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TrickyDick said:
So details please! I find artisan nice, but I don't think I am grasping its full operational ability. I bought the somewhat pricey TC4 module to add PID functionality, but I don't really know how to implement it! I have a HotTop with USB port upgrade that directly interfaces with Artisan without using an Arduino/TC4.
Click to expand...

Awesome, I took a quick look around the interwebs and it looks like the newer hottops have direct USB communication support for heater control, and the older ones do a sort of Artisan -> TC4 -> Hottop bunny hop:
http://artisan-roasterscope.blogspot.de/2013/02/controlling-hottop.html

TrickyDick said:
I have a couple Arduinos. I had been tinkering with one to try and build a dry cure chamber, but its sort of on hold at the moment. I think I fried some components with static, which seems unusual. At any rate, I thought of some other projects an bought a couple knock-off Arduino boards and Viola, the PID / TC4 project seemed to be the perfect way to use one.

How do you run it? How do you setup the Arduino/TC4? What about a sketch? Where do you get it all?

Thanks!

TD
Click to expand...

I run it by selecting TC4 in the device selection window and clicking the 'control button' check box. From there, by clicking on the control box in the upper right hand corner of Artisan, I can either enable the SV slider or use the ramp/soak function.

To build this thing I used an old Uno I had lying around, a pair of MAX6675 TC amplifiers (it's an old amp, but I've had them for ages) (http://www.ebay.com/itm/MAX6675-Mod...924042?hash=item5d517a3d0a:g:DFgAAOSw~1FUVKpW), and a Teledyne SSR (This is all just junk I had lying around in my electronics bins). I'm also going to add an DS18B20 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/111687749572?ul_noapp=true&chn=ps&lpid=82) for ambient temp readings when I have a few minutes.

Layout wise, 1 of the TCs goes into my expansion ring, 1 into the 'floor' of the stir crazy. I gutted my turbo oven, separated the fan and heater functions, and wired the heater to an SSR. At the moment the fan is just 'on' all the time, so I'm pondering wiring the fan to a proportional output SSR and PWM'ing it as an experiment.

The heater SSR is driven by the Arduino, using fast pwm (https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/SecretsOfArduinoPWM) + the awesome arudino PID library (https://github.com/br3ttb/Arduino-PID-Library/).

Again this is all my ghetto-tastic set-up to emulate the very handy TC4 and the Aartisan_QPID sketch which you can use. (http://www.homeroasters.org/php/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=3322&getfile=5270)

I'll be happy to clean up my sketch, and post it later this week (it's pre-alpha right now), if anyone is interested in it.

Cheers! :mug:
 
I've been toying around with a couple Guatemalan roasts. I had some lighter roasts that were a little acidic/fruit forward about 3-5 days after the roast, but after 7 days now they are tasting creamy with no acidity or fruit flavor. It tastes alright, but I don't believe it's how they should be tasting at all.

Anyone have any ideas on why the dramatic flavor change may occur over the course of a few days?

Nothing has changed in my brewing process, and I have cleaned out my grinder before each batch.
 
dryboroughbrewing said:
Awesome, I took a quick look around the interwebs and it looks like the newer hottops have direct USB communication support for heater control, and the older ones do a sort of Artisan -> TC4 -> Hottop bunny hop:
http://artisan-roasterscope.blogspot.de/2013/02/controlling-hottop.html



I run it by selecting TC4 in the device selection window and clicking the 'control button' check box. From there, by clicking on the control box in the upper right hand corner of Artisan, I can either enable the SV slider or use the ramp/soak function.

To build this thing I used an old Uno I had lying around, a pair of MAX6675 TC amplifiers (it's an old amp, but I've had them for ages) (http://www.ebay.com/itm/MAX6675-Mod...924042?hash=item5d517a3d0a:g:DFgAAOSw~1FUVKpW), and a Teledyne SSR (This is all just junk I had lying around in my electronics bins). I'm also going to add an DS18B20 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/111687749572?ul_noapp=true&chn=ps&lpid=82) for ambient temp readings when I have a few minutes.

