RoastLogger with USB & webcam input

Roasters and roasting

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Postby CakeBoy » Fri Sep 21, 2012 9:44 pm

Indeed welcome Randy, albeit a little slow on my part :)
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Postby GreenBean » Sat Sep 22, 2012 10:45 am

A few people have asked about the advisability of installing the HT Roaster Interface boards into the power board compartment of the roaster. In particular they have asked if the boards would be adversely affected by the temperature, chaff or coffee oils they may come into contact with inside the roaster.

Users have the option to install the boards internally or externally to the roaster. The following information may help them decide which is best for them:

1. Chaff does collect in the rear compartments of the roaster and must be cleared out occasionally to avoid a fire hazard. This can be done by removing the rear cover occasionally and vacuuming or blowing the chaff out. The Hottop manual suggests this should be done every three months. I open mine approximately every 50 roasts and find that one or two tablespoons of chaff collect in that time.

2. I have been using computer control of my Hottops since March 2010 (first post in this thread Mar 31, 2010 - 04:54 PM) with my own hardware using similar components installed in the same location. See the photo below taken March 2010 (included in post dated Mar 07, 2011 - 02:44 PM). During the last two and a half years I have carried out hundreds of roasts without any issues. Examining the boards that have now been replaced with HT Roaster Interface boards they show no signs of any problems and no visible sign of coffee oils.

3. The power board compartment is cooled, and any fumes greatly diluted, by fresh air drawn in by the Rear fan. Before installing my own boards in March 2010 I placed a thermocouple in the location of the new boards and the temperatures were of no concern provided the rear fan was on at least a low setting throughout most of the roast.

4. The HT Roaster Interface boards are low voltage only, the power board includes mains voltages. If these issues were a serious concern they would be more of a concern for the power board than the HT Roaster Interface boards.

Original computer control solution in use since March 2010:
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Izzo Alex Duetto | Gaggia XD 2 Group | Mazzer Super Jolly | La Cimbali Max | Solis 166 | Dalian 1 kg roaster | Hottop P | Hottop B | French Press (several) | Kettle modded, no really, added digital thermometer |
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Postby silron1 » Sat Sep 22, 2012 11:08 am

My Hottop P-2 is now under full computer control. With my various commitments I had set aside 1 month to complete the work.

I have completed 2 weeks ahead of schedule.

My reaction.... If I can do it anybody can do it. Total cost £190 using the Omega TCs. Would cost £50 less by using suitable ebay offerings.

I don't often post here but would like to give a public thank you to the 'Three Musketeers' Greenbean - Jim Galt (pidfits) - Randy Glass who have made this available to the coffee roasting community.

With everything now tested I am looking forward to my first roast tomorrow.

Ron 8)
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Postby silron1 » Sun Sep 23, 2012 11:27 am

Well, here is the completed Hottop P conversion to full computer control.

Here are all the pics for the work carried out:
http://postimage.org/gallery/2tie06j4/

and here is my research & action file for the whole operation:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/k1yeu2sucaknznu/OisLdikTqq

I can only repeat "if I can do it, anyone can do it".

The control given & ease of use is unbeliveablely remarkable.

You can write into the Laptop/Mac exactly how you require the roaster to perform & at what temp you wish to start the roast. At the given temp it signals to add the beans & then works its way through your preset heater & fan controls. Tap the space bar at each event, 1st crack start, 1C end. 2C start, eject & cool. The new boards work alongside the installed Hottop board preserving all the HT safety features & warnings.
Very easy to extend the gap between end 1C & beginning of 2C.

Save the setting on completion & they are stored in the Data Logger for future use.

Repeatability is uncanny, I found every minute of a previous roast followed exactly.
No doubt Green bean will comment on this but I do recommend going for the better quality Omega TCs. They have very fast reaction with great accuracy & very easy to handle during the installation.

In my opinion if you have a Hottop & do not do the conversion you are only using half its capabilities.

