Too Much Coffee

Well, just a quick update. It now works perfectly, even with my bright red LED display. I did a dry run this evening, allowing the roaster to heat up and cool down over 20 minutes and the logfile is perfect, the chart exactly as it should be.


I'm going to be doing a roast on Sunday using this new version of the software and I'll post the curve then. It's going to be 450g of El Salvador Finca Matalapa Peaberry, a tricky bean to roast (at least for me), so it should be quite interesting. Stay posted.

I certainly want to express my gratitude to GreenBean for his patience and programming skills!

Sounds like a great tool to have, congrats guys.......

Great news Bruce.

If all goes well with the roast tomorrow I will pass the program on to the next person on the list to try it out.

The following shows the chart produced, and a chopped down version of the log file, for a recent roast in the Hottop P:



Log created at 11:16:16 05/09/2009
Use Options|show log template form to modify this template.
------------------------------------------------------
Beans/Blend name: Bolivia Machacamarca

Profile description: 100% power to 195 C 75% to FC+60 seconds then 25%

Roast notes:


Cupping results:


OCR Roast Logger by GreenBean TMC.
Roast started at 11:20:10 05/09/2009
Elapsed time , OCR 1 , OCR 2 , Event type
00:00,72, ,Beans loaded
00:05,70, ,timer
00:10,69, ,timer
00:15,69, ,timer
00:20,69, ,timer

14:30,201, ,timer
14:30,201, ,First crack start
14:35,201, ,timer

16:30,207, ,timer
16:34,207, ,First crack end
16:35,207, ,timer

17:45,209, ,timer
17:49,209, ,Second crack start
17:50,209, ,timer
17:54,209, ,Beans ejected

GreenBean wrote:Great news Bruce.

If all goes well with the roast tomorrow I will pass the program on to the next person on the list to try it out.

I can't wait until it's my turn!



Ola

Well, I couldn't wait after GB sent me the newest version this morning, so this evening, after pouring cement all afternoon, I did a roast of 350g Guatemala Antigua and both the beans and the logging data turned out beautifully. I set the chart scales to match the range of temperatures of my roaster (GB has made them completely adjustable) which allows one to accurately read the °C (or °F) from the chart. I am really pleased with the results and they make logging the roasts a very simple matter.

Log created at 20:02:03 05/09/2009
Use Options|show log template form to modify this template.
------------------------------------------------------
Beans/Blend name: Guatemala Antigua Harvest 2008 350g


Profile description: Preset 185°C - Load at 165°C - Eject at 180°C


Roast notes: Full City Roast - 291g roast weight


Cupping results:


OCR Roast Logger by GreenBean TMC.
Roast started at 20:15:03 05/09/2009
Elapsed time , OCR 1 , OCR 2 , Event type
00:00,165, ,Beans loaded
00:05,166, ,timer
00:10,166, ,timer

09:45,154, ,timer
09:50,154, ,timer
09:50,154, ,First crack start
09:55,155, ,timer

12:30,173, ,timer
12:35,174, ,timer
12:40,174, ,timer
12:45,174, ,First crack end
12:50,175, ,timer
12:55,176, ,timer
13:00,176, ,timer
13:05,176, ,timer
13:10,177, ,timer
13:11,177, ,Second crack start
13:15,177, ,timer
13:20,178, ,timer
13:25,179, ,timer
13:30,179, ,timer
13:35,180, ,timer
13:40,180, ,timer
13:45,181, ,timer
13:46,181, ,Beans ejected

Great news Bruce. I am delighted the program is now working so well for you. I would never have forgiven myself if we could not get it working reliably with your roaster after all the effort you have put in testing and suggesting improvements to the usability of the program. Thanks again for volunteering to be the first victim,...err... I mean tester, of this program and for all your help. In case people think I am exaggerating the effort required I count 51 emails between us and 7 versions of the program issued and tested by you in the last week!

For anyone wondering why I am only issuing this program to one person at a time, for testing on one roaster at a time, hopefully you can now see why.

All this was required because this particular LED display is very different to the ones available to me to test the program. Hopefully this effort has resulted in a much more robust program that should work on a wider range of roasters without further significant difficulty.

If the above puts off any prospective testers of this program I can assure you it is worth a little effort. There is something eerie, even magical, about watching your computer log and chart the data perfectly without any physical connection to the roaster whatsoever.

