Brewzilla Gen 4

[Andyroo Brew]

Finally finished my additional control panel mod. Less bending over

 

[dcbrookes]

Finally finished my additional control panel mod. Less bending over

That's brilliant - the position of the Brewzilla control panel and the narrow angle for viewing the display was one of the things that led me to switch to a G40.

 

[Andyroo Brew]

That's brilliant - the position of the Brewzilla control panel and the narrow angle for viewing the display was one of the things that led me to switch to a G40.

I went to malt miller on a brew day and the grain father persuaded me to mod mine.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

@fy_mragdy I thought about doing this but now have fitted the smart pid instead of original controller, which I can get the readings and control from tablet, phone or pc. But I'd still be keen to know how you did this as I could modify my robobrew 3.

 

[Andyroo Brew]

@fy_mragdy I thought about doing this but now have fitted the smart pid instead of original controller, which I can get the readings and control from tablet, phone or pc. But I'd still be keen to know how you did this as I could modify my robobrew 3.

I sourced a 3D printer company to print the case, back panel and buttons for the lcd panel (can’t take credit for that but have the link somewhere). I bought an additional panel from kegland AliExpress as I wanted to leave the original panel and cable intact. I then cut the 2.54mm ribbon cable in two and soldered each of the 8 wires to a cat 5e cable so the cable running out of the panel on the top has a male rj45 plug. I then soldered a cat 5e cable to the other side of the ribbon cable where the socket plugs into the power board using the same wire configuration. I then bought a rj45 waterproof socket connector where you can see the cable plugged into. Fixed the panel with a go pro mount and made sure it didn’t interfere with the malt pipe. Hardest part was drilling into stainless steel. Any tips greatly welcome.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

@fy_mragdy
Thank you thought you had reverse engineered a new piece. I might be able to use the control panel that came out of the Guten I'll have a look at that.
Agreed stainless very difficult to work with. I went through several hacksaw blades cutting the vertical pipe to put my three way tap into it. I believe they use a sort of cutting punch or tungsten carbide to get through them. As per these options
https://www.brewshop.co.nz/hole-punch-22mm.htmlhttps://www.brewshop.co.nz/drill-bit-17mm.htmlhttps://www.brewshop.co.nz/drill-bit-42mm.html
The 17mm one would make a nice hole in the bottom of the brewzilla fitted with a bulkhead connector to the pump would give you nearly all the features of the Gen 4 then. The Guten has a drain hole in the bottom near the edge which works well if it was conical at the bottom it wouldn't really make it much easier to clean or use.

 

[Andyroo Brew]

After going through a few HSS bits I bought a titanium and cobalt but which was a lot easier. I used a carbide stepped bit for the rj connector at 24mm.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

I could hardly scratch my Guten with an HSS bit, gave up and routed the second temp sensor out of the bottom and under the leg which works fine.

 

[hoppyscotty]

Thats a great mod. Is there a Y-ribbon connector peice that would mean you don't have to cut any wires and have both the lower and upper control panel functional?

Also with a PID setup do you just tie the two heating elements together and let the PID sort it all out?

 

[Andyroo Brew]

Thats a great mod. Is there a Y-ribbon connector peice that would mean you don't have to cut any wires and have both the lower and upper control panel functional?

Also with a PID setup do you just tie the two heating elements together and let the PID sort it all out?

I couldn’t find a a y connector and wasn’t sure if it would go haywire with 2 panels. The reason I bought a new panel from Ali express was in case I botched the soldering so s 6 pound outlay only. I’ve seen on the comments on the kegland 4 that they might consider offering this controller

 

[RoomWithABrew]

@hoppyscotty
I don't think it would go haywire, you could make a Y connector with a ribbon cable or just remove some of the insulation and solder onto it.

Regarding the smartpid. On the guten there are two elements 1000W and 2000W and they are wired together anyway if you wanted them separate it would be easy to do. However you actually want them together so the PID can manage them.

 

[hoppyscotty]

Thanks...food for thought. Best crack open my old soldering iron and get some practice in...been a long time! Not bothered about having both control panels functional but was looking for a solution that didn't need any of the original parts modifying so I can return the unit back to stock for when I sell it on or something. Having said that i'm definitely also looking into PID control as my Brewzilla temp control can sometimes go a bit haywire. Even with only one element on it can suddenly jump up to 5 or so degrees above set temp meaning I have to shut off the elements for a while to let things calm down then it repeats and I chase my tail for a while until it seems to settle down. Not sure if its an issue with a false temperature reading or something else. Was thinking PID might control things a bit more precisely.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

@hoppyscotty
I know what you mean about the temp control on these units, I didn't ever get the confidence to wander off and leave the mash to it because of those issues of temperature swings. Having taken my Guten apart to fit the SmartPID I can see that it would be very easy to extend the wire from the PCB to the display and reposition it wherever you want it.
Really all you'd need would be a 75cm ribbon cable with 8 wires which might be an off the shelf item and just detach the screen and plug in the new cable. I'd probably put that ribbon cable in a protective conduit but it looks a job that could be done without a soldering iron.
Some pictures to encourage you.