Wish List

Please let us know what you’d like to see added to Roastmaster.

I concentrate development efforts on the most requested features, so the more requests for a feature, the better the chance that it will show up in Roastmaster soon!

  1. Jan Schuitemaker
    Jan SchuitemakerNov 27, 2010

    Please make an IPad version !

  2. Andrew Gross
    Andrew GrossDec 09, 2010

    I have not seen a switch to make roastmaster work in centigrade. The out put from all my thermocouples read in centigrade and the conversion is slow and cumbersome

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallDec 10, 2010

      Hi Andrew

      Curves were designed to track “Applied” variables – i.e. variables that you apply to a roast via a roaster’s control surface, such as heat, airflow, etc. As such, they don’t graph to any set coordinate system, they simply graph their values from 0 to 100 percent of whatever their ‘max value’ is set at. This makes sense for applied values – I think its easier to understand the visual data in percentages when it comes to roasting appliance controls, instead of concrete amounts – that and curves need to accommodate all the different controls on the market.

      I am currently working on expanding curves to include a means to represent measured temperatures – for roasters like you who use thermocouples. These will graph as straight-lined curves – connect-the-dots-style, instead of stair-stepped like applied curves do now, since by their nature the values would migrate smoothly as they change.

      If development goes well, I’m going to try and make this as seamless as possible for people who have already started recording temperature measurements in curves (something like a simple toggle switch to change the curve mode from Applied to Measured). If that works out as expected, you’d be able to simply toggle a field for the past roasts you’ve already recorded data for, and have those curves function in the way I think you’re after.

      If you have any other thoughts, please let me know

      Danny

  3. Paul Harmelink
    Paul HarmelinkDec 29, 2010

    Although this seems lame for this application, is there a chance to add the single serving coffee choices as an option for the inventory?

    Also does this sync or share the data with the same app on two devices?

    Thank you.

    Paul

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallJan 02, 2011

      Hi Paul

      No feature that helps you track your coffee would be lame. At first thought, it seemed out of place, but I can honestly see where it would be useful – either in a home situation or a professional shop. I’m going to shortly shift efforts to an iPad version, so I couldn’t tackle it in the immediate future, but since many professional roasters are using Roastmaster, I’ve already planned to include “bags” as an option for inventory. “Pods” would only be a variation on that, so it may well happen in the future.

      You can copy and import databases via iTunes file sharing, but until Apple exposes its sync services, I can’t make two apps sync to each other directly. That’s a feature a number of people have mentioned. Are you wanting to simply share data so other people can see, or sync in a shop-roasting environment? I have plans for both avenues – would like to know exactly what you’re after.

      Cheers
      Danny

      • Craig Bowers
        Craig BowersJan 13, 2011

        If I can piggy back, I wonder if the internal database backup function can be extended to backup to MobileMe/DropBox/Box.net

        I’ve used the file sync in iTunes to move the database between iPhone and iPad, and that’s great. I normally roast with the iPad, and then periodically copy the database over to my iPhone just for reference when out on the go (and to show off your app with real data).

        Plus my wife sometimes roasts for me while I’m at work, so having the master database at home on the iPad rather than with me on my phone is desirable.

        The iPad is a shared device at home though, and if my wife happens to be reading on it when I want to roast, it’s a little disruptive to have to briefly take the ipad into the back office and move the database over. If I could send it to network storage at the end of a roast, it would be there ready to sync/import on my iPhone for an ad-hoc roast.

        In terms of style I’m thinking of say OmniFocus on the iPhone which syncs between the desktop and Mobile apps via a database saved to the root of a MobileMe or WebDav folder. Or the iFitness app which syncs session data between the iphone and ipad version, or allows backup and restore from that network source.

        Unless you’re seeing huge databases in production, I wonder if it would suffice to just do a last modified check on the network backup file, and prompt to import the newer copy when the app is launched. If the user agrees, rename the current database to an archived version and import/overwrite the newer network version.

        This is less adventurous than supporting merging of multiple simultaneous roasts on different devices, but it would be a convenient first step. Your backup facilities are already head and shoulders above most, this would just extent that to a network destination and perhaps add a few checks and prompts.

      • Russell
        RussellFeb 07, 2014

        Database sync for in shop roasting between 2 devices would be ideal! Currently we export to Dropbox and update our databases after every roast day, which is a great feature, but a bit of a hassle as we roast all week and need to share inventory changes and roast curves between multiple roasters. Thanks!

        • Danny Hall
          Danny HallFeb 08, 2014

          Hi Russell

          Thanks for the feedback!

          Ironically, it’s situations like this that have made it unfeasible so far. With iCloud’s current implementation keeping inventory in sync could be problematic when multiple roasters are involved if similar inventory events happened too closely together on different devices.

          I’ve fleshed out an inventory transaction system, though, to circumvent this – and plan to work that in alongside another coming feature – bean “lots” or “skids”. iCloud is something I’d love to have myself as well.

          Danny

  4. Craig Bowers
    Craig BowersJan 05, 2011

    While a second of the vote of an iPad version might solve this, I’d sure like the graph size somehow optimized to be a little larger. I find my data points almost on top of one another and the graph a little challenging to follow desired curve vs. actual.

    Otherwise loving the app.

  5. Chris K.
    Chris K.Jan 24, 2011

    iPad please….this will be a real work horse for me once i get it on the iPad…

  6. Chris K.
    Chris K.Jan 24, 2011

    How cool would this be, a thermocouple add on…that records you’re roast temperature for you….!

    Looks like the “Yalees” already did it for beer
    http://engineeringblog.yelp.com/2010/08/yelp-makes-beer-more-fun.html

    and something similar for the iGrill
    http://www.tiboys.com/263/igrill-temperature-sensor-for-iphone/

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallJan 25, 2011

      Hi Chris

      I wholeheartedly agree!

      What surprises me is that no manufacturer has yet (to my knowledge) filled the void of a k-style adapter for the dock port. Seems to be an easy thing to make, with the potential for a huge return. Ah – to be a manufacturer…

      I’ve planned to add thermocouple capabilities since the early stages. I’d resigned myself to going the open-source build-your-own Arduino bluetooth path (like in the beer link). I’ve priced those out – that would run probably about $170 per unit – once you buy the board, k-style adapter chip, and a power source, but the iGrill looks promising for those that don’t like to solder on the weekends. 🙂 Thanks for pointing that out. I have an email in to them to see if I can get a test unit.

      Cheers
      Danny

      • Chris K.
        Chris K.Jan 25, 2011

        Right on, I think the iGrill with the Bluetooth links is way to go, because then you can keep you iPad a few extra feet away from the ‘hot’ roaster.

  7. Jeff
    JeffFeb 15, 2011

    A place to record roaster maintenance and date would be great…thinking of things like clean chaff screen, replace heating element etc.

    Also, I like to give my roasts a unique number/name. A roast name field would be useful. Now I add this to the roast notes section but it gets lost with the other details I sometime record.

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallFeb 15, 2011

      Hi Jeff

      Great ideas! Behmor users are particularly keen for a way to track cleaning cycles, so I’m definitely going to work that in. Your suggestions, though, put it in a little different light. Instead of just alerting for cleaning cycles, a “maintenance” section in the roaster view would serve double-duty to record cleaning cycles, and things like you suggest.

