Phidgets are a collection of specialty circuit boards manufactured by Phidgets, Inc. These task-specific boards are designed to work seamlessly together in a network environment, and are backed by a suite of software that enables Roastmaster to read and use the information they gather for Data Logging.
Operating on your WiFi network, Phidgets offer a versatile and scalable wireless solution for monitoring and logging temperatures while you roast in Roastmaster.
Wireless…How?
Since iOS devices do not have USB ports, a Phidget Temperature Sensor (with one or more attached J,K,E or T thermocouples or RTD probes) is connected to a network “host”. This host sends temperature readings to Roastmaster via your WiFi network.
What Can I use as a Host?
You can use any desktop, laptop or compact computer to host a Phidget Temperature Sensor on your WiFi network. As long as it is capable of running the Phidgets Network Server software, and has USB and wireless capabilities, it can be used as a host for Roastmaster. Common setups are:
A Standard Laptop or Desktop Computer
A Mac or Windows laptop or desktop with available USB port and a wireless capabilities is a cost-effective solution for a Phidget host. It is not the most convenient solution, however, since the laptop must be powered on and sitting near the roaster while you roast.
Phidgets SBC
Phidgets, Inc. manufactures a SBC (Single Board Computer) with a web management interface that is tailored to serving as a network host for their sensor hardware. This miniature computer runs Debian GNU/Linux and is easy to configure and maintain. This solution is the most convenient and efficient, since it can be mounted near the roaster and requires very little maintenance.
Later models include an incorporated VINT Hub for attaching the modern Phidgets.
Phidgets Wireless VINT Hub
The Wireless VINT Hub incorporates is a more economical host for Phidgets. Similar to an SBC, but lightweight, it also includes an incorporated VINT Hub for attaching the modern Phidgets.
DIY Hardware
For enterprising DIY enthusiasts, any other hardware capable of running the Phidget Server Software can be used as well, e.g. RaspberryPi.
Transmitting Temperature Readings
Once you’ve selected a host, all you need to do is download the Phidget Software Library and install it on your host. Once installed, you simply activate the Phidget Network Server (WebService on older versions). This will make the attached Phidget visible to Roastmaster on your WiFi network.
If both the host and Roastmaster are joined to the same WiFi network, and you firewall is allowing the Phidget traffic to participate on your network, Roastmaster can use the Phidgets attached to your host to monitor temperatures and log data.
See Setting Up Phidgets for instructions on how to get a Phidgets host configured on your network.
What to Do When Roastmaster Can’t Connect to Phidgets
Setting up a Phidgets network host is normally a quick and painless process. But, when something is not configured correctly, or other network problems occur, it can be intimidating and time-consuming to diagnose. Rainfrog does not author Phidgets software–neither do we have any insight into its internal workings. But…we have seen many Phidgets configuration and network problems, and we can probably help.
We don’t want you to suffer alone, but before sending us a log file for troubleshooting, please read through the following configuration checklists. These were compiled from years of helping users just like you diagnose their network problems and configuration errors. Nothing on this page is filler. These have all, at one time or another, been real-world problems affecting a Phidgets network host installation.
We’ve tried to present issues in the order of likelihood that it will help you diagnose your own Phidget host problems.
In addition, you can also reach out to Phidgets directly. They have an excellent support department, and are very good at diagnosing issues and pinpointing problems.
Check the Link In Roastmaster
The details screen of a Phidgets probe definition in Roastmaster is the easiest way to determine if Roastmaster is communicating properly with a Phidgets device attached to your network host. Roastmaster will report a status of “Linked” if the Phidget host is powered on and relaying Phidget information over your WiFi network. All you need to do is define a reading curve in a roast, and bind this probe to that curve to view and log temperature readings as you roast.
If this screen reports a status of “Unlinked”, however, the network host is not properly conveying Phidget information to Roastmaster. This is usually due to a configuration error or software problem on the host, or a network topology problem.
Check the Network Host Computer
Roastmaster communicates with Phidgets via a “host” computer that shares the data of any Phidgets attached to it with Roastmaster via your wireless WiFi network. See How Do Phidgets Work? for more information.
