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Start time offset and sampling timestamps  (Read 4192 times)

tburres

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Hey Danny -

I was watching a video on profiling where another app was being used and it allowed the start of data logging prior to the actual charge time and still kept the actual roast time as t= 0.  so the data began tracking at -3 minutes for  example, allowing you to capture the preheat ramp and then at the point the charge is loaded the time is set to 0 and the roast profile is tracked accordingly. 
I would probably like to be able to do this by going in after the roast is started, probably while it is in progress, and note the charge time - that way I could start data logging, load the charge when the temp is right without having to worry about roastmaster at that instant, then come back and load the charge time so the remaining timestamps are based on charge time not the start of datalogging.  I hope that makes sense -

The other feature this application had was a way to quickly note an event on the timeline - in the demo it was used to flag times at which cupping samples were pulled during the roast - i got the impression it was a single keystroke that the operator hit at the start of the sample.  I created a control curve with a value of 12 and can use that to add nodes of values below 12 to capture the sample points, but it might be cool to have a more elegant way to do this and to be able to add cupping notes regarding the sample points.

Are there other ways you would recommend to accomplish these things in Roastmaster?

Anyway, I really like Roastmaster and am about as excited about being able to use it as I am roasting with my new roaster ;-)

Thanks for the good work you do!  I really enjoy your screencasts and was impressed with your professionalism and knowledge of your software and roasting in general!  I am hoping to be able to share profiles here once I am a little further along on the learning curve!

Danny Hall

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Hi

The fact that not preheating doesn't exist to this point has been a design choice. Lots of folks grapple with the learning curve that already exists, so I try very hard to keep that curve at a minimum. The only way to keep things simple is to keep functionality simple.

For me, I simply watch the curve labels side by side and drop beans when my actual curve hits my target temp. I, personally, have never found ambient temperature to be an exact science,. Too many things affect ambient temp: the duality of fan vs heat, stored heat in the metal housing, etc. And, since I roast back to back, the tail-end of my own profiles are, in a way, the preheat for the next batch. Now, that doesn't mean it wouldn't help some folks, and I certainly want everyone to get the most out of the app. I listen intently to suggestions, and am certainly not against that feature, I just haven't had many of inquiries about it. It's entirely possible to provide an opt-in pref to enable a pre-roast state, but many, many more people have been asking about your second question - roast events.

The coming update is almost complete. I've concentrated heavily on internationalization and under-the-hood stuff. For instance, the analyzer will be MUCH faster, more elegant, customizable, and will have a number of new features. Code-wise, this has been the largest Roastmaster update by far, so I have purposely avoided modifying the underlying database schema structure. That would be overwhelming to test, and prone to error. Next update, though, I plan to concentrate almost entirely on the database schema, at which point I'll be free to address many features I couldn't in this one, like the one you suggest.

I've got some ideas in my head about how I want to do it, but in the mean time there is a new feature that, though not exactly what you're asking for, will provide a little help in creating time-stamped notes, and a LOT of help with notes in general. There will be a new "Consolidated Notes" view accessed from the analyzer. (See attachment). You'll be able to tap the notes icon, and see consolidated notes of every item associated with what's being viewed in the analyzer: current roast, past roast, beans/blends, roaster, each curve, profile/program, and cuppings. From this notes view, you'll be able to tap on any item in that view to quickly edit its notes right in the analyzer. If you're viewing a roast in progress, you'll get a stopwatch icon to automatically enter a time-stamp (see attachment).

Now, I realize the goal here is to see notes on a timeline - something akin to the way nodes work now. This is how I envision this feature might eventually be implemented. Any specific details you have, or other comments, are always welcome. I'm interested in knowing if folks would find it helpful to exist only in the context of a roast, or as attributes of a particular curve - that would travel with that curve when copied/pasted or assimilated into a new profile or program.

Also, I doubt I'll do a public call for beta testers, but if you're interested in being a beta tester for the coming update, please let me know.

Danny

tburres

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Thanks for the thoughtful response! 

I suppose I may find that after my first few roasts, I may not be real interested in the pre-heat data either.  I did play around with the use of a curve template to track samples and I think I can make that work to get the timestamps.  I set up a control curve with a threshold of 12 and just entered a number that would show a transition at each sample point so it was only a couple of taps to create a node.  When I get my roaster, I think I may be able to get a thermocouple set up close enough to the trier that it will register those events automatically.

I think the notes consolidation you are talking about will be cool too -

I would be interested in helping with the beta testing, but can't promise I will be super productive given I will be learning a new roaster and am new to Roastmaster in the first place - butI  am anxious to see the next version and would love to help you if I can.

Danny Hall

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I've got to stop reading forum posts in my RSS reader. I didn't see the latter part about cuppings - sorry. And, thanks for the kind words by the way.

I've toyed with the concept of roast events over the summer. They could be properties of a roast - created by perhaps a long tap in the analyzer. A list would present of recent events to choose from, with the additional option to create a new one as well. They would just be a field for a title, and internally store their timestamp in the roast, plotting at the appropriate time in the graph. I think this would fit your use pretty well. Tapping on an event would show a popup of the text.

Taking this a bit further, they could also belong to curves. In this scenario, they could be defined in new roast curves (where they would not yet have a timestamp), and provide the option for temperature alarms. Say you wanted to know when your bean mass temp hits 180° C rising, at which point you like to cut your heat in half. You could define a roast event in that new roast curve (or curve template) called "Heat to 50%", and set the alarm info. When the curve's temp hits 180, and is rising, Roastmaster would give an alert.

A number of folks have expressed interest in both type of events. The former is one I know I would use, and by far the most popular request. The latter, isn't as often requested, but if it can help folks it's well worth the effort.