I've in the process of trying to do this myself, but I'm having some calibration issues. I've been nosing around with a multimeter to see if I can find anything strange, but haven't yet. Do you have any advise on how to troubleshoot the wiring, or are there any resources online that could be useful?
There are similar videos to mine that setup the same thing but the software side is a bit different. Also there is a similar video that does this but its for propane tanks. You can poke around but I think we probably cover similar things on the hardware side. What issues are you seeing with calibration? I have recently been messing with this again and I have noticed one thing that I'm working through, so I'm curious if we are seeing similar issues.
Fantastic!! I'm in the middle of building an Arduino-based flow sensor to automate (or at least track) the transfer of water from the HLT to the MT. This was on the agenda as the next project but the introduction of the Home Assistant (instead of a bunch of OLED Screens) is awesome. Thanks for sharing and providing the DIY detail!
Great instructions! Unless I missed it, another great use for this would be to use it for your CO2 tank. You could get a notification if you're leaking and save you a lot of headache. Cheers!
Yes you can! You can really use this for anything really, just scale it up. Like propane tanks, water softener systems, anything that you want to track the volume on. You just have to make sure the load cells are strong enough to support the weight.
Nice video! im gonna try and build one after ive done my keezer! Just a question, why do u use all 4 of the load cells? One cell can handle up to 50kg which should be enough?
Thanks! So it would be pretty hard to balance a keg on one load cell, so that’s why I used 4. Also when you buy packs of load cells typically they sell them in 4 packs anyway. You might be able to use 3 but the wiring would have to change .
On a Wemos D1 I flashed Tasmota 14.2.0 Sensor release. I had to change to D6(GPIO12) = DAT and D5(GPIO14) = SCK. Now HX711 weight is displayed. But I am still struggeling with the wireing of the sensors
Hey! Sorry for the late reply, my notifications were turned off. Need to look into that... SO the controllers I used in this video are just USB powered so just needs a usb cable with a charging block.
WOW! Great content! This is off the chain great - I wanna build 3-4 of these. One question - instead of the VirtualBox, there is a build for RaspPi Home Assistant - wouldn't that be easier than a full blown virtualbox install (You just need the Pi and a copy of Etcher)? I'd like to print keg bases with rechargeable battery carriers (and charge ports) but the plywood for prototyping is awesome...thanks for letting me know about this build!
There is a build for raspberry pi, check out their install page for home assistant. Probably would be easier, but then the cost of the build would be more for people who dont have a Pi.
Awesome video! This is a great upgrade for a Habitual Keezer User! XD Does the amplifier need to be mounted with the load cells? Would it be okay to move them outside of the keezer as well and just user longer wires from the load cells to the amps? I think it would be nice to have a single project box with the amps and NodeMCU but am unsure if there would be issues with that setup.
Thanks for checking it out! I have read that longer runs from the load cells to the amps can cause noise. So I would recommend keeping them close. If you cant give it a try and let me know how it goes!
Thanks for all the info! How wide is the piece of round plywood, does it matter the size or just as long as all 4 load cells fit and the keg fits on top? Thanks in advanced!
Size doesn’t matter, as long as the four load cells fit that’s fine, if it’s too small it may be hard to put the keg on top though so just give you self an inch or two to make your life easier
Wow this is awesome! I don't know anything about programming but I'm gonna give it a whirl following your instructions! A question I have; I have 4 kegs, does that mean I need 4 separate node MCU's or do I just need 1 and 4 sets of scales?
4 Nodes. (there may be a way to configure one node for multiple scales but im not sure how to do that.) The way I went over it was there was one for each scale. Also let me know if you have questions, my email is in the description if you need to chat.
Just wanted to comment to say thank you! Was planning on attempting similar project with this help it will happen for sure. If not already come over to the CraftBeerPi community ;)
@@TroubleBrewing Any concerns with moisture on the sensor, I'm considering drying mats between keezer floor and sensor. If a keg has a leak (likely not if they watch your keg cleaning video), figured standing beer would kill sensor.
@@chrisritchie5404 I would think standing beer would effect a sensor, I did put a piece of plastic under the sensors to elevate the sensor a bit. Also maybe open the drain to your freezer so if there is any liquid it gets pulled out instead of sitting in there.
Hey Matt, awesome video! Just wondering if there would be the option to have a wired version? say you have it plugged in to a tablet if there is no wifi available? Thanks 🍺
Hey Dennis! I would think that would be possible but since I have not done this I could not walk you through. The big difference you would have to look into is that you would need to plug the NodeMCU directly to the machine running your home assistant server. Take that data and you would run the same logic.
