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TC4 with RoastLogger
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JimG |
Posted on 03/14/2012 8:35 AM
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1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 834 Joined: October 23, 2008 |
TooMuchCoffee.com member GreenBean (Tom) has added some new features to his popular multi-platform roast logging program: 1. Compatibility with TC4 systems 2. Slider bar for manual control of heater and fan Tom and I worked on a new version of his RoastLoggerTC4 sketch that supports these features. It runs on either TC4 shield + arduino or TC4C standalone hardware. Heater control is provided by the TC4's OT1, using 1 Hz PWM to drive an external solid state relay (SSR). Fan control is set up on IO3 (490 Hz PMW). As presently configured, it would be suitable to control a DC fan through an external power MOSFET or Darlington driver. Other configurations are possible with a little tweaking of the code. RoastLoggerTC4 also incorporates the ability to use different types of thermocouples on TC1 and TC2. By default, it is set up for type K on both. Download RoastLogger for your PC/Linux/Mac and RoastLoggerTC4 for your TC4 system here: http://roastlogge...nload.html Jim Edited by JackH on 06/11/2016 2:01 PM |
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bvwelch |
Posted on 03/14/2012 2:41 PM
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1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 1064 Joined: December 27, 2007 |
Very nice to see additional PC/Mac software supporting the TC4! |
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JimG |
Posted on 04/26/2012 8:29 AM
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1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 834 Joined: October 23, 2008 |
There is a new release of RoastLoggerTC4 available on the TC4 project googlecode site: http://code.googl...C4_0.7.zip This release provides the ability to jumper-select Fahrenheit operation. The default is Celsius, but Fahrenheit may now be selected by placing a jumper across two pins of the ANLG2 port on the TC4. See the README file in the release for details. Jim |
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JackH |
Posted on 05/20/2012 4:39 PM
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Administrator Posts: 1809 Joined: May 10, 2011 |
Jim, I set to Fahrenheit in the RoastLogger's option menu and it worked without a jumper. Powers up that way each time. I have one of your original TC-4 boards if that makes a difference. I have used this for many roasts and like the functionality of the software and speed/stability of the TC readings. There is also a Roast and cupping database. The original way of input was using a unique way - OCR input from a camera pointed at the roaster screen. There are now many input devices supported and the TC-4 input works very well. --Jack |
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JimG |
Posted on 05/21/2012 3:43 PM
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1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 834 Joined: October 23, 2008 |
Quote JackH wrote:I set to Fahrenheit in the RoastLogger's option menu and it worked without a jumper. Powers up that way each time. I have one of your original TC-4 boards if that makes a difference. Jack - With the current versions of everything, that probably won't work. RoastLogger and RoastLoggerTC4 both use Celsius by default. RoastLogger doesn't have a command to tell the TC4 to switch to Fahrenheit on the fly. So to avoid the need for F users to re-compile the RoastLoggerTC4 firmware, Tom and I decided to just use a jumper to let the TC4 know it should spit out F temperatures instead of C. There is a new version of RoastLoggerTC4 in beta testing right now that has some nice features for folks who occasionally roast using just the TC4 in standalone mode but still want to control heater and fan. Stay tuned (or sneak over to the googlecode site to try out the unreleased code). Jim |
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JackH |
Posted on 05/22/2012 8:47 PM
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Administrator Posts: 1809 Joined: May 10, 2011 |
Jim, I took a look at my TC-4 today and I totally forgot that I jumpered the Anlg2 port to ground because I was having instability and wanted to eliminate unused ports that were floating. The instability was using metal sheathed Thermocouples and when I used unsheathed type it went away. I guess I installed a future feature on the correct port! Sorry for the confusion. |