I will pass the program on to Ola for testing as soon as I can write some simple instructions on how to set it up to provide the best chance of getting reliable readings.

Congrats guys

Tried it for a bit with the Probatino today, but because of some issues with the webcam I attached (couldn't use the iSight on the machine) I wasn't able to do a whole log. However it does read the display perfectly when the camera is running.

Can't wait to start using it properly! It really is a bit of magic involved!


Ola

Hi Ola,

Sounds promising. Have you tried Macam? It is free and works on OSX with many webcams.

Please keep us posted with progress.

Macam works like a charm. Thanks for the tip. Will try again tomorrow.


Ola

I have been experimenting with the Hottop B and have found that I can get reliable readings on the B without the "Shreddies" screen (see beginning of thread). On the B the contrast between the digits of the LED and the background is sufficient to provide reliable results without the screen to shield reflections.

A suitable screen is necessary to achieve reliable readings on the Hottop P and LCD multimeters.

Logging on the Hottop B without a screen to shield reflections:




This chart shows a comparison of Hottop P (magenta) and Hottop B (red) roasts both setup in exactly the same way! Both have the same 320 g charge of the same beans with the same program for fan and heater settings. Both reached first crack at the same time! The difference between them is partly due to the clogged rear filter on the B and partly due to the thermistors reading very different temperatures at the same point (FC) in the roast.





Log file chopped to show key stages. I clearly have not learned to tame the end of the roast in the B yet, it is very different from the P:

Log created at 12:20:13 09/09/2009
Use Options|show log template form to modify this template.
------------------------------------------------------
Beans/Blend name: Cachoeira 320 g


Profile description: 100% power to 205 then 70% to FC + 60 secs then 20%


Roast notes:


Cupping results:


OCR Roast Logger by GreenBean TMC.
Roast started at 12:31:21 09/09/2009
Elapsed time , OCR 1 , OCR 2 , Event type
00:00,71, ,Beans loaded
00:05,71, ,timer
00:10,71, ,timer
00:15,72, ,timer
00:20,72, ,timer
00:25,73, ,timer
00:30,74, ,timer
00:35,75, ,timer

13:40,206, ,timer
13:40,206, ,First crack start
13:45,206, ,timer

15:45,212, ,timer
15:46,212, ,First crack end
15:50,213, ,timer

16:35,214, ,timer
16:38,214, ,Second crack start
16:40,214, ,timer
16:41,214, ,Beans ejected

Ola and I have been busy with other things so we have only recently got some results from his testing. He advises that the program is working on his Probatino. Ola has also suggested a number of changes to improve the usability of the program. These have all been incorporated in the latest version.

I have continued testing the program on the Hottop P and B models and Bruce has continued testing on the Maggiolino. We have each completed over 20 roasts without problems.

For anyone else testing the program I envisage that the most likely problem they would encounter would be occasional false readings due to the difficulty of shielding the display/finding webcam settings that provide a clear steady image of the display without reflections.

I have done some more testing and found that it is possible, with LED displays (at least with my webcam), to have a closed light path from the display to the webcam. This removes any possibility of reflections or shadows or lighting changes affecting the readings. This was suggested by Bruce some time ago and discounted by me at the time.

It is not necessary to go to this extreme on the displays I have tested (indeed on the Hottop B I get reliable results with no screen - see previous posts) but it does work and could be used in difficult cases. The following shows the general arrangement tested using a very high-tech toilet roll to enclose the path:




This screenshot shows the program reading the results:



I think that I have taken this program about as far as I can for the time being. When I get a chance I will make it available for download from my website so anyone interested can try it with their equipment. The caveats at the beginning of this thread still apply, this program will not work for everyone or all roasters. You will need to experiment with your webcam to find suitable settings (and possibly to add screens) to ensure reliable results.

Could Cakey or Dom please move this thread to the Roasting - equipment and techniques section so that it is available to all.

I want to mention that I have been using this program routinely with the Maggiolino and am really delighted with it. Having a graphic representation of the roast makes it much easier to visualise the differences in the cup. Nice one! Thanks again GB.

Okey dokey. Will move now.
Congrats on a nice addition to the home roasting world!

Thanks GB, we look forward to having a go with it shortly