Pacrone Manual (via USB) - Roasting Intelligence (RI) Setup (Alpha)

This manual covers the connection of the Pacrone Manual roast machine via USB to Cropster's Roasting Intelligence.

Table of Contents

Specifications Requirements Supported measurements Roasting Intelligence (RI) Setup Installing the Roasting Intelligence (RI) software Establishing a connection to the machine

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

Alpha means that we have limited experience with the Coffeebob roast machine via USB. 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 out 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
Driver for the USB serial converter:
- Window
- Ma
- Linux

The driver may already be pre-installed with your operating system.
Learn more about installing the WCH driver.

Supported measurements

Bean temperature
Exhaust temperature

Roasting Intelligence (RI) Setup

Installing the Roasting Intelligence (RI) software

Download RI.
Complete the installation process by following the steps provided.
Double-click the Cropster icon on your desktop to access RI.
Double-click the Cropster icon on your desktop to access RI.
Click the green Login with the browser button.
You will be directed to the C-sar browser.
Enter your Username* and Password* and click the green Sign in with password button.
Use the same credentials that you use to access the online platform C-sar.

Establishing a connection to the machine

The images below are for reference and may vary slightly from your screen.

Before you begin configuring your roast machine, ensure that you have added it via the online platform C-sar.

SelectPreferences > Machine > Configuration
To choose the Roast machine, click on the dropdown menu in the Machine section.
Click the + Add connector option to choose your connector from the dropdown list.
Select Generic Modbus over serial port from the dropdown.
Click Select to add the connector
Navigate to the Machine > Measurements tab. All supported measurements will be displayed.
To activate the measurements, simply click the green toggle button.
Enable the desired measurements and choose Generic Modbus over serial port as the connector type.
(Optional) Change the order of the measurements by using theDrag and Drop icon and move it into position.
Navigate to the Machine > Configuration tab and click on the Gear icon in the Connector setup section to open and configure more settings.
Copy the settings as shown in the screenshot below, and select the Serial port and Temperature unit:
- Serial port:
  Windows: COMx
  Mac: USBx
- Temperature unit: Choose Celsius or Fahrenheit according to the temperature unit displayed on the machine's temperature readouts
Leave the empty fields as they are, then click OK.
Activate the Allow interpolation of temperature readings checkbox.
Learn more about the interpolation settings.
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.

Learn more about the Roasting Intelligence (RI) Preferences.

Troubleshooting

If 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?

If you have selected a serial port from the RI, and you receive Sources connected from the bottom-right corner of RI, 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 relevant to the USB serial converter used:

Brand 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.

Congratulations! You have successfully set up the Cropster Roasting Intelligence.

Your opinion matters. If you have further questions, feedback, or concerns, please submit a support ticket directly from support.cropster.com.

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