Layout wise, 1 of the TCs goes into my expansion ring, 1 into the 'floor' of the stir crazy. I gutted my turbo oven, separated the fan and heater functions, and wired the heater to an SSR. At the moment the fan is just 'on' all the time, so I'm pondering wiring the fan to a proportional output SSR and PWM'ing it as an experiment.

The heater SSR is driven by the Arduino, using fast pwm (https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/SecretsOfArduinoPWM) + the awesome arudino PID library (https://github.com/br3ttb/Arduino-PID-Library/).

Again this is all my ghetto-tastic set-up to emulate the very handy TC4 and the Aartisan_QPID sketch which you can use. (http://www.homeroasters.org/php/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=3322&getfile=5270)

I'll be happy to clean up my sketch, and post it later this week (it's pre-alpha right now), if anyone is interested in it.

Cheers! :mug:
Click to expand...


Thanks!

I am uncertain if this is a one step forward but two step back situation for me. Since I already have native USB control, what am I gaining? Well the answer is PID temp control, but what does that buy me? I guess I could create a temp curve and ask the PID to get the HotTop to follow it for me by automatically controlling the heater. That's one thing (and a big one!). Not sure where the fan control ties into this, but I've always suspected that the fan doesn't do much besides venting the smoke. seems whenever I crank it up from a slow speed to a high speed I get a small bump in ROR (or DeltaBT).

How does the arduino sketch come into play? Where do you set the control of the PID function or temp? Is that all within Artisan? Does the Artisan control the Arduino?

TD
 
TrickyDick said:
Thanks!

I am uncertain if this is a one step forward but two step back situation for me. Since I already have native USB control, what am I gaining? Well the answer is PID temp control, but what does that buy me? I guess I could create a temp curve and ask the PID to get the HotTop to follow it for me by automatically controlling the heater.
Click to expand...

That is indeed what it get's you. Again if your hottop has native USB control you may not even need the TC4 to do the PID control.

TrickyDick said:
I've always suspected that the fan doesn't do much besides venting the smoke. seems whenever I crank it up from a slow speed to a high speed I get a small bump in ROR (or DeltaBT).
Click to expand...

Could be, I just happen to have a few proportional output SSRs lying around so I thought I'd give it a whack and see what happens

TrickyDick said:
How does the arduino sketch come into play? Where do you set the control of the PID function or temp? Is that all within Artisan? Does the Artisan control the Arduino?

TD
Click to expand...

My sketch is just because I'm not using a TC4 but instead my own home brewed configuration that emulates the TC4. The TC4 has an excellent sketch of it's own that I linked previously. The PID logic lives in the sketch, and if you use the profile loader sketch in the Aartisan_QPID zip file (http://www.homeroasters.org/php/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=3322), then so does the roasting curve (that sketch has the task of inputting your curve into the EEPROM on the TC4). Alternately You can choose to semi-manually force your own profiles in Artisan by using the control button that I mentioned earlier and either using set-points or the ramp/soak functionality.
 
I wish I had your guys' toys, but alas I do not.

Roasted some beans doing my usual texas two step approach. Preheat beans in 250 or 275 oven, then finish off on the stovetop. This time I preheated the beans WITH the oven instead of adding afterwards, bad move. They went straight to 2nd crack before the oven was even pre heated, never had this happen before, they've never even reached 1st crack in a 325 oven.. Weird, does an oven typically heat a lot higher than stabilizes at a lower temp once the enclosure absorbs some of that heat?
 
dryboroughbrewing said:
That is indeed what it get's you. Again if your hottop has native USB control you may not even need the TC4 to do the PID control.



Could be, I just happen to have a few proportional output SSRs lying around so I thought I'd give it a whack and see what happens



My sketch is just because I'm not using a TC4 but instead my own home brewed configuration that emulates the TC4. The TC4 has an excellent sketch of it's own that I linked previously. The PID logic lives in the sketch, and if you use the profile loader sketch in the Aartisan_QPID zip file (http://www.homeroasters.org/php/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=3322), then so does the roasting curve (that sketch has the task of inputting your curve into the EEPROM on the TC4). Alternately You can choose to semi-manually force your own profiles in Artisan by using the control button that I mentioned earlier and either using set-points or the ramp/soak functionality.
Click to expand...

