Thanks for the replies!  I did the simple mods to my West Bend Air Krazy air popper to have the fan remain on and the switch now controls the heating element.  I have a ThemaQ on order and will drill a hole and mount the thermocouple so it ends in the center of the popper and at a height just below the surface of the beans at rest (thanks Andy).

If I want to "graduate" from the air popper to larger roaster (at least 1/2 pound capacity) that is < $1,000, but I want to retain my ThermaQ thermocouple and this software, does anyone have any recommendations as to which brand would allow me to mount the thermocouples?  I don't want to get into soldering circuit boards, etc.

Waiting on my beans to arrive now!