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

      This manual covers the connection of the 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
        • 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. 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 Preferences > Machine > Configuration 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 Mill City (all versions - Phidgets and PIDs/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 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.

        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-1Gear icon in the Connector setup section next to the previously added connector to open and configure more PID settings.
        11. 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
        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 2025-04-03 at 11.48.43

          📚 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).

          Related content

          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.