Cool.

I would need the TC4 in order to do PID, as Artisan and the HotTop do not have built in PID functionality.

One of these days I'll get around to doing this.

TD
 
pricelessbrewing said:
I wish I had your guys' toys, but alas I do not.

Roasted some beans doing my usual texas two step approach. Preheat beans in 250 or 275 oven, then finish off on the stovetop. This time I preheated the beans WITH the oven instead of adding afterwards, bad move. They went straight to 2nd crack before the oven was even pre heated, never had this happen before, they've never even reached 1st crack in a 325 oven.. Weird, does an oven typically heat a lot higher than stabilizes at a lower temp once the enclosure absorbs some of that heat?
Click to expand...

If you have not already tried it you should give the heat gun dog bowl method a shot. It is an hands on approach but does produce a decent roast with not too much practice or expense. I used to use a heat gun along with a cast iron pot and a camp stove set on low to add more control and produce excellent coffee.
 
I've done the two step approach probably 50~ times, just never kept the coffee in the oven while it preheats so I was rather surprised by the fact that the beans reached 2nd crack in a preheating oven.
 
TallDan said:
Pic I posted to the HBT stoagie thread recently:

It was an excellent pairing.
Click to expand...

That makes me want a cigar so bad. I'm bummed the weather is getting cold (here).

Anyways...I know someone that wants some coffee, and he could lead to future sales because that's just the kind of guy he is. So I roasted him up some Ethiopian I've been gaga about. Then he asked me if I could grind it for him. Ugh, "Sure, what will you be brewing it on?"

"Keurig."

Maybe I should just give him some of my cheap stuff? I don't know that he'll taste much of anything in the Keurig.
 
Hi all,
New bod here from Down Under.

I stumbled across this forum in my quest for info re controlling a KKTO with Arduino.

As I'm at the early stages of building this I'm gathering as much info as possible before making the plunge. I currently have a Behmor 1600+ which has blown a poofoo valve and is being retired as I suspect it will cost too much to fix. Beside that I would like to do bigger batches than I can with the Behmor.

Dryboroughbrewing, in your last(?) post you indicated you would share your script if any body is interested. Can I put my hand up and show interest please?

I already have a Mega2560 a couple of probes and Max6675 as well as some SSR's and other bits and bobs.

I have a pasta pot from eBay and looking at a turbo oven on eBay that I'll bid on. Undecided on the type of motor I'll use for the stirrer as yet. Any thoughts?

Hopefully I get this up and running and then be able to contribute back to fellow members.

Cheers

Bazza B
 
bazzab said:
Hi all,
New bod here from Down Under.

I stumbled across this forum in my quest for info re controlling a KKTO with Arduino.

As I'm at the early stages of building this I'm gathering as much info as possible before making the plunge. I currently have a Behmor 1600+ which has blown a poofoo valve and is being retired as I suspect it will cost too much to fix. Beside that I would like to do bigger batches than I can with the Behmor.

Dryboroughbrewing, in your last(?) post you indicated you would share your script if any body is interested. Can I put my hand up and show interest please?

I already have a Mega2560 a couple of probes and Max6675 as well as some SSR's and other bits and bobs.

I have a pasta pot from eBay and looking at a turbo oven on eBay that I'll bid on. Undecided on the type of motor I'll use for the stirrer as yet. Any thoughts?

Hopefully I get this up and running and then be able to contribute back to fellow members.

Cheers

Bazza B
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum bazza.
 
Depending on which poofoo valve you are taking about, you might want to contact Behmor. They support their product well with parts availability. They sort of have to. ;) it is the best part of having that machine actually. A control panel I believe is the most expensive part and that is $50 US. If the switch board is bad it is likely one if the Triacs .. You can replace those yourself. Behmor will devow knowledge if you ask them for schematics though. So getting that level of support from them is chasing windmills. But it is a toaster oven with a toaster element for an after burner, a two speed windshield wiper motor for the drum and a series of fans for everything else. Simple stuff. It is like an air cooled VW, you can fix it forever. Having said that I am working on a gas drum roaster myself that I started a year ago. Getting back into brewing slowed that project down to a stop... Cheers...
 
