Mill City Roasters (with preinstalled Phidget) - Roasting Intelligence (RI) Setup

This manual explains how to connect a Mill City Roaster with Phidgets - Phidgets/Shihlin controls - Phidgets/Delta controls to Cropster's Roasting Intelligence

The following article and its screenshots refer to the Roasting Intelligence (RI5).#

In case you previously used the Roasting Intelligence (RI4) we kindly invite you to check the newly improved features of RI5.

To upgrade to RI5, please download the Roasting Intelligence (RI5).

Specifications
Roasting Intelligence (RI) Setup

- Installing the Roasting Intelligence (RI) software
- Establishing a connection to the machine
Troubleshooting

Specifications

Requirements

USB cable
VCP driver (FTDI)

On recent MacOS devices, the driver may be already pre-installed with your operating system.

Supported measurements

Bean temperature
Exhaust temperature
Inlet temperature
Gas (kPA)**
Airflow (Hz)**
Drum speed (Hz)**
Environmental temperature*

* = version 3 only
** = not supported on Mill City - Phidget only (Version 1)

Roasting Intelligence (RI) Setup

Installing the Roasting Intelligence (RI) software

Download the Roasting Intelligence from https://download.cropster.com/
The Cropster installer leads you through all the installation steps.
Download the Phidget driver.
Open the RI by double-clicking the Cropster icon on the desktop.
Enter your username and password.
The user name is the email address your Cropster invitation has been sent to and use the password you've generated when accepting the invitation.
Check the Remember credentials box if you want to be able to run the RI offline.
Click the Login button.

Establishing a connection to the machine

If you are setting up RI for the first time, click the Select machine button in the banner at the top or click Preferences > Machine > Configuration bottom left to access the machine preferences screen.
Select the Roasting machine you would like to connect from the drop down menu (e.g. Mill City W15A)
📝 If the machine is not in the list you can add via the online platform.
After selecting the machine all supported measurements will load. Change the order of the measurements by using the drag and drop icon and moving it into position.
Switch on the measurements you would like to enable and select Mill City (all versions - Phidgets and PIDs/PLC) from the drop down. Repeat this step for all measurements you would like to enable.
Click on the gear () icon to open the connector settings.
Identify your Mill City Version and fill in the form:
- Version 1:
  Mill City Version: Phidgets only
  Serial port: Blank
- Version 2a:
  Mill City Version: Phidgets/Shihlin controls (USB port on the back)
  Serial port: /dev/tty.usbserial-x (Mac) or COMx (Windows)
- Version 2b:
  Mill City Version: Phidgets/Delta controls (USB port on the back)
  Serial port: /dev/tty.usbserial-x (Mac) or COMx (Windows)
- Version 3:
  Mill City Version: Phidgets/Delta controls (data port on control panel and Phidget)
  Serial port: /dev/tty.usbserial-x (Mac) or COMx (Windows)
Click Save to confirm the changes.

RI will automatically restart after saving the changes. If the setup was successful you will be able to see temperature values on the right-hand side of the RI screen, after the restart.

Learn how to customize your RI user preferences.

Troubleshooting

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

Did you choose the correct version?
Did you choose the correct serial port?
On MacOS: try installing the beta VCP driver. MacOS X10.15 to MacOS 11 (this is a Beta driver release and the installer should be run from the /Applications folder on your machine)

For further assistance, please create a support ticket by clicking the Support button in the left lower corner of the app. A Cropster support rep will get in touch with you.