Homeroasters - Home Roasting Coffee Community » BUILDING A ROASTER » Building a Coffee Roaster
Who is here? 1 guest(s)
 Print Thread
New TC4+ Popcorn Pumper issues
maxwell
Top  #1 Print Post
Posted on 04/18/2023 12:37 PM
Hi everyone love this site. Great information and advice. Longtime lurker just taking the plunge into automation.

I am a fifteen+ year Poppery 1 (manual) user who just built a Wearever Pumper with CH340 ATmega 328P R3 with TC4+ and HC05 Bluetooth. Had a few bumps and giggles but seems to be working okay except when I #define ANDROID and try to use it from the TC4 Free Roast app it won't start the roast. The bluetooth connects fine and I see my temps. I have a basic csv profile as suggested in the FAQ.

profile1.csv

SV,RAMP,SOAK
25,0,0
150,240,0
200,240,0
216,240,0
0,0,0

When I press Start Roast it says it started but no Fan or Heat. I can send serial commands fine to turn on FAN (IO3;100) and turn on Heater (not connected yet) (OT1:100). The LEDS on the TC4+ turn on off fine but won't start when I try and start a simulated roast. Any ideas of what I borked?

Also I'm afraid of starting the Heater without the Fan and I was perplexed that 'no cutoff' is the default

// cut power to Heater if fan duty is less than HTR_CUTOFF_FAN_VAL (to protect heater in air roaster). Set to 0 for no cutoff
#define HTR_CUTOFF_FAN_VAL 0

Shouldn't I set it to a higher number to eliminate frying the heater coil?

I'm running the DC fan on 24V so it spins very good. I also widened the inlet vanes to the roast chamber hoping to get a little higher charge capacity.

BTW Thanks for all the info over the years.
 
renatoa
Top  #2 Print Post
Posted on 04/18/2023 12:48 PM
Welcome !

'no cutoff' is the default because there is no such thing as a default machine.
Many setups don't use airflow control, that is... Grin

For a FB machine yes, it's mandatory to have a non zero value... the minimum that keep the hot air temperature under 300 C.

Widening vanes means lower pressure... thus less lifting force... imo

About not able to start the roast... I would try to post the incoming commands on the TC4 display, in the lower right corner... else no idea how to diagnose...
 
maxwell
Top  #3 Print Post
Posted on 04/18/2023 1:56 PM
renatoa Thanks for the info

I did enable COMMAND_ECHO but never see any commands on the LCD. Is that what you meant about posting the commands on the display?
 
renatoa
Top  #4 Print Post
Posted on 04/18/2023 2:09 PM
COMMAND_ECHO is to echo commands on the serial line, back to the issuer, to acknowledge their execution. Not remember if the Android app has an area to display them...

What I meant is additional custom code on TC4, a feature not existing atm.
 
greencardigan
Top  #5 Print Post
Posted on 04/18/2023 7:39 PM
It's been a long time since I looked at my app or the code. But check the Settings -> Button Text and Commands. I think buttons 9 and 10 correspond to the 'Start Roast' and 'End Roast' buttons. You can add a command to those buttons.
 
maxwell
Top  #6 Print Post
Posted on 04/19/2023 3:33 AM

Quote

renatoa wrote:

COMMAND_ECHO is to echo commands on the serial line, back to the issuer, to acknowledge their execution. Not remember if the Android app has an area to display them...

What I meant is additional custom code on TC4, a feature not existing atm.


Okay thanks it was the comment on COMMAND_ECHO that confused me

Quote

// Echo all serial commands to LCD for debugging
 
renatoa
Top  #7 Print Post
Posted on 04/19/2023 6:02 AM
I was partially wrong...
ACKS_ON is the define that control serial line acknowledge of command execution back to command issuer.

COMMAND_ECHO is the LCD debug feature I wrote above. Check here how it works:
https://github.co...D.ino#L377
So activating COMMAND_ECHO you should see on LCD the commands coming from Android.
 
maxwell
Top  #8 Print Post
Posted on 04/19/2023 12:35 PM
In my experience COMMAND_ECHO does nothing in the PID version I am using. It is defined and used in the aArtisan version

Looking at the code

#if defined LCD && defined COMMAND_ECHO

LCD is not defined afaik so the COMMAND_ECHO gets bypassed

I am using a 4x20 I2C LCD panel
Edited by maxwell on 04/19/2023 12:48 PM
 
renatoa
Top  #9 Print Post
Posted on 04/19/2023 2:09 PM
Strange indeed... to provide a debug code, but invalidate
Maybe the author meant LCD_I2C ...
 
maxwell
Top  #10 Print Post
Posted on 04/23/2023 6:14 AM
Well I still haven't had any luck getting the phone app working but thats okay.

My real goal is to use Artisan on my Surface Tablet to run the roaster. I have been able to connect via USB but was wondering since I have the HC05 BT module installed and configured on my Arduino TC4+ can I use Bluetooth instead.

If so are there any pointers on how to set Artisan up to do that? I have looked but haven't found anything.
 
renatoa
Top  #11 Print Post
Posted on 04/23/2023 7:18 AM
Oups ! There is a misunderstanding here !
Artisan and Android modes are different on TC4, and can't be used simultaneous or interchangeable.
The BT adapter presence could suggest that they have something common, but the data packets for Artisan or Android are different
You have to compile for the right device any time you want to switch the application used for display/graph.
 
maxwell
Top  #12 Print Post
Posted on 04/23/2023 7:40 AM
I knew that. Other than switching to #define ARTISAN in the user.h and recompiling what else do I need to do?

I was asking about connecting to Artisan in BT mode instead of USB. Is it possible?
 
renatoa
Top  #13 Print Post
Posted on 04/23/2023 9:15 AM
Yes, possible, but with some prerequisites, explained here: https://artisanal...mentation/
 
maxwell
Top  #14 Print Post
Posted on 04/23/2023 11:47 AM
Yes I read that and think I have it setup on the TC4 end but can't figure how to set it up in Artisan. My laptop will connect to the bt connection named 'coffeeroaster' but in Artisan I don't see a port to use.
 
renatoa
Top  #15 Print Post
Posted on 04/23/2023 1:18 PM
If any of the BT adapters is not an old style "true" BT, but a modern version of BT called BLE, then they don't communicate, just see.
BLE does not emulate a comm port as BT does.
 
maxwell
Top  #16 Print Post
Posted on 04/23/2023 1:44 PM
It's an HC05 which I believe is old style.
 
renatoa
Top  #17 Print Post
Posted on 04/24/2023 1:52 AM
HC05 is ok, this is TC4 side.

What about the Surface tablet BT, did you added a comm port ?
https://www.veriz...ase-20605/
 
maxwell
Top  #18 Print Post
Posted on 04/24/2023 5:12 AM

Quote

renatoa wrote:

HC05 is ok, this is TC4 side.

What about the Surface tablet BT, did you added a comm port ?
https://www.veriz...ase-20605/


You are a credit to the community sir. Thank you.

The settings were not exactly like that but once I went into properties I could see the BT was communicating over Serial Port 3 and just had to match the baud rate to 38400.

Seems to be working okay will try a live fire later.

Thanks for your time and knowledge.
 
renatoa
Top  #19 Print Post
Posted on 04/24/2023 9:30 AM
...Live fire... bbq smoking
 
Jump to Forum: