RoastLogger with USB & webcam input

[GreenBean]

Hi RichG, welcome to TMC

... Was wondering about p-2k. and what the issue was with that control panel?...

JimG and I did not have access to a P2-K during the development and testing of the HTC/HTShield so we have not investigated what the issue is. I am only expecting to supply a few boards until JimG is back in production so I am not planning on investigating this.

...Does this solution work the same with usb connection logic as Jim's HTC4? ...

The RL-HT-CTRL board uses the same logic as the HTC so the behaviour is the same. When the USB cable is disconnected the Hottop operates in OEM mode as an ordinary Hottop. When the USB cable is connected to a computer the Hottop is ready to be controlled by RoastLogger.

...Can this solution use an external lcd and control buttons as well?...

The RL-HT-CTRL board was developed as a testbed for USB HID communication with the RoastLogger. As such I decided to only implement the functionality required for RoastLogger control of a Hottop. As stated in the documentation it is NOT a TC4/TC4C and has none of the other inputs and outputs of the TC4/C except those required for RoastLogger control of a Hottop. For these reasons it does not include an interface for an external LCD.

...I receive the P2k this week. Wish I'd gotten the B.

I suggest that you wait until JimG is back in production of his boards. I think that he will now have access to a P2-K and may well provide a solution to work on your P2-K.

[RichG]

Thanks GreenBean (Tom) for the quick and detailed reply.
You've made a cool solution with the teensy and roastlogger is awesome (though I've only looked at it).

So I thought JimG htc combo solution worked with a p-2k. Is that correct?

The Hottop driver board is the same for both models P and B. So if a solution does not work, then the control panel is not isolated from the driver board as during usb control as I had thought was the case. Still enabling front panel override or ? Be nice if we had a schematic for the hottop especially the driver board.

Would like to understand the control mechanism for the fan and heater. I see different frequencies and PWM rc'd into a control voltage (suspect current control of devices). Then I read its a 5 volt logic circuit control. Would like to know what is the real deal with the driver board control of these devices (fan htr).

Thanks for any enlightenment

[GreenBean]

....So I thought JimG htc combo solution worked with a p-2k. Is that correct?

That is not correct. Currently none of the RL-HT-CTRL/HTC/HTShield work with the P2-K. I think that Jim now has a P2-K panel and I expect he will investigate the issue when he has time.

On the other issues you raised I have sent you a PM.

[frcn]

As you are likely aware, the HTC+TC4C boards from JimG are currently not available. GreenBean has stepped in the try to, at least temporarily, fill the gap. He has develped and is selling a limited number of his new-design boards called RL-HT-CTRL boards aimed at quenching your "logging thirst" until Jim hopefully goes back into production later in the year. Read the review here: http://www.frcndigital.com/coffee/rlhtctrl.html which includes a mini review of RoastLogger.

[GreenBean]

Thank you so much for this, Randy. I did not expect you to produce a review and had not expected that anything I was associated with would ever feature on espressomyespresso.com.

As you say, we all hope that JimG will soon be back in production of his boards. I will be relieved when he is as building and testing boards is not how I want to spend my time.

[GreenBean]

A minor update of the RoastLogger to version 1.9.3 is available. This update makes a number of minor changes, listed below, and provides two editable labels to the chart. These labels normally indicate the filenames of any loaded template and roast log but they can be used for any purpose. See the screenshots at the end of this post for the general idea. For further information see the following version information and the RoastLogger website.

Version 1.9.3 2/10/2013

Chart tab:

Added two editable labels to the chart title panel, one either side of the RoastLogger logo. By default these labels indicate the filenames of the currently loaded roast log (left label) and template log (right label). This action can be disabled by unchecking the relevant item in the options menu. Hovering the mouse over either label turns it into an editor to change the text. Moving the focus outside the label by clicking the mouse or using the enter or tab keys closes the editor leaving the label displaying the entered text.

Any text entered in the current roast label (left label) is presented as the suggested filename when saving the log.

Changed the menu option "Show line thickness spinner in chart" to default to hidden on each start of RoastLogger. Selecting this menu item now only persists for the current session. On the first start of a new installation the spinner will be shown in the chart.

Changed the RoastLogger logo and the legend shown in the chart.

Logger tab:

Changed the action of the logger tab save & clear log buttons. Previously the save log button also cleared the log and chart ready for the next roast. Now the actions are separated so you can save the log without clearing the log and chart. The chart tab roast stage marker button is disabled at the end of each roast until the log and chart are cleared. If you forget to do this you can always start logging using the logger tab load beans button. The Arduino Controller uses this button so can always start logging when required. If logging is started without saving or clearing the previous log and chart the log will be auto saved and cleared with a note added to the notes tab indicating the file name and path used.

Arduino Controller:

Improved the handling of swapping the Arduino Controller from USB HID communication to Serial communication. Now automatically refreshes the serial port list on unchecking the "Use USB HID Communication" checkbox.

