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      Mill City Roasters MCR Series with Data port/Digital control panel (Digital Control Roasters) - Roasting Intelligence (RI) Setup

      This manual explains how to connect a Mill City Digital Control Roaster with Data port/Digital control panel to Cropster's Roasting Intelligence


      Specifications

      Requirements

        • MacOS X 10.9 to 10.14

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

        Supported measurements

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

        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 RI.

        4. Enter your username and password.
          Use the same login information that you use to access the online platform C-sar.

        5. Click the Login button. 

        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

        1. 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 Preferences screen. 
          📚 Learn how to use the keyboard shortcuts in RI.
        2. To choose the Roast machine, click on the dropdown menu in the Machine section. 

          💡 After selecting the machine from the dropdown menu, the roast machine settings may automatically be filled in. You have the flexibility to edit these settings at any time to ensure they align with the specifications of your roasting machine. 

          📚 Learn how to add a new roast machine. 
        3. 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.
        4. Switch on the measurements you would like to enable and select Mill City (all versions - Phidgets and PIDs/PLC) 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. 
          Screenshot 2024-07-26 at 13.39.18
        5. Click on the Gear icon to open the PID settings.
        6. Identify your Mill City Version and select the Serial port that refers to the connection to the machine:
          • Version 4:
            Mill City Version: MCR Series (with data port)/Digital control panel - Digital Control Roasters
            Operation system  Serial port 
            Windows COMx
            Mac /dev/tty.usbserial-x 
            Screenshot 2024-07-26 at 21.52.28
        7. Click OK.
        8. 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 2024-07-23 at 12.45.55

        📚 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: 

        • 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)

        Staircase-patterned Bean temperature curves

        If you have a Version 4 (MCR series) Mill City roast machine, and you are experiencing staircase-patterned roast curves for your Bean temp measurement on the Roasting Intelligence (RI), learn how to activate the temperature interpolation (staircase pattern) (beta).

        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.