Getting started with Flowstate

Flowstate tap handles are easy to use and require almost no setup. This guide will get you quickly familiar with all of the features and settings of the Flux I.

The Flux I has a standard threading at the base to fit most taps, an OLED display, and two buttons at the top. The colored button is generally used for selections, while the black button is generally used for navigation. This guide will call out cases where that might be different.

The Flux I is equipped with flash storage, and all data is saved in real-time, so in any event of a loss of power, the Flux I will pick right back up where it left off once power is restored. This is especially handy when changing the battery.

Powering Up

Flowstate tap handles are battery powered using a standard 9v battery. This power source was chosen to enable users to quickly replace the battery instead of taking the entire device out of service in order to recharge. Battery power is also important to ensure the handle can be used in any draft setup, bar, restaurant, and beyond. Under normal usage, the Flux I will last weeks on one battery. Lithium or rechargable lithium 9v batteries are recommended to extend life as long as possible.

Once a battery has been plugged in the handle will automatically power on. The screen stays on while interacted with, and will turn off after 8 seconds when idle. To tun back on, simply click the black button once. Angle the top of the handle with the screen facing forward towards you and giving the handle a couple of sharp taps will also turn it on.

Main Screen

The main screen displays Start, System, and Beverage options.

If the monitoring process has already been started, the device will display Resume and Restart options instead of a Start option. The System and Beverage options will still be displayed.

Resume and Restart

Resume simply returns the display to the flow monitoring that is currently in progress if there is one. This is determined by the system if the current volume is less than the volume to track. The Restart option will clear or reset any prevoius values, and start a new flow monitoring session.

Flow Monitoring

The Flow Monitoring screen is core to Flowstate. It is the most dynamic screen on the Flux I, and the most central to every day use. The screen consists of two different views that display basically the same information, just in different ways. To navigate between views, use the select (colored) button to toggle back and forth. Clicking the navigate (black) button will return to the main screen.

View One

View one is characterized by the vertical fill bar diagram. This is a visual representation of the keg, and will visually "empty" as the current volume is detected decreasing. The screen will vary depending on settings and available data - some of which is optional, but the full display will consist of the following:

A large beverage name on the far left of the screen, followed by other beverage details (ABV and IBU) in smaller type. Next is the fill bar diagram, and finally the current flow monitoring metrics are displayed. The metrics are pints remaining, the calculated time-till-kicked value, and any overpour volume.

View Two

View two is characterized by the circular fill diagram. As the keg volume is detected decreasing, the inner circle will shorten to reflect the remining volume. The screen will vary depending on settings and available data - some of which is optional, but the full display will consist of the following:

A large circular fill diagram with a large number of pints remaining in the middle, followed by the current flow monitoring metrics (time-till-kicked and any overpour volume) and finally the beverage name across the bottom.

System - Page 1

The first page in the system settings provides Units, Vol, and Flow Rate as well as a link to the next page and a return to main screen option.

Units

Units is a simple toggle that switches between US and Metric units the system will use. Keg volumes and flow rates are saved separately, so toggling this will not convert the keg volume based on the previous unit selection's volume. Toggling this value will reset any current monitoring the handle may have in progress.

Vol

Vol is for changing the keg volume used. The default is 5 gallons or 19 litres. Selecting this will head to the character selector. Options there include numbers and a decimal point. Toggling this value will reset any current monitoring the handle may have in progress.

This value is central to the Flux I. All of it's calculations around remaining volume and time-till-kicked come from using an accurate volume of the keg being tapped.

Flow Rate

Flow Rate is the value in oz/second or mL/second of beverage coming out of the tap. Selecting this will head to the character selector. Options there include numbers and a decimal point. Toggling this value will not reset any current monitoring the handle may have in progress.

This value is extremely crucial to the accuracy of the Flux I, and should be dialed in to the specifics of the draft system on which it is being used. The ideal flow could be different for each system, beverage or personal preference. Consult with the manager of your draft system for this specific value. Generally, an ideal flow rate is around 2 oz/second, or 59 mL/second, which is the default of the Flux I for convenience.

System - Page 2

Page two in the system settings provides Simple UI, Show OP, and Manage OP options, as well as a link to the next page and a return to main screen option.

Simple UI

Simple UI is a basic toggle for simplifying the flow monitoring screen. When simple UI is activated, the flow monitoring screen will only display volume graph and pints remaining. Other data like beverage details, time remining and overpours (OP) will be hidden. If simple UI toggled "yes", overpours will still be hidden - even if show OP is toggled "yes". Toggling this will not reset any currently running flow monitoring.

Show OP

OP is short for overpour. The Flux I will automatically track this metric, but this toggle separately hides this information from the flow monitoring page in case it is not needed. Other data like beverage details and time remaining will still show as long as simple UI is not toggled "yes". Toggling this will not reset any currently running flow monitoring.

Manage OP

Selecting this option displays the Manage OP screen. From here, selections can be made to tell the Flux I which predetermined serving volumes to use when analyzing serving behavior for any over or under pours.

The available options are 2oz (59mL) tasters, 12oz (354mL) glasses, 16oz (472mL) pint glasses, 22oz (649mL) mugs, 32oz (946mL) howlers, and 64oz (1.88L) growlers. The way the system determines the OP value is by detecting which of the aforementioned serving volumes the current pour is closest to when stopped, checking if it is over or under that value and either subtracting or adding to the OP. Any volume on this screen that does not have a filled in square will not be used in this calculation.

When done managing the OP values to use, selecting Done will go back to page 2 of the system settings.

System - Page 3

Page three of system settings only has an option for resetting the Flux I to system defaults as well as a link back to the first page of system settings and a return to main screen option. Selecting the Reset Sys option will reset all values to the initial defaults and reset any current flow monitoring in progress.

Note: no visual indicator will appear when resetting the system.

Beverage

The beverage screen allows for setting optional details of the beverage being served. Options include Name, ABV, and IBU as well as an option to return to the main screen.

All of the beverage details navigate to the character selector. The Name option contains numbers, letters, a space, and some special characters. The ABV and IBU options include numbers and a decimal point.

All of these values are optional and will be displayed on the flow monitoring screen if a value is provided. Name will appear on both views, while ABV, and IBU will only appear on view one.

The Character Selector

The character selection screen is a common interface used by the Flux I to allow for the editing of numbers and words.

The screen consistes of the value currently being edited at the top (animated if overflowing), followed by a grid of available characters, and finally a done button at the bottom. The available characters could be different depending on the value currently selected for editing, but generally will consist of numbers and letters.

Navigating

Navigating the interfece is done with both buttons on the Flux I. The black button moves the highlighted character to the right, while the colored button moves the highlighted character to the left. Pressing and holding either button will select the currently highlighted character and add it to the value currently being edited.

When the final character in the grid is highlighted and when navigating using the black button, the next selection will be the Done option at the bottom of the screen. Selecting "Done" by using the standard button for selecting (colored button) will save the edited value and return to the prevous screen. If the first character in the grid is highlighted and the colored button is clicked, Done is not selected. Instead, the final character in the grid is highlighted.

Removing Characters

Deleting a character fom the value currently being edited is done by navigating to and selecting the "<" character. This character is always located at the bottom of the grid of available characters. Selecting this will remove one character from the end of the value currently being edited. Removing more or all characters will require selecting "<" multiple times. If a value is empty, a dash (-) is displayed at the top of the screen.