I have a few bit & pieces ( rivet screws - plastic nuts & bolts) over & after anyone orders a board from JimG (pidfits) & PMs me I will forward my address to send a small padded return stamped envelope & I will post back to you FOC.

Final word - do take your time in considering each aspect of the conversion before proceeding e.g after marking up position of holes, drill a small pilot hole before committing to the larger size. This makes it easier to position the larger drill bit for the final hole. Any incorrect small pilots can easily be filled with JD Weld.

Note the only change to the cosmetic look of the Hottop is the addition of the small USB connection on the back panel.

Take my word on this & give it a 'go'

Ron
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Postby GreenBean » Sun Sep 23, 2012 1:09 pm

Congratulations Ron! As far as I am aware you are the first person, apart from the beta testers, to get everything installed and up and running 8) :D

I am delighted that you are so happy with the results and am sure that you will continue to enjoy computer control of your Hottop.

Thank you for documenting your installation so thoroughly, I am sure this will be of use to others installing the HT Roaster Interface devices in their roaster. For anyone considering this I recommend you go through all the photos and information Ron links to in his post. I have taken the liberty to pick out a few key points, photos and innovations in Ron's installation below:

As noted in a previous post, Ron decided to use Omega XCIB-K-3-5-3 thermocouples. The main reasons for this were that they are exposed junction (not grounded), use thick 0.8 mm wire which should be robust and they have a collar attached making fixing them in place easier. These are over specified for the service and expensive but we hoped they would provide for simple, problem free installation and be robust in service. The early results would indicate that they have met our expectations.

Image

Rather than fixing the thermocouples directly to the rear wall of the roasting chamber Ron decided to use drilled out rivet nuts as support tubes and to fix these to the rear wall with J B Weld. The thermocouples are a push fit into the drilled out rivet nuts. Rivet nuts are readily available in various sizes and materials and, when drilled out, work well for this use.

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This allows for easy removal of the thermocouples and for the protrusion into the roast chamber to be adjusted to the optimum position.

Image

Ron has fixed the TC4C/HTC boards to the left hand side of the roaster frame (viewed from the back) by drilling through the frame and fixing with nylon bolts/nuts.

Image

Clearance between the rear side of the TC4C and the roaster frame is provided by three nylon nuts used as spacers on each corner of the board.

[Edit: corrected thermocouple reference]
Last edited by GreenBean on Mon Jan 28, 2013 3:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Izzo Alex Duetto | Gaggia XD 2 Group | Mazzer Super Jolly | La Cimbali Max | Solis 166 | Dalian 1 kg roaster | Hottop P | Hottop B | French Press (several) | Kettle modded, no really, added digital thermometer |
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Minor RoastLogger update

Postby GreenBean » Sat Oct 13, 2012 4:19 pm

I minor RoastLogger update to version1.7.5 is now available. This update provides a few new options, requested by users, that allow skipping of roast stage markers during logging and the reduction of the open height of action tables in the Arduino Controller. The RoastLogger-TC4 Arduino sketch is also updated to the latest version which fixes a minor issue that did not affect its operation.

For further information see the following version information and the RoastLogger website.

Version 1.7.5 - 13/10/2012

1. RoastLogger
    Added an option which, when logging, allows the user to skip remaining roast stages and immediately mark "beans ejected" and stop logging. This is achieved by pressing the "e" key at any time whilst logging. This allows users to use the space key to mark the stages in turn and the "e" key to skip to eject. Hopefully this will make it easier for people who regularly stop their roasts before second crack starts.
2. Arduino Controller
    Added an option to limit the height of action tables to show 5 actions. This is to allow people with limited screen height, who do not use more than 5 actions, to have more tables open at one time.
3. RoastLogger-TC4 Arduino sketch
    Updated sketch to release 2.0a. This fixes a minor issue in release 2.0 where the banner displayed on an LCD screen indicated the wrong version. Performance and operation is unaffected.
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Izzo Alex Duetto | Gaggia XD 2 Group | Mazzer Super Jolly | La Cimbali Max | Solis 166 | Dalian 1 kg roaster | Hottop P | Hottop B | French Press (several) | Kettle modded, no really, added digital thermometer |
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Roasting by Computer

Postby silron1 » Tue Oct 16, 2012 2:23 pm

I have been away for a while & although I completed the work involved in computerising my Hottop P Roaster before I departed, I only managed to complete a few trial roasts at that time.