Any concern of a leaking keg? I've heard horror stories of people coming home to find their keeper full of beer. Would that ruin the scale? Also how thick are the scales? I would be using it in a kegerator and don't have a lot of space to negotiate with. Thanks!
If its just a little leak then no, but if its enough to submerge the sensors then I would think that would be a problem! I believe I used half inch wood for the circle. But really you can use anything thick enough to support the weight of the keg.
Im sure you could use less then 4, the wiring would change though. Id say just to make the base easy to use I wouldn't use less then 3. The load cells are pretty cheep though and typically they come in packs of 4.
Matt - Wonderful walkthrough. Built one just like yours. Thanks!!! The only hiccups I had were with Home Assistant. Thought you (and your fans would like to know is the code for configuration.yaml has been updated. After beating my head against the wall for a few days figured out it needs to look like this: mqtt: sensor: # Below takes raw sensor value, tares scale, calculates ml -> fl oz - name: 'Keg 1 oz' state_topic: 'tele/Keg1/SENSOR' value_template: "{{ ((value_json.HX711.WeightRaw | float - 14434) | float * 0.0338) | round(1) }}" unit_of_measurement: "fl. oz." # Below takes raw sensor value, tares scale, calculates ml -> gallons - name: "Keg 1 gallon" state_topic: "tele/Keg1/SENSOR" value_template: "{{ ((value_json.HX711.WeightRaw | float - 14434) | float * 0.000264) | round(2) }}" unit_of_measurement: "gal" sensor: - platform: statistics name: "Keg 1 pour" entity_id: sensor.keg_1_oz state_characteristic: change_sample sampling_size: 2 precision: 1
Thanks for checking it out, hopefully it was helpful. Though I do have to ask, was there a code problem in my code snippets? If there was, I can go ahead and review and update.
@@TroubleBrewing Not with your code per se. Home Assistant deprecated the format of the sensor/mqtt configuration - so your code snippets as pasted into the configuration.yaml file gave a formatting error (and wouldn't load).
@@JasoNovX Thank you for posting this updated code. I was searching for 20 minutes before I found your new code. You saved me a lot more time by posting this. Thank you! @troubleBrewing you may want to put this in the Google Doc.
Hey! Sorry for the late reply, my notifications were turned off. Need to look into that... The only way I could see that happening is if they had an available API to feed data to. I would have to look into that, but if you look into brewfather api there may be something were you could send data to.
I was loving this idea until I saw VirtualBox that is such a heavy virtualization system, I would have loved to see this done with Windows Subsystem For Linux (WSL) and Docker. I may have to look and see if there is a way to use these technologies for this implementation at some point. After looking it appears there is already a docker container for home assistant, very nice!
Correct! There are alot of different ways to get Home Assistant running. When making this video im shooting for ease of install since there will be people of all different skill sets watching this video. Cheers!
How complicated would it be to use the same set up for a self serving beer tap? Also would it be possible to set up a par level and an automatic purchase order to an API? Thanks
Yea for self serving it would work the same, I don't see how this would be any different. Regarding the automatic purchase orders, I definitely would not do that. The calibration of these sensors are not dialed in enough to provide accurate measurements to charge someone, additionally there can be "false pours" randomly. This setup is more for a hobbiest/homebrew scale and I wouldn't be confident enough for this to work in a commercial setting.
Hey Joseph, I recently tried to ship something and it was really expensive. You definitely don’t need these brackets though, as I mentioned you can just chisel out a spot for the load cell to compress in and scew on both sides of the load cell, does not need to look pretty since it’s on the bottom. Cheers!
You should have a lot more subscribers!! Watched like 5 of your videos in a row.
Thanks for checking out my videos and I appreciate it!
Great job doing all the leg work for the community!
I've in the process of trying to do this myself, but I'm having some calibration issues. I've been nosing around with a multimeter to see if I can find anything strange, but haven't yet. Do you have any advise on how to troubleshoot the wiring, or are there any resources online that could be useful?
There are similar videos to mine that setup the same thing but the software side is a bit different. Also there is a similar video that does this but its for propane tanks. You can poke around but I think we probably cover similar things on the hardware side. What issues are you seeing with calibration? I have recently been messing with this again and I have noticed one thing that I'm working through, so I'm curious if we are seeing similar issues.
Fantastic!! I'm in the middle of building an Arduino-based flow sensor to automate (or at least track) the transfer of water from the HLT to the MT. This was on the agenda as the next project but the introduction of the Home Assistant (instead of a bunch of OLED Screens) is awesome.
