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Eakins 16MP 1K/2K/4K Industrial Microscope Review

Weary eyes

As Moore’s law marches on, the size of electronic discrete components gets smaller and smaller. Add to that the unrelenting march of the sands of time, my vision is becoming more long sighted which makes it difficult to focus clearly on things close up. Its time for a decent industrial microscope…

Research

I went through a plethora of youtube videos and blog reviews of various digital microscopes including Dave Jones’ review of the DIYINHK unit and his Tagarno whizbang unit. It got me thinking, what if I could spec a unit that could do pretty much what the Tagarno could do but without the pricetag?

Budget

I set aside a budget of between AUD$200 and AUD$400. I want the best value for my money here. It would be nice to have this thing working for at least 5-10 years.

Requirements

It was clear, I need:

  • HDMI output to an external monitor, at least 1080p, ideally 60fps
  • USB output in the event I want to utilise a PC for analysis
  • Storage to an flash device to take photos/videos of work for clients, especially electronic forensic work
  • A decent and usable focal range without ridiculous magnification
  • A sturdy stand with a large enough work area or at least a stand that can be modified
  • A large enough working distance
  • Auto-focus, but not not really required…

Candidate

Enter the Eakins 16MP 1080p 60fps unit. Its a bit annoying that they don’t have a model number for this package.

What the package comes with:

  • 1 x Camera
  • 1 x Power supply(EU/AU)
  • 1 x 180X/300X Zoom C-mount Lens
  • 1 x Camera Big Stand
  • 1 x 144 LED Ring Light
  • 1 x HDMI cable

The Camera’s Specifications:

  • Sensor: 1 / 2.33 inch Panasonic 16 million pixel CMOS sensor
  • Pixel size: 1.335 μm × 1.335 μm
  • HDMI output: 1920 * 1080 60 frames, 2K at 25 frames, 4K at 25 frames
  • USB output: 1920 * 1080/30 1280 * 720/30 640 * 480/30 320 * 240/30 (MJPG)
  • Lens Interface: C / CS
  • Exposure: Auto / Manual
  • Exposure compensation: support
  • White balance: automatic / manual, support RGB adjustable
  • Storage: Maximum support 64GB
  • Input voltage: “DC 5V-12V
  • Scribe line support 8 lines, color, thickness and position adjustable
  • Centerline: support
  • Menu Language: English / Chinese
  • Remote control: support remote control operation
  • Net weight: 250 grams
  • Gross weight: 450 grams
  • Product Size: 66 * 66 * 49mm
  • Packing size: 145 * 130 * 70mm

The lens I chose was the 180x version:

  • Type C-MOUNT Lens
  • Working distance: 95mm
  • Zoom c-mount Lens 0.5X C-mount adapter
  • Zoom ratios: 6.5:1
  • Objective Magnification Power by 0.7 – 4.5X(about 10 – 180X/300X on the display)
  • Size: 180mm(L) * 50mm(DIA)

The light source they supplied:

  • 144 bright white LED bulbs
  • 100,000 hours of life
  • The brightness of 0-100% Adjustable brightness
  • Power input: 100-240V, 50-60HZ

My setup

I decided I would wall mount the 24″ monitor and place the microscope smack bang in the middle of the work area.

I lay glass over the nice benchtops then sat the rig ontop of that.

First Impressions

Out of the box things feel solid. Indeed the display is 1080p at 60fps. I also found that through the menu, you can select 2K and 4K at 25fps!! Although I prefer the 1K at 60fps (fast).

The unit powers up and displays an image from cold start within 10 seconds.

The focal distance adjuster is of good quality however the fine focus adjustment rack is a bit grainy towards each end. Perhaps this could be fixed with some shims?

 Modifications

The power supplies that came with the kit were crap so I made my own loom and supply, attached it to the back of the wall mounted monitor so now I can turn the microscope on and off from one switch on the wall.

Summary

Apart from some general issues with the quality of the plugpacks/power supplies they shipped and the slight “grainyness” of the fine focus adjustment, the image quality is excellent if you keep the light balance right.

Well worth the purchase. It has become an invaluable part of my lab and I dont know how I was able to function without it in the first place.

Purchase

I recommend you purchase this microscope from the official Aliexpress “Eakins Micscope Store”. I have an affiliate link below which helps me out at no extra cost to you. Rest assured they will ship a genuine unit with a real Panasonic sensor.

http://ali.pub/2agr2z

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DIY Tandoori Oven

Tandoori Fired Meats

Need I say more? There is something absolutely wonderful about meats cooked on skewers in a tandoori oven. The high cooking temperatures (technically unachievable by most domestic ovens), coupled with the smoke of fats and liquids falling onto glowing charcoal makes for an amazing culinary experience.

Before I built my own, I used to frequent the restaurants that had their own tandoors. Most would be gas (propane) fired and not have that charcoal fired aroma.

Then I decided, how hard could it be? I noticed a whole bunch of videos on youtube and decided to harvest the best of the knowledge and insights and design and build my own.

