What is TiltBridge?

TiltBridge is an ESP32-based WiFi bridge for the Tilt Hydrometer. It picks up your Tilt's Bluetooth gravity and temperature readings and forwards them to cloud services, local dashboards, or fermentation management software — eliminating the need for a nearby phone or computer.

Why Use a TiltBridge?

The Tilt Hydrometer broadcasts its readings over Bluetooth, which has limited range. Without a dedicated receiver nearby, you need to keep a phone or tablet within Bluetooth range of your fermenter at all times. TiltBridge solves this — it's a small, inexpensive, always-on device that sits near your fermenter and relays data over WiFi to wherever you need it.

How It Works

1. Your Tilt Hydrometer floats in the fermenter and broadcasts gravity and temperature readings via Bluetooth
2. The TiltBridge (an ESP32 microcontroller) receives the Bluetooth signals and connects to your WiFi network
3. Your chosen services — Brewfather, Fermentrack, Google Sheets, Brewstat.us, or others — receive the forwarded data automatically

Once set up, TiltBridge runs unattended. Plug it in near your fermenter and it continuously relays your Tilt data with no intervention needed.

What You'll Need

This is the easiest TiltBridge build with a screen. The M5StickC Plus is a compact, self-contained ESP32 device with a built-in color LCD and case — everything in one package. No assembly required.

The M5StickC Plus

The M5StickC Plus is a small development device made by M5Stack. It has an ESP32 chip, a 1.14" color LCD, a built-in rechargeable battery, and a USB-C port — all in a tiny plastic case roughly the size of a thumb drive.

For TiltBridge, the built-in screen displays the IP address, connected Tilts, and their current gravity and temperature readings. The built-in battery means it will keep running briefly during power interruptions, though for continuous use you'll want it plugged in via USB-C.

Note: Make sure you get the M5StickC Plus — not the original M5StickC (without "Plus") or the M5StickC Plus2. The firmware is specific to this model.

Tools

• A computer with a USB port and a web browser (for flashing firmware)
• A USB-C cable that supports data (not charge-only)

Flash the Firmware with BrewFlasher

BrewFlasher is a free tool that downloads and flashes the correct firmware to your ESP32 or ESP8266 automatically — no command line needed. It supports all of the major brewing-related ESP projects including BrewPi-ESP, TiltBridge, and more.

You have three options for flashing: the desktop app (Windows/macOS), the web edition (Desktop Chrome/Edge only), or the command line edition (most OSes, including Raspbian/Raspberry Pi OS).

Option A: BrewFlasher Desktop App

1. Download the latest release from the BrewFlasher GitHub releases page
2. Connect your ESP32 to your computer with a USB cable
3. Open the app — no installation required, just double-click
4. Select the appropriate serial port (or choose Auto-select)
5. Select the appropriate project, device family, and firmware you want to flash
6. Click Flash and wait for it to complete

Note - When flashing some devices for the first time, you may need to hold down a button (typically labeled "boot" or "0") when connecting to the computer. You can release the button a few seconds after the device is plugged in.

Option B: BrewFlasher Web Edition

1. Open web.brewflasher.com in Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Opera on a computer (other browsers including Safari and Firefox don't support WebSerial)
2. Connect your ESP32 to your computer with a USB cable
3. Select the project, device family, and firmware you want to flash
4. Click "Flash to Controller"
5. You will be prompted by your browser to connect a device - select the controller you connected (typically "USB Serial" or similar)
6. Click "Install" and wait for the flash to complete

Option C: BrewFlasher Command Line Edition

The command line edition works on any platform with Python — including Raspberry Pi / Raspbian — and provides the same interactive firmware selection as the desktop app.

1. Install via pip (if not already installed):

   pip install --upgrade brewflasher_cli
   

2. Connect your ESP32 to your computer with a USB cable
3. Run brewflasher — it will interactively walk you through selecting a project, device family, firmware, and serial port
4. Wait for the flash to complete

You can also skip the interactive prompts by passing options directly:

brewflasher --serial-port /dev/ttyUSB0 --baud 460800

Run brewflasher --help for a full list of options.

Troubleshooting

• Device not detected? Try a different USB cable — some cables are charge-only and don't carry data. Also try a different USB port.
• Flash fails on ESP32-S2? Some boards require you to manually enter flash mode: hold the 0 button, press RST, then release 0. Then try flashing again.
• Linux permissions error? Run sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER, log out and back in, then try again.