Thanks for sharing and providing the DIY detail!
This is amazing!! I would love to attempt this. Thank you so much!
Liked and subscribed 😊
Great instructions! Unless I missed it, another great use for this would be to use it for your CO2 tank. You could get a notification if you're leaking and save you a lot of headache. Cheers!
Yes you can! You can really use this for anything really, just scale it up. Like propane tanks, water softener systems, anything that you want to track the volume on. You just have to make sure the load cells are strong enough to support the weight.
Nice video! im gonna try and build one after ive done my keezer!
Just a question, why do u use all 4 of the load cells? One cell can handle up to 50kg which should be enough?
Thanks! So it would be pretty hard to balance a keg on one load cell, so that’s why I used 4. Also when you buy packs of load cells typically they sell them in 4 packs anyway. You might be able to use 3 but the wiring would have to change .
On a Wemos D1 I flashed Tasmota 14.2.0 Sensor release. I had to change to D6(GPIO12) = DAT and D5(GPIO14) = SCK. Now HX711 weight is displayed. But I am still struggeling with the wireing of the sensors
I'm kind of new to using microcontrollers an such. How did you power the system? What kind of cable did you use and where did you plug it in?
Hey! Sorry for the late reply, my notifications were turned off. Need to look into that... SO the controllers I used in this video are just USB powered so just needs a usb cable with a charging block.
WOW! Great content! This is off the chain great - I wanna build 3-4 of these. One question - instead of the VirtualBox, there is a build for RaspPi Home Assistant - wouldn't that be easier than a full blown virtualbox install (You just need the Pi and a copy of Etcher)? I'd like to print keg bases with rechargeable battery carriers (and charge ports) but the plywood for prototyping is awesome...thanks for letting me know about this build!
There is a build for raspberry pi, check out their install page for home assistant. Probably would be easier, but then the cost of the build would be more for people who dont have a Pi.
Awesome video! This is a great upgrade for a Habitual Keezer User! XD
Does the amplifier need to be mounted with the load cells? Would it be okay to move them outside of the keezer as well and just user longer wires from the load cells to the amps? I think it would be nice to have a single project box with the amps and NodeMCU but am unsure if there would be issues with that setup.
Thanks for checking it out! I have read that longer runs from the load cells to the amps can cause noise. So I would recommend keeping them close. If you cant give it a try and let me know how it goes!
Thanks for all the info! How wide is the piece of round plywood, does it matter the size or just as long as all 4 load cells fit and the keg fits on top? Thanks in advanced!
Size doesn’t matter, as long as the four load cells fit that’s fine, if it’s too small it may be hard to put the keg on top though so just give you self an inch or two to make your life easier
Wow that is really cool, really loving these DIYs. Next do the plato airlock!
yes please!
Im actually working on that!
@@TroubleBrewing hell yeah man!
Wow this is awesome! I don't know anything about programming but I'm gonna give it a whirl following your instructions! A question I have; I have 4 kegs, does that mean I need 4 separate node MCU's or do I just need 1 and 4 sets of scales?
4 Nodes. (there may be a way to configure one node for multiple scales but im not sure how to do that.) The way I went over it was there was one for each scale. Also let me know if you have questions, my email is in the description if you need to chat.
@@TroubleBrewing thanks dude! Really appreciate that!
Just wanted to comment to say thank you! Was planning on attempting similar project with this help it will happen for sure. If not already come over to the CraftBeerPi community ;)
Yea need to check that out more actually. Thanks for watching!
@@TroubleBrewing Any concerns with moisture on the sensor, I'm considering drying mats between keezer floor and sensor. If a keg has a leak (likely not if they watch your keg cleaning video), figured standing beer would kill sensor.
@@chrisritchie5404 I would think standing beer would effect a sensor, I did put a piece of plastic under the sensors to elevate the sensor a bit. Also maybe open the drain to your freezer so if there is any liquid it gets pulled out instead of sitting in there.
Hey Matt, awesome video!
Just wondering if there would be the option to have a wired version? say you have it plugged in to a tablet if there is no wifi available?
Thanks 🍺
Hey Dennis! I would think that would be possible but since I have not done this I could not walk you through. The big difference you would have to look into is that you would need to plug the NodeMCU directly to the machine running your home assistant server. Take that data and you would run the same logic.
Any concern of a leaking keg? I've heard horror stories of people coming home to find their keeper full of beer. Would that ruin the scale?
Also how thick are the scales? I would be using it in a kegerator and don't have a lot of space to negotiate with.
