Loring - Roasting Intelligence (RI) Setup

This manual covers the connection of the Loring Smart Roast machine to Cropster's Roasting Intelligence.




Specifications

Requirements

  • Touchscreen interface
  • Ethernet cable

Supported measurements

  • Bean temperature
  • Return temperature
  • Inlet temperature
  • Stack temperature
  • Gas (%)

Setting up a connection

There are two ways to connect your roast machine to the network:

Via the computer 


Screenshot 2024-09-26 at 13.42.40

  1. Connect your network cable with the Moxa switch (any port 2 - 5) you find in the control tower. 
    The location of the Moxa switch might differ depending on your machine model. 
    Screenshot 2024-07-19 at 16.14.27
  2. Connect the other end to the computer's ethernet port.
  3. Proceed with the Network settings.

Via the network router

Screenshot 2024-09-26 at 13.41.58

  1. Connect your network cable with the Moxa switch (any port 2 - 5) you find in the control tower. 
  2. Connect the other end to the router's ethernet port.
  3. Make sure that your computer and the router are connected (via wifi or ethernet cable). 
  4. Proceed with the Roasting Intelligence (RI) Setup.

Network settings

When the roast machine is connected to the computer directly, you need to set up a Static IP address. 

Static IP address configuration - Windows 7, 8, 10

  1. Navigate to the Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center or Network and Internet > Network Sharing Center.
  2. Click Change adapter settings
  3. Identify the Network connection item that refers to the connection to your machine and select that item.
    💡If you are not sure which icon refers to the roast machine, simply disconnect and reconnect the Ethernet cable and check which icon changes its status.
  4. Right-click on WiFi or Local Area Connection
  5. Click Properties
  6. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4). 
  7. Click Properties.
  8. Select Use the following IP Address option.
  9. Enter the specific IP Address for your roaster and replace the fourth number block with 42:
    • IP Address: 192.168.1.42
      Important: The first three blocks of the IP address need to match the IP address of your roaster, as identified via the roaster's panel.
    • Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
    • Leave the rest blank.
  10. Click the OK button to submit your changes.
  11. Proceed with the Roasting Intelligence (RI) Setup.

Static IP address configuration - Windows 11

  1. Navigate to the Start menu icon > All Apps > gear-png-2 Settings
  2. Click Network & Internet on the left side of the screen. 
  3. Select Ethernet.
  4. Navigate to the IP Assignment section and click on Edit.
  5. Select Manual and click Save.
  6. The Edit IP settings window will pop up. 
  7. Toggle the button to the right at IPv4 to turn it on. 
  8. Enter the specific IP Address for your roaster and replace the fourth number block with 42.
    Important: The first three blocks of the IP address need to match the IP address of your roaster, as identified via the roaster's panel
  9. Enter the Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
  10. Leave the rest blank.
  11. Click on Save to submit. 
  12. Proceed with the Roasting Intelligence (RI) Setup.

    Static IP address configuration - MacOS 

    1. Navigate to  > System Settings > Network
    2. Identify the Network connection item that refers to the connection to your machine and select that item.
      💡If you are not sure which icon refers to the roast machine, simply disconnect and reconnect the Ethernet cable and check which icon changes its status.

    3. Click on Details...

    4. Open the TCP/IP section and choose Manually next to Configure IPv4.
    5. Enter the specific IP Address for your roaster and replace the fourth number block with 42:
      • IP Address: 192.168.1.42
        Important: The first three blocks of the IP address need to match the IP address of your roaster, as identified via the roaster's panel.
      • Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0

    6. Click the OK button to submit your changes.
    7. Proceed with the Roasting Intelligence (RI) Setup.

      Roasting Intelligence (RI) Setup

      Installing the Roasting Intelligence (RI) software

      1. Download RI.

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

      3. Double-click the Cropster icon on your desktop to access Roasting Intelligence (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.


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

      1. Click gear-png Preferences > 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 dropdown list.
      4. You need to select Loring PLC 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 Loring PLC from the dropdown. 

      9. Change the order of the measurements by using the  Drag and Drop icon and move it into position.
        Screenshot 2025-04-01 at 10.09.42

      10. Navigate back to the Machine > Configuration tab and click on the gear-png-2Gear icon in the Connector setup section next to the previously added connector to open and configure the PLC IP settings.
      11. Enter the IP address of the roast machine:
        • S15 Falcon, S35 Kestrel and S70 Peregrine: 192.168.1.199
        • S7 Nighthawk: 192.168.1.69
      12. Click OK.
      13. 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


      Enabling machine event-based auto-start and end-of-roast detection

      The roast start is triggered once the roast machine's hopper is opened, and the roast end is triggered once the roast emissions door is opened, thus releasing the roasted beans into the cooling tray.

      To utilize the auto-start and end-of-roast feature based on machine events, you must meet the following requirements:

      •  (Loring PLC connector) with software version 2.x. The software version can be found on the "System" screen of the roaster's panel.

      By following the steps below you can enable machine event-based auto-start and end-of-roast detection

      1. Log in to RI.
      2. Navigate to gear-png-2 Preferences > Roasting > Smart features tab.
      3. Scroll down to the Smart Detection section. 
      4. Enable the Smart detection by clicking on the respective checkbox. 
      5. Select the Auto-start roast option.
        💡 The roast start is triggered once the roast machine's hopper is opened, and the roast end is triggered once the roast emissions door is opened, thus releasing the roasted beans into the cooling tray.
      6. Click Save.

      The auto-start ready text may differ depending on your machine.

      Therefore, look for the words auto-start ready to determine if the machine is set up correctly and is ready. If there is additional text, it is usually a prompt for you to act. If the auto-start feature isn't ready, the additional text will point out what the issue is (e.g. No Green Inventory or Profile selected, weight selected is more than the machine's capacity, etc).

      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 network (router or computer)?
      • If the roaster is connected to the computer directly, is the static IP address configured correctly?
      • Does the IP address assigned to the roast machine match the default? 

      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