Over the past 2 days I have really got into it. Have now put through some 14 roasts of various beans & I am delighted with the results. Here is a synopsis of the roasts.

Taste - the most important in my view, has become that little bit deeper.

Control - simplified almost beyond belief. My Hottop is the 'P' programmable. Very difficult to obtain desired results through the 8/9 segments with the heater only either full on or off . I know the 'B' version is better as you are able to make changes 'on the fly' but it requires constant attention & adjustment. Possible but not easy to repeat a satisfactory result. Having the ability to set everything up on the computer in advance by scripting the heater & fan operation is a remarkable asset. Couple this with the simplicity of doing just that makes it an absolute joy to use. The program retains the manual override so that you can adapt to any unforeseen circumstances. Bring back the stored program at any time & it will repeat exactly what has happened before.

Operation - I have chosen to drop the beans in at 130C with max heater & no fan. At 180C I ask it to keep heat at 100% but start the fan at 30%. 185C I drop the heat to 80% & the fan remains at 30%. Thus to 1st crack which I mark by a touch of the spacebar. At 45 seconds after 1st crack the heater drops to 45% & the fan remains at 30% I mark the end of 1st crack & from that time onwards I can eject the beans to suit the degree of roast required for each specific bean.
I have the ability to lengthen the gap between end 1st & beginning second at will & play with the so called 'drying time'.

Noticeable Differences - above all, smell. You can follow the roast progress almost by smell alone.
Things happen generally at a lower indicated temperature than before. This means less wear on the Machine, more use out of the rear filter, easier cleaning & louder cracks.

Finally, in my opinion, if you have spent £700+ on a Hottop and you choose not to computerise it you will miss out on how good a machine it really is. As indicated elsewhere total cost £150/£190 dependant on TCs you choose

A lot of folk have showed interest on what I have been able to do thanks to GreenBean & Co. I don't like to cross post but please excuse me on this occasion due to the interest.

Ron
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Postby GreenBean » Wed Oct 17, 2012 9:44 am

Hi Ron, I hope you had an enjoyable holiday. Thank you for the further feedback on your progress with your computer controlled Hottop P. It is great to hear that you are enjoying it so much. :D

The modification to computer control brings the same level of control and repeatability of results to the Hottop D, B or P models. Before modifying my Hottops I found the control provided by the Hottop P panel utterly frustrating and quickly changed it to a B panel. It is particularly satisfying that, using the HT Roaster Interface to provide computer control, removes the constraints and frustrations from using the P control panel. 8)
Image

Izzo Alex Duetto | Gaggia XD 2 Group | Mazzer Super Jolly | La Cimbali Max | Solis 166 | Dalian 1 kg roaster | Hottop P | Hottop B | French Press (several) | Kettle modded, no really, added digital thermometer |
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An update to the RoastLogger is available.

Postby GreenBean » Wed Oct 31, 2012 3:57 pm

An update to the RoastLogger to version 1.7.6 is available for download. This update only affects the Arduino Controller. It fixes a bug in the previous version, removes the serial tab which is no longer necessary, adds an experimental PID and PID autotuner and rearranges the menus to suit.

The bug which has been fixed could, in some circumstances, prevent the loading of action table settings from a template. Loading settings from a file was unaffected.

The serial tab was intended to help in debugging serial communication between the Arduino Controller and a TC4 or Arduino and is no longer necessary.

An experimental PID and autotuner have been added to the Arduino Controller to explore the suitability of PID control of small electric coffee roasters. I want to make it very clear that these are experimental only and they may be removed from future versions of the program if they are not found to be useful.