  8. Monty Ruckman
    Monty RuckmanMar 01, 2011

    Danny –

    My stepson is a Major in the Army and he has started to get into home roasting big time and shares his roasted coffee with his troops. Such an easy way to make them happy. I’m not sure he has an iPhone or iPad and I was wondering if you make this for any other types of platforms, including Windows. Though I now have a commericial roaster and software that tracks everything, including established profiles for roasting, I love your application. I sure wish I had it back in the days when I was just a home roaster. Keep up the great work – it is a wonderful application.

    Monty Ruckman
    Cabin Creek Roasters, LLC

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallMar 01, 2011

      Hi Monty

      Loved the pics of the roasting shop!!

      Sorry – no, it only exists on Appple’s iOS platform at the moment. One thing people don’t often realize, though, is that it runs on the iPod Touch in addition to the iPhone. I’m not sure about future plans yet, or other OS’s. I’m still working to get the iOS version to a point where users and I feel it’s “complete”, though I can say long-range plans include a OS X desktop version.

      Thanks for the kind words.
      Danny

      • Andrew Connolly
        Andrew ConnollyMar 05, 2014

        Any word on the OS X version lately?

        I love this app.. but would love to have it on my laptop as well! I just hooked in a 4 port phidget and it’s going great!

        Keep up the good work.

        Andrew

        • Danny Hall
          Danny HallMar 05, 2014

          Hi Andrew

          Thanks for the kind words

          I’m currently working on condensing the help files into a searchable index that will be easier for folks getting started, and allow me to localize the app. After that, I’m not entirely sure – the features I have planned are limited in scope compared to recent coding, so I’m wondering how to fill the void.

          I’d actually be very interested in hearing specific thoughts. I find data entry of any kind cumbersome on iPad, so personally, can definitely see the allure of a desktop version. Possibly a pro version… not sure. I’m interested in ways folks want to use it on the desktop, because that’s a popular questions as of late.

          Feel free to email me if you have specific thoughts, and we can continue this conversation: support@rainfroginc.com

          Congrats on the Phidgets!! Data logging is a lot of fun. When I was coding data logging, I figured it would be helpful, but I had no idea the extent to which it would help my own roasting. Make sure to keep cupping scores for different beans – even if they’re with a regular coffee-maker, and compare them in the analyzer. Data logging reveals a lot of good (and bad) patterns.

          Danny

  9. Ron Goodwin
    Ron GoodwinMay 30, 2011

    Using RoastMaster in a small shop roasting business I would like to be able to insert the cost/kg of each inventory addition. It would allow not only the inventory weight, but value, to be immediately available. This would be further useful in determining the green bean cost/kg when constructing a blend, providing input into pricing of the roasted coffee. Currently I have to use a spreadsheet to duplicate most of what is available in RoastMaster to enable costings.

    To keep things simple, no currency information needs to be stored.

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallMay 31, 2011

      Hi Ron

      Great idea! You’re right – doubt there would be a need to worry about the currency. I’d need to give two extra fields besides the cost itself – 1 for units and 1 for measure to allow for different measurement systems e.g. 5.99 per 1 lb, or 24.99 per 1 kg. Roastmaster’s internal conversions are pretty robust – I wanted them to be flexible so features like this would be easy to add down the road, so coding for this would not be hard.

      I’ve been thinking about this lately – I’d love to, at some point, allow for lot tracking. Many Roastmaster users are small shops, and seems to be it might be beneficial to track lots. Even home roasters could benefit from this – it would open up the possibility of tracking bean age down to the roast level. That would be a “down the road” thing, and since not everyone would be interested in tracking inventory this way, the current cost/per that you propose will be a fit either way – so I’m going to go ahead and start working on this.

      If you have any thoughts on lot tracking, feel free to let me know.

      Thanks for the input!
      Danny

  10. David Bondy
    David BondySep 02, 2011

    Is it possible for someone to send me the various database settings for a Behmor 1600. It is very hard to read the profile graphs in the manual and I guess someone has already done the work to enter it into their database. To save re-inventing the wheel can we have this type of data posted somewhere for all to share?

    TIA! David

  11. Jeremy
    JeremySep 14, 2011

    I would like to see the ability to post inventory online or send via email. I roast for friends and would like them to see what I have.

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallSep 16, 2011

      Good idea! This update will bring Dropbox, eMail and Documents folder export of several datatypes: Roasters, Profiles, Programs, Curves being the big ones, with import ability from any iOS mechanism that supports files (safari, email, dropbox, etc.). I built the mechanism with things like you suggest in mind as well. Writing export routines is fairly simple – it’s building the mechanism that’s hard, and now that’s done! I’ll try to work it in soon.

      Thanks Jeremy

  12. Ron Goodwin
    Ron GoodwinDec 20, 2011

    Regarding suggestions for reports, it would be good to have some related to inventory – e.g. Current stock, monthly usage, usage as blends / SO, average weight loss, max / min loss, avg cost/kg, total stock value. Perhaps even some kind of dashboard where various graphs / tables can be displayed (favourites).

    Any news on when the next version is due?

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallDec 20, 2011

      Hi Ron

      The dashboard is a great idea! It’s been fun to find out what people are interested in tracking and made available in reports, so I appreciate the input.

      As we talked previously, the data export coming in the next update is both a feature in and of itself, as well as the groundwork for further reporting. With the groundwork it place – it will be fast and easy to add reports of just about any type, so I’m very anxious to start it – and this gives me more ideas to go on.

      The next update is code-complete – unfortunately, I’ve ran into a bit of an issue with the Behmor curves. Some results aren’t matching testing exactly. I’m going to try and iron it out with Joe Behm as quickly as possible – to see if the problem is in my code – or my understanding of the tech sheet. If it’s going to take some time, I may just pull that feature and proceed with the update without them in place.

      Sorry for the delay. I’ll move past it this coming week – one way or the other. I’ve just received the data sheet on the iOS compatible Bluetooth probe – due out 1st quarter of 2012. It’s pricier than I had hoped for, and doesn’t have as a broad a temperature range as I had anticipated, but it’s enough to get development rolling. So I’m itching to get started on that as well

      Cheers
      Danny

  13. Micah
    MicahJan 09, 2012

    I would be interested to see some predefined green coffee providers listed in the app on purchase such as greenbeanery.ca and sweetmarias, as well as a pick list of coffee beans that might be available, the standard ones. Helps limit data entry when you’re just starting out. Would be neat as well to have a sample db that you can load up so you can see how it might look with 6 months worth of data in it or something.

    Thanks again. Really looking forward to the ability to take photos of a roast so I can use it to further asses and learn roasting!

  14. Danny Hall
    Danny HallJan 09, 2012

    Hi Micah

    I’d always envisioned Roastmaster having this capability as well. I got in touch with Sweet Marias when the app first launched to discuss a couple of things. They’re nice folks. Their web guru offered up some URL code to poll their databases, but it required knowing their internal bean ID. It was a little primitive to try and turn into a feature for Roastmaster. But – if that exists, they may be willing to add a little functionality for Roastmaster. That’s something I’ve wanted to add every since the beginning, so I’m glad you’re asking about it. Not many folks have, and I try to tackle things based on the amount of requests I get, so I’ll probably look into that further soon.

