Full Detailed Explanation of Temperature Automation Setup (7/14/16)

IMPORTANT: See my upcoming post on safety before actually running this setup! 

I wanted to make a post with an overview of my whole setup at this point, in case anyone out there is looking to do something similar and has as little experience with electronics as I did. 

Here is my brew automation setup:

1. Arduino Uno: 
• USB connection to laptop for uploading code
• Power and ground connected to breadboard
• Pins connected to temperature probe, heater (via relay), and piezo buzzer
2. Temperature Probe:
• Red wire connected to power on breadboard
• Black to ground on breadboard
• 4.7k ohm resistor between power on breadboard and row containing white wire (data) and another wire to pin on arduino
3. Relay/Heater:
• Cord cut, hot and neutral wires separated 
• Neutral wire reconnected with wire nut
• End of hot wire connected to heater attached to 1 on relay
• End of hot wire connected to plug attached to 2 on relay
• 4- on relay attached to ground
• 3+ on relay attached to pin on arduino
4. Piezo Buzzer:
• Red wire connected to pin
• Black wire to ground

Using this setup, I can write code (in the free Arduino software) that is specific to my brew process. It automatically controls the temperature for any period of time and alerts me with the buzzer when it is time to add the next ingredient.

You can see an example of the code for a mandarina pale ale in one of my previous posts ("Heating Automation Code...").

Note: Adding ingredients must still be done by hand, as must the ice bath to cool the wort and the pumping to the fermentation vessels and bottling. I may partially automate these in the future by adding a wort chiller or a pump.