I recently purchased my first kegerator on craigslist.org along with all the parts for an all grain home brew setup. Needless to say, this was a deal I couldn't let by, and I have been wanting to step up my home brew operation from extract brewing to an all grain setup for quite some time now. The listing had all the equipment I needed plus the kegerator. *yay* The mini fridge that was turned into the kegerator was the Frigidaire FRC445GM that can be purchased at lowes fairly cheap. The guy installed a two tap setup to the mini fridge.



So I am at the point where I want to purchase all the necessary parts to turn this current kegerator into a full kegbot system. I read on the the kegbot blog that there is a new production kegboard in development? Should I wait for this new production kegboard, or should I build a kegbot using existing equipment? If I build using existing equipment which parts do I need to order, and where do I need to order the parts?

I came across a parts list here but was not sure of the exact quantity parts needed because I have a two tap setup, I am assuming I just need double the total # of parts, right?

Are there any other parts I need to get kegbot software up and running, or does the kegbot software run on the Arduino, I am assuming I need something to run the python interpreter, ie a computer of some sort.

Like I said, I am really new to all this stuff, so any help would be greatly appreciated, I am willing and eager to learn, and wouldn't mind updating the wiki with accurate parts list with links, so noobs like me could follow along.

*bump* I guess everyone is getting drunk because it is Memorial Day weekend.

cheers
-ipatch

iPatch
*bump* I guess everyone is getting drunk because it is Memorial Day weekend.

Heh, you caught me! Sorry for the delay (and this response is more terse than I'd like); here are quick answers..

iPatch
I read on the the kegbot blog that there is a new production kegboard in development? Should I wait for this new production kegboard, or should I build a kegbot using existing equipment?

The Kegboard is based on Arduino; what the blog posts show is a carrier board that I'd like to produce (but haven't, yet) for the Arduino. You can definitely build a Kegboard without one of these, the board just makes it easier (cleaner wiring, etc).

iPatch

If I build using existing equipment which parts do I need to order, and where do I need to order the parts?

Most of the Kegboard parts can be purchased from Sparkfun.com (there are plenty of other places, some cheaper; just giving the most convenient.)

The main component is the Arduino board, which supports two flowmeter inputs:
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=666

Or, you could buy an Arduino Mega, which has more inputs (and can support up to 6 flowmeters):
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9152

You will need a pull-up resistor (1-2.2kOhm - sparkfun, or radioshack) for each flowmeter you plan on connecting.

Search the forum for flowmeter info; long story short, check out the "SwissFlow" meter on eBay - it is the easiest meter to find, and others have had success with it.

You will want something to connect the meter output, meter power+gnd, and Arduino input all together. (This is what the aforementioned carrier board would make simple.) One way to do this is to buy a small breadboard, and run some wires between it, the Arduino, and the meter(s):
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=7916

Alternatively, you could buy and assemble an Arduino ProtoShield -- basically a blank carrier board -- to which you could then solder wires and discrete parts:
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=7914

I'll post some pictures of these configurations if I can find them.

iPatch

I came across a parts list here but was not sure of the exact quantity parts needed because I have a two tap setup, I am assuming I just need double the total # of parts, right?

One Arduino, two flowmeters, two pull up resistors, breadboard/wires/connections for those - that'd be the minimum to get going.

iPatch

Are there any other parts I need to get kegbot software up and running, or does the kegbot software run on the Arduino, I am assuming I need something to run the python interpreter, ie a computer of some sort.

Correct. The role of the Kegboard is limited to shipping data to a more powerful host computer, a conscious design choice (I need to write a blog post explaning this.) So you need to attach the Kegboard to something.

One option I've been using lately is to use a cheap ($200-$300) netbook as the Kegbot core machine. I have the netbook set up near my keg; this connects to the kegboard, and also my USB serial LCD. I run Google Chrome in fullscreen mode on my sfo.kegbot.org page, which automatically updates as drinks are poured. Plus, it gives me audio right there at the tap as well (kegbot sound server - also undocumented, blog post soon!)

iPatch

Like I said, I am really new to all this stuff, so any help would be greatly appreciated, I am willing and eager to learn, and wouldn't mind updating the wiki with accurate parts list with links, so noobs like me could follow along.

