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renatoa
03/29/2024 1:55 AM
Soubriquet and kaicee18, welcome to forum

renatoa
03/25/2024 12:38 PM
coffee drink, Ramper?

allenb
03/24/2024 12:10 PM
Siam3D Welcome

renatoa
03/23/2024 3:02 PM
welcome cup, andrewg

allenb
03/21/2024 5:10 PM
TRH629 Welcome

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Hottop B-2K+ PROBLEM !!!
pablo
I have Hottop B-2K+ ,got it today . I can't get my Windows 10 computer to recognize USB connection . Artisan software will see roaster running and graph what is going on but display on roaster does not show USB connection and computer does not recognize device . There is no control from computer to roaster .Only choice Artisan gives for a serial port is comm4 . Any Ideas would be appreciated because from what I can see this thing sucks and you can't even call MFG. for help . Guess it is going back to Roastmasters (who is tough to get a hold of) and keep on using my Behmor 1600 plus and Fresh Roast SR500 . Any USB device I plug into my computer gets recognized right away so I know it's not a computer problem .Now I understand why very few dealers sell the B-2k+ . Wish Roastmasters would have told me that you need some sort of computer science degree to run this thing .I've been roasting a few years now and did Plus upgrade to Behmor when that came out with no problem . I do know how to roast coffee .The fact that there is no contact phone number for Hottop really sucks .I know that Behmor stopped their telephone contact but they are not selling something as complicated as this . Thanks for any help .
 
Randy G
For Artisan Control of Hottop:

After getting Artisan to "see" the roaster (show correct data such as temperature):

1 - RIGHT click the time display in the upper right hand corner of Artisan. When you do this you will see the text "SUPER ON" or "SUPER OFF" (it toggles with each click then disappears). It will appear for one or two seconds above the upper LEFT hand corner of the Artisan graph area . "Super On" is for Artisan control of the Hottop.

2 - Click the "CONTROL" button in the Artisan interface. The Hottop roaster should now start operating (drum turning and heat and fan working according to the Artisan settings). Additionally, all display characters should be blue on the Hottop and the USB icon should be illuminated.

Life's too short to drink bad coffee.
 
pablo
Randy G
Thanks for reply . I stumbled around with software and by accident got Artisan to run Hottop,somewhat . I think what I might do is just use Artisan for storing a profile I will create on Hottop and get it to run those as I need them .If I can do that .Tried a quick auto roast with some Kenyan and was surprised at the difference from my Behmor . Just the smell of the completed roast was way different (in a good way) and clean up was a breeze . Stopping roast was one of the big reasons for going Hottop and preheating was the other . Way different from Behmor ,no more carry over at end of roast and a true preheat was real nice .
Thanks again.
 
JackH
Thanks for the help with this Randy!
---Jack

KKTO Roaster.
 
tweetr
Pablo,
Yes, it can be frustrating to get Artisan talking to the Hottop, but once you get it working it's very nice. I had the same trouble with Win7 and Ubuntu, but got them both working. I'm not sure what the problem was with Windows, but I think I just had not enabled "Super On" as Randy detailed above. Because you were able to log data, I'm pretty sure that was your problem too. (Mine did not even show the data before I got it all working.)

Now I have Artisan and Hottop working beautifully together. I've just run two fully automatic roasts by programming alarms in Artisan to adjust power and fan settings on the Hottop, and am highly pleased with the results.
 
pablo
tweetr
I hope I can figure out that whole alarm thing . Saw reference to setting up alarms in Artisan documentation but by that time my brain was overloaded . I would like to set up my Hottop the way you are using yours ,that is my goal .Just need to step away from it for a couple days, was at it to midnight last night. When I start something I can't walk away from it . Did first roast in Hottop last night a midnight,good thing I live alone . Girlfriend thinks I'm nuts but loves the results,like my low and slow grilling obsession .Again she loves the results .Two expensive hobbies with a nice payoff .
 
allan4773
I just upgraded my Hottop to a B-2K+ and agree that getting it working with Artisan can be a little frustrating although I probably tried to do too many new things at once. Eventually I found the answers digging through this forum and one other.

1. I repaired my Reneka Techno espresso machine after a year or two of just buying drinks at work so now I have a reason to roast again. They installed a Tully's in our building so it was too easy to just buy drinks.
2. Unpacked the Hottop having not roasted in a couple of years.
3. I have the HTSHIELD+TC4 kit but never got around to installing it. When I saw the posts about Hottop factory upgrades kits, I immediately ordered one. Spent a few hours installing.
4. Dug out an old Lenovo netbook and installed lubuntu. This was easy the easy part.
5. Spent time looking for the right Artisan Linux package and installed it. The Artisan website is easy once you know where to look. Kind of like Artisan.
6. Turned on the Hottop and plugged in the USB and it wasn't recognized. After searching the ubuntu forums with no luck I finally found the answer in a post in one of the roaster forums to add the user to the dial-up group. The information was also in the Artisan Hottop KN-8828B-2K+ blog but it was safely buried in other information that wasn't relevant to me at the time.
7. I stumbled with getting the Artisan to control the Hottop until I saw the post above where someone else had overlooked the same instructions of how to turn on the super user mode.
8. I roasted once manually using some old beans and just using Artisan to record. The temperature seemed to be quite a bit lower than I remember but I need more experience to be sure. I roasted a couple of days later with the Artisan controlling the Hottop.

