@Arnt I found the problem, and a fix will be included in the next release.
In the meantime: it’s caused by your Pin-Bottom-1 and Pin-Bottom-2 being constrained by UNKNOWN|MutexInterface-1 instead of Ferment Mutex. I’m not sure how or why that happened, but you likely will want to change that anyway.
EDIT: You don’t seem to be using Pin-Bottom-1 and Pin-Bottom-2 anyway, so just remove the constraint.
Yes.
We just pushed doc on how control chains work and interact. You can find it at https://brewblox.netlify.com/user/control_chains.html
Thanks for your reply, Nick,
I have also experienced the importance of being in the correct directory when doing installations 
I will return if I ran into issues 
Thanks Bob, Look really helpfull 
Cheers Ken
I have expanded the control chains documentation to include some common configurations (fridge control, glycol, HERMS). For questions and feedback, please use this other topic:
Hi Bob,
Hope you are doing well
Must the command “Start all services if not running” with “brewblox-ctl” be executed every time brewblox is started, or only when changes have taken place i.e changes in network SSID?
The IP address for my brewblox is provided by DHCP and changes whenever the system has not been used for 1-2 days. Should I set-up static IP’s or how would you suggest this to be managed?
Cheers Ken
brewblox-ctl up is the command that starts everything. You’ll have to run it if you have shut off your pi. Run brewblox-ctl status to check whether services are running.
You can assign fixed IP leases in your router. The UI for this is different for each router. You’ll have to google specific instructions for your make and model router.
I will provide static IP’s for all devices in order to be sure what to look for
Are you sure? The services have “restart: unless stopped” configured, which should restart them after a system reboot too.
Hi Bob,
Hope you are doing well!
Changing the IPaddress on brewblox running on the PI is this to be done by using Le Bussy application or can it be done from the commandline on the PI
BR Ken
You can use your router’s UI to change your Pi’s IP address. Look for “static DHCP lease” or something like that.
Hi quick question I am totally new to this all. I am setting up one hacked fridge for fermentation only. Should I use the brewpi or brewblox ui? I am looking to access it remotely both over Lan and Wan.
It’s best to go with BrewBlox. It has fully replaced BrewPi, to the point where BrewPi will not receive further updates or bug fixes.
LAN access is automatic. For external access you’ll have to use a VPN, as there is no authentication system.
Wonderful thanks Bob
Hi Elco,
quick question in this regard: Would that mean a single BrewBlox Server can control multiple sparks using one single front-end at the same time? I am asking, because I am planning an installation with about 40 valves and temperature probes each, and I am afraid that 1-Wire may reach its limitations with many stubs in the bus. In this case that would probably be a very feasible way to go. It would be great to receive your reply.
Do you see any other issues that may arise from such setup?
Best wishes,
Chris
BrewBlox is designed to do just that. You can add as many spark services as you want.
You can display blocks from all services on all dashboards. You can find instructions at https://brewblox.netlify.com/user/adding_services.html
Edit: one limitation is that direct input/output is limited to the same controller. You can’t have a PID on spark one that uses a sensor on spark two.
Thanks, Bob. Is there any practical experience how many devices the bus master in a spark can handle?
In a vacuum, the bus master can easily handle 40 devices. The Spark has room for some 80 blocks (this includes non-hardware blocks like Setpoints, PIDs and PWMs).
In reality, we’ve found that the number of simultaneous valves is limited by their power draw and cable interference.
Elco is currently using a setup with 16 pneumatic valves linked to a single spark. This seems to be near the upper bound.
What kind of valves / valve controller boards / OneWire extension boards are you using / planning to use? Do they draw power from the Spark, or do they have an external power supply?
Sorry, Bob misunderstood my situation.
In my previous setup, I used 16 motor valves driven by the valve control board we used to sell.
I had issues with standard phone cable, which is pretty thin. It worked well when I switched to better cables, made from CAT5e. This is what we sell in the store as RJ12 cables.
Because the valve control board (and the motors connected to it) is powered from the RJ12 cables, this can create a high current through the cable for the entire chain. This raises the ground level and can create communication problems.
Another problem with long OneWire networks is bus capacitance, caused by the wires themselves and the input pin of each slave device.
Finally, all wires also act as antennas. OneWire seems to be sensitive to interference if two wires split and form a dipole antenna for the right frequency.
These issues together made me decide to design a new valve control board that can drive 8 valves instead of 2. It will also communicate over Modbus/RS-485 instead of OneWire. This is implemented by the 2 outer pins of the RJ12 ports on the Spark.
In my brewery I am now using pneumatic valves and only toggle the pilot air valves to open the bigger butterfly valves with compressed air. The benefit is that you do not have to run power to many motors. The valves only need an air tube. The board that I am using to toggle the pilot valves is a custom prototype and I still have to design the extension board that we can sell.
