This article explains how to roast using Cropster's Control and Replay features.
The Control measurements are only available for specific machines. Check our "Cropster roast machine partner" page to see whether your roast machine is supported.
The Control measurements
At the moment, we support the control and replay features for the following measurements:
- Gas
- Airflow/Drum pressure*
- Drum speed (beta)
Giesen only*: On Giesen roast machines the airflow is controlled by the drum pressure. Drum pressure control, and Airflow control are used interchangeably in the article.
The Control bars
The Control bars can be found from the bottom-right corner next to the machine's measurements. All Control bars can be hidden by clicking the Hide (
) button, and shown by clicking the All button. The Gas (
) button can be used to show the Gas control bar only.
Giesen only: The Auto toggle button at the top of the Gas control bar needs to be switched off (gray) in order to control the gas via the RI. When switched on (green), it goes into the Giesen Auto mode. Please refer to Giesen's documentation for more information.
Roasting with Cropster's Control features
Start your roast as you usually would in the RI. Now, instead of manually adjusting the gas, air, or drum speed at the roast machine's control board, use the control bars at the right-hand side of the RI.
- For small adjustments, use the + and - buttons.
- For big adjustments, use the Control bar by dragging and dropping the slider.
- For instant adjustments, click the percentage values shown on the Control bar to instantly adjust the value accordingly.
Replaying a roast
As soon as you have recorded one roast with the gas, airflow, and/or drum speed control bar, set this roast as the reference to switch into Replay assist.
Never leave the roast machine unattended while replaying a roast. Cropster replays the roast and captures the details, but you are always responsible for monitoring the roast machine to ensure it is operating safely.
When using Replay assist, do not use any other temperature controlling software in parallel. Any gas/airflow/drum speed changes from a concurrent client disables Replay assist for the remainder of the roast.
When using the Replay assist at the beginning of a roasting day, or after a cool-down period, special attention should be given to monitoring the automated changes during the first 1 - 3 batches, as the roast machine may not have fully heated up, and may therefore, roast inconsistently. Additional adjustments may be required during these roasts.
We do not recommend early gas replay changes in conjunction with auto-start detection as it could result into gas changes being made before the actual start of the roast.
- Prepare your roast by entering the Profile, Green Inventory and Start weight.
The RI is only able to replay roasts if the reference roast has been conducted using Cropster's control bar(s). Learn how to set a reference.
- A green Replay button appears at the bottom, next to the Start button.
- Click the Replay button to start the roast using Replay assist.
In replay mode, the gas, airflow, and drum speed changes will be applied automatically during the roast based on the reference roast's bean temperature.
Switching the profile after having started a roast will not update the gas, airflow, or drum speed changes from the previous profile's reference roast. As the gas changes are being calculated at the beginning of the roast, the gas curve is not adapted. - Upcoming auto adjustments will be shown in the comments box on the right-hand side of the RI, marked with the Replay icon.
- You can manually override the upcoming adjustments when using Replay assist via:
- the control bars in the RI (recommended)
- the roast machine's control board
When using Replay assist, do not use other temperature-controlling software (e.g. Probat's Pilot Roaster Shop software) in parallel. Any changes from a concurrent client will disable Replay assist for the remainder of the roast.
- If you want to turn off Replay assist, use the toggle button next to the Start/Stop button.
- By default, five seconds after the roast has been finished, gas, airflow, and drum speed will be automatically adjusted according to the reference's initial settings to prepare the roaster for the next batch.
Note: Learn more about how to revise the Replay assist preferences.
Congratulations! You are now ready to use the Cropster's Control features!
Thanks for being a Cropster customer! If you have feedback, questions, or concerns, please feel free to send it to your representative or directly to support.cropster.com.
We design and make alterations to our software based on user feedback, so we look forward to seeing what you have to say!