Thanks! I'm update the "howto build a kegbot" guide in response to this thread, since it has been lacking for a while. In the spirit of "release early, release often", here's a very preliminary (outline-quality) look: http://kegbot.org/docs/kegbot-howto/index.html

mike

Hi iPatch,

Nice find on the craigslist kegerator\homebrew gear.

mike

Alternatively, you could buy and assemble an Arduino ProtoShield -- basically a blank carrier board -- to which you could then solder wires and discrete parts:
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=7914

I'll post some pictures of these configurations if I can find them.

I'd highly recommend getting a protoshield for your arduino. The new kegbot carrier board has a lot of features that might complicate things as you get going. I started out using a combination of the breadboard\protoshield for my kegbot.
Photo1


Now I'm using a more "permanent" mounting method. Mainly using 3-pin JST connectors\headers for the flow sensor and temp sensor inputs.
Photo2


Sorry about the crappy camera phone pics. I can take high res shots of my "build" pictures if it helps.

mike

One Arduino, two flowmeters, two pull up resistors, breadboard/wires/connections for those - that'd be the minimum to get going.

You'll also need some fittings to connect the flow sensors to your beer lines. The best source lately is the John Guest Fittings from FreshWaterSystems.com For a dual tap\dual flowsensor setup, you'll need 4 of each.

Female Adapter BSPP - 3/8 x 3/8 BSPP -
Part # PI451213S

Stem Barb Connector - 3/8 OD Stem x 1/4 ID Barb -
Part # PI251208S

Cheers,
Geoff

I haven't had time to look at the computer-based code, but from what I could tell it's all written in Python, correct?

I'm debating trying to use my ioBridge (http://www.iobridge.com) to get my Arduino (via serial) linked into an AJAX-ish interface that can just speak to the web server (remote hosting) directly and have all the 'computer' code just run in the webserver. Again, I haven't taken a real good look at the code yet, so I'm not quite sure how feasible it is yet.

This way, I can embed all the needed electronics into the fridge itself and not have to rely on a computer attached to it. Another benefit of using the ioBridge is that I can easily interface X10 switching (not quite sure how useful it could be, but it could possibly be used to power the thermostat for exact temperature), LCD screens, and possibly an online payment system to accept credit/debit accounts so my friends can't mooch TOO much. :-D

I've got a vacation coming up soon, perhaps I will work on this then.

WOW, thanks for all the info Mike, for some reason I never got an email that this thread had replies, so I just discovered this reply organizing my bookmarks.

...thanks again for all the helpful information, and I think I am going to go with a sheevaplug or a guruplug, haven't made up my mind yet.

cheers
-Chris

mike
You will need a pull-up resistor (1-2.2kOhm - sparkfun, or radioshack) for each flowmeter you plan on connecting.

Hey Mike, I went to Fry's Electronics the other day looking for pull-up resistors because sparkfun.com had many different items listed for pull-up resistor, and needless to say Fry's had a boo koo of resistors.



So I selected these resistors:



Are these the right resistors I need?

What's up, Those should work okay. If anything, you might be able to save a buck and exchange them for the 1/4 watt version of that resistor (2.2k Ohm 1/4th Watt, +/- 5%). Sparkfun sells a resistor kit that has many of the common values. Resistor Kit - 1/4W .
If your heading back to Fry's you might want to get some 4.7k and 10k resistors also. These values are commonly used in a lot of different electronic devices.

Cheers,
Geoff

Hey geoffculp, thanks for the info.

wifigod
I'm debating trying to use my ioBridge (http://www.iobridge.com) to get my Arduino (via serial) linked into an AJAX-ish interface that can just speak to the web server (remote hosting) directly and have all the 'computer' code just run in the webserver. Again, I haven't taken a real good look at the code yet, so I'm not quite sure how feasible it is yet.

This way, I can embed all the needed electronics into the fridge itself and not have to rely on a computer attached to it.

This is basically how things work today; the kegboard daemon (which manages the arduino) communicates to the 'core' via a network protocol, as do other peripherals such as an LCD, bill acceptor, etc. Thus, the core, database, kegboard, and other accessories can be distributed among any number of network devices.

mike