My requirements

I noticed a lot of diy tandoors online were either too small, too inefficient or they were too large, heavy and fixed in place.

I decided I want:

  •  decent size where I can cook for 5-10 people
  • Efficiency with minimal heat loss
  • Safe materials (avoiding zinc plating and lead containing chinese terracotta pots)
  • Portability (low weight, low height, on wheels etc). I want to be able to transport to the homes of friends and family when required.

The Design (Tandoor meats technology)

I decided that the ultimate package for the tandoor is a 44 gallon drum and not zinc plated garbage cans.

I would use a terracotta liner but one fired from virgin clay and definitely not glazed.

The insulation would be lightweight, cost effective and efficient.

So here was the shortlist of materials:

  • A 44 gallon drum that was NOT used to hold toxic chemicals or oil based products)
  • A terracotta liner / large deep tapered pot fired / made locally to ensure its quality of materials and build
  • Vermiculite as the insulation
  • Fasteners
  • A set of casters to allow the drum to be rolled around
  • Various tools for metal working

The Drum

I scored a drum from a local warehouse for $10 which had been used to transport Propylene Glycol (food frade). It was the unlined type so it meant no plastic lining inside just bare metal. Score!

The first I did was wash it out and give it a good clean.

I measured it up to work out what sized liner/pot I would need and also how high I wanted this thing so as it could fit in the back of my stationwagon.

The Liner

After scouring Gumtree and then ringing a few places, I found a pot made by a local pot maker. It was perfect!

The pot was almost 1inch thick in the walls, 400mm at the widest point, 350mm wide at the narrowest and about 450mm tall.

I cut the base off using an angle grinder fitted with a masonary cutting blade.

I then needed a place for the coal to sit. I found a bird fountain at Bunnings Hardware.

I drilled a series of holes at the base using a 12mm masonary drill bit. DO NOT use the hammer setting as it will crack your birdbath!

Modifying the Drum

I flipped the drum upside down so as I can reuse the filler as a drain in case any liquid gets into the insulation area…

I cut the drum’s base off in a manner in which I would reattach it later. I then cut the drum down so as the total height with the trimmed lid was less than 600mm.

I then found a scrap motor fan housing and used that as the prop on the base to raise the birdbath (liner base) off the drum. This will allow the insulation to wrap around the base properly and allow the air to enter the tandoor for convection. Drill enough holes to allow ash to fall through and not block up.

Attach the wheels to the base. I scored the wheels of a recycled rear projection TV…seriously hardcore wheels for the height and size!

Fitting the liner

First I laid the birdbath inside.

Then I placed the pot upside down over the top.

The alignment was just perfect!

Insulation

I found the vermiculite at a local horticultural shop and bought two bags of it.

The stuff weighs nothing! I carefully poured it in and compacted it and kept adding until i could get no more in. I had some leftover but as I discovered 6 months later, the vermiculite had settled a bit so I topped it up.

I made a lid for the tandoor using a stainless steel drinks tray I found in a thrift shop and a wooden handle off an old file.

Breaking Bad

Being an avid Breaking Bad fan, I decided to put the ol’ Golden Moth Methylamine Barrel logo on it LOL.

Modifications and Result

I modified the cut off section (base) of the drum so as I could use it as a cover over the vermiculite. I also added a temperature gauge to the lid.

UPDATE

After 2 years of use. Everything is still ok.

Parts for the Project

Below are my affiliate links with Aliexpress for the parts used in the project. I’ve researched quality and price points for the parts. It would help me out at no extra cost to you if you purchase using the links below.

0 to 800F (450C) temperature gauge – http://ali.pub/2bdlxc

0 to 1000F (500C) temperature gauge – http://ali.pub/2bdnwi

 

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S-24-x 12V 2A or 24V 1A low cost power supply

I recently came across this relatively cheap power supply for my projects. It features a single chip switch mode IC which has an integrated high voltage NPN transistor for the switching.

The design was curious because of the lack of filtering etc.

The Design

The power supply is built around the IC DK124. Essentially its quite a convenient package which requires a minimal number of support components.

The pinout of the IC is shown below.

The datasheet also shows you an application circuit with values and also how to calculate the transformer for your application.

Youtube’s bigclivedotcom has a nice video analysing/explaining the operation of the circuit so I won’t bore you with the details. However his version was a clone according to his comment(s).

The datasheet for this IC can be found here:
http://grupoautcomp.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Specification-IC-DK124.pdf

If its not available you can download a summary here: Condensed-DK124.pdf

The Problem

Unfortunately the seller accidentally sent me a mix of 24V and 12V versions when I specifically ordered all 12V@2A versions.

Add to that the impending Chinese New Year Hiatus, I was left to figure out how to turn the 24V into a 12V.

Turns out 90% of the components inside are identical except for the feedback circuit…

I discovered that resistors R5, R6 and VR1 are the only differences between the two boards.

Below is a table of the values:

Part12V version24V version
R520K75K
R64K78K2
VR12K200R

The quickest conversion is to replace those parts verbatim. However i decided I would try to retain the pot and attempt to change the voltage divider to suit.