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JimG |
Posted on 05/23/2012 6:58 AM
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1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 834 Joined: October 23, 2008 |
Quote JackH wrote: I took a look at my TC-4 today and I totally forgot that I jumpered the Anlg2 port to ground because I was having instability and wanted to eliminate unused ports that were floating. The instability was using metal sheathed Thermocouples and when I used unsheathed type it went away. I guess I installed a future feature on the correct port! The metal sheathed thermocouples have resulted in some problems on several TC4 installations. Currently, I think the best solution if grounded thermocouples are used is to connect the frame of the roaster to the TC4 GND plane through a series resistor (values from 1K to 10K seem to work). Should have the same result if the sheathing on the thermocouple is connected to the GND plane through the resistor. Jim |
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JimG |
Posted on 07/10/2012 9:56 PM
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1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 834 Joined: October 23, 2008 |
An updated version of RoastLoggerTC4 is available for download: TC4 project googlecode site Release 2.0 adds the capability to optionally use the TC4 in a standalone mode, i.e., not connected to a PC. In standalone mode, systems that are equipped with an LCDapter with 4-button keypad will be able to manually control heater and fan output levels using only the keypad keys. Together with the upcoming release of a custom Hottop interface board, users will be able to fully control the fan and heater on any Hottop model while connected to RoastLogger, or while operating in the new standalone mode. No additional hardware beyond the TC4 device, LCDapter w/buttons, and new HTC interface board would be necessary. Users who do not choose to connect an LCD display to their TC4 systems may use this release without modification as the software will behave just fine without an LCDapter attached. Jim |
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JackH |
Posted on 07/12/2012 6:07 PM
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Administrator Posts: 1809 Joined: May 10, 2011 |
Jim, thanks for adding TC4 LCD support for Roastlogger. The LCD readout is good to have as a backup or a standalone setup. The button reset feature is also a nice addition. |
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smico |
Posted on 07/13/2012 3:07 PM
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1/2 Pounder Posts: 262 Joined: December 17, 2011 |
Jim' When do you think Hottop interface will start shipping? I started working on the interface based on discussions in few threads here, but never had time to finish it. Thanks SMico |
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JimG |
Posted on 07/14/2012 11:28 PM
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1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 834 Joined: October 23, 2008 |
Quote smico wrote: When do you think Hottop interface will start shipping? We are trying to resolve the last few issues with supporting the *&!^%$ P control panel. I am comfortable with its operation on B and D models. What model Hottop do you have? Jim |
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smico |
Posted on 07/15/2012 7:42 AM
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1/2 Pounder Posts: 262 Joined: December 17, 2011 |
I have B-2, so I am good to go? Is there a thread or page with details. Do you have the price yet? Thanks smico |
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JimG |
Posted on 07/15/2012 8:31 PM
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1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 834 Joined: October 23, 2008 |
Quote smico wrote: I have B-2, so I am good to go? Is there a thread or page with details. Do you have the price yet? Thanks smico Not quite there yet. I sent you a PM. Jim |
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smico |
Posted on 07/20/2012 5:10 PM
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1/2 Pounder Posts: 262 Joined: December 17, 2011 |
This looks great Jim. Looking forward for your message. Thank you |
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jedovaty |
Posted on 07/22/2012 8:11 PM
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1/2 Pounder Posts: 225 Joined: October 31, 2011 |