    The next update introduces data import and export capabilities. You’ll be able to import and export roasters, profiles, programs, curves, label definitions, and entire databases. I’ve already installed forum software on the website. I’m just waiting for the update to be approved to organize it and make it live. I’m not interested in reinventing another coffee community, but I do want to give users a place to exchange data, tailored to the app. I plan to include a section of sample data for new users. It will certainly help those just jumping into the app.

    Cheers
    Danny

  15. Barry
    BarryJan 22, 2012

    Nice job with the update!

    It would be great to be able to enter inventory on the PC using cut and paste. I’ve used RoasterThing (BehmorThing) and like to enter the coffee bean notes from the vendor that way. I know nothing about sqlite, but just downloaded a basic browser / editor and it looks like I could use that to do what I want. Just wondering if you’d have any interest in supporting something like this but more streamlined or could give the parameters for the database or have any other comments along these lines.

    Also, as I was playing around with importing and exporting databases, I’ve wound up with some extras and can’t figure out how to delete them either using the ipad app or in iTunes.

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallJan 22, 2012

      Thanks Barry – glad you like it.

      You can swipe to delete databases in the Utilities/Databases lists. As long as the database is not loaded, it will give you a delete button.

      If you’re using import/export to keep databases current among devices, you can use simply choose “Replace” on the device with the old database when importing. If it is loaded, Roastmaster will close it, then replace it with the database your are importing, and open it back up again when its finished.

      Core Data (which Roastamster uses) is very finicky about its data. It uses standard SQLite databases, BUT changes to the data are always supposed to happen through Core Data itself i.e. through Roastmaster. When I designed Roastmaster I had a choice between rolling my own SQL, or using Apple’s Core Data. In the end, Core Data won because it is much faster than anything developers can write for a number of reasons – the chief one being that iOS devices don’t have as much memory as desktop platforms, and CD is heavily optimized for a low memory footprint, and very good about flushing its memory when memory runs low. All of this happens at a low level in code where developers are forbidden, so its very fast.

      So, sorry – long story short… please don’t edit anything outside of Roastmaster – it would probably have bad results.

      Now, about bean vendors. I’ve talked to the folks at Sweet Maria’s about this – they’ve volunteered to supply me with hooks to their library. I looked at it, but the hooks were a bit rudimentary for what I wanted. I wanted a browser-style interface where you could browse their library, and add beans to your library without any input whatsoever, but their prebuilt hooks worked by you typing in a SKU numbers, and having it retrieve the results. I want to revisit this at some point, though – lots of folks have been asking. I’m sure they would be willing to amp up their queries a bit.

      Cheers
      Danny

  16. Gary Sands
    Gary SandsApr 16, 2012

    Just downloaded the Roastmaster iPad app. I’m a new roaster (home) and this app is really going to make the digital side of my roasting fun. The app is very intuitive overall, but I’m going to have to work a bit to figure out how to get those Behmor roasting profiles input for my roaster. I have already input the profile names, etc., but not time-temperature data. I’m not quite sure how that will work though, given that the A through D programs shrink and stretch these profiles. Any suggestions?

    Bottoms up,
    Gary

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallApr 16, 2012

      Hi Gary

      Roastmaster handles the Behmor curves automatically (and a little differently than other curves in the app). As long as the Manufacturer field of the roaster tagged in a roast contains the string “Behmor”, when you tap the curve button you’ll see “Create Behmor Curve” option.

      So, just set up your profiles and programs named A,B,C,D and 1,2,3,4,5 – there’s no need to set up curves in the profiles or programs. Since the Behmor depends on both of these in tandem, as well as roasted weight in order to set its internal curves, the magic with Behmor curves happens at the roast level – not in profiles or programs.

      When you create a Behmor curve, Roastmaster needs the profile and program information in order to define it. If you want to track these in the roast as fields as well, you’ll have to enter them into the roast separately. I’m going to try and make that part automatic in the future.

      When a Behmor curve is selected in the roast graph, the graph scale buttons become “Time Shift” buttons, and time shift the curve the same way the roaster itself does, with respect to whether or not the roast is in progress. So, tap the same time-shifts into Roastmaster that you tap into the Behmor itself, and the curve will stay synced with the roaster.

      When you’re matching past roasts in the graph view, make sure to use the curve button in the selector strip if you plan on tracking curves for every roast (I personally do). It’s an easy way to show each and every roast that exactly matches the combination you’re currently roasting with, and also takes into accounts each individual time shift you’ve performed, so they’re always an exact match.

      I’ve noticed that the Behmor’s clock seems to vary a bit based on the current live voltage, so there could be a few seconds drift by the end of the roast, but it’s pretty close.

      Let me know how it works out for you
      Thanks!
      Danny

  17. Bob
    BobApr 22, 2012

    Have you considered photo support? As someone new to roasting, the ability to compare the visual appearance to the previous roast of the same beans seems like it would be useful.

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallApr 23, 2012

      Hi Bob

      I did consider it in the early stages of development (back before iPad came out), but I never could get consistent results between photos with respect to lighting. Even photos of the same subject taken only seconds apart had the potential to show noticeably different colors, to the point it never felt reliable enough to include it in the app.

      I did some tests tonight, though, and found that by using the flash on manual “on”, I could get fairly consistent results with an iPhone 4. I do like the idea of it, so I’ve added it my backlog list.

      Thanks for the feedback!

      Danny

  18. Rich
    RichMay 30, 2012

    I just bought your app and am having considerable trouble trying to manually record temperatures for my current roasts.

    Can you enable temperature recording by allowing us to rotate a wheel with our finger. As we move our finger clockwise around a circle, a digital temperature number above the wheel increases (or decreases if we rotate CCW). Each rotation might be 20 degrees, but you can easily rotate several times to increase the temp quickly. We could push a button in the middle of the wheel to capture the displayed temperature along with the current time on the roasting clock.

    This would make it easy to record temps as often as desired.

    I’d love to see something like this!

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallMay 31, 2012

      Hi Rich

      The roast gauge doubles as a data entry wheel. Just 2-finger tap it to show and hide the data entry wheel.

      It works a little differently than you are describing, but I like your ideas. I designed it more for control-type curves with low ranges (1-10), so higher ranges are segmented in intervals of 5 (not the best scenario). Once you release the wheel, the current value of the wheel is applied to the curve at the current time. It’s a bit crude, IMO, but I’ve found that most folks enter data by tapping the digital readout area, then using the keyboard. Hence, I’ve never had anyone give feedback about that somewhat hidden detail.

      Like I say, I like your ideas. It would probably have to be a time-out situation. Once you started dragging (with finer control), then released, the wheel, you’d have a second or so to continue dragging before the event timed out. You could either tap the center area to accept, or anywhere else to reject.

      Please have a look at the current implementation and let me know what you think.

      Danny

  19. Al Hooreh
    Al HoorehJun 27, 2012

    I love your program and use it every time I roast. It is absolutely perfect, no more paper notes!

    The only thing is for some reason it never queries past roasts! It never displays the 1C time and duration of the past roasts, even if I use the same beans. I really have no idea why. I have over 19 roasts on there so far and it has them stored in memory, but when I roast it doesn’t bring the data up for that particular bean so I know where 1C and 2C has traditionally been. Any ideas?

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallJun 27, 2012

      Hi Al

      Thanks for the kind words – glad you’re liking it!