The feedback circuit

First I set the 12V version to output a stable 12.10V. At that point I measured the 2K potentiometer to see what value it read. It read 562R.

The simplified feedback circuit is as follows:

With VR1 set to 562R, the equivalent series resistance with R6 is 4700R+562R = 5262R or approx 5K3. The voltage at the TL431 ref pin would be 2.5V as expected.

So to retain the pot on the 24V version, I just need to figure out the voltage divider values that will bring the same 2.5V vref.

After some experimenting around I figured out to retain the 200R pot, I can use the following R5 and R6 values.

R5 = 18K and R6  = 4.7K while VR1 remains at 200R.

This will give a nice adjustable range of 10.5V to 12.1V

Purchase

If you are considering buying this power supply. May I offer my affiliate link which while it helps me out, costs you nothing extra. In fact I can vet the quality of the unit as shown in the photos.

http://ali.pub/27ybgf

 

 

 

 

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Baofeng UV-5R with 3800mAh battery

Low cost Ham Radios

With the advent of best practice design and the reduction of cost-per-unit via high volume manufacturing, it was only a matter of time before we would see a “good enough” radio enter the price range of persons wanting to enter the HAM Radio scene.

Me personally, I wanted a radio to ensure my safety in times of social chaos during natural disasters where coordination is of the utmost importance to preserving life. Notably, during times like these, the grid infrastructure is unable to cope with the added volume of communication requirement. Hence, its likely your cellphone will stop working or have limited use. To qualify this Im not a prepper but I do see their point of view as being valid to some extent.

And no, Im not going to store cans of food in my basement.

Baofeng UV-5R

It would appear that there are a plethora of reviews out there on this particular radio from the HAM snobs to the newly initiated and budget conscious persons. So Im not going to go into any deep review of the base device except to review the larger battery.

Battery Life

The base model UV-5R comes with an 1800mAh battery. This “upgrade” model comes with a 3600mAh battery. Although you can buy an upgrade battery for your existing radio, since I was entering the market for one/two I decided I would find a source that sells the 3600mAh battery as part of the base product.

Well I can say the larger battery feels secure and for someone with larger hands this makes the UV5R easier to handle and work with. The added standby and talk life is an added benefit.

The battery, even though its an aftermarket addon, doesnt feel loose or unstable like some other radios. It feels like it was meant for it.

I would highly recommend you get the 3800mAh version if you are new to this radio and considering purchasing one.

My Purchase

Although there is no official Baofeng store on Aliexpress (just supposedly licensed stores), I picked a store that had a really good price and good feedback.

This is my affiliate link. It helps me out without any extra cost to you and the added benefit of a verified seller.

http://ali.pub/2anv93

Note that this seller has sales from time to time. This is a snapshot of what I paid:

That’s pretty decent for 2 units delivered in a timely manner.

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DIY Keg Cleaning System

Last Call

If you use a dispensing keg by racking your cold crashed but unfiltered beer, you will end up with some trub at the bottom of the keg which when it comes time to  clean is a fairly simple task IF you have small enough hands and forearms.

Over the last 2 years I’ve been experimenting with dry hopping in the dispensing kegs amongst other additions and these additions can result in some stubborn stains/residues in the keg.

It can take a considerable amount of water sprayed in at high pressure to dislodge residues, a resource and time consuming process.

Cleaning In Place

Cleaning in Place (CIP) has been around for approximately 50 years, and is commonly used in hygiene critical industries, such Food, Beverage and Pharmaceutical, to clean a wide range of plant. CIP refers to the use of a mix of chemicals, heat and water to clean machinery, vessels or pipe work without dismantling plant. The process can be one shot, where everything goes to drain, or recovery, which recycles most of the liquid. Overall, CIP can be a very efficient way of cleaning.

I decided I would work with a recovery system which I can then pump out to drain.

The Design

I figured the setup would be connected to my Brewery’s wash area (large sinks and sprayer taps). Effectively I would need:

  • a CIP spray device that fits inside the keg
  • a pump that can create enough pressure to operate the CIP to an acceptable level
  • a way of timing the clean
  • a way of draining out the waste liquid
  • minimal connections / established connection methods to minimise complexity and cost

The Parts Required

Below are the parts you will need to build one keg cleaning system. You can easily adapt my design to more than one keg by adding more lines.

THE CIP spray device

I found this nice CIP rotating ball with a DN15 female (1/2BSP) thread.

This is CIP head I used. A really good price too.

http://ali.pub/2974r1

THE PUMP

Mains water pressure here is around 120-130psi. The pump below is economical, runs off 12V and has DN15 male fittings (standard water fittings in Australia).

Specifications:

  • 12VDC @ 7A (Approximately 80W)
  • 5.5Litres/min flow rate
  • 0.9Mpa / 130.5psi / 9 bar maximum pressure

I got the pump from here. It was the cheapest price I could find. The store had a 48% off sale (so wait for that).

http://ali.pub/2974m6

IMPORTANT: Make sure you ask for the DN15 version (Type D) of inlet and outlet. OR you can replace the braided hoses with clear PVC tubing to suit the M18x1.5 stock thread with barb.

