iSpindel - low cost data logging/display gadget

[Harry Bloomfield]

I have just confirmed that it does indeed store the website along with the fermentation data, in the repeater - I turned off my internet access, connected my laptop to the Brewpiless access point and entered the IP, the full set of data appeared in my browser.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

I am okay using the WWW for my info from the Ispindels, didn't get on with Ubidots, but have found Brewspy really good.
If only there was a lid for the petling that didn't deform under pressure ferment I'd be really happy.
But I will look into your findings as I do like a gadget. Maybe it needs a separate antenna fixed to it?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I am okay using the WWW for my info from the Ispindels, didn't get on with Ubidots, but have found Brewspy really good.
If only there was a lid for the petling that didn't deform under pressure ferment I'd be really happy.
But I will look into your findings as I do like a gadget. Maybe it needs a separate antenna fixed to it?

I lacked an Android device, which made Brewspy especially cumbersome running on an emulator on my Win10 PC. I had no issues with the iSpindel being able to connect through two brick walls and around 8m to my router, when in the FV. Likewise I am having no issues with this repeaters ability to connect over the same route.

A problem I did have was that the connection from iSpindel to the repeater is quite weak. Both have to be close, as in the same room. The repeater display includes four **** to indicate its signal strength between it and the iSpindle, the number declines rapidly, as distance increases. Both have on PCB antennas, but I suppose a version of the repeater PCB could be sourced, intended for an external antenna.

It is very convenient being able to just glance at the repeaters display, rather than having to spend a few minutes before I can load Brewspy, as before. The repeater's website loads almost instantly in my PC's browser and is constantly refreshed.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

Ahh the android only is a problem with brewspy that I'd forgotten about. Loading windows etc is unnecessary faff. I will still be looking at it as another gadget.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Ahh the android only is a problem with brewspy that I'd forgotten about. Loading windows etc is unnecessary faff. I will still be looking at it as another gadget.

I had Brewpiless fail this morning. It stopped showing any data, the date/time went to default on both the repeater and it's website, despite good wifi to it. I tried rebooting the repeater and my routers, which made no difference. I then opened up the FV, pulled the iSpindel out and tried restarting that - all back to normal now. I ought to have realised, the repeater was showing no * next to the 'wifi' on it's screen.

I have had the iSpindel just stop reporting before, with no obvious reason. It is reporting the battery as 4.13v, so plenty left and no sign of ingress into the PET.

I didn't like Ubidots, because it kept stopping when I ran out of dots. I didn't get on with Brewspy, because I lacked a suitable Android device and it was tricky to operate via the emulator in Win10. The repeater solves all of my problems and quite elegantly :-)

 

[RoomWithABrew]

@Harry Bloomfield

Might be something like this issue?
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/ispindle-diy-electronic-hydrometer.598187/page-42#post-9102174
post number 1651

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

No, absolutely not. I have a genuine battery which has always given exceptional long running time and the battery is still reporting 4.12v.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

No, absolutely not. I have a genuine battery which has always given exceptional long running time and the battery is still reporting 4.12v.

Need to look at the post in the thread 1651 talking about crashing of this device. I can't see a way to send you direct to that post in the thread. My response nothing to do with battery life just the page header in that thread.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Need to look at the post in the thread 1651 talking about crashing of this device. I can't see a way to send you direct to that post in the thread. My response nothing to do with battery life just the page header in that thread.

The thread is very confused as to which it is suggesting is crashing, the iSpindel or the repeater. Were you able to work out which of the two might need its firmware reflashing to fix the issue?

A bit more about my example.....

It was my first fermentation using the repeater with the iSpindel, it worked absolutely fine for 7 days of storing and reporting, before it misbehaved. Repeater showed invalid date/time and wifi no contact with iSpindel, but the repeater was still reporting on my LAN. Taking the iSpindel out of the FV and restarting it got it to report again briefly, the time/date and wifi showed OK. Then iSpindel would disappear again.

I took the iSpindel out of the FV, gave it a full charge, tried again, maybe one report and it stopped again. Restarted several more times, same result. I am using SG not Plato.

I have had the iSpindel stop reporting a couple of times before, when reporting direct to my network, but restarting it, it has always carried on reporting.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

@Harry Bloomfield
The screen and ESP arrived today. Going to have a go at building the first one and just soldering the wires on. Hoping that I can magnet it to my ferment fridge and it will be able to pick up the ispindel signal inside and relay on to brewspy as well. I did find a link to show how to solder the connectors onto the inbuilt antenna so an external antenna could be attached.
Fingers crossed, the configuration info on the repetidor is a little confusing, but I'll give it a crack.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I think I have made a little progress with my Repeatidor's problem....