      Sorry you’re having problems. A number of things could affect that…

      Please make sure that the “Past Roasts – Fetch Limit” is on something other than 0. You can find this by tapping the “i” button near the graph. Having it set at zero effectively shuts the matching off, while having it all the way to the right sets it to an infinite number of roasts.

      Also, what selector buttons do you have enabled for the graph? Try turning them all off, leaving just the bean turned on (blue). Does that help?

      Also, what does the the text next to “Querying xxx…” say, does it report any matches? If it’s reporting matches, yet you still don’t see data, it’s possible that the graph scale is set too large, and the data is “off screen”. In that case, tap the minus button (to the left of the graph on iPad and underneath the graph on iPhone/iPod) to reduce the scale of the graph.

      Let me know if any of this helps – we’ll get to the bottom of it. There aren’t any bugs with past roast matching that I’m aware of, so I’m sure it’s something that’s easy to fix. You’re always welcome to send me your database and I can have a look on my end with your data if that helps.

      Let me know.
      Danny

  20. John
    JohnJul 31, 2012

    Any plans for iCloud data storage integration?

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallJul 31, 2012

      Hi John

      I looked into iCloud when the APIs became available to developers. The problem is that the current implementation won’t easily work with Roastmaster’s inventory management, so I opted for Dropbox instead. There was no way to keep multiple inventory transactions from canceling each other out, if they happened too closely to each other – a real problem in shops with 2 or more roasters. I plan to keep an eye on iCloud as it matures a bit, hoping that they will proved some more advanced options for grouped transactions. It’s something I personally want in the app, but need for the APIs to mature a bit first.

      Cheers
      Danny

      • John
        JohnAug 05, 2012

        Thanks for the response Danny.

        Alternatively, is there a way to import directly from dropbox? So, for example, if I’d been using an iPad for previous Roasts but wanted to use an iPhone for another, I could just export to Dropbox from the iPad and then import from Dropbox on the iPhone. Not a big deal, really, but I could see myself using a feature like that from time to time.

        • Danny Hall
          Danny HallAug 06, 2012

          Oh sure. All you needs the Dropbox app on your target device. Navigate to the file in the Dropbox app and tap it. Dropbox will tell you it cannot preview the file, but you can still hit the action button (the square with the arrow) and choose “open in Roastmaster”. It will take you back to Roastmaster and import the database.

          I use that one all the time – between my phone and iPad. I coded it with exactly what you’re describing in mind, so if you’re importing a database with the same name as the currently active database, it will let you rename or replace the current one on-the-fly. Otherwise, it just adds it to your databases, where you can manually open it later.

          • John
            JohnAug 12, 2012

            That’s awesome … it works! Thanks Danny!

  21. Matt
    MattJan 09, 2013

    Hi

    I’m running an iPad 4, and I was wondering if you use the lighting to USB camera adapter as a USB plug for a multimeter, to record temperature.

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallJan 09, 2013

      Hi!

      Unfortunately, no – the USB camera adapter is a bit misleading. As of the last SDK, the official word from Apple was that it doesn’t provide true USB connections. Apple accomplishes camera connectivity via low-level private APIs that aren’t available to developers. In other words, Apple makes the USB magic happen at a low level that they don’t provide us developers with access to, so you can’t pass information back and forth via the adapter with other USB devices unless you can fool iOS into thinking the accessory is a keyboard.

      I’m going to look into their hardware manufacturing program again. Last I checked, even that required the accessory be made specifically for iOS devices (which precludes all the probes currently on the market), but I want to check again in case that’s changed.

      Unfortunately, now though, the answer is no. I’m hoping, too, that they open up USB on future iOS releases.

  22. Planza
    PlanzaFeb 04, 2013

    Great app. Is there any way that you can change it to where I can type in the alarm time instead of having to set it using the slider on the timer dial?

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallFeb 04, 2013

      Thanks – glad you like!

      There is no way to set it via typing a number at the moment. A lot of folks wanted an easier way (myself included), so I added an alarm control to the full screen graph (analyzer). It’s much easier to set than using the slider on the gauge, but it’s still more of a visual act than a precise one. Adding a numerical entry has been on my backlog for a while – I’ll add that soon.

  23. Justin
    JustinApr 16, 2013

    I’d really like to try this app out, but am not sure if it would work for my particular set up: heat gun/claypot cowboy method. Wish there was a away to audition apps before you bought it.

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallApr 16, 2013

      Hi Justin

      I would like to see that functionality added to iTunes as well. I would opt in if so. Nothing exists that I know of, short of maintaining two separate code bases. Sorry – but if you have any specific questions, feel free to ask – here, on the boards or by email.

  24. Douglas
    DouglasMay 01, 2013

    Would love it if it duplicated the entire roast when when press/hold vs. just a few attributes. Have 612 roasts already on it and when roasting back to back with everything the same it takes time to type everything in again (temp/humid/roast level…).

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallMay 01, 2013

      Hi Douglas

      I’ve added this to my backlog list. What I may end up doing is adding a button – something along the lines of “What attributes would you like to copy” – “Roasted Items”, “All Attributes” and “Cancel”. Given the different permeations of snapshots and timeshifts that can occur with profiles and programs, I felt it safer to skip everything but the roaster and roasted items – forcing users to make a new profile/program choice, which would serve as a reminder and help eliminate errors when using one of these other features. The downside, of course, is that this somewhat defeats the purpose of a copy feature.

      Adding an extra button will give me a chance to put up a reminder, and since an alert is already there – it wouldn’t be any extra tapping.

      So I know – you are interested in having the Roast Degree copied as well?

      Thanks for the feedback – appreciate it!

      Danny

  25. Andrew
    AndrewMay 24, 2013

    Hello,

    i have a Gene Cafe cbr-101 roaster. Can i use the roastmaster with Gene?

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallMay 24, 2013

      Hi Andrew

      Sure. Roastmaster should work very nicely with Gene Cafe. Since the roaster gives you a way to both control the heat, as well as view the actual air temps, you could work with either Control curves or Reading curves in Roastmaster – or a combination of both. Roasting curves are pretty flexible in Roastmaster – you can have as many as you wish in a roast, or none at all.

      Let me know if you have any specific questions.

  26. Jan H. Clausen
    Jan H. ClausenMay 31, 2013

    I would very much like the app to show a live temperature differential along with actual temperature. I’m using phidget thermocouple. Right now it’s only available on the other screen when tapping on a temp curve.
    I send you a message regarding this wish a few minutes ago, but I thought I’d like to show my question in this section as well.
    Thanks for a great app!
    Kind regards
    Jan H. Clausen

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallMay 31, 2013

      Hi Jan

      Agreed – this would be a great addition to data logging. I plan on adding that in 4.2. In the future, I want to explore curve-based alarms/events as well for data logging users. A way to have alerts occur at certain temperatures. Any thoughts are welcome.

      Thanks for the feedback and the kind words!

      Danny

  27. Ben Berkompas
    Ben BerkompasJun 06, 2013

    Hi Danny,
    First of all let me say that I love the app. It’s by far the most useful app I’ve ever purchased for my phone.

    I have one request – can you make the post-roast weight display out to the first decimal place? I often use post-weight to gauge the roast level and seeing 15.6% would be more helpful than seeing a rounded 16%.