If you want to use the M18x1.5 version, you will need these adapters:

http://ali.pub/2b6269

Then you can use the normal garden style disconnects:

12V 10A Power supply

I used a power supply designed for LEDs slightly overrated to the requirement to ensure longevity.

I got my adapter here. It comes in various plug configurations. Make sure you pick the right one for your region and to suit the pump’s DC input.

http://ali.pub/2974zl

The Keg Lid

In my design, you take off your existing keg lid and fit this keg lid which has the CIP cleaning head attached to it. The Lid is optional if you wish to keep the costs down but this way you can run the keg in any direction for cleaning.

 

 

The lid will need to be modified to adapter the CIP head to a bulkhead connector to attach to the output of the pump.

Options:

Used Keg Lid. If you want to save some money get this used keg lid which you will modify anyway.

http://ali.pub/29759i

Brand new keg lid.

http://ali.pub/2975ao

Various Bits

You will need the following bits to complete this setup.

Cornelius Keg liquid disconnect

Barbed version is acceptable here as  you will be connecting hose directly to it. I use these disconnects and they are a damn sight better than the cheap rubbish out there and also cheaper than the original Cornelius ones http://ali.pub/2975zd

Stainless steel DN15 male to union

This is to connect the CIP head to the pump’s output line. http://ali.pub/297666

UPDATE: I have changed this to a nylon version which has orings. I find this will seal the union better than stainless steel. However note, if you are running high temperatures stick to stainless steel!

http://ali.pub/297bc9

Stainless steel DN15 to 8mm barb

This is to adapt the cornelius disconnect barb to the DN15 hose to the inlet of the pump.

http://ali.pub/2976go

DN15 Stainless steel braided water hoses

I recommend you use mains water pressure rated hoses for this job as you are dealing with high pressure and possibly temperature. This was a bargain. You get four hoses for the price… http://ali.pub/2976bm

Choose your lengths to suit your setup. I used 60cm versions. You will need two of them (Pump inlet and outlet).

Mains Timer Switch (up to 60mins)

I used this timer switch to let the cleaning go for the time I need it to go for without manual intervention required.

Specs:

  • Plug Type: AU Plug but choose the one you need for your setup
  • Voltage: AC 220V/50Hz (Again, choose what you need)
  • Max power: 2200W (plenty for this setup)
  • Setting Time: 2-60 Minutes (plenty for washing a keg)

http://ali.pub/2978bd

Sundries

You will also need a short length of 6mm ID 8mm OD beer dispense hose (hard clear stuff NOT the soft PVC/silicone). The length is up to you but I recommend you keep it short as its not that flexible. I kept the length to 100mm; enough to adapt the disconnect to the 8mm barb to male DN15 adapter.

You may require some plumber’s teflon tape to connect the DN15 male union to the CIP head.

You will also require a step drill to 19mm/20mm to drill out the keg lid.

Putting it together

 

  1. Drilling out the lid. You may choose to retain the safety relief valve and drill a completely separate hole but in this setup you do not need it so I drilled out the safety valve recess to 19mm/20mm so that the DN15 union fits through snugly. NOTE. You do not want this loose.
  2. Use thread sealer and fit on the CIP head to the keg lid.
  3. Keg Lid modification Done. NOTE: It can be a little bit tricky to get this to fit into your keg but once you figure out the motion it will easy to remove/fit.
  4. Connect one of the DN15 hoses to the other side of the DN15 union on the keg lid.
  5. Connect the other end of this hose to the pump’s output side.
  6. Fit the beer hose to the disconnect. Note that no hose clamp is required.
  7. Fit the other end of the hose to the barb end of the DN15/Barb adapter.
  8. Connect the remaining stainless steel hose to the DN15 barb.
  9. Connect the other end of this hose to the pump’s inlet.
  10. Youre done!

You should have a setup as shown below in the diagram.

I hope you will enjoy putting this cleaning system together for your setup!

Updated Design 2018

I ended with the M18 version of the pump. Here is my new configuration:

Parts required

DN15 (1/2″) MALE to DN20 (3/4″) FEMALE Adapter http://ali.pub/2cuval

DN20 (3/4″) FEMALE to 16mm quick connect MALE http://ali.pub/2ew6yp

16mm quick connect FEMALE to 1/4 barb http://ali.pub/2cuvum

16mm quick connect FEMALE to 13mm (1/2″ ID) hose http://ali.pub/2cuvxx

OPTIONAL: Adapter for QC. If you want to extend pipes. http://ali.pub/2cuw18

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Kingsman Acetate Frames

Kingsman Optical

When I first saw the movie I was blown away by the modern English attire.

The most appealing part to me was the glasses. As it turned out the movie franchise spawned an “attirical” market for the fashion, amongst which the frames were of course available for sale. The official frames are made by Cutler & Gross and are hand-crafted from high-quality acetate, available in dark tortoiseshell or classic black with clear demo lenses or tinted lenses.

