I was thinking someone might be interested in a simple Arduino Still Controller. I used an Arduino Mega2560 microcontroller. The display is a shield for the mega 2560. Any display can be used. The set temperature for the column can be adjusted with the two buttons on the front of the case. Nothing fancy. See the attached pictures. Looking on the inside of the case, the four small relays are not being used in this software. They were used for my first Still, cactus style Stillhead. I used them to control a water and output valves. I also used DS18B20 temperature sensors in that Stillhead.
I am using a Still from Mile High Distilling. I use two Max6675 temperature boards. One for the column and one for the boiler. The solid-state relay is a 25 amp. Using 120 volt -1500 watt heating element. The microcontroller is using PWM to control the SSR.
On the display, you will see humidity and temp. This is an internal board that I had laying around and decided to put it in the case.
There is a SD Card datalogger for the date, time, and temperatures. It records every 15 minutes. Easy to change record times in the software. The file is in CSV format. You can import the file into an Excel spreadsheet and create charts of every run.
The software is not professionally written due to me not being a programmer. But the software does work fine.
Now, this controller does not tell you when to make your cuts (heads, hearts, and tails). Your nose and mouth will tell you that. It does not let you leave your Still unattended. It will give a good idea what the Still is doing. It is a fun project that can be expanded.
If interested, I can upload the software.
Still Microcontroller
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Still Microcontroller
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