Setting Up the Range Probe
Setting Up a Range Probe for Data Logging
The Range probe can be purchased from Supermechanical.
- Attach the Range probe to your iOS device.
- Navigate to the Probes list from Roastmaster’s Utilities window.
- 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.
- Tap the + button to add a new Probe.
- If the Range is attached, the Status field should display “Linked”, and report the current probe temperature.
- Tap “Save”.
Hi Danny,
I have purchased your app with the data logging option, purchased a range probe, and plugged it in, and it still isn’t showing “linked” in the status. What am I missing?
Thank you,
K
Hi Katie
The Range App is probably running in the background. It may autolaunch when the Range is plugged in, and the probe will only accept 1 connection at a time. In order for Roastmaster to use it, you’ll need to force quit the Range app (double tap the home button and swipe up on the Range App). Roastmaster should then be able to access it.
Hey Danny,
I haven’t got the Range app, any other ideas?
Is microphone access allowed for Roastmaster? You can check this in iOS Settings > Privacy > Microphone. Verify that Roastmaster is turned on.
Beyond that, if you’re using a newer iPhone that requires a “stereo plug > lightning” adapter, the connection might get flaky if there’s lint stuck in the lightning port, or if the port itself is having problems. I’m having that problem right now with my own iPhone. I’m bad for pocket lint, and nothing is getting a good connection at the moment via the lightning port – my headphone controls aren’t working correctly, etc. So, that would be another thing to check. I guess the same would apply to a traditional headphone jack, though they seem to be more resilient to pocket lint.
Which Range probe are you using?
Better yet, if you can tell me 1) Range probe type, 2) iOS model, 3) iOS version and 4) port type, I’ll test on my end to make sure there’s not an issue that I don’t know about.
Hey Danny,
Yep microphone is allowed access in settings. The range probe I have is the dial. iOS version 10.3.2
iPhone SE using the AUX inlet.
When I plug the probe into my phone, the headphones volume selector flashes on the screen, and it keeps doing this for a minute or two. But the app says “a probe is offline”.
Ahhh – I understand now. Roastmaster hasn’t officially adopted support for the dial yet. I just received my kickstarter test units about a week ago. I just now tried it with one of the new Dial probes, and I get the same behavior you’re describing. Connections work as expected on the traditional Range probes, though.
I’ll reach out to the manufacturer this morning and see what their word on those probes. I talked to them last week, and they said that an official SDK for the Dial is still in the works. I’m guessing that the probes themselves are not compatible with the current Range SDK via the headphone jack. It would seem they function differently than the traditional Range probes. I’ll let you know what they say.
Any update on if the dial is working over Bluetooth? The original range probes are getting hard to find, I’m hoping to avoid paying out the big bucks for a thermaq blue, so any cheaper supported alternatives would be greatly appreciated!
Sorry – no updates. After the Boston conference is over, I have a lot of folks I need to contact. I want to reach out to the owner and find out. The last we spoke, he was going to send the SDK as soon as he had the programming finished. At this point, I imagine that the idea of 3rd party developer support was abandoned on their end, but I’m not sure.
Right, bummer. Yeah thanks, that would be great.
Another query I had, I’m wondering if Roastmaster displays the rate of change in temp per minute during a roast, is that what the third display on the taco shows?
Thanks Danny.
Hi Katie. Sorry – the manufacturer confirmed. The probes included with the “Dial” lack the necessary circuitry in the handle that the actual “Range” probes have, so they can only be used in conjunction with the Dial over Bluetooth. Only the traditional Range probes can be plugged directly into the headphone port (or lightning>headphone adapter).
They estimate 3 months for the Bluetooth SDK for the Dial is completed. I’ll be working with them to include support as quickly as possible.
In the roast analyzer, Roastmaster will show 3 different deltas in the top above the graph area when a reading curve is selected. You can configure those three times (in seconds) in Preferences > Roast Analyzer > Delta X Interval. I’m not sure what you mean by taco – assuming that’s autocorrect? 🙂
Hi Danny,
Sorry I thought I replied to this already. Thanks for chasing that up, I’ve ordered their older probe now.
The deltas you’re referring to was what I was after, thanks for that info.
Cheers,
Katie
Danny, I have Gene Café Roaster. It’s a closed drum, and rotates the entire time. How do I take temperature readings with the Range Probe, and will the 3″ version of the probe work?
Hi Eddy.
Sorry for the late reply, I was out of the office last week.
No, no traditional wired probes will work with the Gene Cafe, due to the unique way in which the drum rotates.
Some users have made use of Roastmaster’s Open Source RDP (Roastmaster Datagram Protocol) to build small battery-operated electronics based on an Ethernet-enabled chip called the Feather Huzzah. The small can assembly can adhere to the drum itself, and rotate with it. This works really well.
I have a sample project on GitHub for programming the Huzzah with the Arduino Interface, to take readings from a Max thermocouple chip and send them over Ethernet using the RDP protocol. https://github.com/rainfroginc/Roastmaster_RDP_Probe_Host_For_SBCs
This, of course, is a DIY project, and requires building the unit and soldering connections, and programming the Huzzah. If you’re up to it, I think you’ll love the outcome. If you want any more specific info, just let me know.