As always in China the land of the free enterprise, replica frames are available. So decided to compare the qualities of the two.

The official frames have two sizes and the following dimensions:

Medium (Standard) Large
Width: 136mm 140mm
Lens Width: 51mm 52mm
Lens Height: 37mm 37mm
Bridge: 17mm 18mm
Arm Length: 145mm 145mm

The replica frames match to within the mm and are only available in Medium.

Verdict

It appears the replica frames are identical in terms of shape, quality and materials used. The printing however is not.  New link to glasses that are IDENTICAL!

VS

Original/Genuine Frames

http://www.magnoliclothiers.com/kingsman-glasses-p-638.html

https://www.mrporter.com/en-au/mens/kingsman/–cutler-and-gross-eggsy-s-square-frame-acetate-optical-glasses/1089078

Replica Items

“Gallahad” Frames

Prescription Fill Option – Standard Lenses

Prescription Fill Option – Blue light filter Lenses

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DIY Keg Floating Dip Tube !UPDATED Sept 2019!

Keg Residues

I’ve been homebrewing beer for the last 15 years. I started (like most) with a plastic fermenter / bucket and used hopped extracts with adjunct brewing sugars and then bottling with priming sugar.

Over the last 2 years I’ve migrated fully to kegs and I can say I don’t miss the bottling aspect of homebrewing! The only thing I do find is that beer that is dispensed towards the end of the keg tends to be extremely clear and refined.

So I asked the question, is it possible to draw from the top of the keg rather than the bottom and yet still be able to draw the full amount?

The answer came in the form of a float.

Plastic Fantastic

I am generally not a big fan of plastic items in contact with my food (yes beer is food). However I am a fan of and actively practice harm minimisation. After all we live in a world where economics rather than welfare dictates the nature of materials that come in contact with food. Harsh but true.

I am a big fan of food/surgical/marine grade stainless steel. Namely the 316 grade. It is highly non reactive in corrosive environments and does not leech out any estrogenic compounds. It could be leeching out chromium but hey what can I say; harm minimisation…

Float the idea

Here is a list of requirements I wrote up to help me design and build a device that could allow me to reduce sediment and improve clarity of the beer I was tapping off the keg:

  • Needs to fit easily through the opening of keg
  • Has to float in beer with ease
  • Must connect to the liquid port of the keg
  • It should be able to be removed for cleaning
  • No permanent modification to keg
  • Food safe materials only
  • Low cost of course 🙂 as I have 8 kegs to modify

So I can see I will require:

  1. A float of some kind
  2. A flexible tube that can connect to the liquid port and the float itself
  3. A method of stopping any sediment from entering the tube
  4. A method of weighing down the end that draws the liquid to ensure its always submerged.

The components

the float

I found this nice float made out of stainless steel. It appears to be used for level sensors in potable drinking water tanks.

The tubeS

Silicone tubing is probably the safest material from a corrosion/leeching perspective for beer (acidic). You will need some 8mm tubing and a small amount of 10mm tubing to hold the filter inside the float.

the filter

A filter like this is very useful in stopping any sediment/trub from being drawn into the liquid port. Its not a superfine mesh so its unlikely to block up. The mesh is made out of stainless steel and can be cleaned up easily. These filters are sold as “wine filters”.

the counterweight

The simplest counter weight I can think of is to use a stainless steel bolt attached to the removable end of the filter. To install the counterweight, drill an 8mm hole in the endcap and install the bolt and nut so that the thread is INSIDE the filter as shown below.

 

Make sure you use 316 grade and not 304!

Replacement short Diptube

You can choose to cut your dip tube to attach the tubing but I didn’t want to permanently modify my kegs. The replacement diptube is actually used as the gas tube.

The Result

It will take you all but 15 minutes to make this.

Cut the tube to the suitable length for your keg. What you want is for the float to lay flat and the tube is just enough for that to happen. This simulates an empty keg scenario.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

I received some useful feedback from a reader recently so I’ve created this section to help with the build.

  1. The Filter has a removable bottom which aids in fitting the counterweight 
  2. To allow the filter to stay with the float you will need a 15mm section of 10mm diameter silicone hose fitted over the dip tube hose at the neck of the filter.

Sources for the parts in this project

You can help me out greatly by using the links below to purchase the parts in this project. There is no extra cost to you. In fact I can assure you of the seller’s complicity in successful orders and the pricing is fantastic.

Stainless Steel Float http://ali.pub/229u9j

Food grade Silicone Tube 8mm http://ali.pub/229umy

Food grade Silicone Tube 10mm http://ali.pub/229umy

Filters http://ali.pub/229uvp

Counterweight 316 M8x25mm Bolt http://ali.pub/2gmxjl

Counterweight 316 M8 Nut http://ali.pub/229v60

8mm Keg Diptube Short/Gas http://ali.pub/229vui

UPDATE: Off the shelf solution

I recently found that the Fermentasaurus SS Float assembly is available from Aliexpress.

It will do the job as long as you get a 8mm Keg short dip tube to replace the existing dip tube and just attach this SS float assembly to the supplied tube.