    Excellent work on this. Keep it up!

    Ben

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallJun 06, 2013

      Hi Ben – thanks for the kind words – definitely great to hear that!

      Good idea. The change is made – you’ll see that in the next update.

      Kind regards,
      Danny

  28. Nancy Sechrist
    Nancy SechristJun 15, 2013

    I’d love to be able to see the elapsed time for first and second crack on the full screen graph page.Maybe right above or below the button? I have several profiles that rely on the amount of time elapsed from the start of first or the start of second.

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallJun 15, 2013

      Agreed – I really like referencing those numbers myself. I’m sending the next update to Apple this week, unless something pops up in final testing. I’ve done a good bit of work under the hood, and I want to devote good test time this week. If I can’t squeeze it in this update – will certainly try to next update. Thanks Nancy!

  29. ivan sutrisno
    ivan sutrisnoDec 28, 2013

    Please make a PC version!!!
    I purchased this app and I must say I love it. But to get a scondary device to work with the ipad is quite a hassle. The bluetherm duo is good but quite pricey. The icelcius bbq is probably the most economical way. I only roast as a hobby and probably wont have the budget for additional device like bluetherm.
    so if only you guys can make a PC version, I can use my cheap old USB multimeter connected to my old pc to be used with my behmor 1600. I share ipad with my wife so I cant have it everytime I roast coffee. thanks

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallJan 02, 2014

      Hi Ivan

      Thanks for the suggestion.

      The available probes work very well, but as you know – the selection of iOS-compatible probes is still limited. It’s growing though, as manufacturers are finally beginning to fill the niche. More probes are in the works for Roastmaster, and hopefully even more will come to market that rival the older USB-based probes.

      Kind regards
      Danny

  30. Ged
    GedFeb 19, 2014

    I love the app but as a wish list item, I’d love it to have a web interface for adding beans that syncs with my database as it would be much easier to do on a computer rather than the iPad… Thanks 🙂

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallFeb 20, 2014

      Hi

      I can sympathize. Lots of folks don’t mind typing on the iPad – I would much rather type on a keyboard, though.

      Going further, I’d personally love to see suppliers adopt a QR Code system that would allow Roastmaster just to point and click to scan a code, and download everything via the SKU number. That would make me very very happy.

      Thanks for the feedback!

      Danny

  31. Mikkel Sjølin
    Mikkel SjølinMay 09, 2014

    Is there any chance you will be adding support for the iGrill mini?
    It’s a cheap and easy bluetooth temperature probe that works quite well 🙂

    I just added it to my Gene Café in hope of getting a stable bean temperature reading, and it looks like I’m actually getting some pretty good data!

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallMay 09, 2014

      Hi Mikkel

      I wish I could, but the manufacturer does not offer a public SDK. According to the person I spoke with, they don’t plan to anytime soon – sorry.

      I do plan to support the iCelsius wireless, once the manufacturer releases the updated SDK, which is on the nearer horizon.

      Kind regards
      Danny

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallMay 09, 2014

      Wooahhhh! I didn’t see the video in wordpress admin – just saw it. Very cool!! I can see why you’re interested in this probe.

      It wouldn’t hurt to send them some feedback. I talked the rep how many RM users would love to have this probe, but potential customers would be more convincing than me. 🙂

    • Martin Hansen
      Martin HansenNov 06, 2019

      Hi Mikkel I was just thinking of doing the same. But I don’t see any app’s supporting the iGrill mini yet. Have you found any yet? Best regards Martin Hansen

      • Danny Hall
        Danny HallNov 06, 2019

        Nothing new on the iGrill front – I’m assuming they kept that SDK private for their own apps. For Roastmaster, though, I’ve created an Ethernet protocol called RDP since the last post here, that will let you build this with any type of small, battery powered Microcontroller breakout board. It’s a DIY project, of course, and requires electronics savvy, but users who devote the time are getting great results with the Genie Cafe. There’s more info here, and a link to a sample Git project with code… https://rainfroginc.com/wordpress/documentation/rdp-roastmaster-datagram-protocol/

  32. Ian
    IanSep 24, 2014

    Loving this app! I upgraded my Behmor to the new panel that gives temp readings, and once I had that I knew I needed a place to stick all that data… Took me a little bit to learn Roastmaster but I’m really digging it now. Thanks!

    Two requests:

    1) Since I imagine most people are tracking their roasts with a single roaster, and possibly using the same settings to start with each time, it would be awesome to have this information prefilled by default whenever you start a roast. So you could specify default values for roaster, program, profile… and every new roast would have that already selected, obviously subject to change. It’s a little tedious to enter that data every single time when it’s always the same.

    2) iOS 8, and especially iPhone 6 Plus support, please! That bigger screen could make data logging way easier.

    Thanks for the great app!

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallSep 24, 2014

      Hi Ian – Great to hear!

      I do plan to create a template feature. Similar to what you’re describing.

      More immediately pressing for me is keeping up with iOS 8 and the new devices. Developers got the specs the same day as everyone else, so we’re scrambling to update. The current Roastmaster update has been six months in the making, so it’s huge.

      So you HAVE an iPhone 6 PLUS? If so, interested in beta testing? If so, email me at support@rainfroginc.com. I’m working at the moment on laying out the views for the larger screen size, and hope to be ready for beta in a few days.

      Danny

  33. Grizz
    GrizzJan 23, 2015

    Please make it available for the rest of the world. Make an Android version.

    • Joe Larkin
      Joe LarkinMay 10, 2016

      I would also like to see an Android version – do you by any chance have plans for that?

      • Danny Hall
        Danny HallMay 11, 2016

        Hmmmm…well, in this release I’m working heavily on integration with other software, and prepping for a multi-user workflow. I will be evaluating Android as a possible fit into this, given the recent interest. Can’t promise anything, but if it were easily possible, I’d certainly want to try.

  34. Uffe Hagen
    Uffe HagenMar 02, 2015

    I just started using Roastmaster with my Gene Cafee, and find it very cool and very helpful.
    While there are nice buttons for 1st crack and 2nd crack, I do not find one for ‘cooling cycle started?
    I normally ( after a lot of testing ) let the beans cool in the roaster just pressing the cool button, so it would be
    nice to be able to log the cooling temp too.

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallMar 04, 2015

      Hi – thanks for the feedback.

      A few people have asked about a formal “cooling cycle”, but I hesitate to complicate an already complex workflow. So, in lieu of a formal cooling cycle, I’ve enabled temp entry for 3 minutes past the stop time of the roast. If you’re just interested in logging temps, you can still enter temps within this period after stopping the roast.

      Hope this helps.

  35. Uffe Hagen
    Uffe HagenMar 04, 2015

    Thanks. That will do

  36. Steve Chriswell
    Steve ChriswellMar 09, 2015

    Hi Danny,

    I roast commercially a USRC 12 kg roaster, and I love your app in conjunction with the Blue Therm duo from Thermoworks. Makes roasting controllable and consistent.

    My wish: I would like to know, as a percentage, the ratio of time of first crack begin time to total roast time. I try to control when first crack happens within a window, and this value calculated at the end of the roast would be helpful to me.

    I think this suggestion goes along with your goal of making it so roasters don’t have to calculate key information regarding a roast.