9. I had tested the fan and heater commands but forgot to test the drop command and when I went to drop the beans nothing happened and it took a few seconds to react and drop manually. I was aiming for City+ plus but ended with much darker roast. It turned out I had misspelled the command. I have since verified all commands work properly but it was a lesson learned. I think it would have prevented the Artisan automatic temperature drop from working as well.

10. I ordered a longer USB A male to A male from monoprice http://www.monopr...?p_id=5443 so I can move the laptop to a more comfortable location and not have the cord in the way. The 15 footer will work.

11. I had a very hard time signing up for this forum. The verification code software did not seem to work as I was expecting. It kept giving me a code not correct error. I took a few screen shots to show I was reading it correctly and I even tried different browsers and the netbook. It finally worked after I clicked the "listen button" even though I did not need to listen to type the correct code. Maybe it was in the instructions and I didn't see it.

12. Now it's time to start practicing and maybe setting alarms.
 
turtle
Ordered a + upgrade to replace my old HTC+TC4C+LCD setup that I have been running for the past 3 years as my old style B control panel died and was no longer available. I did not look forward to another Macgyver adventure cobbling together a K panel with my existing dual probe roaster. That option was not in the cards :(

The upgrade will be here tomorrow and I will post about it once I have the time to put humpty dumpty back together again.

This will be my first "stock" coffee roaster in quite a few years as I started modifying my B model before I did my first roast in it.

.
Mick - "Drinking in life one cup at a time"
"I'd rather be roasting coffee"

Roaster 1: San Franciscan SF-1
Roaster 2: Hottop B-2K+
Roaster 3: 2 kilo Chinese drum
Grinders: Mazzer Major - Forte BG (x3)
Pour over: Hario - Bee House - Chemex - Kalita - Bodum
Drip: Bunn CWTF15-1 & CW15-TC (commercials)
Espresso: Pasquini Livia 90 auto
Vacuum: Cona - Bodum
Press: Frieling - Bodum Colombia
 
RAG
My experience with the 2K+ upgrade is a mixed bag but mostly I love it. Not sure about the Artisan control mode (Super User) that is discussed as my version of Artisan does not seem to have this function (super user) but does work. Version 1.0.0 (2)
I had mod'd the 2k years ago and my controller finally died along with my hard drive (code and notes) and I was not wanting to go down that road again. My only regret about this expensive upgrade is the thermocouple reduced span between first crack and second crack is about 25 degrees F. I plan on taking it all apart again and putting in my old thermocouples and mounts to fix this issue. Anyone else experience this span issue?
 
TimPiazza

Quote

Ordered a + upgrade to replace my old HTC+TC4C+LCD setup that I have been running for the past 3 years as my old style B control panel died and was no longer available.


Did you get the upgraded heating element as well? It really seems to make a difference, larger roasts, good progression.

BTW, I see what you mean about roasts on HotTop not translating directly to a gas roaster. I'm still using mine to explore where the sweet spot is in a batch of beans, but I have to use entirely different means to recreate a similar heat progression. And even with that, heat transfer and airflow are really different, so it's more of a process of getting in the ballpark than a "just follow the curve and will turn out perfectly" thing.
 
turtle
No two roasters will behave the same unless they are from the same manufacturer (different sizes).

I forget everything I know when I "roaster jump". and just concentrate on the beans.
Mick - "Drinking in life one cup at a time"
"I'd rather be roasting coffee"

Roaster 1: San Franciscan SF-1
Roaster 2: Hottop B-2K+
Roaster 3: 2 kilo Chinese drum
Grinders: Mazzer Major - Forte BG (x3)
Pour over: Hario - Bee House - Chemex - Kalita - Bodum
Drip: Bunn CWTF15-1 & CW15-TC (commercials)
Espresso: Pasquini Livia 90 auto
Vacuum: Cona - Bodum
Press: Frieling - Bodum Colombia
 
Randy G

Quote

turtle wrote:

No two roasters will behave the same unless they are from the same manufacturer (different sizes).

I have dealt with that a number of times with my customers. A good example is the wide range of temperatures quoted on the Internet for the start of 1st crack. Even our roasters have changed over the years due to sensor changes and programming differences. The variation among various brands and designs make even a bigger difference.

Life's too short to drink bad coffee.
 
TimPiazza
Right now my gas roaster's temperature readings are off by around 160?F, compared to an external thermometer inserted into the trier cavity, so I've been roasting according to what the beans have been telling me and only looking at rate of rise, development time, sight and smell, rather than actual temps.

Tomorrow I'll fire up the Hottop again since I want to try some roasting experiments without going through 4-5 pounds with each shot. :-)
 
turtle

Quote

Randy G wrote:

Quote

turtle wrote:

No two roasters will behave the same unless they are from the same manufacturer (different sizes).