You will need:

Fermentasaurus Gen 1 SS Float + 60cm Silicone tubing: http://ali.pub/31196g

8mm Keg Diptube Short/Gas: http://ali.pub/229vui

Update September 2019

I have come up with a simpler solution for my fellow tight arse aussie brewers.

Check out my latest DIY Keg Floating Dip Tube Mk2

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Contactor Coil Power Saver

If youre into electric car conversions or off grid power, you will come across large contactors / relays. The thing about them is they are great for having a mechanical disconnect from your battery to prevent draining or to changeover but they consume a lot of power when ON and liberate heat as a result.

Basic way

There are simple ways of creating a power saver circuit. The first is the DC polarised capacitor + resistor combination as shown below.

Basically it works as follows. The Voltage from Bat1 fills up Cb (blocking capacitor), thus energising the relay. Once the capacitor fills up, it’s impedance will rise to the point where the resistor comes into play. The value of the resistor is calculated as a dropping resistor value to keep the coil in a holding state. When Bat1 voltage is turned off, the coil will drain at the rate specified by the Rd,Cb network; t=1/RC.

This works OK except that you can see the holding voltage is directly proportional to the holding current via Ohms Principle (V=RI). This is fine for most applications. However if you want a certain holding voltage (as specified by the manufacturer’s datasheet) and want as low as possible holding current, you will need a better solution. To add, you need to ensure that the holding voltage is sufficient to withstand vibration (if your application calls for it).

Smart way

So you’re thinking in this day and age of microprocessors why not use a GPIO to PWM the relay/contactor coil via a mosfet to achieve current control while keeping voltage at a level you desire?

Well yes why not. Here are 3 ways.

(a) Easy to implement using a spare GPIO but no power saving

(b) You get Power saving through PWM but its fixed and requires tuning. Sometimes you don’t have PWM spare

(c) Use an interfacing IC that is driven by a GPIO HIGH LOW and let that IC do the work of managing power saving.

Uber-smart way (c)

Enter an IC from Texas Instruments called the DRV110. This particular IC is specifically designed to address the power consumption issues with energised coils in relays and contactors.

The implementation of the chip is simple and as follows.

As you can see it powers itself from the relay/contactor source. It can sense the current flowing through the coil to allow it to self manage the holding current.

The Peak, Hold and Keep (disengage delay) values can be set via resistors.

Voila! You have a separate holding voltage and holding current capability fully managed by this tiny IC.

Specifications of the IC.

You can see that the Vin value can be setup directly from the MCU or scavenged off the relay/contactor supply via a dropping resistor.

The Ven, turn on voltage works to 7V. So a 1.8V, 3.3V, 5V MCU GPIO can be used to turn it on and off.

The reason I really like this IC is the mosfet is external and up to you. So you can pick a nice low RdsON mosfet to keep the power / heat losses low.

If you wish to buy this IC for your project, please use the link below as it helps me out without extra cost to you.

Texas Instruments DRV110PWR:  http://ali.pub/20ovfr

Datasheet for DRV110: http://www.ti.com/product/DRV110/datasheet

 

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Brewie: Sniffing the Control Board UART

Sticky Fingers

Being a hacker at heart means you just can’t leave things well enough alone. I really wanted to see if I could see how the touch screen control system software interfaced with the Brewie’s control board. Basically how the software tells the machine’s parts to work a recipe…

Incidentally, the Brewie’s control board is based around the ATMEGA2560. Could it be they are running an Arduino base in this?

The control board is nicely laid out with their own DC DC converted 5V rail from the 12V board supply. They are using MC33063A Buck converter ICs. Pretty standard stuff.

Datasheet here: http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/mc33063a-q1.pdf 

A bunch of control outputs driven by mosfets with protection diodes.

An op-amp circuit to provide weight sensor inputs to the micro.

The money shot

The prize here is the Connector Marked SERIAL0. The pinout of SERIAL0 is shown below:

It is obvious that the Touch screen control system which runs the Brewie software and is connected to the internet is able to flash a new firmware on the ATMEGA2560 since the DTR/Reset pin is exposed to it.

Well simple enough we can sniff this using another ATMEGA2560 or in my case an Arduino MEGA board.

The right connections

I soldered directly onto the pins of the Brewie board to allow me to have a connector outside the machine.

I now have a “DIAGNOSTIC” port on my Brewie that is sealed from moisture ready to use whenever I want to. I have plans to build a debug screen that allows me to see the raw data represented as more intuitive visuals compared to the crappy touch screen software…Sorry Brewie…it really does suck although its nice to see you are slowly but surely ironing out all the bugs…

The pinout connection is up to you but if you want to use my sketch then follow the pin configuration below:

The Sketch

I wrote a quick sketch that allows me to dump the Brewie’s “Conversation” to Serial output. I figured out that the communications are happening at a baud rate of 115200.

Download the Sketch  BrewieUARTSniffer.ino

Sample Output

It’s alive! I could now watch the Brewie’s conversation as it prepares a recipe.  The Brewie control board sends data every second or so in a fixed format with fields separated by TAB characters.

