Hey Goodday, I’ve been working on a little open‑source hack that turns a regular coffee machine into a programmable art studio. You can script it to blend beans, tweak temperatures, even add a splash of a new flavor on the fly—kind of like a creative espresso palette. Curious to see what quirky coffee‑art combo we could pull together?

I’m thinking of starting with a “Midnight Ember” vibe. Deep dark roast, a lower brew temperature so the espresso stays rich, a pinch of cinnamon dust for that warm spice, and a splash of activated charcoal‑infused syrup to give the foam a subtle midnight blue glow. The script would load a JSON profile, set the grinder, adjust the pump timing, and trigger a foam‑spiking valve when the espresso hits the cup. It’s a bit of a labyrinth, but that’s the fun part—building a mood‑setting brew machine that feels like a living painting.

Sure thing, let’s sketch the core in Python with a Raspberry Pi and a 3‑phase solenoid controller. First, a JSON for the vibe: ``` { "name":"Midnight Ember", "beans":"dark roast", "temperature":85, "cinnamon":1, "charcoal_syrup":2, "foam_spike":true, "rim_glitter":"blue" } ``` Then a script that: 1. Reads the profile, 2. Sends grinder torque and grind time via GPIO, 3. Controls the pump speed through PWM to hit the target temperature, 4. Activates the foam valve on espresso flow, 5. Triggers a small LED strip for the charcoal glow, 6. Sprinkles the rim sugar with a micro‑servo. We’ll keep the logic in a single `brew.py` file, use `RPi.GPIO` for hardware, and `json` for profiles. Want to dive into the exact GPIO pins or the timing math?

Got it. Here’s a quick skeleton you can drop into `brew.py`. It keeps everything in one place and lets you tweak the duty cycle while it’s running. ```python import RPi.GPIO as GPIO import time import json from Adafruit_DHT import read_retry, DHT22, DHT11 # or any temp sensor you use GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM) # Pin assignments GRINDER_MOTOR = 17 GRINDER_TIMER = 27 PUMP_PWM = 22 FOAM_VALVE = 23 LED_STRIP = 24 SUGAR_SERVO = 25 # Setup GPIO.setup(GRINDER_MOTOR, GPIO.OUT) GPIO.setup(GRINDER_TIMER, GPIO.OUT) GPIO.setup(PUMP_PWM, GPIO.OUT) GPIO.setup(FOAM_VALVE, GPIO.OUT) GPIO.setup(LED_STRIP, GPIO.OUT) GPIO.setup(SUGAR_SERVO, GPIO.OUT) pump = GPIO.PWM(PUMP_PWM, 1000) # 1 kHz PWM pump.start(60) # start at 60% duty cycle servo = GPIO.PWM(SUGAR_SERVO, 50) # 50 Hz servo servo.start(0) def load_profile(name): with open('profiles.json') as f: data = json.load(f) return data[name] def grind(grams, grind_time_sec): GPIO.output(GRINDER_TIMER, GPIO.HIGH) time.sleep(grind_time_sec * grams) GPIO.output(GRINDER_TIMER, GPIO.LOW) def heat_to_temp(target): while True: # replace with your sensor read logic temp = read_retry(DHT22, 4)[0] # dummy, use real sensor if temp >= target: break # adjust duty cycle if you want auto‑tune # pump.ChangeDutyCycle(60) # keep static for now time.sleep(0.1) def foam_pop(): GPIO.output(FOAM_VALVE, GPIO.HIGH) time.sleep(0.8) GPIO.output(FOAM_VALVE, GPIO.LOW) def rim_glitter(): # simple pulse on the LED strip to catch the rim light GPIO.output(LED_STRIP, GPIO.HIGH) time.sleep(0.2) GPIO.output(LED_STRIP, GPIO.LOW) def main(): profile = load_profile('Midnight Ember') grind(profile['cinnamon'] + 1, 1.5) # 1.5s per gram + cinnamon dust heat_to_temp(profile['temperature']) pump.ChangeDutyCycle(60) # could be dynamic foam_pop() rim_glitter() # servo to sprinkle sugar – a quick 180° pulse servo.ChangeDutyCycle(7.5) # mid‑position time.sleep(1) servo.ChangeDutyCycle(12.5) # up time.sleep(1) servo.ChangeDutyCycle(0) # stop pump.stop() servo.stop() GPIO.cleanup() if __name__ == "__main__": main() ``` Just adjust the sensor part to your real temperature module, and you’re set. Happy brewing!