I am very excited to see this! I'm the guy who has the arduinoBT (the 168 version), so sketches are limited to about 12.5kb. I have previously been able to get Bourbon loaded by removing all the LCD stuff, and today just loaded the most recent one without problem. Since I don't have any LCDs attached, there's no problem cutting it out. In trying to get the RoastLogger loaded, awww crud, it's too big. The code appears quite a bit more complex than Bourbon - I started trying to remove LCD items, but I'm getting lost as it seems all the functions sort of depend on each other (I'm not a coder, I can read a little though). Based on how much larger the sketch binary is compared to Bourbon (22k vs about 14-16k), am I really SOL, unless I get a better setup for bluetooth? For all intents and purposes, Bourbon works just fine.. but RL is kind of pretty! Artisan will not run well on my laptop, since it is very old and not dual core (unless that's been addressed, no idea) - but I think I had it once loaded, however, had issues getting it to work with my setup. Thank you! |
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jedovaty |
Posted on 07/22/2012 9:35 PM
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1/2 Pounder Posts: 225 Joined: October 31, 2011 |
Well, point may now be moot. I had to move my setup elsewhere, and I accidentally connected the arduinobt + tc4 shield to a 12V power source instead of the 5V one, and saw a little smoke then quickly unplugged everything. Waited a few minutes, powered up correctly -- I can connect to it via bluetooth, but all temps are reading 93F on aBourbon. I doubt the thermocouples were fried.. darnit :( I hope the tc4 shield is okay.. but likely not? |
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JimG |
Posted on 07/22/2012 10:33 PM
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1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 834 Joined: October 23, 2008 |
Hard to diagnose from here. Anything show any signs of losing its magic smoke? Jim |
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smico |
Posted on 07/25/2012 11:30 AM
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1/2 Pounder Posts: 262 Joined: December 17, 2011 |
Jim, Please do send whatever you intended to send to my address. I will be on vacation until August 11, but my daughter will be at home to pick it up. Thanks, Miroslav |
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allenb |
Posted on 07/29/2012 9:58 AM
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Administrator Posts: 3908 Joined: February 23, 2010 |
Jim, Can TC4 with Roastlogger allow manual heater power control and also provide rate of rise readout at the same time? 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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JimG |
Posted on 07/29/2012 12:32 PM
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1 1/2 Pounder Posts: 834 Joined: October 23, 2008 |
Hi, Allen - Yes you can manually control the heater (and fan if desired) output and display (numeric values) RoR at the same time. However, RoR is not displayed graphically. But the numeric values of both BT-RoR and ET-RoR are displayed on the RoastLogger screens. In addition, when using the RoastLoggerTC4 firmware on a TC4 system that includes an LCDapterC you can perform heater control from the 4-button interface and view BT-RoR even if not connected to a computer running RoastLogger. Jim |
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smico |
Posted on 08/27/2012 8:51 PM
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1/2 Pounder Posts: 262 Joined: December 17, 2011 |
I am beta testing Jim's controller on my Hottop B2, and I am like in roasting heaven. All HT security featueres are kept, while full controll is obtained during the roast. Setup in Roast Logger exactly follows my thoughts when roasting: 1. During roast I change power and fan at certain temperatures to follow desired curve, until first crack. 2. After first crack start I normally roast 3 minutes, so events are triggered by time Temperature triggered setup : @actionT1Table 100|90|20 (temperature 100C set Heat to 90 and Fan to 20) 150|20|100 (temperature 150C set Heat to 20 and Fan to 100) 152|50|50 (temperature 152C set Heat to 50 and Fan to 50) 165|90|20 (temperature 165C set Heat to 90 and Fan to 20) 180|30|50 (temperature 180C set Heat to 30 and Fan to 50) null|null|null null|null|null null|null|null null|null|null null|null|null Once temp reaches 196, and I hear first crack, events will be triggered after predefined time: @actionSecsFCTable 10|20|100 (after 10 seconds set Heat to 20 and Fan to 100) 12|20|20 (after 12 seconds set Heat to 20 and Fan to 20) 14|20|100 (after 14 seconds set Heat to 20 and Fan to 100) 18|20|40 (after 18 seconds set Heat to 20 and Fan to 40) 40|50|40 (after 40 seconds set Heat to 50 and Fan to 40) 90|60|40 (after 40 seconds set Heat to 60 and Fan to 40) 180|60|40 (after 180 seconds set Heat to 70 and Fan to 40) null|null|null null|null|null null|null|null I am looking forward to roast back to back. I still have to wait HT to cool down to 165. Cheers, Miroslav Hottop B2 + HTC, Cremina 83, OE Pharos, Brewtus IIIR, Baratza Vario
