Justin Foell

From touring Miller & Budweiser breweries, I noticed both sites have caves – which have steady year-round temperatures. I assume the caves were used to lager, which means “storage” in German. Lager yeasts, unlike ale yeast which ferment at room temperature, do their primary fermentation in the mid-50 degree range. During secondary fermentation the temperature is dropped steadily to slowly deactivate the yeasts. Back in the day, the barrels could be moved deeper into the cave day-by-day to slowly lower the temperature from the mid-50s down to almost freezing (35°F).

Yogurt Maker?

I had an idea to automate this process using an Arduino, especially after reading Chris Reilly’s Arduino yogurt maker from Make Magazine volume 25. Everything I’ve done here was based on that, so I’ll assume you’ve read it.

Lagering is essentially the same process except instead of using a heat source (crock-pot), we use a cooler (refrigerator). Getting the refrigerator to maintain temps above 40°F can be tricky, so normally an external temperature regulator is used. But this requires me going out to the fridge every day to lower the temperature by one degree. So why not automate it? Laziness FTW!
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The parts list for this project are almost exactly the same as the yogurt maker, so I won’t reprint them, but here are some changes/additions:

The cited relay board was discontinued by SparkFun and is now called the Beefcake Relay Control Kit
1x 10kΩ resistor & 1x 330Ω resistor (optional – for reference voltage calculation)

While the parts list is essentially the same, the schematic is a little different as I used the button & speaker a little differently and added a voltage divider to do some base voltage calculation.

The schematic & code can be found in my GitHub Lager Maker project.

The Hardware

A friend of mine once said:

You software guys wouldn’t know a piece of hardware if it bit you in the ass.

I’m a software guy, so this is mostly true. Programming for Arduino is probably the closest thing I’ll ever get to real-time programming, and yes hardware and its real-world properties did present some issues. For my project, I tried to use both a cheap thermistor and a TMP36 temperature sensor. They each presented different problems:

TMP36

While this initially seemed to be the most accurate, there were problems. First there is apparently an issue when the Arduino making readings on analog pins without waiting long enough in-between, some residual voltage may remain – and skew the next reading (see graph here). Even if that’s fixed by moving to a better 3.3v reference voltage (or by simply waiting long enough between reads), there was still another issue…

As soon as any other circuits were added to the Arduino (like the relay controller) the readings of the TMP36 would be skewed – see Gunther’s comment. I don’t know enough about electronics to know if I should fix this with some pull up (down?) resistors or what. If someone knows better, I’m interested in not only the fix, but how/why the fix works.

NTC Thermistor

The only issue I have with thermistors is… MATH! To calculate temperature using one of these you can do a couple of things:

Generalize the temperature based on the table given in the datasheet
Calculate the temperature using the Steinhart-Hart equation
Calculate the temperature using the Beta-parameter equation

The datasheet for my thermistor gave a Beta value, but not the A, B, & C constants needed to do the Steinhart-Hart calculations – but those can determined by plugging in 3 known temperature/resistance values from the datasheet here: http://www.capgo.com/Resources/Temperature/Thermistor/ThermistorCalc.html.

Since the datasheet indicates the Beta constant, I went that route, except to determine temperature, you need to solve this equation:

$T={B\over { {\ln{(R / r_\infty)}}}}$

I have the Beta (B) parameter, and I’ll know the resistance (R) at the time of measurement, but WTF is $r_\infty$ ? A math teacher friend pointed out to me that I don’t need to know or care about what $r_\infty$ represents, and instead just solve for it using a known temperature/resistance:

$r_\infty={R\over{e^{(B/T)}}}$

In pseudocode solving looks like:

r_sub_inf = resistance / (pow(e,(b / temperature)))

I solved this for a few temperatures & resistances from the datasheet and took an average. Or you can experiment with various $r_\infty$ values you get to see what gets you closest to an accurate temperature reading.

Also, there’s heat created when voltage is sent through the thermistor, and the datasheet gives a “Thermal Dissipation Constant.” To account for this I subtracted a few degrees from the measurement based on this constant.

Even after all this was said and done, my temperature readings were low compared to a trusted reference thermometer. So I simply created an offset constant to bring things more in line. I can’t (and won’t) guarantee this offset will be the same over the entire range of the thermistor, but it works for me 🙁 Again if anyone can provide insight on a better way to remedy this, I’m all ears.

Software

I made a datatype called a stage which contains a start temperature, end temperature and duration. You can add as many stages as you’d like. For lagering there’s typically two (or three) stages:

Primary Fermentation (~two weeks)
Secondary Fermentation (~2-3 weeks)
Conditioning (~3-4 weeks)

Times indicated above were for the most recent kit I brewed: American Lager from Northern Brewer.