When the iSpindel loses contact with the Repeatidor - one or the other simply gives up trying and will refuses to produce any more data. The Repeatidor seems to go into reboot every so often, where it turns the display off and reboots from scratch. Once contact is lost, the iSpindel and Repeatidor, both need to be restarted, together, to regain data transmission. I have had them both sat together just two feet apart and working fine for almost a continuous month, just fine. Yet, occasionally glancing at the Repeatidors display for the iSpindel's signal strength - I normally see '****' (full strength) in the display, though sometimes I have only seen one *. Move the iSpindel to the other side of the room, and then it will lose contact - so the Repeatidor is not very sensitive on the reception side, for wifi. Unless mine is faulty?

 

[RoomWithABrew]

@Harry Bloomfield
Okay built the first one last night, spent ages trying to get it to be recognised in Windows not a peep.
Changed the ESP8266 board ( luckily ordered 3 ) and action. Managed to upload the brewpiless firmware and connect it to a test ispindel.
That aspect seems okay, have integrated onto my home wifi as well. What I can't seem to do is use it as an access point.
I have selected station and ap
For example I can see the wifi network it makes eg brewpiless, but if I log onto that network no internet ( WWW ) access beyond there.
I have the brewpiless screen config etc accessible thru the ip address login I set for the repetidor.
It's frustrating because I wanted to use the repetidor as a wifi relay for other ispindels that use brewspy and I'm sure I should be able to do this.
I'll also post this on the homebrewtalk forum to see if they have any ideas.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

@Harry Bloomfield
Seems that the wifi dropping is a known error.
https://github.com/vitotai/BrewPiLess4.0r1 has addressed this.
I have sent email to repetidor developer I hope and asked if the software has been updated to the latest brewpiless version.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

@Harry Bloomfield
Current brewpiless appears to be 4.1 and software for repetidor is 4.0.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

@Harry Bloomfield
Seems that the wifi dropping is a known error.
https://github.com/vitotai/BrewPiLess4.0r1 has addressed this.
I have sent email to repetidor developer I hope and asked if the software has been updated to the latest brewpiless version.

That's good news, at least now I know it wasn't a problem at my end. Thanks..

 

[RoomWithABrew]

@Harry Bloomfield
As you have your repetidor on the shelf next to the ispindel at the moment couple of questions.
Did you select Station + AP when you set it up?
Can you access the repetidor with another device for example phone and get access to the internet or only internal?
Did you set the DNS setting on the repetidor to the one on your router or a generic such as google 8.8.8.8, I can't seem to get mine to work unless that is set
to the IP of the gateway.
But whatever I've tried I can't get internet access, I was hoping to use it as a wifi relay as it's main role to boost the signal that is poor out of my ferment fridge which is made of stainless steel.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

As you have your repetidor on the shelf next to the ispindel at the moment couple of questions.
Did you select Station + AP when you set it up?

Sorry, I have only just spotted your post!

I wrecked my Repeatidor - I managed to break the USB socket off the PCB, so had to order and await delivery of a replacement PCB. I have rebuilt it with a new PCB and this time reinforced the USB socket with hot melt glue. I programmed it up with the new version of the firmware v1.2 which it suggests is a beta and attempts to fix a wifi issue. It doesn't indicate what issue precise issue it fixes - hopefully it fixes the issue I was having. Link to the v1.2 here - Repetidor iSpindel con Display Oled

I have it on a dry test now and for the past hour. What I notice is the signal strength on the display for the iSpindel is much better 4x stars despite them being 20 feet apart. Original v1.1 and original pcb would fall to 1x star just a few feet away.

Did you select Station + AP when you set it up?

Yes

Can you access the repetidor with another device for example phone and get access to the internet or only internal?

Yes, but only internally.

Did you set the DNS setting on the repetidor to the one on your router or a generic such as google 8.8.8.8, I can't seem to get mine to work unless that is set
to the IP of the gateway.

All I did was select my router from the list in the Repeatidor and set the password. I then logged into my router and allocated an IP on my LAN to the Repeatidor - so I could always find it in my browser at the same IP address. I set nothing else at all.

I am though finding it all quite tricky to get going, from a cold start, I wish there were some better instructions. I'm not sure whether I should start iSpindel first, or the repeatidor. This morning I powered the repeatidor up, then multiple times the display went blank and it rebooted itself - what was all that about? I tried restarting the iSpindel several times, thinking the repeatidor rebooting might be it looking for the iSpindel, each time it booted, it showed the correct time/date and it's correct IP. Eventually it settled and displayed the correct data from the iSpindel, but my laptops browser was unable to load the repeatidors web page for the first ten minutes or so. Then the web site just began working.

