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 TC4 - Overview and announcements
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| JimG |
Posted on 11/25/2011 6:02 AM
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 1 1/2 Pounder  Posts: 834 Joined: October 23, 2008 |
Quote Bhante wrote: PS - Quote JimG wrote:Posted on 11/25/2011 03:49 Are you always up so early Jim?? That is a little before 6:00 am here, so I am usually up. Functioning is another matter :| Jim |
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| Coffee makes the world goround |
Posted on 12/10/2011 5:28 AM
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 Newbie  Posts: 49 Joined: December 12, 2010 |
HI :) i have question the kit , is the IC already programmed , meaning that if one did buy one and finished it , it would be the same as the TC4C or can one programme it without a ardino board i have a friend that is into electronics , and he thinks he can do it , he has the equipment to program IC`s , and make his own programs and prototypes etc i only want to monitor and log the roasts , not control the roaster but better have it (that function),and not need it , than (later )needing it and not have it  i dont see the need for a (expensive) meter , just to feed the PC with the temp info I live in Denmark , but might have some come over in Christmas , that could bring me one along |
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| JimG |
Posted on 12/10/2011 12:01 PM
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1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 834 Joined: October 23, 2008 |
Quote Coffee makes the world goround wrote: is the IC already programmed , meaning that if one did buy one and finished it , it would be the same as the TC4C No. The TC4 shield does not have a microprocessor on board, so there is no IC to program. The shield just provides an interface between the Arduino and a few thermocouple sensors, SSR's (optional), and LCD display (also optional). All of the programming is done to the ATmega chip on the Arduino. The TC4C has all of the shield hardware, plus the ATmega328P microprocessor, so it can stand alone. The TC4 shield cannot stand alone and must be attached to an Arduino. Jim |
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| Coffee makes the world goround |
Posted on 12/10/2011 1:40 PM
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Newbie Posts: 49 Joined: December 12, 2010 |
DOHH :) now i get it I did just look at the pictures of the boards ,that was on the ordering page they did all look the same but after clicking the link at the TC4C i could see the different board well and after looking at the Typical wiring diagram for roaster control using TC4 system. it looks like it can get its power from the usb cable ..is that right ?? so a TC4C + a usb cable + (up to 4)K type probes download artisan and i should be good to go ?? Is the TC4C only sold as a completely build , or , are they sold as kits too ? |
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| JimG |
Posted on 12/10/2011 7:22 PM
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1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 834 Joined: October 23, 2008 |
Quote Coffee makes the world goround wrote: it looks like it can get its power from the usb cable ..is that right ?? so a TC4C + a usb cable + (up to 4)K type probes download artisan and i should be good to go ?? Yes, that's all correct. Quote Coffee makes the world goround wrote: Is the TC4C only sold as a completely build , or , are they sold as kits too ? I've not offered them as kits mostly because I thought most people would want something that worked right out of the box. If you built the kit yourself (which would not be very hard), then you would still have to download and install the Arduino IDE and program the board yourself. And then there is the issue of writing documentation, something I am famously bad at doing. Jim |
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| JimG |
Posted on 12/15/2011 7:44 AM
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1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 834 Joined: October 23, 2008 |
I am open to other ideas, too. But awhile back I created a series of threads related to the TC4 that I hoped would provide homes for most discussions: http://forum.home...rum_id=133 Of course, none of them are "official." ;) Jim |
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| farmroast |
Posted on 12/15/2011 10:05 AM
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 1/2 Pounder  Posts: 295 Joined: December 20, 2006 |
I started a "TC4 Users" thread a little time back. http://forum.home...ad_id=2383 My thought was if we talk about how we use the various setups it would help new interests sort through what they might need/want. Edited by farmroast on 12/15/2011 10:19 AM Ed B.