I have very little experience of using PID control of a coffee roaster but, from my tests to date, I am not convinced that using a PID is the best way to control a small electrically heated roaster where a consistent bean mass can be used for all roasts. I believe that the current action table approach produces better control and superior roasts on Hottops and similar roasters. Despite my tests so far being unconvincing, I have decided to leave the PID in place for the time being in the hope that others will experiment with it and prove me wrong and advise how it should be used. Leaving the PID in place should not causes problems for people who do not wish to use it as, when the PID is turned off, everything is controlled by the action tables as in previous versions of the RoastLogger.

The action table approach relies on reasonable consistency in the relationship between the heater power setting and the RoR for any given bean temperature. With digital control of an electric heating element and reasonably consistent mains voltage this works very well and allows for rapid and accurate transition between one RoR and another in a way that PID control can not match, at least in my tests. I find that the PID either overshoots the required setting to an unacceptable extent, if aggressive tuning parameters are used, or takes an unacceptable number of minutes to achieve the required setting, neither of these is good for a coffee roaster. PID control would be beneficial where the bean mass varied significantly from roast to roast or for roasters where accurate digital control of the heater power was not possible such as gas heated roasters.

Anyone who wishes to experiment with the PID is encouraged to do so. Hopefully, others will be able to achieve better results than I have and/or be able to suggest better controls/ways to use the PID. The RoastLogger help file and other documentation will not be updated to include information on using the PID at this stage. Some initial information is available here.l A brief summary of the facilities provided is included in the version information below.

If anyone lets me know they find the PID useful and provides information on how they use it or suggestions on changing the controls provided to improve control I will consider making the PID a permanent feature and document it's use. Otherwise I may remove the PID in future versions of the RoastLogger. My email address is available in the feedback section of the RoastLogger website.

To test the PID and autotuner you must have a roaster fitted with a TC4/C loaded with the RoastLoggerTC4 sketch, reading bean and environment temperatures and controlling the heater.

For further information see the following version information and the RoastLogger website.

Version 1.7.6 30/10/2012

Arduino Controller:

    Fixed a bug which, in some circumstances, prevented the loading of action table settings from a template.

    Removed the serial tab as it is no longer required.

    Rearranged the menus for clarity on which apply to the Action Tables an which to the PID.

    Added an experimental PID to test the suitability of PID control of small coffee roasters. When the PID is off the action tables control the roast as in previous versions of the RoastLogger. If the user turns the PID on then all action tables are used as before except that, after the beans are loaded, the action table settings for heater power will be ignored and the PID will be in control of the heater power. The PID can be set to use bean temperature, environment temperature or RoR on bean temperature as the control variable. A PID settings table is provided to allow setpoints to be set in up to 30 segments. Each segment runs for the set number of seconds.  When a segment is entered any setting in the "Setpoint" column is immediately applied and the adjacent checkbox checked to show that the segment is now active.  If  the "Ramp to" column has a setting then the setpoint is ramped in a straight line from the previous setting to achieve the "Ramp to" setting by the end of the segment.

    Added an experimental PID autotuner. It calculates suggested tuning parameters using the standard relay method which is general purpose, not specific to coffee roasters. Better settings will be found by manual tuning but the autotuner suggestions may be useful as a starting point.
Screen shot showing the PID tab and menu:
Image
Screen shot showing the PID settings dialog:
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Izzo Alex Duetto | Gaggia XD 2 Group | Mazzer Super Jolly | La Cimbali Max | Solis 166 | Dalian 1 kg roaster | Hottop P | Hottop B | French Press (several) | Kettle modded, no really, added digital thermometer |
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A minor update to the RoastLogger is available

Postby GreenBean » Fri Dec 07, 2012 1:58 pm

A minor RoastLogger update to version1.7.7 is now available. This update fixes two minor issues with the Arduino Controller "Actions" menu. Only Arduino Controller users who wish to save a copy of action table settings to all log files need to download this update.

For further information see the following version information and the RoastLogger website.

Version 1.7.7 - 6/12/2012

Arduino Controller:

    Fixed issue which stopped users Actions menu selection "Always save settings to log" from saving/restoring correctly between sessions.