Verify that the host is powered on and not in a low-power or sleep state
Verify that the desired Phidgets are properly attached to the host with the correct USB cables
Verify that the Roastmaster iOS device and the host computer are both joined to the same WiFi network
Check the Phidgets Driver Software on the Host
Roastmaster 11.0 (October 2017) and later requires Driver Library 22 to be running on your host. Lib22 shares Phidget information with Roastmaster via its “Network Server” software. This must be configured and running for Roastmaster to connect to Phidgets attached to your host.
Once Lib22 has been installed on the host, verify the following in the Phidgets Control Panel application of your Mac or Windows host that was installed as part of Lib22. SBC users can find these settings in the Phidgets > phidget22 Network Server tab of the SBC Administration Console.
Verify that Phidget Network Server is Enabled and Published
Verify that an arbitrary Server Name (ID) is entered and contains no illegal characters
Verify that a Port is entered
Verify that the Password field is blank
Verify that the Network Server is active. “Network Server is Running” should be displayed
If you make changes to any of the above items, it is usually necessary to REBOOT the host after applying/saving the changes. Restarting the Network Server software alone (depending on the situation) is often not enough.
Roastmaster 10.1 and earlier requires Driver Library 21 of the Phidgets software. Lib21 shares Phidget information via its “WebService”. This must be configured and running for Roastmaster to connect to its Phidgets.
Check Firewall Settings
A firewall’s purpose is to make your network and computer as safe as possible from unauthorized access and malicious attacks. One way firewalls accomplish this is by blocking unrecognized or suspicious traffic. If a firewall somewhere on your network is enabled with aggressive settings, it may erroneously block the TCP port traffic that the Phidgets Network Server is sending across your network. This can be a firewall on either the host computer, or the router itself. To troubleshoot…
Try disabling any firewall on your host machine or network
Restart the network host computer
Relaunch Roastmaster
See if a connection is established
If connection is achieved, then the firewall is the culprit. First, re-enable the firewalls. Then add an exception rule to the offending firewall that allows ANY traffic on the TCP port specified in the Phidgets Network Server software.
When using a Windows machine as a network host, it is usually necessary to add firewall exception rules to the Windows firewall, in order to allow the Network Server to operate. You will need to add both an inbound and outbound rule.
MacOS and SBC users do not usually have to worry about this, though it can vary–depending on firewall settings on the host computer.
Check the Phidgets Network Server Logs
The Lib22 Phidget Network Server software records noteworthy events in a log file called “phidget22networkserver.log”. This file contains detailed information about connections and any errors the Network Server may encounter.
For example, the following log entry describes a problem in which the Network Server cannot start due to an invalid apostrophe character in the Name (ID) field…
ERR [phidget22net][2017-10-27T11:41:40 servers.c+997 startServer()]: server name contains invalid characters (‘”‘ or ‘\’)? ‘John’s MacBook’
In the above example, the formal typographer’s apostrophe ’ is the offending character. Replacing it with an ASCII single quote character will allow the Network Server to start correctly.
If you cannot connect to your network host from Roastmaster, the log will usually provide information to help you determine why.
MacOS
The log file is located at /Library/Logs/phidget22networkserver.log. To view the file, open the Console application located in utilities, and select “/Library/Logs”, then “phidget22networkserver.log”. Or, navigate to that directory in the Finder.
Windows
The log file is located at C:/ProgramData/Phidgets/logs/phidget22networkserver.log. To view the file, click “Logs” in the bottom right of the Phidgets Control Panel, or navigate to this directory.
SBC
The log file is located at /var/log/phidget22networkserver.log. To view the file, launch the Phidgets Administration Console from the Phidgets Control Panel on a laptop computer. In the Administration Console, navigate to the System > File Editor tab. In the list of directories, click the “var” directory, followed by the “log” directory. The phidget22networkserver.log can be downloaded to your desktop by clicking it.