DreamRoast 1kg roaster, Levers, Hand Mills http://coffee-roa...gspot.com/ |
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| JimG |
Posted on 12/19/2011 8:29 AM
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1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 834 Joined: October 23, 2008 |
This is to announce the availability of a new LCD option that was designed specifically for the TC4C standalone board. The new adapter, the LCDapterC, is also fully compatible with the TC4 shields. The new wrinkle on the LCDapterC is that it optionally can be mounted directly on the TC4C using 3 standoffs, making a nice unit for panel mounting inside a project box. The position of the I2C pins on the new LCDapterC matches the I2C header on the TC4C. So by mounting a 4 x 1 female socket on the LCDapterC, no cable is required to enable the use of a character LCD. Photo below shows how the new LCDapterC (with a 16x2 LCD and some buttons already mounted) can be connected to the TC4C. When connected together, there are 4 accessible holes intended for panel mounting. Jim
JimG attached the following image:
Edited by JimG on 12/19/2011 8:31 AM |
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| JimG |
Posted on 01/26/2012 3:04 PM
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1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 834 Joined: October 23, 2008 |
Arduino 1.0 Compatibility The standard TC4 libraries, aArtisan, aBourbon, and aCataui are now compatible with the new Arduino 1.0 release. The revised TC4 standard library download is required for any TC4 application using Arduino 1.0. You may download it here: http://code.googl...n=2&q= aArtisan version 2.00 may be downloaded here: http://code.googl...n=2&q= aBourbon version 3.00 may be downloaded here: http://code.googl...n=2&q= aCatuai version 2.00 may be downloaded here: http://code.googl...n=2&q= Jim Edited by JimG on 01/26/2012 11:09 PM |
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| JimG |
Posted on 03/10/2012 7:10 PM
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1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 834 Joined: October 23, 2008 |
So, you need to read 8 thermocouples? I had a chance to work on a mini-project today. A TC4C user wrote and said reading only 4 thermocouples was no longer getting the job done, and that he wanted to read up to 4 more. How to do this inexpensively? Turned out to be surprisingly easy: 1. Build a stripped down TC4 shield (4 screw terminals, MCP3424 chip, 2 capacitors, and the 4-pin I2C header). 2. Carefully bend up pin no. 10 (Adr1) on the MCP3424. 3. Solder the remaining 13 pins of the ADC to the TC4 shield. 4. Connect the stripped down TC4 to either a TC4C board, or to a TC4/Arduino combination, using a 4-wire I2C cable. 5. Use 0x69 for the I2C address of the extra MCP3424. Of course, there will be a little programming needed to access all 8 channels. But fundamentally all that is needed is to introduce a second ADC object, initialize it to 0x69 (the default is 0x68 for the basic TC4 system), and then use the basic skeleton of any of the existing TC4 applications. Jim |
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| bvwelch |
Posted on 03/12/2012 6:43 PM
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 1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 1064 Joined: December 27, 2007 |
8 channels -- very cool Jim! -bill |
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| Coffee makes the world goround |
Posted on 09/25/2012 6:42 PM
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Newbie Posts: 49 Joined: December 12, 2010 |
So,, Last year around Xmas i did buy a Tc4C m and had it shipped to me (Denmark) had it tested on a friends super computer , and it did work fine Things got in the way and first now i did try it on a old laptop i got cheap (dead battery) I have Artisan and the Tc4C came pree programmed with aArtisan and was allready tested but i cant get it to work on my laptop Artisan runs , but no readings fro the temp probes i think i am missing a driver for the Tc4C ?? could this be so ?? and wil my laptop be usefull at all ?? Laptop is a Compaq Evo Windows xp Mobile intel Pentium 4-M cpu 2,00GHz 1,2 GHz 768 MB ram or would i be better of using a different logging program ( then i would need a different programming of the Tc4C i know ) |
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| greencardigan |
Posted on 09/25/2012 9:27 PM
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 1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 1185 Joined: November 21, 2010 |
Have you checked the settings in the 'Config' menu in Artisan? You need to check the device section and have it set for TC4. And also check the serial port settings. Check that the appropriate COM port for your TC4C is selected and baud 19200, byte size 8, Parity N, Stopbits 1. |
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| Coffee makes the world goround |
Posted on 09/25/2012 9:56 PM