Improved the handling of invalid serial port selection in the Arduino Controller. Now warns the user if an obviously invalid serial port is selected.

Other:

Added a check on startup to determine if RoastLogger is running on Windows and is installed under the \Windows or \Program Files folders. If so it warns that it will not be able to save it's settings and requests the user moves the installation to a subfolder of the home or documents folder.

Chart tab with no logs loaded:


Chart tab with one log loaded as a template (right label) and one as the current roast (left label).


Chart tab editing the left label:

[silron1]

Thank you GB

The new details on this latest upgrade are a great help.

I've been wishing for the bean name to be on the Chart for ages. When doing a lot of roasts it helps enormously.

Ron

[GreenBean]

No problem Ron . I think one of the key ways to continually improve roasting skills is to compare roast profiles whilst cupping the resultant roasts. It is usually several days after roasting that I taste my coffee roasts. If I find one roast of a particular bean is better, worse or just different to another I load both roast logs into the RoastLogger and directly compare the roast profiles and key roast events (as shown in the screenshots in my previous post) to try to understand what causes the difference. Any theories of what causes the difference can then be tested on subsequent roasts.

In the past I was happy to rely on memory as to which roast log I had loaded as the template and which as the current roast. Now that I am approaching my dotage I am happy to have a reminder on the chart . For the same reason I guess the current roast label is also useful as a reminder of what beans have been loaded for the current roast and will then suggest the bean name (or other information you have entered in the label) as the filename when you save the roast log.

[GreenBean]

A major update of the RoastLogger to version 2.0 is available. This update involves a significant rewrite of the charting facilities of the RoastLogger. The most significant item is the inclusion of an option to display RoR curves in the chart. RoR curves can be displayed for a current roast and for any previous log file loaded as a template or roast log.

The Artisan team have recently paid me the compliment of copying the method of roast control I developed and have been using in the RoastLogger for about four years. In view of this I have decided to repay the compliment by adding the option to display roast phase markings in the chart in a similar fashion to Artisan.

The update also includes enhanced abilities to save charts to .png files at various sizes to suit posting on forums and a number of other minor enhancements.

Chart image showing RoR curves saved to 600 pixels wide:



Chart image of same data with RoR curves turned off saved to 600 pixels wide:



Roast phase setting dialog:




For further information see the following version information and the RoastLogger website.

Version 2.0 19/10/2013

This update includes a significant rewrite of the charting facilities of the RoastLogger including the following:

Added an option to display RoR curves in the chart. If this option is selected the current roast or any log loaded as a template or current roast will display an RoR curve in the chart in addition to BT and ET curves. Note that this will work with your existing logs as well as future logs as the RoR data is recreated from the existing log data using the same logic and filters as used to calculate the original RoR data.

Added an option to display roast phase (drying, maillard and development) bands to chart. Also added an associated dialog to allow the limits of each band to be set. If the user selects Fahrenheit temperature units via the options menu "Set chart axes" the transition temperatures change to Fahrenheit. When first crack start is clicked the maillard/development transition is automatically updated for the current chart to the first crack start temperature. When any previous log is loaded as a template or current roast the transition is also set automatically to the last loaded log first crack start temperature.

The RoR curves in the chart and the roast phase bands can be turned on or off at any time before, during or after a roast without loss of any data (RoR data is maintained even when not shown in the chart).

Updated the saving of charts to .png files. Now offers three options on the file menu: Save at size shown on screen, save at 600 pixels wide, save at 800 pixels wide. In each case the aspect ratio shown on the screen is preserved. The suggested use is to set the chart size on screen to approximately 1.5 times the size of the image required and then to save to that size.

Made changes to the chart line rendering to provide better antialiasing. Removed menu option "Antialias chart curves" as now always uses antialias.

Changed the chart temperature axis to indicate if user has selected C or F in the "Set chart axes" dialog.

Other minor cosmetic changes too numerous to mention.

Made another minor change to the action of the chart roast event button and the logger tab save & clear log buttons. Now the chart roast event button is disabled at the end of a roast and is enabled when the user has saved the log. If the log has not been cleared it will be auto cleared when starting a new roast.

[MaKoMo]

The Artisan team have recently paid me the compliment of copying the method of roast control I developed and have been using in the RoastLogger for about four years. In view of this I have decided to repay the compliment by adding the option to display roast phase markings in the chart in a similar fashion to Artisan.

Nice! Sounds a bit like the browser war of the late 90s. We should also think of establishing a standardization body, maybe called W2RL (World Wide Roast Logging), that sets the rules that our implementations could violate;). So I guess it's now our move. Wait a moment....

The Artisan Team

[GreenBean]

The Artisan team have recently paid me the compliment of copying the method of roast control I developed and have been using in the RoastLogger for about four years. In view of this I have decided to repay the compliment by adding the option to display roast phase markings in the chart in a similar fashion to Artisan.