I have dealt with that a number of times with my customers. A good example is the wide range of temperatures quoted on the Internet for the start of 1st crack. Even our roasters have changed over the years due to sensor changes and programming differences. The variation among various brands and designs make even a bigger difference.


I am expecting to see a marked difference between my old HTC+TC4C+LCD and this new B2K+ upgrade. Just the different probe placement locations alone will make my old, 3rd time revived from the dead, B model a completely different animal

Unlike many who expect their new roaster to be "just like their old other brand" roaster I am looking forward to this new and different iteration of my old work horse.

I am going out to get some more zip ties to tidy up the wiring, then I should be ready to fire it up. It is a real pain being down here with little to no "small" tools working on our hurricane damaged home while trying to bring my old hottop back from the dead at the same time. Driving 40 miles round trip to purchase fresh roasted coffee is getting very old.

I should be buttoned up and roasting some of the green I brought down by this evening (after another day's working on the damaged home)

Tested the hottop last night with the cover off to make sure all of the upgrades are functioning and all of the wiring is out of they way. Passed with flying colors.

Here is "taste" of the damage I have been dealing with for the past few months. Hasn't left much time for coffee :(

i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u414/turtle-web/P1110225.jpg
Mick - "Drinking in life one cup at a time"
"I'd rather be roasting coffee"

Roaster 1: San Franciscan SF-1
Roaster 2: Hottop B-2K+
Roaster 3: 2 kilo Chinese drum
Grinders: Mazzer Major - Forte BG (x3)
Pour over: Hario - Bee House - Chemex - Kalita - Bodum
Drip: Bunn CWTF15-1 & CW15-TC (commercials)
Espresso: Pasquini Livia 90 auto
Vacuum: Cona - Bodum
Press: Frieling - Bodum Colombia
 
Randy G
Since you have had it apart, just in case I will mention that drum alignment is critical to drum motor life. It is critical that the gap between the back end of the drum and the rear wall of the roast chamber should be about 1 to 1.5mm. No more. Basically, about as close as possible without touching when in operation. On the Hottop USA website we have a complete article on the hows and whys to achieve this including how to make a tool to measure the gap. The article is called Roasting Drum Alignment.

Life's too short to drink bad coffee.
 
turtle

Quote

Randy G wrote:

Since you have had it apart, just in case I will mention that drum alignment is critical to drum motor life. It is critical that the gap between the back end of the drum and the rear wall of the roast chamber should be about 1 to 1.5mm. No more. Basically, about as close as possible without touching when in operation. On the Hottop USA website we have a complete article on the hows and whys to achieve this including how to make a tool to measure the gap. The article is called Roasting Drum Alignment.


Looks like it has been "off" for a while. Understand that there are a lot of "miles" on this original B model. It's been taken down several times for mods (the 2 mod for emergency bean dump, taken apart to install 2 probes in the rear wall, and this time for the B2K+ mod).

Do I need to replace the front plate?

i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u414/turtle-web/food/coffee/Hottop/mods/front_bearing.jpg
Mick - "Drinking in life one cup at a time"
"I'd rather be roasting coffee"

Roaster 1: San Franciscan SF-1
Roaster 2: Hottop B-2K+
Roaster 3: 2 kilo Chinese drum
Grinders: Mazzer Major - Forte BG (x3)
Pour over: Hario - Bee House - Chemex - Kalita - Bodum
Drip: Bunn CWTF15-1 & CW15-TC (commercials)
Espresso: Pasquini Livia 90 auto
Vacuum: Cona - Bodum
Press: Frieling - Bodum Colombia
 
Randy G
turtle,
Hard to tell from the photo. The area that needs to be examined is dark and that is where the worn area would be. allowing the front end of the drum to drop.It does appear that there has been too much tension on the axle and the "dimple" depression is now also deeper, but it also looks off-center as well. I would say yes, replace. The "Roasting Drum alignment" article covers the adjustment of the bearing plate as well.

Life's too short to drink bad coffee.
 
turtle
it is worn and dropped both. That is the original front bearing plate and it has seen about 6-7 or more years of service. I bought it used and have run it for about 4 years now

I need to get another back panel (plastic rear) as I chopped my original one up to take 3 k type panel mount plugs, the HTC umbilical, and burner "on" red light.

Did two back to back roasts this evening and am pleased with the operation. A few more new parts and it will be back to factory "specs"

I'll realign everything when I take it down again to replace the "self butchered" parts and the front bearing plate.

It will be a nice roaster to keep down here so that I can continue roasting when we are at this house.

Thanks Randy...

i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u414/turtle-web/food/coffee/Hottop/mods/2k_plus-3.jpg
Mick - "Drinking in life one cup at a time"
"I'd rather be roasting coffee"

Roaster 1: San Franciscan SF-1
Roaster 2: Hottop B-2K+
Roaster 3: 2 kilo Chinese drum
Grinders: Mazzer Major - Forte BG (x3)
Pour over: Hario - Bee House - Chemex - Kalita - Bodum
Drip: Bunn CWTF15-1 & CW15-TC (commercials)
Espresso: Pasquini Livia 90 auto
Vacuum: Cona - Bodum
Press: Frieling - Bodum Colombia
 
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