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smico |
Posted on 08/28/2012 8:38 AM
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1/2 Pounder Posts: 262 Joined: December 17, 2011 |
Quote smico wrote: I am looking forward to roast back to back. I still have to wait HT to cool down to 165. In the mean time, I thought of way to do back-to-back roasts with Hottop. To start the new roast we need to wait until internal HT thermometer (RTD) cools down to 165F. I will add (COOL) button to adjust resistance of RTD down, and make Hottop feel like January in Montreal. Back to back roast process: 1. Heat empty Hottop to 400F 2. Press eject 3. Power OFF 4. Power ON, set FAN to 100% 5. Wait until Hottop cools down to drop in temperature 6. Press the COOL button, which brings HT in preheat, and immediately after in roasting mode (I hope this will work fine) 7. Roast 8. Press eject when done, cool beans in separate cooler. 9. Remove chaff, do after roast maintenance 10. Power OFF 11. Power ON, set FAN to 100% 12. Wait until Hottop cools down to drop in temperature 13. Press the COOL button, which brings HT in preheat, and immediately after in roasting mode (I hope this will work fine) 14. Roast ?. ETC?. Now, this all looks nice from the distance. I will test it tonight and report... Cheers, Miroslav Hottop B2 + HTC, Cremina 83, OE Pharos, Brewtus IIIR, Baratza Vario
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smico |
Posted on 08/29/2012 5:15 AM
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1/2 Pounder Posts: 262 Joined: December 17, 2011 |
I tested procedure above and it works like a charm... Now, would I recommend it to someone, this is another question. There is a lots of plastic on Hottop, and they cool it down for a reason. Cheers, Miroslav Edited by smico on 08/29/2012 5:21 AM Hottop B2 + HTC, Cremina 83, OE Pharos, Brewtus IIIR, Baratza Vario
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Bhante |
Posted on 08/29/2012 2:14 PM
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1/2 Pounder Posts: 228 Joined: February 13, 2011 |
Quote JimG wrote (in the ReadMe): RoastLoggerTC4 version 2.0 10 July 2012 by Jim Gallt and Tom Coxon - general release of software with standalone capability (see below) - default fan PWM frequency set to 61Hz for best performance with HTC interface I have just been testing the latest version of RoastLogger (last time I tried it was sometime last year, and at that time it did not work with my interface, but now it works OK). The fan at 61 Hz is horrendously noisy though! I have 50Hz here which might make a difference, but I have found the frequency wants to be much higher. First I tried phase correct mode at 3.9kHz, which is what I use with aCatuai (see here: http://homeroaste...post_31019 ) - a huge improvement on 61Hz, but astonishingly it is not as quiet on the RoastLogger as what I get with aCatuai. Then I tried tried changing it to fast pwm mode at 7.8kHz (which on aCatuai was not as good as phase correct) - with that I can get good results, only marginally noisier than 3.9kHz phase correct on aCatuai. The frequency is twice as fast with fast pwm mode, so the prescale value for both cases are the same. The relevant code for those who want to try this is either: Quote #define PWM_MODE IO3_FASTPWM // Fast PWM mode #define PWM_PRESCALE IO3_PRESCALE_8 // 7.8 kHz PWM on FASTPWM or: Quote #define PWM_MODE IO3_PCORPWM // Phase Correct PWM mode #define PWM_PRESCALE IO3_PRESCALE_8 // 3.9 kHz on PCORPWM The code goes in user.h I'm trying a roast shortly ... Bhante |
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smico |
Posted on 08/29/2012 3:04 PM
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1/2 Pounder Posts: 262 Joined: December 17, 2011 |
I use 7.8kHz on Hottop B2 and it I's a bit noisier only at 10% speed. At higher speed it's the same as OEM. #define PWM_PRESCALE IO3_PRESCALE_8 // 7,808 Hz - seems very good and close to OEM fan control Hottop B2 + HTC, Cremina 83, OE Pharos, Brewtus IIIR, Baratza Vario
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