Question for you all. I just saw these two bags of the same house blend from Intelligentsia. Same blend, but you'll see they list the beans in each and there are different beans composing both bags under the same blend name.

Anyone now why this would be the case?

I had always assumed a house blend would be made of the same beans all the time.

View attachment 1446339737911.jpg
 
Mexico has a very small growing region. Nayrita Estate. Nicaragua is a fairly low grown but "not bad" central. The Mexico crop is small. The two origins are similar and probably are a small amount of the blend. Being that coffee is a natural product, they probably use Mexican when they can and other Centrals when the Mexican isn't available. Now Panama or Costa Rica are better substitutes for Mexican coffee being given that geographically they are more similar but they are more expensive (and better) than either the Mexico or Nicaragua. Don't worry now that Intelligentsia has been bought by Peets, you will want to start roasting and mixing your own anyway and won't need to ask these silly questions.. ;)
 
I used to stick to single origin, but then I tried mixing Ethiopian and Brazilian 50/50. I'm sold on blends now, especially for espresso. I still dont care at all for dark roast in my espresso though. Call me a heathen, but a lighter roast in an espresso is magical for my tastes. I suppose things brings me back to why I started roasting my own in the first place.
 
UndeadFred said:
Don't worry now that Intelligentsia has been bought by Peets, you will want to start roasting and mixing your own anyway and won't need to ask these silly questions.. ;)
Click to expand...

Well I do roast and blend my own, but when I'm looking to calibrate my taste buds I occasionally buy Intelli or La Colombe.

I was under the impression a blend was consistent in what went into it, but really all that matters is they get the same flavors each time.
 
passedpawn said:
Probably the best one is the turbo oven on top of the stir crazy popcorn machine, with a piece of ducting in the middle. I posted a crappy picture up above there. It does work pretty well.
Click to expand...
+1 on the SC/CO combo. I've been using it for years and it evenly roasts a lb. of espresso in 12 -14 min. very controllable, and you can ramp your roast profile.
 
BrewinHooligan said:
I used to stick to single origin, but then I tried mixing Ethiopian and Brazilian 50/50. I'm sold on blends now, especially for espresso. I still dont care at all for dark roast in my espresso though. Call me a heathen, but a lighter roast in an espresso is magical for my tastes. I suppose things brings me back to why I started roasting my own in the first place.
Click to expand...
OK, you're a heathen. But so am I. French roast is disgusting... Full City is about as far as I go when roasting. Keep the water temp up around 201 -203 to avoid sourness and it's ideal IMO... It's amazing how much water temp has to do with espresso extraction. Lower temps for darker roasts avoid bitterness, while higher temps for lighter roasts avoids the sour side...
 
I just got a V60 for work, to replace my Melitta. You can get a plastic V60 for like $7 on Amazon, so why not.

Decided to put it up against the Chemex today on this Guatemalan I've been roasting which has been giving me some fantastic Milk Chocolate flavors in both my Chemex and the Press.

Chemex/Press: Both give a very silky milk chocolate flavor with a little nuttiness. Beautiful aftertaste that just lingers in your mouth.

V60: Completely different coffee. Pretty acidic and a little bit of fruit flavor. Really, not chocolate flavor at all (which my wife and I both missed).

For this particular bean, we like the Chemex the best, but I'm really excited by the flavor the V60 pulled out of this bean - something I couldn't get in the Melitta.
 
griffi said:
OK, you're a heathen. But so am I. French roast is disgusting... Full City is about as far as I go when roasting. Keep the water temp up around 201 -203 to avoid sourness and it's ideal IMO... It's amazing how much water temp has to do with espresso extraction. Lower temps for darker roasts avoid bitterness, while higher temps for lighter roasts avoids the sour side...
Click to expand...


