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Alc calculation software offer


grehorst

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Given all the calculation questions that pop up, I thought it might be of interest to our members that AlcoDens has a discount offer going through the end of the month. It's good software and they've recently released a new version- 2.3 and I would like members here know there is a 25% discount off the regular price...

AlcoDens consists of the following 5 specialist calculators:

1. Hydrometer Correction Calculator. Correct the apparent strength to true strength for any calibration temperature, any sample temperature and any standard temperature. You can use a Proof, ABV or SG hydrometer and get your result in all 3 options.

2. Blending Calculator. Perform rigorous blending calculations taking the ethanol-water mixing shrinkage into account. You can work in mass or volume terms, and you can express the strengths in ABV, Proof, Mass% or density. It automatically corrects volumes for temperature where applicable.

3. Volume Correction Calculator. Correct your inventory volume for temperature and determine the alcohol content in mass, volume or Proof gallon terms.

4. Strength and Density Conversions. This utility program will convert between any two of Mass% (Weight%), Volume% (ABV), Proof, Molar% and Density - taking temperature into account where applicable.

5. Freezing Point Calculator. Calculate the freezing point of a blend from its strength, or vice versa.

You can download the free, fully functional trial version and use it for 15 days to test it for yourself. Please visit the AlcoDens web page at http://www.katmarsof...om/alcodens.htm to see examples of the calculators in action, and to download your free trial.

The launch discount of 25% brings the regular price of US$ 195.00 down to US$ 146.25, and is valid until the end of September 2012. When you go online to order you will see at the very bottom of the order page (below where you enter your payment method) a field for the Coupon Code. Enter the code JXY33 (all uppercase, no spaces) and when you advance to the next page the price will have changed.

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Those who read this forum might realise I am a bit of a geek when it comes to the maths of dilution and blending.

I sometimes use the TTB tables and post my answer to problems. I use the tables ONLY to prove to myself that I haven't forgotten how to do maths.

I then check the answer with AlcoDens.

That program is extremely versatile and quick easy to use. The first time you use it might take a couple of minutes to click all the units you regularly use, but after that it is just so quick and accurate.

The previous version was a little hard to understand for newbies, but this new 2.3 is much more user friendly.

ps. I have absolutely no financial interest in the sale of AlcoDens.

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Disclaimer: I am the author and vendor of the AlcoDens program mentioned above.

I have had a query from someone who saw the post above, and has asked me how well calculations done in AlcoDens match those done using the TTB Tables. Of course, I have done many comparisons with the TTB Tables during the testing of the program but I am in South Africa and I am not regulated by the TTB Tables. This means that my testing is a bit theoretical because I do not have the experience of having to satisfy the US authorities.

I would be very grateful if any of the registered users of AlcoDens, or people who have downloaded and tested the trial version, could comment on the practical details of using AlcoDens in an environment governed by the TTB Tables.

In my comparisons I have found that AlcoDens and the TTB Tables match extremely closely. This is not surprising since AlcoDens is based on the OIML data which in turn is based on much of the same experimental data that went into the making of the TTB Tables. The one exception to the close agreement is the Wine gallons per pound data in Table 4. This is an apparent, rather than a real difference because Table 4 is based on weights in air while AlcoDens and the OIML data are based on absolute mass. If a correction is made for the bouyancy of the air then AlcoDens and Table 4 match as closely as the other Tables.

This difference has not concerned me in the past because I assumed that nobody would try to determine the Proof of a blend by weighing out a known volume - you would rather use an hydrometer which is not affected by air and does not require you to measure the volume to 4 decimal places. And the differences caused by the "in air" versus "in vacuum" data are so small that they do not have any affect on blending calculations done using Table 4 vs AlcoDens.

If anyone else has done some comparisons, or who sees any potential problems caused by the "in air" vs "in vacuum" basis I really would appreciate your comments. Thanks very much.

Edit: April 21, 2016

I still get occasional hits on my web site from this thread so I would like to update it to mention that as of version 3.0 AlcoDens now has an option to switch between "in air" and "in vacuum" (i.e. TTB or OIML method). This has brought the agreement between AlcoDens and the TTB Tables even closer.

One caveat on the TTB Tables that is relevant to AlcoDens users but also to general users of the Tables - Table No 6 gives SG values for "in air" and "in vacuum" but almost all hydrometers and EDMs are calibrated on an "in vacuum" basis. The "in air" values are what you would measure if you used a pycnometer to measure the SG. The differences are small, but no matter which calculation method you are using if you measure your SG with an hydrometer you should be using the "in vacuum" values. If you are using Proof or ABV hydrometers then there is no problem as Proof and ABV are not affected by the presence of air.

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