PC-application for my home-brewery: Ebrew 3.0 Qt.
Screen-dump of Program
- Connects to the Brew-Arduino hardware over Ethernet or USB
- State Transition Diagram (STD) that fully automates the entire Brewing-Day. Only adding Malt is still a manual operation
- Cleaning-In-Place (CIP) function for cleaning all pipes automatically
- Many brewing parameters are adjustable and stored in Windows Registry: PID-control, Mashing, Sparging, Boiling and Measurements
- Brewing variables (volume, temperature) are set automatically, but can be overruled manually with so-called Switches and Fixes
- Reading of entire mash-scheme: one file stores all relevant parameters
- Convenient Graphical User Interface (GUI) that shows exactly what is going on in the brewing setup
More software design details: see my website: http://www.vandelogt.nl/uk_software.php
Qt 5. This version replaces the Ebrew 2.0 version created with Borland C++ Builder 6.
This release is in active use at the brewhouse.
The Arduino-Nano uses an Ethernet connection (or a virtual COM port) as its main-connection to the PC:
- The Ethernet IP address of the Brew-Arduino hardware is automatically detected, after which it can be set for permanent use.
- The virtual COM port uses the USB port of the Arduino-Nano. At the PC side, the Arduino Nano is recognised by Windows (if the standard drivers for the Arduino-Nano have been installed). Virtual COM port settings are (38400,N,8,1). However, the Ethernet connection is preferred over USB.
Typically the PC-program sends commands to the Arduino-Nano, like P0 (Pump Off) or P1 (Pump On). These commands are then executed by the Brew-Arduino hardware. Although you can type in the commands manually, it is more efficient to use a dedicated PC-program for it, with a Graphical User Interface.
More information about the PC-Interface can be found at my website: http://www.vandelogt.nl/uk_hardware.php#PC_INTF