So glad I'm not the only one!! I don't want my coffee to taste like charcoal or an ashtray... I very rarely go much further than first crack, I get so much more out of the specific beans than when I roast all the good flavors away.
 
BrewinHooligan said:
So glad I'm not the only one!! I don't want my coffee to taste like charcoal or an ashtray... I very rarely go much further than first crack, I get so much more out of the specific beans than when I roast all the good flavors away.
Click to expand...

I used to like dark roasts, no more it's all changed;)
 
HarborTownBrewing said:
I just got a V60 for work, to replace my Melitta. You can get a plastic V60 for like $7 on Amazon, so why not.

Decided to put it up against the Chemex today on this Guatemalan I've been roasting which has been giving me some fantastic Milk Chocolate flavors in both my Chemex and the Press.

Chemex/Press: Both give a very silky milk chocolate flavor with a little nuttiness. Beautiful aftertaste that just lingers in your mouth.

V60: Completely different coffee. Pretty acidic and a little bit of fruit flavor. Really, not chocolate flavor at all (which my wife and I both missed).

For this particular bean, we like the Chemex the best, but I'm really excited by the flavor the V60 pulled out of this bean - something I couldn't get in the Melitta.
Click to expand...

Which Guatemalan is it? Something still available? I love chocolate flavors in coffee.
 
TallDan said:
Which Guatemalan is it? Something still available? I love chocolate flavors in coffee.
Click to expand...

I just checked but Bodhi doesn't have it anymore. It was the Guatemala Finca San Serapio.

I have another Guat from them (this one, I think? http://www.bodhileafcoffee.com/collections/guatemala-green/products/guatemala-las-hamacas-green) which is listed as having Chocolate and Orange Acidity. I'll roast this up in the next week or so and will report on the results and if it's worth buying.
 
TallDan said:
Which Guatemalan is it? Something still available? I love chocolate flavors in coffee.
Click to expand...


The Brazilian I got from homeroastcoffee.com has lots of chocolate along with caramel/toffee notes. It's good stuff.
"Brazil Fazenda Aurea Natural 16+". Good prices and cheap shipping.
 
GREAT article on the sale of Stumptown & Intelligentsia to Peets. I've been a Stumptown fan for at least 15 years and it has been wild watching them grow. I remember learning about them from a documentary on PBS and subsequently ordering my first bag of Hairbender Espresso blend. I ground it on my old whirly blade and pulled shots on my krups "steam toy" espresso machine.

http://legacy.sweetmarias.com/library/node/9528


PS - did anyone grab any of that 92 point Yirg @ SM's that just sold out? I put some in the cart and decided to sleep on it before buying.... dumb
 
jammin said:
GREAT article on the sale of Stumptown & Intelligentsia to Peets. I've been a Stumptown fan for at least 15 years and it has been wild watching them grow. I remember learning about them from a documentary on PBS and subsequently ordering my first bag of Hairbender Espresso blend. I ground it on my old whirly blade and pulled shots on my krups "steam toy" espresso machine.

http://legacy.sweetmarias.com/library/node/9528


PS - did anyone grab any of that 92 point Yirg @ SM's that just sold out? I put some in the cart and decided to sleep on it before buying.... dumb
Click to expand...

I got 10# of a Yirg Baraka Buna. Just roasted 5# of it.
 
jammin said:
GREAT article on the sale of Stumptown & Intelligentsia to Peets. I've been a Stumptown fan for at least 15 years and it has been wild watching them grow. I remember learning about them from a documentary on PBS and subsequently ordering my first bag of Hairbender Espresso blend. I ground it on my old whirly blade and pulled shots on my krups "steam toy" espresso machine.

http://legacy.sweetmarias.com/library/node/9528


PS - did anyone grab any of that 92 point Yirg @ SM's that just sold out? I put some in the cart and decided to sleep on it before buying.... dumb
Click to expand...