    Thanks much,

    Steve Chriswell
    Vertere Coffee Roasters

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallMar 12, 2015

      Hi Steve

      I’m working on a number of new features for the next release – many geared to greatly boosting the reporting capabilities of Roastmaster. There will be a number of new metrics for roast analysis – first crack offset as a percentage is one of the new calculated metrics that will be available. I’ve been studying my roasts as I’ve been working on this feature over the last month. I’m surprised at all I’m learning about my own roasts in the process!

      Thanks for the feedback
      Danny

  37. Dan Mills
    Dan MillsMar 26, 2015

    Hi,

    I already have a USB dual thermometer that I use with Artisan (an Amprobe TMD-56) and would love to be able to use it instead of having to spring for another device. Perhaps as some small daemon that I could run on my laptop–it would publish the probe data over WiFi for my iOS device so my iOS devices can pick it up.

    Some food for thought – it would be fantastic. Even if it was something hacky that I have to run from the terminal, I’d totally use it.

    Thanks!

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallMar 27, 2015

      Hi Dan

      I would have thought that by now iOS devices (at least iPad) would have a bona-fide USB port. I see the rumors, but have no way of knowing if they’re true or not. I would love to offer support for USB probes – that much probably goes without saying.

      But, to your point – I’d imagine a lot of folks feel the same as you. They have an existing setup, and could easily run a service to broadcast ethernet data. I’ve given it some thought, so thanks to you and others who have validated what I figured. I’ve been holding off on really considering this, though, hoping that one of those rumors came true. If I did go down this road, it would be a considerable amount of work, so sorry – it wouldn’t happen any time in the immediate future. In the mean time, you could run one or more Phidgets with a laptop host. It would still require you buying a Phidget Temp Sensor, but it would be the most cost-effective choice.

      Thanks again,
      Danny

      • Dan Mills
        Dan MillsMar 30, 2015

        Hi Danny,

        Thanks for the quick reply!

        I took a look at the Phidgets software–I now see that it includes a service to publish sensor data, complete with OSX pref pane, and an iOS client library. So I understand why it would take you a while to replicate that!

        My suggestion: define a protocol and keep it simple. Implement the client in RoastMaster and only a test publisher (e.g., a script that sends test values). Publish the protocol and opensource the test publisher script–you’ll see people pick it up and add support for various devices, and possibly even a UI like Phidgets has. Down the line, you can always take up maintainership of the publisher service, or fork it if needed.

        Anyway, just my two cents 🙂 Feel free to ignore it, of course.

        In the meantime, I grabbed the Bluetherm Duo, because it’s nicely clutter-free, and looks like it has better accuracy (assuming I’m reading the specs right).

        Thanks!
        Dan

        • Danny Hall
          Danny HallApr 09, 2015

          Hi Dan

          I’ve been mulling this over for a few days, and hmmm… I may have fallen victim to “forest for the trees” syndrome.

          Building a client/server probe models myself is a thought I’ve gone back and forth with in my mind for some time. In fact, much of how I designed and coded data logging was done with that eventual possibility in mind. However, implementing a simple opensource protocol and leaving the client details to others is absolute genius.

          I’m always amazed at how technical RM users are (you being a great example), so I know that there would be a number of tinker-minded folks who would love the chance to do this.

          Thanks for the perspective!!

          • Dan Mills
            Dan MillsApr 09, 2015

            Hi Danny,

            I’m very glad it was helpful! 🙂 I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised too (and if not… not a big loss–you needed to define an API eventually, anyway).

            I’ve used RM for a half dozen roasts now that I got the BlueTherm Duo. If you’re interested in UX feedback I can write something up, let me know. The learning curve has been a little steep.

            Cheers!
            Dan

          • Danny Hall
            Danny HallApr 09, 2015

            If you encountered things that were unclear, or that I could do a better job explaining in the help files, please feel free to email them to me at support@rainfroginc.com or post on the forums if you’d like – that’s always appreciated. It’s only with feedback that I’m able to know what folks have problems understanding. Thanks!

  38. Jonny
    JonnyMar 20, 2016

    Hi Danny,

    I’v been use RoastMaster for 2 years, It’s very useful for logging & tracking roast data.
    I’d like suggest to add two columns,
    I think it will be record more information and it will help when you analyse after roasted.

    1. barometric pressure in Roast – Environment ( with Temperature & Humidity )
    There are some discussion about these Environment variables how impact on roasting.
    2. Agtron for coffee powder
    There is a existing Agtron column to save number, but I think if it add another column to save Agtron for coffee powder, and We can use two Agtron value to calculated Roast Delta.
    3. Is it possible to provide a easy way to switch cupping samples?
    I usually cupping 4~6 roast samples on next Morning , but I need record score one by one currently.
    If it can switch easier, I can evaluate several samples for Flavor, Acidity… on the same time.
    (like Cupping Lab app )

    Thanks for the great app!!!

    Best Regards,
    Jonny.

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallMar 22, 2016

      Hi Jonny

      Thanks for reaching out. Glad to hear Roastmaster is helping you!

      1. Yep – that’s on my list to evaluate for the next update. There’s quite a buzz these days about that, and I want to explore it.
      2. I can see the usefulness here – good suggestion
      3. There is already a way to perform a “flight style” cupping of multiple samples using the spider graphs. The easiest way is this

        A. Put the Roasts list into edit mode
        B. Select each Roast you want to include in the flight (select them in the order you’ll be cupping them)
        C. Choose “Score Flight”
        D. You’ll be presented with a dedicated view where you’ll be able to score each sample in a flight environment, switching among them with a slider at the bottom

      You could also make your cuppings via another means, and score a flight in the same way from the Cuppings list by putting that list into edit mode, selecting the ones you want and choosing “Score Flight”. Even if you’ve already scored them, this is also a good way to compare them by dragging the slider at the bottom and watching how the spider graphs change. The order will be the order you selected them in the list, same as with invoking the flight from Roasts. At present, there’s no way to access other items from that screen like notes and such. I do plan on augmenting that in the future.

      Feel free to reach out to me at support@rainfroginc.com if you’d be interested in doing a beta in the future. I don’t have a timeline for anything, I just want to start the research to determine the possibility of adding more environmental logging beyond temps. I’d be happy to let you know via email how this pans out.

      Thanks for the suggestions!

      Kind regards
      Danny

  39. Mario Flores
    Mario FloresAug 07, 2016

    Danny,
    I have been using your program for just over a year in conjunction with a Bluetherm Duo. I was wondering if you may consider adding a development progress gauge. So after first crack occurs, the development percentage would then start tracking on a gauge.

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallJan 26, 2017

      Hi Mario

      So sorry I didn’t reply to your feature request right away. But, I was actually working on this feature when you asked. I just didn’t know then how it would play out in the final release, and I wasn’t talking about it publicly yet.

      The coming version (hopefully in the next few weeks) will feature a “Roasting HUD” in the roast analyzer. This HUD “window” will display large temps for the selected curve, along with a milestone of 4 things: Drying, Ramp, Development and Pyrolysis. For these milestone, it will display both the live time, as well as the live percentage as it changes over the course of the roast. You can drag it around the screen so it doesn’t interfere with your curve monitoring. Overall pretty cool – I’m proud of it.

      So, look for it soon!