Nice! Sounds a bit like the browser war of the late 90s. We should also think of establishing a standardization body, maybe called W2RL (World Wide Roast Logging), that sets the rules that our implementations could violate;). So I guess it's now our move. Wait a moment....

The Artisan Team

I wasn't trying to start a war, Marko. I am way too old for war and prefer to sit down with a good coffee.

I believe it is a significant benefit to the roasting community that we both offer roasting software free of charge. If we were both charging for our software then I am sure we would object strongly to copying each others ideas. As both programs are free I think a little healthy competition is to the benefit of everyone.

The RoastLogger and Artisan have developed with different philosophies to meet different needs. With the RoastLogger, I aim for simplicity and ease of use for people who want to concentrate on coffee roasting without learning how to configure the software. I think I am right in saying that, with Artisan, the aim is flexibility and configurability for people who are willing to put the time in to configure the software to do exactly what they want.

The above, and the different hardware that can be interfaced to the RoastLogger and Artisan, means that both should be able to coexist in harmony even if we "borrow" each others ideas from time to time.

I expect that any concerns over this approach would come from those providing paid for roasting software. They have to compete with free software that is improving all the time. This no doubt reduces the prices they can charge.

[GreenBean]

A minor revision to the RoastLogger to version 2.0.1 is available. This revision adds additional functionality to the left editable title label and improves a few cosmetic issues such as returning keyboard focus to the event button after editing a label.

For further information or to download see the following version information and the RoastLogger website.

Version 2.0.1 26/10/2013

1.  The new options for saving the chart to reduced size .png files have been corrected to save only the chart and not the roast event button.

2.  Now returns keyboard focus to the roast event button when the user exits editing either title by pressing the enter key.  The chart line thickness spinner is normally hidden.  If it is visible it will receive the keyboard focus.  The tab key can be used to move the focus between the spinner and the event button. 

3. Typo in the new roast phase dialog corrected.

4. Reduced minimum width of Arduino Controller slightly.

5. The left editable label now has some additional functionality.  As previously, if a previous log is loaded as the current roast, the left label is set to the filename of the log.  Now in addition to this, when the RoastLogger is started, or when the roast log is cleared, the left chart title is set to the current date.  The user can edit this to add a roast title whilst keeping or deleting the date as they wish.  If the title is edited it will be assumed to be a title for the Roast and will be added to the start of the roast log, when the beans are loaded, as "Roast title: [left label text]".  This roast title will also be offered as a suggested filename when the log is saved.

So in summary, the left title label now has the following functions:

1.  Indicates the current date if no log is loaded as the current roast.
2.  Indicates the filename of any previous log loaded as the current roast.
3.  Can be edited by the user to any text before a roast is started and will then be added to the roast log as a roast title and will be offered as a suggested filename when the log is saved.

Trust me it is much easier to use than to describe

[GreenBean]

A further minor revision to the RoastLogger to version 2.0.2 is available. This revision only involves a few minor changes to the Arduino Controller.

For further information or to download see the following version information and the RoastLogger website.

Version 2.0.2 31/10/2013

1. Added a menu option to apply moderate digital filtering (smoothing) between the Arduino Controller T1 and T2 inputs and outputs. Previously no filtering was done by the Arduino Controller as, with a good thermocouple installation, it is not necessary. If anyone, using the Arduino Controller, has a device that is producing a noisy input (temperatures moving up and down one or two degree C or so) then they may get better results with this option selected. Note that whist this may help smooth the readings it also causes some delay in readings so should only be used as a last resort after trying to identify and remove the cause of the noisy readings.

2. Corrected Arduino Controller top level PID menu string which had become linked to a lower level menu string in error.

3. Adjusted the threshold for triggering the load beans event slightly. Load beans is triggered when the temperature drops rapidly by more than a set gradient. For users working in Fahrenheit the threshold is unchanged. For users working in Celsius the threshold has been reduced slightly to bring it into line with the existing threshold in Fahrenheit.

[bruceb]

I am finally getting used to and taking advantage of version 2.0.0 and love it. I did 3 roasts this morning and 3 roasts last week with it and even if I can't take advantage of the RoR data it really makes roasting a delight. A big "Thank You!" to GreenBean for this excellent program.

[GreenBean]

Thanks, Bruce. You have raised an important point that I should have made clearer. When I introduced the display of RoR data in April 2012 I tried to make it clear that the RoR data was only meaningful for people using devices that display temperature data to tenths of a degree (C or F). I should have restated this with the introduction of RoR curves in the chart.

It is not practical to produce meaningful real time RoR data from temperatures measured in whole degrees. Users with input devices that provide temperatures in whole degrees should uncheck the options menu items "Show RoR with temperature displays" and Show RoR curves in chart".

Most of the devices that are compatible with the RoastLogger do display temperatures to tenths of a degree. Details of these are available in the Input devices section of the RoastLogger website.