Automatic creation of states based on Mash profiles?

[rmcghie]

I use BeerSmith and am wondering if there might be a simple way to automatically extract the mash profiles from my recipes and using some sort of template convert them into BCS-460 states and then load the states into my BCS-460. I assume the same question would apply to ProMash users. Anyone have any Idea?

[bsfixit]

Do you have your controller yet? I dont see any kind of import function in the Interface. but I am interested in the question's answer.

[ECC]

This is a great idea. It would be cool if there was a little program that read in your BCS configuration file, and the Beersmith recipe, and updated a new config file.

There would have to be some user input to identify the correct processes/states/outputs/setpoints/timers to update, since this could be different for every setup. For example, user1 may be using timer3 in state7 in process3 for Mash time, but user2 something completely different. Like you said, maybe a template, setup initially, that could be used every time. Seems like a clean solution that would be very useful. Reload the BCS with a recipe based config file and start brewing.

You could even give people the option of a boil addition process, where it sets up timers with the correct names to count down until the addition (Cascade@40 = 00:40:00 timer countdown)

The open interface is slowly being documented. Maybe when it's complete someone will volunteer to contribute?

[np0x]

I would be willing to look into this, can you pm me and get me a sample file to work with? I don't think it would be that terrible to monkey with. I just need the mash profile config and what it's supposed to look like. PM me and we can exchange real world email addresses.

[np0x]

as i look at this more there isn't as much to this as I had initially intuited, I guess part of it is that I generally don't do step mashes so I might be missing the point, but my normal brewing program doesn't really take much modification to accommodate different beers, i just tweak the strike water program to get to target temp, and adjust my mash state to have the appropriate temperature. If someone has a complicated recipie with an extensive step mash, i would love to see it(both the xml and the html versions)...but absent that I guess as I get closer to working this out, i see the point less clearly.

My complete brewing process contains 6 states:
1. Strike water: get the water to ~168 or whatever using differential control.
2. Dough In, this is a holding pattern i put the machine in during dough in, so when the temp drops the heating elements don't try and take my mash to strike temps. I also stay here til i am within 2 degrees of my target mash temp on the herms send side(the colder of the two).
3. Mashing, maintain the mash temp using pid control for 3600 second count down
4. go to mash out step taking mash temp to 168.
5. Then sparge (which is little different than mash out cause the same target temp is desired, the only thing i change is manually change the valving to change the flow.)

With that in mind the only things i would be changing in a single mash process would be the strike and mash temps. Am I missing a crucial nuance...is there more to it? I guess i have been programming the bcs for long enough that I don't mind doing the configuration step. Thoughts? Direction?

[rmcghie]

bsfixit,

Yes, I just got my controller.

[rabeb25]

Ok, I'll Bite

Hefe:
XML: http://rabeb25.mikesdecks.com/BEER/MISC/hefe.xml
HTM: http://rabeb25.mikesdecks.com/BEER/MISC/hefe.htm


Furious IPA:
XML: http://rabeb25.mikesdecks.com/BEER/MISC/furious.htm
HTM: http://rabeb25.mikesdecks.com/BEER/MISC/furious.xml

I step mash every beer I make. Is this what you need?