Restart Your Host
Yes, it is often necessary to perform a complete restart of your network host to clear old network sockets and caches when making changes to the Phidget Network Server settings. Simply restarting the Network Server software is often not enough. Perform a reboot by first powering down your host, then booting normally. SBC users can reboot from the System > Reboot tab in the Administration Console.
When restarting your host, it’s a good idea to relaunch Roastmaster so you can start with a clean slate.
Double-tap the home button on your iOS device. This will display all the apps currently running.
Find the Roastmaster screen and swipe upwards to terminate it.
Relaunch as usual.
Other Phidgets Issues
Most Phidget host or network configuration problems can be resolved by the preceding suggestions and settings. The following suggestions, though, may offer some insight into tougher connection problems or other sporadic issues.
Cause
Description
Aggressive Firewall
No connection
Roastmaster reads Phidget data from a host via a TCP “port”. In networking, ports are designated by numbers, and segregate types of traffic, e.g. 80 for web traffic, 20 or 21 for FTP traffic, etc.
All firewall(s) on your network must allow both inbound and outbound traffic on the TCP port that is specified in the Phidget Server section of the host Phidget software.
First, verify that the firewall (if any) on the host is allowing inbound and outbound traffic.
Windows host: If you are using a Windows machine as the host, you will almost certainly need to add both an inbound and outbound “exception” rule to the Windows firewall for TCP traffic on the applicable port.
Mac host: Adding firewall exceptions is usually not necessary.
SBC host: Adding firewall exceptions is usually not necessary.
Then, make sure the firewall running on the router itself allows the same traffic. WiFi routers will typically allow Phidget Server traffic by default, but if you suspect your router is blocking Phidget traffic, you may wish to add exception rules to this firewall as well.
Mismatched or outdated Phidgets drivers
No connection
The Phidgets software running on the host must be compatible with the Phidgets software running in Roastmaster.
Roastmaster and Phidgets support multiple simultaneous connections to a Phidget host from the same hardware device. But multiple simultaneous connections to a host from DIFFERENT hardware devices are NOT supported by the Phidget Server software.
If you are experiencing a connection problem, please verify that no other users are currently using the Phidget device(s) in question. Even the “monitoring utility” included in the Phidgets software counts as a connection. Please make sure that the monitoring utility is closed as well when attempting a connection from Roastmaster.
Note: It is often necessary to stop and restart the Phidget Server on the host to clear old connections from its cache.
Invalid server name
No connection
Only certain ASCII characters are permissible in a Network Server host name (ID). Formal typographer’s single and double quote marks, slashes and other special characters are not allowed, and will prevent the Network Server from starting.
Missing information in Roastmaster’s probe details screen.
No connection
Roastmaster requires a serial number and probe port for each probe definition in order to make a connection. Please ensure that the serial number you use is for the Temperature Sensor itself, and NOT the SBC that it is attached to.
Roastmaster or host not joined to the WiFi network
No connection
Roastmaster and the host computer must both be joined to the same WiFi network for a connection to occur.
WiFi bottlenecks
Sporadic connection/dropouts
Many things can place a strain on your network bandwidth: Audio streaming with Pandora, iHeart radio, iTunes radio, etc, or video streaming via Facebook, YouTube, etc. VOIP/internet phone systems can also occupy an appreciable amount of your available bandwidth.
If the WiFi network becomes congested, the Phidgets WebService may have a hard time keeping up with the demands, and drop connections sporadically.
Try eliminating as much unnecessary network traffic as possible.
Insufficient WiFi range
No connection/sporadic connection
The best possible WiFi range that can be expected indoors with 802.11b/g is 150 ft. This is greatly reduced by obstructions: corners, stairs, floors, etc., and by electronic interference: cell phones, RF products, electronic motors, etc.
Dead SBC EEPROM battery
No connection
If the EEPROM battery on an SBC has been exhausted, the SBC may “forget” its network setting when rebooting, resulting it not joining the WiFi network when restarting. The network information will need to be input again, and the batter will need to be replaced in order to remember this information between reboots.