I do wonder if I just turned both on, in no particular order, if it all might just begin working in time?

Something else which is puzzling me, is the Brewpiless web page interface - you can set it up to log the progress, save I think upto four logs, but how with a Win10 laptop do you look at the old logs? Starting the logging, does seem to allow the repeatidor to retain the graph data through a power loss/reboot.

I am also puzzled by the 'Original Gravity' and the coloured dot alongside the 'Final Gravity State' in the web page. Obviously the OG needs to be entered somewhere in the web site?

I'll let my soak test run for a couple of weeks and see if it falls over again, as it did before.

[EDIT] It is showing the iSpindel signal strength dropping to 1x star, when I move the iSpindel so it's signal has to pass through three solid brick walls, but still reporting it's data fine. I don't know if my original pcb was faulty, or it's an improvement in the firmware.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

@Harry Bloomfield
Thanks for the update. Seems repetidor only works inside the network, so you can't access from outside and change things, which is a bit of a shame but secure I suppose. The only way would be to use another device such as a raspberry pi to act as a go between. Not sure I'm up for that yet.
I have seen contrasting details about the power supply needed. On the repetidor site it says 1.0 amp yet on the vitotai brewpiless site it suggests needs 1.5A
Useful info here all about the brewpiless
https://github.com/vitotai/BrewPiLess/wiki/Hardware-Setup-exampleAlso this site by a brit good info as well
https://thehoppyvalley.com/controlling-fermentation-with-brewpiless-and-ispindel-esp8266/
I had one of the three esp8266 never worked from the off which was a pain but I bought 3 with this possibility in mind.
I have now programmed one of the ESP8266 as a wifi access point and this does get access to the internet etc and working well through several walls and I could add an external antenna to it if needed.

I'm hoping that LBussy on the US site with Zeslammy can come up with better software for the esp8266 that will display info from the ispindel and act as a relay to the internet as well and perhaps use brewpiless in a reliable way.

I am awaiting a relay to control the fridge and heater that I can wire onto the repetidor and get better control than the STC 1000 I have at present.

Have spent the weekend making some new ispindels and hope they will also perform better than my original ones that struggled with the design flaw that the antenna was below the beer line ( to enable easy access to the programming usb ). I've also put a reed switch for the reset on them so potentially if issues in a ferment with loss of communication or I want to change the interval etc I can magnet it to put it into ispindel mode and change things without removing it.
Here's hoping.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Thanks for the update. Seems repetidor only works inside the network, so you can't access from outside and change things, which is a bit of a shame but secure I suppose. The only way would be to use another device such as a raspberry pi to act as a go between. Not sure I'm up for that yet.

No, I wasn't suggesting that wasn't possible - what I ought to have said is that I haven't tried to do that. It would have to be configured through my internet router. I used to have my router set up to allow me to access a security cam, I'm pretty sure the same could be done using the repeatidor.

A quick update on my further testing....

Although the range does seem much better, the iSpindel is moved out of range, it seems impossible to get it to reconnect. Pressing reset on the ispindel seems to get it to connect long enough to send just one batch of data, then it disconnects again. The only way to get it back, does seem to be to reconfigure the repeatidor. It then seems to go through a series of the display going blank and rebooting.

I am beginning to wonder if my 1amp PSU is simply not adequate for the repeatidor?

[EDIT] I have just managed to find my USB current monitor, it indicates it only draws around 0.1amp.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

@Harry Bloomfield
That's possible re the power supply.

I have noticed that there are updates for the ispindel firmware on github.
I have been using 6.5.1 and there has been 6.6, 7.0, 7.1, 7.1.1 and in last 48 hours the binary for 7.1.2.

For 7.0 it mentions

Added enableWiFiAtBootTime() to enable legacy wifi persistence (#513)
PlatformIO build configurations tweak (resolves #500) (#510)
Fix preprocessor directives to be able to turn APIs on and off if needs (#511)


So I'll try and upgrade to 7.1.2 and see what happens.

My recent problems whilst making some ispindels meant I learnt how to use putty, this shows the activity that's occurring.
It's possible to plug the ispindel in and connect the usb to the data port ( the one you program through not charge ) and then log the activity and this might give a clue to raise a bug report. I used this to find out that the accelerometer ( gyro ) was broken and also it indicated that the temp sensor was not working. After several changes of those I found out it was a duff D1 Mini.

I was told by Daniel and by LBussy that it could only work brewpiless inside the network.