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      Besca BSC manual & Bee - Roasting Intelligence (RI) Setup

      This manual covers the connection of the Besca BSC manual & Bee models equipped with a serial port to Cropster's Roasting Intelligence.

      Specifications

      Requirements

      • USB cable
      • Driver for the USB serial converter

      The driver may already be pre-installed with your operating system.

      Supported measurements

      • Bean temperature
      • Exhaust temperature

      Roasting Intelligence (RI) Setup

      1. Download RI.

      2. Complete the installation process by following the steps provided.

      3. Double-click the Cropster icon on your desktop to access RI.

      4. Click the green Login with the browser button.
        💡 Select the "Remember me on this device" option to save your login credentials for future access.
        Screenshot 2025-03-26 at 12.10.43
      5. You will be directed to the C-sar browser. 
        Screenshot 2025-03-26 at 11.46.59
      6. Enter your Username* and Password* and click the green Sign in with password button.
        💡        You need to use the same credentials that you use to access the online platform C-sar.

      Check out the Release notes for every version of RI5 to stay updated on the latest features and improvements. You can access the Release notes directly in RI by clicking on Help > Release Notes.

      Establishing a connection to the machine

      The images displayed below are meant to serve as reference examples; however, they may differ slightly from what you will see on your screen, especially in the Machine > Controls tab.


      Before you begin configuring your roast machine, ensure that you have added it via the online platform C-sar.

      1. Click gear-pngPreferences > Machine > Configuration at the bottom left to access the Preferences screen.
      2. To choose the Roast machine, click on the dropdown menu in the Machine section.
      3. By clicking on the + Add connector option, you can choose your connector from the available options in the drop-down list.
      4. You need to select Besca Manual PIDs from the dropdown.
      5. Click Select to add the connector.Screenshot 2025-02-25 at 13.19.20

      6. Navigate to the Machine > Measurements tab. All supported measurements will be displayed.

      7. To activate the measurements, simply click the green toggle button.
      8. Switch on the measurements you would like to enable and select Besca Manual PIDs from the dropdown. 
        💡 Make your measurement readouts more compact. Choose the size of your measurement readouts by selecting either the Small or Large view for display.
      9. Change the order of the measurements by using the  Drag and Drop icon and move it into position.
        💡You can also customize the color of each measurement by clicking on the colorful dots on the right side of the screen.
        Screenshot 2025-04-01 at 10.09.42
      10. Navigate back to the Machine > Configuration tab and click on the gear-png-1Gear icon in the Connector setup section next to the previously added connector to open and configure the PID settings as shown below:

        Screenshot 2024-07-24 at 17.20.48

        Besca Version  Machine type
        V1 Besca BSC machines built before September 2019.
        V2 Besca BSC machines built from September 2019 onwards & Bee machines built March 2022 onwards.
        Bee Besca Bee machines built before March 2022.

        Operation system  Serial port 
        Windows COMx
        Mac USBx


      11. Click OK. 
      12. Click Save to finalize the changes.  

      After saving the changes, RI will automatically restart. If the setup was successful, you will see the temperature values displayed on the right-hand side of the RI screen following the restart.

      Screenshot 2025-03-31 at 13.05.11-1

      📚 Learn more about the Roasting Intelligence (RI) Preferences. 


      Troubleshooting

      If the RI indicates No source connected and/or you cannot see any measurements, please check the following: 

      • Is the roast machine connected to the computer? 
      • Have you downloaded the driver for the USB serial converter?
      • Is the correct serial port within the RI selected?

      If you have selected a serial port from the RI, and you receive Sources connected from the bottom-right corner of the roasting application, but you can't see live temperature readouts, you may not have selected the serial port referring to the roast machine's connection.

      Driver for the USB serial converter

      If you cannot select the correct serial port within the RI's Serial port field, your computer may not have the appropriate driver needed to recognize the serial converter's physical connection.

      Please reach out to support.cropster.com, and attach the following information in relevance to the USB serial converter used:

      • Brand, and model

      • Serial number

      • Picture of the serial converter

      • RI log files

      A Cropster representative will assess the information, and assist in providing the required driver for the USB serial converter used.

      Congratulations! You have successfully set up the Cropster Roasting Intelligence!

      Check out the Roasting Intelligence (RI5) - Getting Started manual and enjoy tracking your first roasts! More manuals and videos can be found on help.cropster.com.