I set my stages up like this:

const int stageNum = 5;
stage stages[stageNum] = {
  //primary fermentation
  { 56, 56, 2 * week1 },
  //split secondary fermentation into 3 stages
  { 56, 49, week1 },
  { 49, 42, week1 },
  { 42, 35, week1 },
  //conditioning (ready to drink)
  { 35, 35, 3 * week1 }
};

The reason I split secondary fermentation into 3 is so I can have “checkpoints.” Just incase the power goes out or something, I can re-start closest to where I left off.

The button & speaker act to switch stages and report the current stage & temperature. If you press the button quickly, the speaker will beep n-times in a mid-tone to indicate the stage number, then in a low tone: x long tones for the first digit of the current temperature, and y short tones for the second digit of the current temperature. Then in a high tone the same process will repeat for the current target temperature.

Holding the button down for more than 3 seconds will cause the Arduino to advance to the next stage. It will then report the new stage number, current temperature and target temperature as described above.

Otherwise the Arduino will just run through all of the stages as indicated until it reaches the end. At which time the device (refrigerator) will shut off, so it might be good to leave an extra long conditioning stage just in case you forget 🙂

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Ahh, the Internet. It’s primary usage has changed over the years, from file sharing, to pornography, to movie streaming. But one thing has always been at the fore-front: social interaction. But before the advent of Facebook, there were bulletin boards, newsgroups, and forums (some of which are still in use)… and all of these discussion outlets, once they hone in on a particular subject or subculture, become cesspools of riotous mobs, ready and willing to press THE CAPSLOCK KEY, and add copious amounts of exclamation marks at will!!!!!!!111one

A friend of mine said:

There’s something about the niche nature of [insert forum topic here] that attracts supercilious and argumentative people.

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That’s right, they also attract and breed elitism. It’s found in every forum, whether it’s about 4x4s or Drum Corps, the average tone of the discussion is:

Even if you’re just expressing an opinion, I’m right and you’re wrong and I’m going to flame you into submission!

average DCP user — Average niche forum user (replace DCP with forum of choice)

WTF does all this have to do with Beer?

Sadly, this is also prevalent in the homebrewing scene…

I don’t do much homebrewing myself, but I like to help my friend who’s an avid homebrewer – particularly if I’m “loaning” my fridge for lagering purposes. When we were looking to make a lager in 2009, I asked my friend about clone recipes and was warned to tread lightly. Homebrew forums were quick to lend a hand with your “Pete’s Wicked Ale” clone, but if you asked about a clone for Miller (heaven forbid), you would surely be met with criticism.

Sure, I understand trying to make Budweiser at home is cost prohibitive, but it’s not about beating the price – it’s about beating the system, and taking a known quantity into a new direction. A clone recipe is merely a starting point to serve as a control experiment. I had the opportunity to talk to Dave of Dave’s Brew Farm about craft & homebrewers poo-poo-ing lagers in favor of ales, and I noticed he is brewing a lager called Dave’s Brew Farm Select. To him it wasn’t “Why make a lager?” It was “Why not?” There’s a market for those going up against Miller/Coors & Budweiser – to offer the masses something that seems familiar, but may also be something new. Other Minnesota brewers understand as well (See Summit Pilsener & Surly Hell).

This is not to take anything away from any ale. My favorite all-time beer is probably Summit Extra Pale Ale – which I first tried in college. It was a flavor oasis compared to the Busch Light that my college roommates would typically consume every Friday.

So I say to homebrewers that have never lagered… if you have a spare fridge or freezer, you should try it. Not coincidentally, I’m working on a programmable (and automated) Arduino temperature controller which can probably be made for less than a typical temperature regulator.

Also, it seems light lagers are gaining some ground in the homebrew arena. Maybe the perceived stigma behind homebrew lagering is being erased?

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In the aftermath of what the Bike Snob calls “Shitstorm 2012” (the doping scandal primarily revolving around Lance Armstrong), professional bike racing is being reevaluated. Long-time team sponsor Rabobank has decided to stop sponsoring the sport entirely.

Several pundits are now chiming in, posturing as to what the future of professional road cycling will look like. One of the most thought provoking articles I read actually suggests that doping should be allowed, or at least not prosecuted, by implementing a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

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One of the arguments is that by entirely eliminating doping, the lack of super-human efforts will drive fanatical fans away from the sport:

Hardcore fans hooked on heroic, drug-fuelled performances may not care about the extent of doping, but may leave the sport when those heroic performances become fewer and further between.

I watched the 2012 Tour de France, and you know what I thought was heroic? On stage 10, there was an uphill finish where five breakaway riders partook in what commentator Paul Sherwen called

The slowest sprint I have seen in the Tour de France.

Co-commentator Phil Liggett said he has “never seen a sprint quite as slow as this” and used the anecdote of The Tortoise and the Hare to describe how the slowly the riders were attacking each other as individuals ran out of steam:

The only thing that would have made that finish better was if there were some sound bytes of the loquacious (and outspoken doping opponent) Jens Voigt telling his legs to shut up.

Splitting the Field

The Conversation article suggests having two categories of racers in the same race: one with zero-tolerance for drugs, and one where they simply don’t test.

Apparently in the Australian bodybuilding scene, they’ve already adapted to the widespread drug use in their sport by creating a separate “natural” competition for drug-free athletes.

The Conversation op-ed, coins the other half – the potentially drug-enhanced group “excellence,” which I feel gives the athletes more credit than they deserve. Emphasis on potentially because it assumes that clean riders might like to compete in this class as well – but I think after finishing mid-pack (or more realistically at the end of the pack) they probably won’t find their competitive level fulfilling.

If you’re going to split the field in two, why not just split them into different leagues? You can have what’s left of the clean racers, and then start a new, garish, WWE-style, entertainment-based cycling league funded by Vince McMahon – shown Sundays on NBC (and Versus). <Insert XFL Joke Here>

It’s too bad Mario Cipollini was never convicted of doping, he’s just the macho-womanizer this new league could use as a spokesman to jump-start the ratings:

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I feel the need to confess that I have somewhat of a love/hate relationship with The Nerdery. They do quite a bit of wonderful philanthropic things for the community including (but not limited to):

The Overnight Website Challenge
Generously hosting (and providing food for) several tech-based meetups including MSPWordPress

I in no way am trying to burn any bridges here. As of 2012, I have participated in the web challenge for 4 years, and plan to for years to come. It’s one of the greatest programs for non-profits that has ever been conceived. However, I feel I need to address the importance of first impressions.

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The Pitch

I was first introduced to The Nerdery in 2008 when they ran a campaign where if you could solve a code challenge your reward was a cash prize. I gathered that this was really a two-fold publicity stunt:

To launch their new brand “The Nerdery” – rather than being known for their somewhat boring “Sierra-Bravo” incorporated name.
To solicit developers

It was a clever idea, and while the prize wasn’t outrageous ($100 IIRC), it sounded interesting enough for me to try it. I assumed they were soliciting developers because at one of my earlier jobs we had a standard practice of sending job candidates a code challenge, and if they successfully completed it, we granted them an interview.

I think any code challenge, with or with without a prize incentive, is worth examining. Some people (non-developers) wonder why. Mostly it’s to self-satisfy my ego – to prove that I can do it. Even if I don’t press one key, I’d still like to examine the problem. I might work out a viable solution in my head and that would be satisfaction enough.

So, in the spirit of intellectualism (with the added bonus of some beer money), I thought this would be a worthwhile endeavor. This is where the bait-and-switch happened.

The Switch

To apply for the code challenge, I had to submit a résumé. It seemed fair, as I had assumed the end-goal was to use the publicity stunt as a recruiting tool. This is where the stunt ends and the ruse begins. Upon learning that I was a local candidate, the “Client Relations Coordinator” wanted to schedule me to come in for an interview – no mention of the code challenge. After informing her that I would only be interested in part-time and/or telecommuting positions, she politely turned me down for the interview (and subsequently the challenge) by stating that

We are hiring full-time, on-site developers for our Bloomington office […] to meet our growing business needs.

It’s not really a big deal, but I somehow felt like I got scammed. Maybe I’m just giving them a bum rap because from my viewpoint all they did was take the “1) code challenge 2) interview” process and “flip-it and reverse-it.” In their defense, at my old job we eventually changed our process the same way to get more candidates in for interviews – however, we weren’t selling it as a code challenge with a cash prize.

This all happened in 2008, and the only reason I’m posting this now is because I recently received a head-hunting email from The Nerdery inviting me in for an interview.

Do you still have that code challenge? I’d just prefer to do that instead, no cash prize needed.

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This may also serve as an open letter to the Northstar Corridor Development Authority (NCDA) and the Metropolitan Council.

Northstar Commuter Rail service wasn’t designed to fail, but it’s been built that way. Rather than solely focusing on the negatives, I’d like to compare and contrast a similar system and how they’re doing things right.

Recipe for Success: FrontRunner

Let’s take a look at a successful example, that is similar to Northstar: The FrontRunner in Utah. It uses the exact same equipment as Northstar. In fact you may have seen one of the engines Metrotransit bought from the Utah Transit Authority (UTA), before it was repainted:

Winter? I'll give you winter! — From steve55126 on Flickr

FrontRunner goes from Salt Lake City to Ogden, a shorter distance but with similar characteristics. At a price tag of $600M it didn’t come cheap, but I feel they did it “right” and would like to highlight the differences.

