Welcome
Welcome to my iSpindel landing page. The official iSpindel home page is also a great resource for everything iSpindel.
What is an iSpindel?
An iSpindel is a digital hydrometer for measuring the specific gravity (or degrees Plato) of something you are fermenting. It connects to web services and uploads statistical information. The web service you connect the iSpindel to can graph the temperature and fermentation statistics without you having to physically disturb the fermenter. The iSpindel can work from inside a fridge or even a stainless steel fermenter.
The Printed Circut Board (PCB)
I suggest that you purchase the most recent version of the Jeffrey PCB from my shopping list. Please use this link to register with PCBWay.com to get a $5 discount and give me a referral. You can check out my blog post about the development of the PCB for more information on its features.
Gerber files can be found on my GitHub page.
The schematic can be viewed in detail by clicking on the image below.
Parts and Assembly
The shopping list below is for The Jeffrey PCB by Open Source Distilling. If any of the links are dead please let me know and I will update them.
The Assembly video for The Jeffery is found by clicking this link. This video can be used to assemble any version of The Jeffrey PCB.
Please note that in my build, The Jeffrey did NOT need additional weights added in order to get to 25° in pure water when the battery was installed at the lowest position. That being said, the ability to add weights and move the battery is still available if needed to fine turn the tilt in pure water. To see how to balance the iSpindel check out my video 25° angle in pure water.
Shopping List
- (Affiliate Links Below)
- The Jeffrey PCB version 2.69. Please use this link to register with PCBWay.com to get a $5 discount and give me a referral.
- Wemos D1 Mini with Deep Sleep. Amazon link. eBay link.
- DS18B20 Temperature Sensor. Amazon link. eBay link.
- BAT43 Diode. Amazon link. eBay link.
- 4.7K ohm resistor. Amazon link. eBay link.
- 220K ohm resistor. Amazon link. eBay link.
- TP4056 USB C – 6 pin. Amazon link. eBay link. Micro USB – 6 pin. Amazon link. eBay link.
- GY521 MPU-6050 Module 3 Axis Gyroscope. Amazon link. eBay link.
- Toggle Switch. Amazon link. eBay link.
- Surface Mounted 18650 Battery Holder. Amazon link. eBay link.
- 3.7V 3400mAh 18650 Lithium Battery. Amazon link. eBay link.
- Please note that I use a 48 gram NCR18650B 3400 mAh battery. I get about 3 weeks of battery life and I can get to about 25 degrees in pure water when installed at the lowest position.
- XL BIG PET Soda Bottle Container. 5 pcs eBay link.
- Soldering Iron Kits with solder and clippers. Amazon link.
Firmware
Follow my video on how to load the iSpindel firmware.
Calibration
There are different calibrations that need to happen in a specified order.
- Offset calibration
- 25° angle in pure water
- iSpindel formula calibration
- Battery voltage calibration (scroll down)
Connecting the iSpindel to a Service for Data Logging and Reporting
Check out my video on Ubidots and how to connect an iSpindel.
I’ll also be exploring the TCP/IP Server for the Raspberry Pi.
Having Trouble?
Check out my iSpindel Serial Monitor Log video to reveal behind the scenes errors that may be happening.
An iSpindel troubleshooting and know-issues page with fixes is now live. Please email me if you have any contributions. The more we share the more we help each other out.
Subscribe to my blog at the bottom of this page to get updates on my new posts.