Any chance of RoastLogger for Bullet R1?

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Any chance of RoastLogger for Bullet R1?

Postby sdh_texan » Fri Jun 09, 2017 4:10 am

Just got my Bullet R1, and haven't even done the roasts to season the drum, but it looks like a very fine piece of hardware.

And so far, the software is disappointing, perhaps years behind RoastLogger. Their RoastTime will record roasts and allow control of the roaster parameters (fan, heat, drum speed) and preheat temperature. No playback of roasts; no re-use of profiles; no time and temperature triggers, no Rao ratio display... Basically all the things I particularly enjoyed with RoastLogger have gone missing.

Help, GreenBean! Any chance you could interface to a Bullet R1?

Edit: I've learned that playback of logs works on the Bullet, but it's just playback. No specific action settings with time/temp triggers. Missing the banner with Rao ratio display.

Second edit: Their documentation lags their software/firmware/hardware. They do have Rao ratio displayed, once one finally notices it.

I've now done the roasts for seasoning the drum, and botched my first real roast, as I mostly suspected I would.

I'm still missing the time and temperature triggers, but I can live with the software -- If they eventually do it as well as the hardware, this will be one fine machine.
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Re: Any chance of RoastLogger for Bullet R1?

Postby bruceb » Mon Jun 12, 2017 10:51 am

Hello! The Bullet sure looks good. If you haven't you might contact Aillio about the deficiencies in software and documentation. It seems likely they will have an open ear for suggestions. I don't know whether Greenbean has the possibility to add this roaster to the list of supported machines, but I'm sure he will be along soon to let you know what can be done. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this machine. If possible, we all would enjoy a more detailed rundown of the roaster and your impressions as you gain experience with it. Pictures are always a delight! 8)
Thanks again.
Three Francesconi (CMA) espresso machines - Rossi, San Marco, LaCimbali, Faema and 2 Mazzer Major grinders- CoffeeTech Maggionlino, Hottop, Alpenröst and HW Precision roasters.
I decided I needed a bit of a change so I roasted some Monsooned Malabar. That was a change!
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Re: Any chance of RoastLogger for Bullet R1?

Postby sdh_texan » Thu Sep 14, 2017 11:01 am

At this point I've done 20+ roasts on the Bullet R1, and I'm still learning how to control it. Some of the roasts are quite good; some a bit less than that, which I find moderately frustrating due to having had my Hottop control well-dialed-in. I'm still learning the tradeoffs between the induction power and the exhaust fan...

The main problem in control, in my estimation, is that playbacks are just time-action lists. Much of this problem would be alleviated with temperature actions. The Lillie brothers have all the pieces to enable this in their RoastTime software and are evidently able programmers as well as engineers, so I'm hoping this is just a matter of time.

The Bullets, from reports I've seen, all seem to read temperatures low, so expectations of first crack at ~200C are instead appearing in the low-to-mid 180s. Drum temperature is estimated (roughly) from an IR sensor through a window (which needs periodic cleaning -- now much more often after the latest firmware). During the window cleaning, I noticed the bean thermocouple seems short, less than the 2.5cm extension needed to get decently accurate readings.

Also, hearing first crack is difficult. The Bullet R1 makes a lot of noise. There is the expected sound of the beans sloshing around in the drum, but also an exhaust fan and two fans on the induction coils. Some R1 owners are buying stethoscopes to help identify 1st crack. Quiet 1st cracks will be missed.

There are things yet to work out on the Bullet, but I can't complain too much. I gave a pound of Guatamalan beans I'd roasted to an espresso fiend friend at work, who came back a week later saying it was the best coffee he'd ever had. More of my roasts have been in the "really good" area; this was a first for "best ever." I'm enjoying being able to roast 500g, 600g, 700g loads effortlessly.

All in all, lots of positives and a few nagging negatives. And I still think RoastLogger for the Bullet R1 would be brilliant.

I'll see what I can do about a photo or two...
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