were... not super stable.
  • The 2800W element is more than enough to keep up a good boil, so much more boiling power than my old stovetop setup!
  • Holyshit, this makes a lot of steam
  • No really, wow. we're not doing this in this room without a fan again!
  • Just because your new pot has a tap, doesn't mean you don't need to strain it, or use a hop bag, or something.
On top of adventures with the new brew systems, this was also the first brew in the new house, so adventures with water and fittings and paths to clean things without dripping all over the floor. Anyway, successfully ended up with 21L of 1.046, and lost a litre or so down the drain in some straining adventures, so pretty happy with it as a first run. (Works out to around 64% efficiency, vs 65% on the old setup, but with way way worse mash temp control, so should be better down the road)

Planning a few changes for next time.... but still happy and successful!
tiny steamy brew room
tiny steamy brew room
on tap: Nothing! new beer fridge in planning
gassing/maturing: bad beers growing up to maybe be good beers
Fermenting: nothing!
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