      Danny

  40. Jassen Bluto
    Jassen BlutoDec 05, 2016

    I see from the 2014 threads that you were considering a OSX version of this software, this would be great. I would go away from artisan in a minute if you could get this on the OSX platform. Any word on when and if this is going to be a reality?

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallDec 07, 2016

      Well, getting closer.

      For the coming iOS update, I deconstructed the entire app. I was just introducing Roastmaster when iPad first hit the market, so the code was almost instantly “outdated” in a sense. I’ve retooled the interface in a master/detail type of orientation, which is more closely how I envisioned it for an OS X app. As part of this process, I was able to “de-couple” Roastmaster’s reliance on any particular device, eliminating 80% of the code needed to maintain it, and putting me in a very good spot for a desktop version.

      I author a couple of different roasting apps, and have to split my time between them. Because of this, I can’t promise dates, but I am still working toward that goal, not only in theory, but also in practice. Long story short (too late)…not there yet, but much closer. 🙂

  41. mike
    mikeAug 30, 2017

    Where’s the Android version? Not all coffee geeks (pro or amateur) are Apple users.

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallSep 11, 2017

      Sorry, never say never, but not in the plans at the moment. More good can be brought by focusing on one platform that spreading resources too thinly on multiple platforms.

  42. Will
    WillOct 21, 2017

    Good morning!

    This may sound like a silly idea, but would you consider releasing a fully-featured “pro” version of the app without in-app purchases?

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallOct 21, 2017

      Consider it…ha…I dream about it! 🙂 The code to make In App Purchases work is terrifying – I’d love to be able to give that code the boot. I chose that avenue simply because it was the only way (at the time) to ensure a user didn’t have to pay twice. There was no concept of upgrade paths on the app store then. Things have changed, though. I’m going to be re-thinking the entire structure in the coming year, based on some things I have planned.

      • Will
        WillOct 28, 2017

        That’s really exciting! I look forward to seeing what the future of this utility holds. Thank you for following-up!

  43. RWHite
    RWHiteMay 06, 2018

    I love your program. Currently only using a small part of its capabilities, but I’m learning.
    Have you considered making a companion program that will allow you to track customers. I using a old spread sheet and is truly mind numbing , and it faster for me just to use a 1900’s ledger.
    Incorporating a client management into inventory control would be a god send. I do understand that you are not God, or you would have know that I wanted this in the first place, and have it ready for last week.
    But, as a Mortal we need to seek a future where we all can enjoy the art of roasting, while minimizing the drudgery of inventory control and client management.
    Thank you.. Really enjoy your Program!

  44. RWHite
    RWHiteMay 06, 2018

    I love your program. Currently only using a small part of its capabilities, but I’m learning.
    Have you considered making a companion program that will allow you to track customers. I’m using a old spread sheet, and is truly mind numbing, and its faster for me just to use a 1900’s ledger.
    Incorporating a client management into inventory control would be a godsend. I do, understand that you are not God, or you would have know that I wanted this in the first place, and had it ready for last week.
    But, as a Mortals we need to seek a future where we all can enjoy the art of roasting, while minimizing the drudgery of inventory control and client management.
    Thank you.. Really enjoy your Program!

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallMay 08, 2018

      Hi RWhite

      I was out of the office yesterday…this gave me a good laugh on my “Monday” morning! 🙂

      Yes, actually I have. I’m going to visit a large roaster this summer who will be implementing Roastmaster to handle their production split up between several large Probat roasters. While I’m there, I’ll be collecting some data and thoughts about how this next “evolution” should happen.

      Some key points I want to hit are consolidated inventory and reporting from multiple roasters, blend inventory and giving Roastmaster the concept of clients in some way, shape or form. Maybe starting off with a simple client list, and the ability to tag roasts for clients, and tying that into reporting…then building from there. Or maybe fleshing out something more concrete.

      I’ll be collecting data while I’m there, and putting these pieces together throughout the summer. Please feel free to share specific points you’re interested in, i.e. things that would make make your workflow easier that Roastmaster can provide.

      I’d be very interested in hearing your thoughts. And, of course I’d need beta testers, so it might provide the opportunity to build as we go.

      Thanks for reaching out.

  45. RWHite
    RWHiteMay 15, 2018

    Thank for the reply. That sounds great.
    I use a Artisan 6 Roaster and have been enjoying that tremendously. Currently it not on you list of roasters, but that probably because of the scarcity of them in the bean-space.
    The concept of a client list that will incorporate into theRoaster master would be nice. I’ just using the ol’electtonic clipboard Excel.
    This is a great program and the inventory control has help be plan for futures buys. Thanks

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallMay 15, 2018

      I should really update that list of roasters. The roaster setup assistant doesn’t do anything magical configuration-wise except for the Behmor sample roaster. For the rest, it just offers a little guided reassurance, since that’s usually the first thing folks do. Glad to hear inventory is helping you out – thanks for the thoughts!

      • Robby W
        Robby WSep 06, 2018

        Well, if you do that would be great. But, I love this program, you have done a amazing job !
        Thanks

  46. BRYAN SHOEMAKE
    BRYAN SHOEMAKESep 03, 2018

    Android please, hope if we stalk you enough you will think of us poor Android users. We aspire to be good roasters also.

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallSep 04, 2018

      Given my druthers, I’d support it in a flash. It’s just simply a matter of resources…not lack of desire. I’m not an Android hater. I bought a tablet just the other day for assembling PCBs because iOS has no USB for my digital microscope. Have to admit I’m impressed with the OS.

  47. Łukasz Dutkowski
    Łukasz DutkowskiOct 17, 2019

    hello!
    it would be superb when you copy roasting by long tap on each and copy also which probe you want to use, otherwise you have to choose any single time the same set of finger movement on ipad, and it adds 10-15s to each roast and could be in auto mode.

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallOct 22, 2019

      Hi Lukasz

      Sorry for the delay…I’ve been out of the office since Wednesday.

      Roastmaster will do this if you utilize Profiles and Curve Templates in your workflow. Whenever you long-tap to copy a roast, the new roast will be populated with new Data curves matching the Curve Templates of the Profile of the source roast. If the probe is set in that Profile’s Curve Templates, the new Data curves will automatically link to the appropriate probes.

      This screencast will walk you through how to accomplish this… https://rainfroginc.com/wordpress/documentation/roasting-with-roastmaster-part-2-building-and-targeting-a-profile/

      Hope this helps,
      Danny

  48. Jesse Lee
    Jesse LeeSep 06, 2020

    Hi Danny
    I am still using wonderful ROASTMASTER
    It is wonderful and reliable
    I would like to roast coffee with roastmaster for rest of my life
    I alway thank you
    Today I recommended roastmaster to my friend, who wants data logging

    But I worry about roastmaster a little bit
    Because you are not updating the App since IOS11

    I wonder you are well and wish to use roastmaster ever

    Always thank for your effort

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallSep 09, 2020

      Hi Jesse!!

      Great to hear from you! Thank you so much for the kind words…that is wonderful to hear!

      Don’t worry…an update to Roastmaster is coming very soon. I have been extremely hard at work over the past two years doing a few big things:

      1) Designing and building a Bluetooth LE hardware chipset that will be manufactured by me, made specifically for Roastmaster. This is a device that will do much, much more than simply read temperatures. It can also read and interpret anything that can be sensed by a 4-20 mA sensor. That includes humidity, air/gas pressure, Agtron…and many other things as well.

