Welcome to the TiltSense Wiki

What is TiltSense?

TiltSense is an advanced, flexible, and user-friendly fermentation monitoring system built around the powerful ESP32 microcontroller platform. It is designed specifically for homebrewers, fermentation hobbyists, and experimental brewers who want to track their fermentation processes with precision and ease.

At its core, TiltSense reads data from multiple Tilt Hydrometers—both standard and Pro models—allowing simultaneous monitoring of several fermenters. Beyond gravity readings, it supports additional sensors such as pressure sensors, providing deeper insights into fermentation dynamics like pressure changes inside fermenting vessels.

One of TiltSense’s key strengths is its customizable firmware, which users can generate and tailor easily to their specific hardware setup and integration preferences using the TiltSense Firmware Builder — a web application that removes the complexity of manual configuration.

TiltSense integrates seamlessly with popular fermentation and automation platforms such as Brewfather and Home Assistant, enabling remote data visualization, automation, and logging.

With its intuitive touchscreen interface housed in a compact, 3D-printed magnetic case, TiltSense combines portability, ease of use, and advanced functionality into a single device that fits perfectly into any homebrew setup.

To get started, check out the sections below for detailed hardware lists, assembly instructions, firmware configuration, and more!

Features

✅ Multi-Tilt Hydrometer Support

TiltSense is capable of detecting and monitoring multiple Tilt Hydrometers simultaneously — including both standard and Pro models — across different fermenters. Each hydrometer’s data is independently processed and displayed, allowing accurate real-time tracking of specific gravity and temperature for multiple batches in parallel.

📡 Native Integration with Brewfather & Home Assistant

Seamless integration with Brewfather and Home Assistant enables automated data logging, visualization, and advanced brewing workflows. TiltSense supports API-based communication with these platforms, requiring no additional configuration once network parameters are set.

🌐 Built-in Web Configuration Interface

The device hosts a fully responsive, built-in web interface accessible from any browser on the local network. Users can configure firmware settings, enabled sensors, data publishing endpoints, and more — without needing to reflash or access the firmware directly.

🔀 Pressure Sensor Integration

TiltSense supports pressure sensor readings, combining gravity data from Tilt Hydrometers with optional pressure sensors. This allows brewers to analyze fermentation dynamics such as pressure curves and pressure-compensated gravity estimates, providing deeper insight into closed or pressurized fermentations.

🔋 Internal Battery Support

TiltSense features a compact Li-Po backup battery providing short-term power autonomy (~45 minutes). This is intended for temporary mobility, system reboots, or brief outages — acting as a lightweight integrated UPS for safe transitions and power resilience.

🧲 Custom Magnetic 3D-Printed Enclosure

The physical casing is designed specifically for practical use in brewing environments:

Compact and durable
3D-printable with standard FDM printers
Integrated magnets for easy mounting on fermentation chambers, kegerators, or metal surfaces

All case designs are open-source and fully customizable.

💡 Intuitive Touchscreen Interface

The device includes a high-resolution capacitive touchscreen powered by LVGL (Light and Versatile Graphics Library). Users can interact with a clean, real-time display featuring gravity plots, sensor status, visual alerts, and swipe-based navigation.

💰 Cost-Effective

TiltSense is built entirely from affordable, off-the-shelf components based on the ESP32 platform. This makes it an ideal low-cost solution for those looking for functionality without high expenses.

🛠️ Fully Open Source

The firmware, web interface, 3D-printed enclosure, and configuration tools are all fully open source. This ensures accessibility for makers, brewers, and developers — without license fees or vendor lock-in.