Download a log I captured: brewie-log-20171112-1900.log

Example at the start:

-----------------------------------------------------
Brewie Control Board UART Sniffer V1.0
Written by DrGus
Copyright 2017 DrGus
-----------------------------------------------------
Rst Brewie Control Board Reset!
Tx Brewie v1.0
Tx Copyright Brewie 2016
Rst Brewie Control Board Reset!
Rst Brewie Control Board Reset!
Tx #Brewie v1.0
Tx Copyright Brewie 2016
Tx Water level nullpoint: 333142
Tx -1 0 V5 89 0.0055075451 85.0000000000 85.0000000000 850.0000000000 850.0000000000 0 0 0 460 0 480 0 0 83 85.0000000000
Tx -1 0 V5 161 0.0099630868 30.8750000000 34.3750000000 308.0000000000 343.0000000000 0 0 0 460 0 480 0 0 45 30.0000000000
Tx -1 0 V5 251 0.0155325140 30.8750000000 34.3750000000 308.0000000000 343.0000000000 0 0 0 460 0 480 0 0 45 30.0000000000 

...and so on.

NOTE: The Rx, Rst and Tx prefixes are added by me to allow me to know which direction the information is going in. It is not present in the Brewie communications.

Analysing the data format

The data format appears to be fairly simple. I will provide the fields once I have reverse engineered it.

Example of a data sentence sent by the control board to the Touch Screen software. I picked this entry as it has some “rich” data in it.

1 199 60 0 V5 64983 5.1403689000 30.5625000000 23.9375000000 314.0000000000 251.0000000000 0 0 0 460 0 328 0 0 843 P103 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 255 0 90 5 0 0 1 29.5000000000
Field NumberFunction/Description
1Recipe Step/Increment. Default 0 or -1
2Time in seconds since the recipe started
3Time in seconds since the last step change or current Step Time
4Countdown time in seconds for a step to complete
5Firmware Version Number
If a prefix appears, its:
P103,V5 <- asking for next step
E101,V5 <- An error has occured
6Weight Raw value (Raw Water Level)
7Weight in kg (Water Level)
8Mash Tank Temperature in Degrees Centigrade
9Boil Tank Temperature in Degrees Centigrade
10Mash Tank Temperature as Centidegrees-Centigrade
11Boil Tank Temperature as Centidegrees-Centigrade
12Hall 1 RPM - Mash Pump
13Boil Pump
14Pump+Valve State
1->Pump ON
2->Pump ON+Mash to Boil Valve Open
15Hall 2 RPM
16Pump+Valve State
17Unknown
18Valve State
19Valve State
20Unknown
21Command Echo. When the Touch screen board sends a command to the controller, the controller echos it back in this field.
Default: blank
22System Temperature in Degrees Centigrade. There is a DS18B20 temperature sensor attached to the tray where the control board is fitted.

Analysing the command format

The command format also appears to be fairly simple. Below are the Brewie commands I have identified thus far. I will be analysing the structure soon to provide the functions of each field.

P80 12641.7 0 0.842726 1.22634

Command P80… It appears when the touch screen system first communicates with the control board

Command P101 “Step Init” So P101 <step count>

P103 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 50 0 1 0 0 0 
P103 1 0 0 0 0 540 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1440 3 0 0 0 
P103 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 255 0 90 5 0 0 1
P103 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 50 30 1 0 0 0 
P103 4 0 1 0 640 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 255 0 0 180 2 0 1 0 
P103 5 0 1 0 640 700 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 255 0 0 900 6 0 1 0
P103 6 0 1 0 700 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 255 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 
P103 7 0 0 1 0 700 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 255 0 600 6 0 0 1 
P103 8 0 0 1 0 700 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 255 0 0 3 0 0 1 
P103 9 0 1 1 700 700 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 255 255 0 600 6 2 1 1 
P103 10 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 255 0 0 180 4 0 1 0 
P103 11 0 0 0 0 980 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 300 6 0 0 0 
P103 12 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 255 0 0 180 4 0 1 0 
P103 13 0 0 0 0 980 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 300 6 0 0 0 
P103 14 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 255 0 0 180 4 0 1 0 
P103 15 0 0 0 0 980 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 300 6 0 0 0 
P103 16 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 255 0 0 180 4 0 1 0 
P103 17 0 0 0 0 980 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 300 6 0 0 0 
P103 18 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 255 0 0 180 4 0 1 0 
P103 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1800 7 0 0 0 
P103 20 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 255 0 300 6 3 0 1 
P103 21 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 255 0 300 6 3 0 1 
P103 22 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 255 0 180 6 3 0 1 
P103 23 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 255 0 120 6 3 0 1 
P103 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 255 0 120 6 0 0 1 
P103 25 0 0 0 0 230 0 0 0 0 1 255 0 0 255 0 1380 10 0 0 1 
P103 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 600 8 0 0 0

Command P103 … is the “Write Step” Command.