Once the flash completes, your device will reboot and the new firmware will be running.

Configure WiFi & Services

After flashing, TiltBridge creates its own WiFi access point so you can connect it to your home network and configure cloud services.

Connect TiltBridge to WiFi

1. Power on the TiltBridge via USB. On first boot, it will create a WiFi access point named TiltBridgeAP (you may see a number appended, e.g. TiltBridgeAP_1234)
2. On your phone or computer, connect to the TiltBridgeAP network
3. A captive portal should open automatically. If it doesn't, open a browser and navigate to 192.168.4.1
4. Tap Configure WiFi — the portal will scan for nearby networks
5. Select your home WiFi network from the list
6. Enter your WiFi password and tap Save

TiltBridge will reboot and connect to your home network. The access point will disappear once it successfully joins WiFi.

Find TiltBridge on Your Network

Once connected, you can access TiltBridge's settings page in your browser. There are two ways to find it:

• mDNS: Try navigating to http://tiltbridge.local — this works on most home networks without any configuration
• IP address: If mDNS doesn't work, check your router's connected devices list for the TiltBridge's IP address, then navigate to that IP in your browser

If you have a TFT screen, the current IP address is displayed on the screen after the device connects to WiFi.

Configure Cloud Services

From the TiltBridge settings page, you can configure one or more services to receive your Tilt data:

• Brewfather — Enter your Brewfather custom stream URL (found under Settings > Device in Brewfather)
• Brewstat.us — Enabled by default, no configuration needed. Your data is automatically sent to brewstat.us
• Fermentrack — Enter the IP address or hostname of your Fermentrack server
• Google Sheets — Enter the Google Sheets script URL from the Tilt Sheets template
• MQTT — Enter your MQTT broker address for home automation integration

You can enable multiple services simultaneously — TiltBridge will forward your Tilt data to all of them.

TFT Screen Settings

If you have a TFT screen and the display appears upside down, go to the TiltBridge settings page and adjust the screen rotation setting. This is common with v1.1.0 TFT displays, which have a different default orientation than v1.0.0 displays.

Verify Your TiltBridge

With WiFi configured and services set up, it's time to confirm TiltBridge is receiving Tilt data and forwarding it correctly.

Check the Dashboard

1. Open a browser and navigate to your TiltBridge (either tiltbridge.local or the device's IP address)
2. You should see the TiltBridge dashboard showing the device status, uptime, and firmware version
3. If you have a TFT screen, it will also show status information — the IP address, connected Tilts, and their readings

Test with a Tilt Hydrometer

1. Activate your Tilt Hydrometer — give it a shake or place it in water
2. Place it within Bluetooth range of the TiltBridge (typically 10–30 feet, though walls reduce range)
3. Wait 1–2 minutes — the Tilt broadcasts every 5 seconds, but TiltBridge takes a bit to first detect it
4. The TiltBridge dashboard should update to show the Tilt's color, gravity, and temperature readings
5. If you configured a cloud service, check that the data is appearing there as well

Troubleshooting

• Tilt not detected: Make sure the Tilt is activated (the LED inside blinks when active) and within Bluetooth range. Try moving the TiltBridge closer. If you have multiple Tilts, each one may take a minute or two to appear.
• WiFi keeps disconnecting: The ESP32's WiFi antenna is small. Make sure the TiltBridge has a reasonable WiFi signal where it's placed. Moving it closer to your router — or adding a WiFi extender near your fermentation area — usually solves this.
• Data not appearing in cloud service: Double-check the service URL or settings on the TiltBridge settings page. For Brewfather, make sure you're using the Custom Stream URL (not the brew log URL). For Fermentrack, confirm the server IP is reachable from the TiltBridge's network.
• TFT screen is blank or upside down: If blank, check the TFT cable connection — reseat both ends. If upside down, adjust the screen rotation in TiltBridge settings (common with v1.1.0 displays).
• Can't access TiltBridge settings page: If tiltbridge.local doesn't work, try the IP address directly. Check your router's device list. If the TiltBridge isn't connected to WiFi at all, it will recreate the TiltBridgeAP access point — connect to that and reconfigure WiFi.