I bet that in 5,10,15,20 or whatever years that guy will decide that he has done everything that he can or is interested in doing with SM's and that he wants to go on a new venture or retire. He'll realize that his best option for doing that is to sell some stake or all of SM's off to give him the money and time to do so. Then he'll realize that it's not always about a money grab, sometimes it's about the realization that you no longer have the same enthusiasm for what you are doing that you once did. That or he'll realize that he won't live forever and that the best thing that he can do for his heirs is to provide a means for them to find their own path and follow their own dreams in life, not assume that they want to continue his dream and passion. Either way, none of us live forever, and most of us don't want to do the same thing forever either. Sure, sometimes the sale of a company doesn't go the way you want it to, and the vision of the founder(s) is lost, but it's better to take a chance that it will flourish with an infusion of capital and/or enthusiasm from another party than let it die on the vine.

The analogy of a band is a good one, but his interpretation is a bit off. Bands "sell out" because they grow tired of the routine that they're in, they want a new challenge, a new way to express themselves or an opportunity to try something different. Some flourish with these changes and some fail. Sure, everyone will say that they do it for the fans (customers), and in a way, they do. They take an opportunity to rise to another challenge, and do something they haven't done before. Any real fan will appreciate that effort.

Whether your a brewer, a musician, a coffee roaster, a computer programmer, or anything else, your priorities change over time. At some point, the desire to run your operation the way you want it with nobody else to answer to shifts to be a lower priority than rising to a new challenge or getting more money.
 
^great response, Dan. I think you hit the nail on the head.

PD - I can't remember if that was the coffee with "blueberry" in the descriptor but if it is, I'm jealous. I knew I should have ordered but was thinking about my current supply (which is kinda full).
 
jammin said:
^great response, Dan. I think you hit the nail on the head.

PD - I can't remember if that was the coffee with "blueberry" in the descriptor but if it is, I'm jealous. I knew I should have ordered but was thinking about my current supply (which is kinda full).
Click to expand...

No blueberry. Very odd tea-like notes. My kids and I hit it this weekend. It's good. I did my usual light roast and used a lot of grounds to get a good flavor.

I'll make in in the AM and comment here in situ.

https://www.sweetmarias.com/product/ethiopia-yirga-cheffe-baraka-buna
 
Tall Dan I really want to add something but you covered it all and leave me nothing to say. Well put.

Speaking of sell outs, maybe it's just me but I'm bothered by the fact sweet marias gives 452 different flavor descriptions for each coffee.

I guess that doesn't make them sell outs but it grinds my gears.
 
HarborTownBrewing said:
Tall Dan I really want to add something but you covered it all and leave me nothing to say. Well put.

Speaking of sell outs, maybe it's just me but I'm bothered by the fact sweet marias gives 452 different flavor descriptions for each coffee.

I guess that doesn't make them sell outs but it grinds my gears.
Click to expand...


I have nothing to add but this because it's all I can think of now.
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1446523751.911828.jpg
Carry on and feel free to ignore me. I dipped into the hb lemon wine tonight.
 
For the record a Full City roast IS a dark roast... ;) even for Espresso... As for Sweet Marias they are so much marketing hype.. There are much more reasonable places to buy better green. SM is the only place I ever bought 20# of coffee and got a UPS box marked 20# on it.. With one non coffee item I ordered. Got about 19# of actual green.. Not saying that I won't still buy from them. I like the Yemen when they get it. I mix it with Sumatran for a classic Moka Java. Call it the Al Qaeda blend... Nice...
 
UndeadFred said:
For the record a Full City roast IS a dark roast... ;) even for Espresso... As for Sweet Marias they are so much marketing hype.. There are much more reasonable places to buy better green. SM is the only place I ever bought 20# of coffee and got a UPS box marked 20# on it.. With one non coffee item I ordered. Got about 19# of actual green.. Not saying that I won't still buy from them. I like the Yemen when they get it. I mix it with Sumatran for a classic Moka Java. Call it the Al Qaeda blend... Nice...
Click to expand...

I've bought from other places. SM has competitive prices.

I don't buy into their reviews / cupping scores, but it's hard to know who to believe on that.
 

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