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Destinations at both ends

The FrontRunner starts at the state’s capitol and largest city, and terminates in Ogden, home of Weber State University. I rode FrontRunner to Ogden during the day on a weekday while I was visiting in Utah, and most of the people riding were students bound for Weber. St. Cloud and St. Cloud State are the destination Northstar needs to get riders going in both directions.

The Northstar ending in Big Lake would be like FrontRunner ending in Layton, UT – another sleepy bedroom community. The only people bound for Big Lake are residents on a return trip, that is if you can get them to ride in the first place.

Bicycle Friendly Too

After several complaints about bicycles crowding the train, UTA had some cars modified to very nicely accommodate multi-modal riders looking to use bicycles to reach their final destination:

You’d think that in a city that is the #1 bike-friendly city in America, we would have accommodations like that. But I guess we need to get more people on the train, before we see more bikes.

Additional Track

Most of Northstar’s current cost lies in stations, rolling stock, and operating expenses – not track. Otherwise the track owner, Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) holds all the cards. When I inquired to Metrotransit about over-full trains for special events, I received the following response:

Metro Transit had renegotiated a new contract with Burlington Northern. One of the items in the contract is the use of 7-car trains. For many reasons Metro Transit was asked by Burlington Northern to discontinue the use of 7-car trains. Our new limit is 5.

This is probably only an issue for Vikings and Twins games and special events like the Holidazzle Parade, but it highlights a larger concern: Northstar is at the mercy of BNSF.

There is no real way to be truly free of the freight carrier, but UTA minimized the relationship by using the carrier’s right-of-way and adding extra track to the network. FrontRunner travels in Union Pacific‘s right of way, but in order to have sufficient operating freedom, UTA added entirely new single track (and some double-track) to it’s route. This allows them to run trains when they want, and how long they want.

Schedule

This is the single biggest drawback to the Northstar service as it stands. If any money is put into Northstar that is not earmarked for the St. Cloud extension, it should be to improve the schedule.

FrontRunner has a very agreeable schedule. Take a look at FrontRunner’s southbound and northbound weekday schedules, the only time more than an hour goes by without a train is for the last one – after 11PM. Since there are destinations on both ends of the route, it also makes sense for them to run the same number of trains in both directions.

On the other hand, Northstar only runs during rush hour:

I understand Northstar is strictly a “Commuter Rail” service, meant to be a convenience (and alleviate congestion) during rush hour. But it’s partly because of the restrictive schedule that people will be reluctant to ride. “What if my meeting runs late and I can’t catch the last train?” And so it goes. Ridership has been known to spike with snowstorms, but what about increasing the overall base ridership?

Northstar’s Future

I feel like the current sentiment the general public has about Northstar is that it doesn’t have enough ridership to justify the St. Cloud extension. Right now there’s a service called Northstar Link, a coach bus that riders can take during Northstar service times from St. Cloud to Big Lake.

Northstar (and the connecting Northstar Link buses) may now (legally) have to achieve certain ridership numbers before the extension to St. Cloud will be granted with any federal money. I don’t think it will never happen – but I would love to be proven wrong. People in St. Cloud are more likely to drive their cars to Big Lake and get on the train there to skip the Bus/Train transfer. As Kris Sanda, Metropolitan Council board member from Blaine, said: “People from way out my way in the hinterlands don’t know much about taking transit and transferring to buses and so on.” Then there are those who, once in the car, are just going to drive the whole way. These numbers aren’t going to be met due to the perfect storm that’s been created: a meager schedule, lack of destinations, and inconvenient transfer requirements imposed on riders, thus driving them away – and into their cars.

When construction costs are at an all time low is when we should be building infrastructure like this – a public service that everyone can use that has real benefit for both the riders and the drivers who’s traffic is alleviated. How can we fund a stadium for a team that has eight (8) home games with public money and not this? I’m a Vikings season ticket holder and I still have mixed feelings about this.

I also understand the need for limited spending. Utah – a quintessentially red state – fully funded their project with separate track-way and an amazing schedule. This shows that while they value limited government, they still see the benefit permanent public infrastructure provides to everyone. Utah’s FrontRunner helps all the worker-bees get to work, all day long.

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Technology, Bicycling, Hobbies, Kids, Life.

Arduino Kegerator

Yogurt Maker?

The Hardware

TMP36

NTC Thermistor

Software

Lager Beer – Redheaded Stepchild of Homebrewing?

WTF does all this have to do with Beer?

Cycling: Doping and Heroics

Splitting the Field

The Nerdery & First Impressions

The Pitch

The Switch

Northstar: Engineered (and legislated) to fail

Recipe for Success: FrontRunner

Destinations at both ends

Bicycle Friendly Too

Additional Track

Schedule

Northstar’s Future