Week 16 - applications and implications
Brief
To plan and document a final project that integrates the range of units covered
Final project plan
What will it do?
Create a temperature controlled environment for beer fermentation in the home. It will sense the level of fermentation and allow the user to select a desired temperature from a range, and alert the user when fermentation is complete.
Who's done what beforehand? Will the system be a product or open source?
There are a few kickstarter projects that are making a similar type of system. BrewNanny is the closest to what I want to create, and Brewbot takes it to a different level of automation. What the products available have in common is that they are pretty expensive and I hope my product can be developed as an open-source fab lab project that can be improved and developed throughout the network and offer a low cost brewing system that can be customized to your own specific requirements.
What materials and components will be required? Where will they come from?
Sterilis-able Fermentation bucket (25 litres) with tap - Ebay
Brewbox - Plywood 12mm - Stock
Heating element - NiChrome wire - Stock
Heating element - (PC) switching power supply - Stock
Heating element - Hydrastone - Not known
Bucket cap - 3D printed ABS+ Or Polyurethane plastic - Stock
Electronic System - Fab Lab Inventory components - Stock
Display Panel/Branding - Anodised Aluminium - impactmetal.co.uk
How much will it cost?
The whole project should cost approximately £100
What parts and systems will be made?
Electronic System Diagram
Fab Machining/Manufacture Process Diagram
What tasks need to be completed? When will they be worked on/completed?
How will it be evaluated?
- The device should accurately sense temperature, heat the brew when below user defined temperature, and alert the user when appropriate and at the end of the fermentation process.
- The brewbox should be an aesthetically pleasing, insulating environment, that is designed to work in an average home.