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Newbie Posts: 49 Joined: December 12, 2010 |
Quote greencardigan wrote: Have you checked the settings in the 'Config' menu in Artisan? You need to check the device section and have it set for TC4. And also check the serial port settings. Check that the appropriate COM port for your TC4C is selected and baud 19200, byte size 8, Parity N, Stopbits 1. check check check all settings was like you write isnt there any need for a driver for the Tc4C if i remember correcty , my computer guru friend DID download something aside from Artisan |
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| greencardigan |
Posted on 09/25/2012 10:16 PM
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1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 1185 Joined: November 21, 2010 |
I dont remember needing any drivers. Are you getting a serial port appearing in windows device manager when you plug the TC4C in? Is the TC4C powering on? Do you have a LCD connected? |
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| greencardigan |
Posted on 09/25/2012 10:36 PM
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1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 1185 Joined: November 21, 2010 |
Actually have a read here. http://arduino.cc...sWindowsXP And I attached two files from my drivers directory. I'm not sure which one is required for the TC4C. |
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| Coffee makes the world goround |
Posted on 09/25/2012 10:45 PM
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Newbie Posts: 49 Joined: December 12, 2010 |
The first couple of times i connected the Tc4C , the cumputer did say it needed a driver for FT232 USB UART i did find one on the net , , and thought is was installed the Tc4c is powering up (the green led is on ) and the cumputer makes a noise when you connect it , but it dont ask for a driver anymore , but with my best computer duumynes , i did check and it says no driver is installed for the FT232 USB UART device ??? |
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| JimG |
Posted on 09/26/2012 8:11 AM
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1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 834 Joined: October 23, 2008 |
To be sure you have the correct and latest drivers for the FTDI USB-serial chip, use this link: http://www.ftdich...rs/VCP.htm (I recommend using the virtual com port (VCP) drivers, and not the D2XX drivers, BTW). Jim |
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| Coffee makes the world goround |
Posted on 09/26/2012 7:56 PM
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Newbie Posts: 49 Joined: December 12, 2010 |
Quote JimG wrote: To be sure you have the correct and latest drivers for the FTDI USB-serial chip, use this link: http://www.ftdich...rs/VCP.htm (I recommend using the virtual com port (VCP) drivers, and not the D2XX drivers, BTW). Jim To greencardigan thanks fot the link . looks like i am not alone with problems like that Jim , i had allready been to that site ,AND dowloaded the newest version didnt work but sins i had it open again (clicked your link) i did try to use the old unsurported version and that did the trick  Now i can use Artisan it behaves strange if you only have one probe , even when in the settings you set it to only one channal it shows two temps , one for et and one for beens , they both change if you heat the one and only probe , but not the same the curves split apart , and then sloooowly come together again ??? Luckily when using two probes ,,,,no problems only a slight ofset (5 degreeC to high) that can be the probes , and as long as its allways the same dosnt matter my laptop is working slowly the longer logging time , the slower it goes have some here tested it using ubunto Edited by Coffee makes the world goround on 09/26/2012 8:04 PM |
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| greencardigan |
Posted on 09/26/2012 8:04 PM
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1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 1185 Joined: November 21, 2010 |
If you're only using one probe then I think you should use a bit of wire to connect the terminals of the other channel together. Setting Artisan to do read intervals of 2 second instead of 1 second might help to stop it slowing down. |
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| Coffee makes the world goround |
Posted on 09/26/2012 9:17 PM
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Newbie Posts: 49 Joined: December 12, 2010 |
I have several roasters ( no I AM NOT ADICTED ;;;NO WAY :300ccCoffee.gif: smiley-hot.gif:)and most if not all can use 2 or more probes When i once build a 500gram drum roaster i going to need all 4 channels temp outside drum Temp inside drum Temp in bean mass temp in exhaust |
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| georgel |
Posted on 11/10/2012 4:19 PM
