Experimental Incubator/ei prototype designing

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Revision as of 19:22, 2 September 2019 by Algoldor (talk | contribs)
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ei Kit "Just"
SSR and heat sink
Working prototypes assembled at VoidWarranties, February 2017

Here you can find info about the development of the experimental incubator (ei)current version 5.0 "Kvas" which we are now working on. There are several improvements compared to the previous version 4.0 Just, the fourth generation of the experimental incubator.

The main change is leaving the arduino core behind and switching for the Sonoff device, in particular the Sonoff TH16 model which should make our life much more easy on many fronts.

How to get involved, contact

Get your kit and let us know! That is the most easy way how to get in and participating. Contact Algoldor, Justa or send an email to the experimental incubator mailing list. The total cost is around €25 max. you can buy it easily online, don't forget also the serial to usb 3.3v so you can upload the code to the device.

If you want to get involved, you need help with experimental incubator set up and running or you have some other questions you can get in touch with us:

Soldering and connection

This needs to be updated because of the switch to Sonoff. It should be much more easy but still sometimes the device may arrive with some soldering needing to be done.

Schematics

Not sure if this category is still needed for this version.

Software

The software was written by Bigmac and Lars, the code is uploaded on Github here.

Programming

You will need a USB to serial (TTL) converter to program the arduino. There are 3 brands of converter chips out there: prolific 210X, FTDI, CH340G each with their own driver issues... CH340G Drivers for windows and mac PL2303 CP210x drivers for windows

Here some buy links:

Currently Run Prototypes

The prototypes which are currently running the "just" version are listed here:


Temperature probes

The DS18B20 temperature probes used have PVC shielding; that makes them unsuitable for long time use at temperatures of 100°C or above, although the sensor works up to 125°C. Some sensors are shielded with PTFE cable (more commonly known as Teflon) which is considered food safe to 160°C, so these sensors can be used up to 125°C (max sensor range). Here are some ordering options:

Bugs&Issues

  • Displayed Time Error - Reported on 12/3/2017 by Algoldor. If the incubator is in the off function displaying only time, after several days the display stops showing "time" but starts to show variety of symbols without meaning. It seems like after the amount of the time displayed is too much for the display it crashes.
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