    Fixed typo in Actions menu.
Image

Izzo Alex Duetto | Gaggia XD 2 Group | Mazzer Super Jolly | La Cimbali Max | Solis 166 | Dalian 1 kg roaster | Hottop P | Hottop B | French Press (several) | Kettle modded, no really, added digital thermometer |
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Postby frcn » Fri Dec 07, 2012 6:12 pm

GreenBean wrote:.... Before modifying my Hottops I found the control provided by the Hottop P panel utterly frustrating and quickly changed it to a B panel.


Join the club. You can only imagine the time I had documenting the "P" for the Hottop Owners Manual. The only reason I even have "P" model is for testing and documentation.

BTW - If there are any updates needed for the RoastLogger manual based on your recent changes, let me know. My life is a bit razy at the moment, but I will do my best to work on changes as necessary.
- from Randy G. -
Hottop USA Customer Service
...and so much more!
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Postby GreenBean » Sat Dec 08, 2012 11:03 am

frcn wrote:
GreenBean wrote:.... Before modifying my Hottops I found the control provided by the Hottop P panel utterly frustrating and quickly changed it to a B panel.

Join the club. You can only imagine the time I had documenting the "P" for the Hottop Owners Manual. The only reason I even have "P" model is for testing and documentation..

I am particularly proud of the fact that we have managed to design the HT Roaster Interface to completely overcome the limitations and frustrations of using the P Panel.

frcn wrote:BTW - If there are any updates needed for the RoastLogger manual based on your recent changes, let me know. My life is a bit razy at the moment, but I will do my best to work on changes as necessary.

Thanks Randy. I do not think any updates to the manual are required at the moment. The only significant update to the RoastLogger since the manual was written is the addition of the experimental PID. I plan to leave that for several months to see if anyone finds it useful. I do not use it as I much prefer the action table approach. If people do let me know they find the PID useful I will make it a permanent addition and we can consider adding it to the manual at that time.
Image

Izzo Alex Duetto | Gaggia XD 2 Group | Mazzer Super Jolly | La Cimbali Max | Solis 166 | Dalian 1 kg roaster | Hottop P | Hottop B | French Press (several) | Kettle modded, no really, added digital thermometer |
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Java zero day vulnerability

Postby GreenBean » Sun Jan 13, 2013 7:12 am

A new vulnerability in Java has been announced recently. This can result in malware being installed on your computer if you visit compromised websites containing malicious code.

To avoid this problem it is recommended that you disable the Java plug-in in your web browser and keep it disabled until a patch is released.

Please note that disabling Java in your browser protects you from this issue without any affect on RoastLogger. RoastLogger is a desktop application which does not have any connection to the internet and does not use the Java plug-in.

For further information seethis,this,this,and this.
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Izzo Alex Duetto | Gaggia XD 2 Group | Mazzer Super Jolly | La Cimbali Max | Solis 166 | Dalian 1 kg roaster | Hottop P | Hottop B | French Press (several) | Kettle modded, no really, added digital thermometer |
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Postby GreenBean » Tue Jan 15, 2013 10:17 am

I see that Oracle have now issued an update to Java to fix this particular vulnerability. It is still advisable to disable the Java plugin in your browser as other vulnerabilities will probably be found. For details and answers to many questions on this issue see Krebs on Security website.
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Izzo Alex Duetto | Gaggia XD 2 Group | Mazzer Super Jolly | La Cimbali Max | Solis 166 | Dalian 1 kg roaster | Hottop P | Hottop B | French Press (several) | Kettle modded, no really, added digital thermometer |
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Postby bulldog » Mon Mar 25, 2013 7:57 pm

I have downloaded RoastLogger.zip and pulled out the .jar file. Running Java V7 Update 17. Running the jar file yields:
Coffee Roast Logger Loading please wait… window. Followed by “A Jave Exception has occurred” error.

Win8 and Win 7 show the same result.

Any thoughts as to where to start troubleshooting?
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