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 Newbie Posts: 47 Joined: July 01, 2008 |
Quote JimG wrote: This is to announce the availability of a new LCD option that was designed specifically for the TC4C standalone board. The new adapter, the LCDapterC, is also fully compatible with the TC4 shields. The new wrinkle on the LCDapterC is that it optionally can be mounted directly on the TC4C using 3 standoffs, making a nice unit for panel mounting inside a project box. The position of the I2C pins on the new LCDapterC matches the I2C header on the TC4C. So by mounting a 4 x 1 female socket on the LCDapterC, no cable is required to enable the use of a character LCD. Photo below shows how the new LCDapterC (with a 16x2 LCD and some buttons already mounted) can be connected to the TC4C. When connected together, there are 4 accessible holes intended for panel mounting. Jim This seems to be what would work for me. altho I am a bit fuzzy as to which of the programs I might want to have preloaded. My best use would be with my Smoker and I may also figure a way to use some control + data logging on my modified Ronco coffee roaster. However I am not sure what and how to order. You mentioned roastlogger on your pm but I don't see it in the datalogger thread. georgel ]
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| Barrie |
Posted on 09/21/2013 7:20 PM
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 Pounder  Posts: 504 Joined: April 10, 2012 |
Quote JimG wrote: Starting in early October, all of the TC4 pre-populated boards I've mailed out to people have been / will be pre-initialized with default identification and calibration values in the TC4's EEPROM. This will spare folks from needing to run the writeCal.pde sketch on their new SMD-populated boards. I am also performing a small suite of tests on the temperature sensor, ADC, LED's, and output transistors on the SMD-populated boards before they are mailed. Fortunately, there haven't been any instances of bad chips on the SMD pre-populated boards reported to me, but this extra step should virtually eliminate the odds of that happening. (I built a testing jig using a Freeduino board and a few pogo pins. PM me if you are interested in the details.) Jim With Jim away, I wonder if someone else can speak to the calibration issues? I installed the HTC/TC4 combo and, at first, used it just for logging with an inexpensive probe through the chute. This worked very well, with 1C usually at around 400. Flushed with success the next step was to go the whole nine yards with bean and environmental probes through the rear wall etc. The (upgraded) probes are Omega XCIB-K-3-5-3s. This works entirely as intended, with one exception. 1C now usually occurs at 370, according to the T1 probe! Everything else looks perfect, with the environmental and bean temp/time curves exactly as they should be, if one just ignores the numbers. I could live with this situation but for the fact that I went for top-of-the-line probes with an expectation of reliability and accuracy. I wonder about calibration at the pcb/software level but then remember that the previously-used el cheapo probe gave the "right" numbers. It is very unlikely that Omega sent out probes with faulty performance. Each is checked pre-shipping. Unfortunately they are now JB Welded to the rear wall and related sleeves.
Barrie attached the following image:
Edited by Barrie on 09/21/2013 7:33 PM Barrie (San Diego, CA)
"So much to learn, so little time." Hottop 2K+., Artisan, Jura Capresso ENA 3 (i.e. espresso). |
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| JackH |
Posted on 09/21/2013 7:37 PM
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 Administrator  Posts: 1809 Joined: May 10, 2011 |
I don't know much about the HotTop, but when I run my turbo roaster empty, BT and ET are usually about the same temperature once it warms up. Something to check. Also, the 370 seems more like 1C to me. My 1C is usually around 370-380F. Maybe your old probe was inaccurate or the location it was mounted is different. ---Jack
KKTO Roaster. |
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| allenb |
Posted on 09/21/2013 7:53 PM
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 Administrator Posts: 3858 Joined: February 23, 2010 |
Jack's recommendation to check one against the other with no beans is the best way to know if the omega bean probe is off. It's interesting how finicky bean temp probes can be. On my 1 lb easydrum I've used two different locations not very far from each other and two totally different readings at 1C. 400 F at the first location which I'm used to seeing in my fluidbed roasters and the current location reads 387 at 1C. I guess the closer we can get to 380F for a bean temp at 1C the closer we are to the actual internal bean temperature. Allen 1/2 lb and 1 lb drum, Siemens Sirocco fluidbed, presspot, chemex, cajun biggin brewer from the backwoods of Louisiana
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