Pratter - Roasting Intelligence Setup (alpha)

This manual covers the connection of a Pratter roast machine to Cropster's Roasting Intelligence.

This roast machine is currently in the alpha stage of development at Cropster.

Alpha means we have limited experience with the Innoenvas roast machine. The setup instructions below have yet to be confirmed by the manufacturer. Therefore, the configuration in this article may not work across the entire model range.

If you have not received an invitation to join the beta program for this integration, but are keen on participating and testing this new feature, please sign up here.

Once the connection is established, you may encounter some daily use flaws. It will be necessary to share such feedback with us, so please let us know if you encounter any unexpected behavior.

We will be happy to assist in resolving any issues you may encounter or propose alternative connection options.


Specifications


Requirements 

  • USB cable

Supported measurements

  • Bean temperature 
  • Exhaust temperature 

Roasting Intelligence 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 the 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 gear-png-2 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.
        📚 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 Generic Modbus over serial port from the dropdown. Repeat this step for all measurements you would like to enable.  

        💡 Make your measurement readouts more compact. Choose the size of your measurement readouts by selecting either the Small or Large view for display.
        Screenshot 2024-11-28 at 13.28.42

      5. Click on the Gear  icon and configure the settings as shown in the screenshot below:

        Operation system Serial port 
        Windows COMx
        Mac usb.serialx

        Screenshot 2024-12-09 at 13.26.39

      6. Click OK.
      7. Click Save to finalize the changes. 
      8. 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 2024-11-28 at 13.09.57

    📚 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: 

    • Is the roast machine connected to the computer? 
    • Is the correct serial port within the RI selected?
    • Have you downloaded the driver for the USB serial converter?
    • Are the settings copied correctly?

    If you have selected a serial port from the RI, and you receive Sources connected from the bottom-right corner of the roasting application, but you can't see live temperature readouts, you may not have selected the serial port referring to the roast machine's connection.

    Driver for the USB serial converter

    If you cannot select the correct serial port within the RI's Serial port field, your computer may not have the appropriate driver needed to recognize the serial converter's physical connection.

    Please reach out to support.cropster.com, and attach the following information in relevance to the USB serial converter used:

    • Manufacturer and model

    • Serial number

    • Picture of the serial converter

    • RI log files

    A Cropster representative will assess the information, and assist in providing the required driver for the USB serial converter used.

    Storage format


    The Storage format is determined by the hardware used in the roast machine. If you encounter issues with selecting the Integer (16 bit) option, we suggest trying to select Integer (32 bit).

    You can easily select it from the dropdown: 
    Screenshot 2024-12-09 at 16.05.35

    If you continue to experience issues, please reach out to Customer Support for assistance.

    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