Danny
Hey there. I purchased a generic range probe off amazon and it doesn’t seem to work with the app. Am I doing something wrong or can you recommend a range probe that we know works?
Hi Derrek
By “generic” do you mean, like a clone type of device? I didn’t know any of those existed. If so, whether or not they would work would depend on Supermechanical’s API that Roastmaster uses – and whether or not is has some way to accurately identify a true Range probe.
If you just mean the standard Range (headphone version), the MTF (lifetime) of thermistor probes like the Range isn’t very long compared to true Thermocouples – it’s possible it has just stopped working. The heating and cooling eventually wears out the windings. Beyond the wired versions…the API for their Bluetooth line was never publicly released to developers, so the wireless versions won’t work regardless.
If it is a wired Range probe, make sure that the Range app is not running in the background. There’s the chance that it could block Roastmaster from accessing it. Otherwise, in a Probe details screen, the Range should show a “linked” status – there are no settings that could be awry. If it doesn’t, then it’s not working correctly, or within specs. Oh – forgot about microphone/headphone access. If that’s turned off in iOS settings, that could be the reason as well.
Beyone that, the list of supported hardware is here… https://rainfroginc.com/documentation-library/data-logging. The most popular is the ThermaQ Blue. K type thermocouples last decades, and it’s Bluetooth, which is nice.
I just searched range probe on amazon and ordered one. By range are you referring to a specific company called range? I figured you meant Range as in oven. The two I tried were just probes with headphones jacks that would plug into an Oven. Neither worked so I ordered a super mechanical one you link to and that one did finally work.
Though, now I am having the problem of placement as the prob is only 3″ long. A little too short to reach into the drum. Placing it just outside the drum threw me for a loop as it ran away in terms of temperature when compared to the analog unit in the bean mass that my Kaldi came with. At times, the new digital thermometer is 75+ degrees celsius higher than the analog! Both thermometers are new and read with little variance when placed next to each other. I’m thinking maybe the 6″ long probe would have been better but they are out of stock.
So just to confirm, you’re only saying that the “super mechanical” brand probes will work with the app?
Hi Derrek
Yes – only the headphone jack versions of the Supermechanical Range probes in the link above will work. They haven’t made their API available publicly for the wireless versions, so – sadly, they will not work – just the wired versions.
I went back and read the documentation on the front probes page. This page has a link for Supermechanical, but I noticed the front page talking about the Range doesn’t mention the maker. Sorry for the confusion, I have corrected that.
Yes, as you’ve discovered, the Aqua version has a probe tip that is just shy of 6 inches – longer than the gray one. I’m not familiar with those roasters (pretty cool looking though), but if the placement of the short probe allows it to read the chamber space outside of the drum, then that type of disparate reading is pretty normal. The heat box will always read hotter than the drum.
If fitting the probe proves problematic, I’d advise again to look at the ThermaQ Blue. K type thermocouples are fashioned with the alloy junction at the very tip. This is the part that actually reads the temperature. Because of this, they can be bent, as long as you do it along a radius of sorts (no sharp angles), and you avoid bending the tip itself. That can help them fit into awkward spots.
Hi, I ordered a range probe and it has come with a dial. The RM app shows a “unlinked“ status and reading the threads above I’m not sure if I’ve order the right probe or there’s now a way to make it work?
Mike
Hi Mike
I’m sorry – Roastmaster doesn’t support the Range DIAL, which is a Bluetooth LE device. It only supports the old-school Range that attaches directly to the headphone jack (or via an adapter in older iOS versions). To the best of my knowledge, the manufacturer has never made the Range DIAL SDK publicly available.
The probes of each look identical, but are electronically very different. I leave the Range probe page (and this one) in place because Roastmaster provides legacy support for the old probes in the case of older devices still having a headphone jack and iOS versions that could provide support with the headphone adapter. The coming update of Roastmaster will probably render those choices obsolete altogether. I am waiting to hear back from the manufacturer…once I have confirmation, I will be updating these pages with those details. I’ll make sure to add some verbiage that is more clear about the difference between the Range and the Range DIAL. Sorry for the confusion.
Thanks Danny. In terms of future updates, do have a safe recommendation as to which probe i might purchase to use with RM?
Hi Mike
I heard back from Supermechanical. They actually do have an SDK for the Dial, but it’s not the basic iOS native SDK that the Range uses. It’s embedded in other frameworks, which adds some complexity. So…I will look into that at some point, but there won’t be anything available for that in the short term.
I would suggest the ThermaQ Blue – outside of the Range, it’s the easiest solution available. https://rainfroginc.com/wordpress/documentation/thermaq-blue/. It operates over Bluetooth LE, and is very reliable.
Beyond that, the coming version of Roastmaster will add support for the Phidgets Wireless VINT Hub…https://www.phidgets.com/?tier=3&catid=2&pcid=1&prodid=1143. It runs over WiFi and supports any of their sensors…a good choice would be https://www.phidgets.com/?tier=3&catid=14&pcid=12&prodid=726 and a thermocouple of your choice.
I’m not sure of a release date for Roastmaster update yet…code-wise, it’s a huge update, and still in beta testing. Let me know if you choose the Phidgets Wireless VINT Hub route…I can put you on the beta so you’d have access immediately.
Thanks so much Danny. I’ll look into the ThermaQ Blue.
Cheers,
Mike 🙂