Bad or missing themocouple
No connection/erroneous reading
If the probe attached to the applicable port is damaged (or if no probe is present at all) the temp sensor will not be able to accurately perform its cold/hot junction algorithms.
Roaster housing interference
No connection, sporadic connection or erroneous readingsMetal roaster housings can pick up electrical noise and transfer that to a thermocouple as electronic interference. This can interfere with the temp sensor’s ability to perform its cold/hot junction compensation and algorithms, resulting in erratic temperature readings.
Newer roasters may have better grounding, anticipating the popularity of data logging. Older roasters, however, sometimes just employ an iron ferrite bead somewhere in the pathway of the thermocouple leads, as a means to filter out the inherent interference.
Electronic interference can be combatted by one of two means:
Isolate the probe from the roaster completely by changing a grounded/unshielded probe to an ungrounded/shielded type.
Wrapping the probe leads around a ferrite bead (or using a clamp-style ferrite core around the leads).
Piggy-backed or spliced probe leads.
No connection, sporadic connection or erroneous readings
The voltages used by thermocouples is extremely low. Therefore, thermocouple leads can never be safely spliced, or split to provide output to two different sets of electronics.
Consider installing a dedicated probe for Data Logging, or switching to a dual-tip probe.
Reversed Polarity
No connection or erroneous readings
Make sure the polarity of the probe leads is correct.
Radio Interference
No connection, sporadic connection or erroneous readings
RF products (cordless phones, intercom systems, electronic equipment, etc) can cause enough radio interference to create connection issues.
Try turning off sources of RF interference to see if this is the culprit.
Incorrect alloy type set in Roastmaster
No connection or erroneous readings
Verify that the correct alloy type is specified in Roastmaster (K or J).
Incorrect password
No connection
Roastmaster 10.2 no longer supports the Phidget password field on a host. If you have passwords defined in Roastmaster, remove them.
In Roastmaster 10.1 and earlier, make sure the password entered in the probe definition exactly matches the password entered in the Web Service field of the host.
Damaged or incompatible USB cable
No connection
Replace the USB cable with a compatible USB cable (preferably the cable that came with your Phidget).
Ask Us for Help
If you have consulted this guide, and still cannot get a Phidgets connection, please don’t hesitate to ask for help. Locate the network server log file of your host. Make a copy of this file and email it us. We can compare it to the log file of a functioning installation, and possibly offer some insight. Please be sure to include the following in your email.
The “phidget22networkserver.log” log file as an attachment. We cannot offer support without this file.
The version of Roastmaster you are using. This can be found in the “About” window of the main app menu.
The version of Phidgets Lib22 that is installed on your host.
The type and version of operating system running on your host, e.g. OS X 10.12.6, Windows 10, etc.
Attach one or two K-style thermocouple(s) to the ThermaQ Blue.
Power the ThermaQ Blue device on.
In the Probes list in Roastmaster, tap the + button to add a new Probe, and choose ThermaQ Blue.
If you have not already purchased the Data Logging option, tap “Data Logging Store” and enable Data Logging. Roastmaster will guide you through the purchase.
Choose the appropriate ThermaQ Blue device from the list.
Enter the appropriate port, either 1 or 2.
The Status field should display “Linked”, and report the current probe temperature.
Save the new probe definition. It will now be available to use for data logging in the reading data curves of future roasts.
Repeat for the second probe if desired.
Purchasing the ThermaQ Blue
The ThermaQ Blue can be purchased from ThermoWorks. They happily ship international orders, and offers a variety of shipping methods.
In part 4 of our Roasting with Roastmaster series, we learn how to create event markers affixed to roast curves or a roast timeline. We also discuss how to configure a profile’s curve templates with auto-trigger events that will fire at certain temperature criteria during a roast, providing an alternative event-driven profile workflow, and more metric data.
In part 3 of our Roasting with Roastmaster series, we look at how to set up Roastmaster’s Automatic Data Logging option, configure roast curves to automatically log probe data, and watch a data logging roast with a glimpse of auto-trigger events.