Thanks!
If its just a little leak then no, but if its enough to submerge the sensors then I would think that would be a problem! I believe I used half inch wood for the circle. But really you can use anything thick enough to support the weight of the keg.
Are 4 load cells required for each keg? Are they not 50kg each and you could use one per keg?
Im sure you could use less then 4, the wiring would change though. Id say just to make the base easy to use I wouldn't use less then 3. The load cells are pretty cheep though and typically they come in packs of 4.
Matt - Wonderful walkthrough. Built one just like yours. Thanks!!! The only hiccups I had were with Home Assistant. Thought you (and your fans would like to know is the code for configuration.yaml has been updated. After beating my head against the wall for a few days figured out it needs to look like this:
mqtt:
sensor:
# Below takes raw sensor value, tares scale, calculates ml -> fl oz
- name: 'Keg 1 oz'
state_topic: 'tele/Keg1/SENSOR'
value_template: "{{ ((value_json.HX711.WeightRaw | float - 14434) | float * 0.0338) | round(1) }}"
unit_of_measurement: "fl. oz."
# Below takes raw sensor value, tares scale, calculates ml -> gallons
- name: "Keg 1 gallon"
state_topic: "tele/Keg1/SENSOR"
value_template: "{{ ((value_json.HX711.WeightRaw | float - 14434) | float * 0.000264) | round(2) }}"
unit_of_measurement: "gal"
sensor:
- platform: statistics
name: "Keg 1 pour"
entity_id: sensor.keg_1_oz
state_characteristic: change_sample
sampling_size: 2
precision: 1
Thanks for checking it out, hopefully it was helpful. Though I do have to ask, was there a code problem in my code snippets? If there was, I can go ahead and review and update.
@@TroubleBrewing Not with your code per se. Home Assistant deprecated the format of the sensor/mqtt configuration - so your code snippets as pasted into the configuration.yaml file gave a formatting error (and wouldn't load).
@@JasoNovX Thank you for posting this updated code. I was searching for 20 minutes before I found your new code. You saved me a lot more time by posting this. Thank you! @troubleBrewing you may want to put this in the Google Doc.
I love your videos xD just what i need
Can this this be linked to brewfather? Is there a dedicated app for the iphone?
Hey! Sorry for the late reply, my notifications were turned off. Need to look into that... The only way I could see that happening is if they had an available API to feed data to. I would have to look into that, but if you look into brewfather api there may be something were you could send data to.
I was loving this idea until I saw VirtualBox that is such a heavy virtualization system, I would have loved to see this done with Windows Subsystem For Linux (WSL) and Docker. I may have to look and see if there is a way to use these technologies for this implementation at some point. After looking it appears there is already a docker container for home assistant, very nice!
Correct! There are alot of different ways to get Home Assistant running. When making this video im shooting for ease of install since there will be people of all different skill sets watching this video. Cheers!
@@TroubleBrewing Absolutely love this DIY, amazing how much money you can save, oh and now I think I need a 3d printer, thanks lol
@@codebowl They are fun, recently got a resin printer for other stuff as well as my FDM printer.
can the server run on a Raspberry Pi?
Yea you should be able to, just check out home assistant and im pretty sure they got an image for that.
That’s really cool!!!!
How complicated would it be to use the same set up for a self serving beer tap? Also would it be possible to set up a par level and an automatic purchase order to an API? Thanks
Yea for self serving it would work the same, I don't see how this would be any different. Regarding the automatic purchase orders, I definitely would not do that. The calibration of these sensors are not dialed in enough to provide accurate measurements to charge someone, additionally there can be "false pours" randomly. This setup is more for a hobbiest/homebrew scale and I wouldn't be confident enough for this to work in a commercial setting.
@@TroubleBrewing Thanks, so its more a matter of the sensors or the whole set up?
@@sabaibeer7825 The sensors would be my main concern.
Can you tell me what the math would be to determine how many PINTS left in the keg? Want to install this into my Guinness kegerator.
I believe the calculation I use is for fluid oz, so you would just have to run some calculations on that to get your pints.
If anyone has an issue with calibration failed errors, and your reading value is NEGATIVE, reverse A+ and A- wires.
if you would be interested in making me 8 of these brackets and let me know the cost + shipping I would be interested :)
Hey Joseph, I recently tried to ship something and it was really expensive. You definitely don’t need these brackets though, as I mentioned you can just chisel out a spot for the load cell to compress in and scew on both sides of the load cell, does not need to look pretty since it’s on the bottom. Cheers!