In this article, you will learn how to connect a Roaster Dynamics roast machine with Watlow PID controllers, to Cropster's Roasting Intelligence.
This integration is currently in alpha stages at Cropster. If you haven’t been invited to participate in testing this integration, but you are interested, please sign up here.
Alpha means that, at Cropster, we have had minimal experience with Roaster Dynamics roast machines. Therefore, contact with the machine's manufacturer may be required to clarify, and commence the beta program for Roaster Dynamics. Once we have achieved a connection with your Roaster Dynamics, you may come across some flaws under everyday conditions. Hence, it will be necessary that you share feedback with us, and let us know whenever you come across any unexpected behavior.
The setup instructions, below, have yet to be confirmed by the roast machine's manufacturer. Cropster does not explicitly recommend the procedure outlined in this manual. Your Cropster support person will gladly recommend you different connection options for such machines.
Specifications
Requirements
- USB cable
- VCP driver (FTDI)
Note: On recent MacOS devices, the driver may be already pre-installed with your operating system.
Supported measurements
- Bean temperature
- Exhaust temperature
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.
- Open the RI by double-clicking the Cropster icon on the desktop
- 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. - 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
- Go to Account > Preferences > Machine tab.
- Select the Roast machine you would like to connect from the drop-down menu (e.g. Roaster Dynamics RD-6).
- Select Generic Modbus over serial port from the drop-down for all measurements.
- Click on the gear (
) icon to open the more settings. - Copy the settings as shown in the screenshot below, and select the Serial port, and Temperature unit:
-
Serial port:
Windows: choose the COMx option that refers to the connection to the roaster.
Mac: choose the USBx option. -
Temperature unit: Choose Celsius or Fahrenheit according to the temperature unit displayed from the machine's temperature readouts.
-
- Click Save to confirm the changes. The RI requires a restart to apply the settings.
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:
- Is the roast machine connected to the computer?
- Have you downloaded the driver for the USB serial converter?
- Is the correct serial port within the RI selected?
- 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.
Congratulations! You have successfully set up the Cropster Roasting Intelligence!
Check out our Getting started video and enjoy tracking your first roasts!
More manuals and videos can be found on help.cropster.com.