Pat wrote:Great post Ian
Vs_Strike_Water_Temp2,Vs_Strike_Water_Temp 
Yep, I'm with you on following the formulas but I think stux has done this to make the whole programming side easier (and safer) in the long run. These things make sense to the computer guys but are very hard for us
. What is needed, down the track at least, is a review of field names. For example, Vs stands for 'Volumes Sheet' but this is currently 'BIAB Calculator'. I have no idea what the bolded bit above means
.
Its really not going to be practical to rename every "Vs_" field to "BC_"
The computer guys seem to be able to work with it for the moment but it is something that should be looked at later once this particular sheet is finished. A table explaining what each field name means is needed.
I am also pretty much in the dark here. Only today I learned to keep an eye on the bit to the left where you type in info. eg. Click on cell b20 (the volume figure into bottles/kegs) and you'll see "Vs_Brew_Length" in the bit to the left - that being the cell name.
Definitely something that needs to be looked at later.
Trub / Evap Correction Factors etc
This is a valid point. The addition of these 'factor' fields actually doesn't solve the problem it was trying to. The idea was to create a basic 'standard' for new users but the addition of these fields will not do this. For example, if I download a recipe that has a 'Kettle Trub Percentage of 5.00, how would I know the 'standard' is 17.95?
There should probably be a "Reset" button which will reset the values to the defaults. I have actually already started doing this. There is a "Reset_For_Distribution" macro I was working on
Actually, a better name would be "Use Defaults"
Anyway, with a recipe, you would enter hop bill and grain bill details, mash temp, and the idea was/is that a user just enters their packaging quantity and diameter, and they get a scaled recipe.
Now the problem is if someone changes the default trub/boiloff modifiers, and then uploads a recipe, and someone else downloads that and scales the recipe without realising its not defaults...
Obviously with the recipes that BIABrewer uploads they should be set with the distribution parameters.
Perhaps move the kettle diameter and other system specific values into the Equipment tab
then the only thing to change on the main tab is the packaged volume
Being able to change the kettle and fermenter trub percentages is important as they can vary a lot based on the system. For example, I no-chill. This means I end up with LESS kettle trub and MORE fermenter trub. Without the modifiers I have to edit the cells.
A normal user can not be expected to edit the cells
This requires a whole new re-think before release. Excellent point!
Grain Absorption Factor
We are probably not seeing what the other is seeing on this one. I am seeing it as 'fixed' (as in non-adjustable) except by advanced users. However in 'Brew History' what the brewer can do is measure their mash volume once they have doughed in and record that figure. Later they might find that their average (see Cell I50) is different from the 'fixed' figure we are currently using in cell B50. If enough people say, "I am getting a higher reading," then we should look at changing our default in future versions.
More posts are needed like yours Ian so we can more easily see what is not right, clear or confusing. That's always the problem with creating this stuff - you assume everyone else sees what you see.
Thanks,
Pat
Comes down to are you trying to enlist people to capture data for you or to provide them with a useful tool
Granted, the only way to solve this is to capture the data
)
(Too much to keep track of here!)
. I have written to BJCP so hopefully permission will come through soon.
)