P103 <index> <inlet> <mashingvalve> <boilingvalve>  <mashing temp> <boiling temp>  <hop 1> <hop 2> <hop 3> <hop 4> <cooling> <fan> <outlet> <mashing pump> <boiling pump> <water level> <time> <condition> <auxCondition> <mashing One Way> <boiling One way>

Command P200 is “Start Brew”

Command P201… is “Pause Brew”

Command P202…is “Continue Brew”

Command P204  is “Next Step”

Command P999 tells the control board to STOP

Serial Logging to File

For those wondering how I captured the Serial log to file, I used a terminal window in Ubuntu.

Using this command:

(stty raw; cat > brewie-log-20171112-1900.log) < /dev/ttyUSB0

Sniffer Cable

If you don’t wish to solder directly to the board, you can make up an interfacing cable that has a Molex KK 2.54 Male socket and female plug with wires that extend out to an LED type connector as shown below.

If you want these connectors you can buy them using the link below as it helps me out without costing you anything extra.

http://ali.pub/20opbg

You can then create an external connection point via this cable set. These come in a pair (5pins female and male) pre-terminated for ease and are IP66 rated.

You can buy them using the link below as it helps me out without costing you anything extra.

http://ali.pub/20opva

 

Posted on

Brewie: Adding an additional inlet for filtered water

Brewie B20 is a fully automatic all-grain wort producing machine. It can do up to 22L batches although its great for 19L. The four hop additions are automatic however you can keep going if you manually change the hops.

My Brewie Arrives

I recently became the owner of a Brewie Automatic Brewing Machine. The unit arrived in a well packed box with all the necessary items for creating the wort for all grain beer recipes.

One Fitting to Rule them All

One thing I immediately noticed and didn’t like was the fact that you could not choose the sources of water for wort chilling vs the wort itself. I wasn’t about to make my beer out of tap water and I also don’t want to waste filtered RO water for the chilling process. So I hacked it.

Bits you will need

You will need the following items to allow your Brewie to have two separate water inlets. The existing inlet is converted to only supply water to the chiller. A new inlet is created to supply filtered water to the brewing process circuit.

12vdc DN15 solenoid

The Brewie’s existing water distribution is achived via a single inlet DN20, dual solenoid valve that feeds the chiller circuit and the tank fill circuit.

The solenoid below has a DN15 (1/2″ BSP) thread inlet and a DN15 (1/2″ BSP) thread outlet. It has a 12Vdc coil with two spade terminals. These specifications are important for our modifications.

You can buy this solenoid on Aliexpress using my link as it helps me out without any extra cost to you.

http://ali.pub/20ka04

DN15 to 12mm barb adapter

This adapter goes onto the OUTLET of the solenoid. Note DN15 is 1/2″ BSP. Since we will be using the Brewie’s existing hose we need the barb to be 12mm.

You can buy this adapter on Aliexpress using my link as it helps me out without any extra cost to you.

http://ali.pub/31bc63

DN15 to 1/4″ QUICK FIT adapter

This adapter goes onto the INLET of the solenoid. Note DN15 is 1/2″ BSP. If you want to use a straight version of this adapter that is fine too.

You can buy this adapter on Aliexpress using my link as it helps me out without any extra cost to you.

http://ali.pub/20kacr

TOOLS REQUIRED
  1. Step drill bit 20mm hole required
  2. Drill machine
  3. Screwdrivers (Phillips)
  4. Pliers (to remove hoseclamps)
  5. Scissors (to cut hose)
Other Bits

You may think you need hose clamps but you don’t. Because we are removing a pipe from the Brewie there will the right amount of hose clamps to do the job.

Making the Modification

WARNING

Make sure the machine is FULLY DRAINED of liquids 
and the power has been DISCONNECTED before proceeding.

You will need to lay the machine on its front side / back side and then proceed to remove the bottom cover. Basically unscrew the four black feet and remove all of the phillips head screws EXCEPT the screws holding the fans in place.

You can choose to disconnect the fans from the Brewie Control Board or just leave them connected.

The next stage is to remove the hoses connected to the water inlet solenoids.

You should then remove the existing solenoid assembly and take note of the markings. My unit’s chiller solenoid wires were marked as “C”.

“14” Wires are the for the water inlet solenoid.

Re-route the “14” wires to the centre of the unit where the hop tanks are. You will need to undo some cable clips to do this.

Move the “C” wires from the existing solenoid to the other solenoid. We are doing this to move the chiller input solenoid to the back now.

Remove the backing plate shown below:

Drill a 20mm hole near the power cord inlet. This is where the new DC solenoid will meet the outside world as shown below.

Reassemble the backing plate and fit the solenoid into place. Plug in the rerouted solenoid control wires into this solenoid.

Route the hose in the following manner and secure using the left over hose clamps.

NOTE: There is a check valve on the Tee piece where the hose connects…make sure it is in the right direction if you need to remove it.

That’s it you’re done. Put everything back together and give the machine a test run. You will now be able to have a separate water inlet for your filtered water that is only used for making wort. Straight tap water is used to chill the wort…