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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


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

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

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

      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 the Roasting Intelligence from https://download.cropster.com/
        2. The Cropster installer leads you through all the installation steps.
        3. Open the RI by double-clicking the Cropster icon on the desktop.
        4. Enter your username and password.
          The username is the email address your Cropster invitation has been sent to and use the password you've generated when accepting the invitation.
        5. Click the Login button.

         

        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 machine preferences screen. 
        2. Select the Roasting machine you would like to connect from the drop down menu. (e.g. Mill City)
          If the machine is not in the list you can add via the online platform.
        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 drop down. Repeat this step for all measurements you would like to enable.  
        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
            Serial port: /dev/tty.usbserial-x (Mac) or COMx (Windows)
        7. 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)

        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).

        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.

        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.