FAQ

This section answers or links the most commonly asked questions.

My temperature reads -127°C

The original Tutorial was published when the TH Origin was shipped with a DS18B20 sensor. The sensor that is included today is, however, is the WTS01. The WTS01 has a black box as part of its cable:

WTS01 sensor with black box

To fix this, you need to remove the black box from the cable and solder the cables back together. Or (even better): File a Pull-Request to support the WTS01 it software-wise.

I have problems flashing the ESP32!

You're not alone. Check the following points:

  1. ESP32 not in boot mode: Press button on TH before powering up.

  2. Cable connections: The data is transferred by switching between 3.3V and 0V multiple million times per Sekond. Image a cable not sitting tight. No way signal gets through. Really make sure, cables are snug1

  3. RX-RX: RX on flasher needs to be connected to TX on Sonoff TH and vice versa. DO NOT connect RX-RX and TX-TX (on side transmits, other side receives)

  4. Power: Make sure Sonoff TH has sufficient power. Worst case you need to connect AC while flashing, consult an expert ⚠️⚠️⚠️, be safe and don't kill yourself ☠️.

  5. Make sure the jumper is set to 3.3V and not 5V on your COM-Port flasher. Note: If you've used it in the 5V configuration previously, your TH might be unrecoverably fried now ⚡.

  6. Check that the soldering of the pinheader is solid on your TH.

  7. COM-Port driver: Go to device manager and check for COM-Ports. If there's only one, your COM port flasher might not be recognized. Try to unplug and plug in your COM port flasher again. If there's no COM port appearing / disappearing the "virtual COM port" driver is missing. Which driver you need depends on the flasher you bought. Chances are high you're using a FTDI, drivers for this chip can be found here: https://ftdichip.com/drivers/vcp-drivers/

  8. USB-Cable: Another reason you might not be seing your virtual COM port is that you're using a USB-cable which only has power but no data. These are often bundled along with battery driven LED lights or other battery driven devices.

My temperature is always zero / 0?

That's likely a problem with your hardware. You can try the following:

  1. Make sure, the temperature sensor is really plugged in. Plug it in. All the way. You hear a "click" when you "kind of" plug in it. Plug it in deeper.

  2. If you're using a 5m extension cable: try it without the extension. We have 2m and 3m available. Just reach out to us!

How can I update my BierBot Brick?

If you're using a Sonoff TH16 with a PCB reading version "2.1" or you bought your BierBot Brick, the update requires access to the COM-Headers on the PCB. In theory, the BierBot Bricks firmware runnning on your device would allow an update using the WiFi configuration portal. This, however, does not work, since the storage of the Sonoff TH 16 is too small to store both, the old software and the new software at the same time.

Good news: If we figure out a way to reduce the firmware size drastically, this becomes an option in the future without you having to change anything. If you know C and have an idea how to do that, please feel free to contribute, the code is open source.

Which devices are supported?

Any device, that goes "full-on" after being powered up will work. Full-on means that the device is not "on and waiting for orders" but that it's turning on the heating / cooling / pump right after being connected to a socket. To give you some examples of devices that will work:

  • A induction plate with a physical control knob, such as the Hendi 3.5kW heating. Just turn the know to 3.5kW (yep, unlike the Inkbird, the BierBot supports 3.5kW).

  • Any fridge - just set it to maximum cooling.

  • Any valve/pump for glycol chillers - just keep in mind that the BierBot Brick only outputs AC.

What happens, if the BierBot Brick looses WiFi connection?

When the BierBot Brick looses it's connection, it will enter a fail-safe state. This means, that the relay is turned off. This is to avoid, that your beer is frozen down to eisbock temperature our your mashtun killing your enzymes.

The BierBot Brick will retry to connect automatically. After successfull re-connection the process will automatically pick up where it was left.

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