      2) Finalizing the RBP 2.0 protocol that will allow this device to communicate with Roastmaster effectively over Bluetooth LE. It is a very easy to use protocol, and I’m hoping that manufacturers will begin adopting it in their Bluetooth LE enabled Roasters.

      3) Beefing up Roastmaster to utilize all of this hardware, with specific attention to greatly improving and enlarging the scope of data logging to allow users to profile much more than just temperatures. And, all the while, bringing it up to speed in the latest advances in iOS.

      All of these things needed to be done simultaneously, so this update has taken a long time to finish. But I think the possibilities it can bring to advanced roasters will be much appreciated when it’s finally finished.

      At the moment, the coming version of Roastmaster is in beta testing. If you’d like to be included, please email me at support@rainfroginc.com. I hope to have the beta finished in a few weeks. After that, I’ll send out for translations for all of the new text, and hopefully be ready for release when those are finished. I’m shooting for sometime in mid or late October, barring any unforeseen issues.

      Talk soon.

      • Jeese Lee
        Jeese LeeSep 24, 2020

        Hi Danny

        What a great news from you!

        I’m really looking forward to seeing it

        I hope using Roastmaster ever

        Thank you for your good news

  49. Michael
    MichaelMar 16, 2021

    Hey,
    The App is great!
    Did you plan it in german?
    Best regards
    Michael

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallMar 23, 2021

      Hi Michael

      Thanks for the kind words!

      I had been holding off on new languages until the recent update, since I was making a lot of UI changes and adding a ton of new text. Now that that’s complete, I am going to evaluate app store metrics and languages in the coming months. Due to Roastmaster’s complexity, translations are expensive, so I try to be judicious. But, I’ve had a number of requests for German, so that and Japanese are the two contenders on my list off the top of my head. Hopefully that will be supported by the metrics…those are two I want.

      Danny

  50. Kevin Bloor
    Kevin BloorApr 12, 2021

    Would be great to see support for Phidget current measuring devices to allow automatic tracing of power output for electric roasters

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallApr 12, 2021

      Hi Kevin. I sent you an email. Interested to know more about your setup.

      Danny

  51. Kevin Bloor
    Kevin BloorApr 12, 2021

    Just completed first roast with Roastmaster so not sure if it’s already there but automatic charge detection would be great

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallApr 14, 2021

      Are you referring to auto-starting a roast when the BT begins to decrease? If so, A number of folks have requested this. My hesitation (historically) has been twofold.

      Firstly, iOS users expect a degree of simplicity. To that end, I do not enforce a strict paradigm of traditional curves, like BT, ET etc. Curves in Roastmaster are more fluid, and optional – with no strict “typing” as to what they represent. This was also a design decision, since many sample roasters make it difficult or impossible to install a BT probe, and those users often rely on logging other curve data besides bean temps. Either way, because of the lack of strict typing of Curves, there is no feasible way for me to accurately “guess” which curve data to use in code.

      Secondly, it’s common practice in the first roast on a cold machine to either overshoot the charge temp, and drop it with the air damper, or hover closely at the charge temp for a while, in order to build up a thermal charge in the roaster – warming it up so to speak. Any type of “guesswork” on my end, would lead to frequent false starts in these situations.

      Now…I’m not against adding an “opt in” means of initiating an auto start. I’ve long envisioned this being a type of Curve “Event” that could auto trigger if the user decides to opt in and create one 0- similar to the existing Event types. This eases my first hesitation. My second hesitation, though, would necessitate that I create a means to “reset” events in the situation of a premature triggering. I’ve gotten halfway to that point with the most recent release, with the event browser in the Analyzer. Adding this ability is on my todo list.

      Thanks for the input. I’ve added it to the feature request list. I can definitely see the benefit. I want to think about this one a bit.

  52. Oliver Callis
    Oliver CallisMay 01, 2021

    I just purchased Roastmaster with data logging and a range probe. It will not show a linked status either on my iPhone via lightning adapter or on my iPad in the headset input jack. What can I try to get it to link?

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallMay 06, 2021

      The direct-connect Range probe was discontinued by the manufacturer. The old link from Roastmaster’s website apparently redirected to their default product page, showing replacement probes for the Bluetooth Range, which the manufacturer has chosen not to make publicly available. Those look like the discontinued model, but function much differently, and do not support direct connections to iOS like their predecessors. I’ve updated the Range documentation on the website to avoid further confusion. Sorry for your troubles.

  53. Wouter
    WouterJul 08, 2021

    Is there any chance to get the BlueDOT from Thermaworks working in the app? It is also a Bluetooth LE device, but I cannot find any documentation on whether it is supported in their SDK.
    https://www.thermoworks.com/BlueDOT

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallJul 16, 2021

      Greetings!

      Sorry, I will only be supporting true Thermocouple-style probes in the future. I have supported thermistor style probes, similar to the BlueDOT, in the past (and still do for legacy users). But, the results have not been great. They simply don’t have a broad enough temperature range to be reliable in a coffee roasting scenario. They tend to fail prematurely due to the higher heat levels. Thermocouples, though, are more robust and are better suited for the extreme heat.

      Danny

  54. Kevin Higgins
    Kevin HigginsJul 21, 2021

    Hello Danny, I haven’t purchased your Roastmaster software yet, but just waiting on the roaster first.
    Looks like a awesome product, looking forward to using it, my last roaster I did not have this sort of info… could be a game changer…
    Reading thru these wish-list post, I see you mentions in September of last year you were working on a Bluetooth LE hardware device, I am assuming that would replace the ThermaQ Blue.
    Any status info on this hardware? wondering if I should wait for it? or not happening anytime soon?
    Thank you!

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallJul 22, 2021

      Hi Kevin

      Thank you for the kind words!

      The RoastLink hardware I spoke of is still forthcoming. COVID, and the industry and general aftermath, has been a very big and unexpected hurdle for me entering manufacturing, as for most in this arena I’m sure. But, it is still in the works…though still a ways out.

      It will not replace the ThermaQ Blue…it is a different product with a broader feature-set. Plus, I truly love the ThermaQ design and ease of use…I will continue support it as long as the manufacturer continues to update the SDK that it uses for communication. Those things are built like tanks…it’s feasible to expect them to outlast the lifespan of Bluetooth LE itself. Then we’ll all be on to the next greatest thing. 🙂

      Danny

  55. Jesse Lee
    Jesse LeeApr 07, 2022

    Hi Danny

    I enjoy roasting with roastmaster every day
    and always thank you.

    I have some recommendation for you
    Please consider it

    1. Please allow posting photos in green bean memo.
    When creating green bean inventory, I put important information like cup note in memo
    But many sites offer green bean information in photos not in text
    so I want roastmaster to permit uploading photos in green bean memo

    2. Please make iCloud sharing automatic
    I use three small roasters and two iPads
    To make green bean inventory and roasting log consistent, I upload and download database so often using iCloud.
    I know that without manual up and download, iCloud database can be updated automatically
    So if iCloud database is updated autiomatically when a data base on A iPad is updated It would be very nice!!!
    Please consider it

    3. I input Gas pressure in form of Control Curve
    but after sliding when take off my finger off the screen. my finger often slips aside and wrong figure would be put
    I think the gap between gas levels is too small
    when it goes from 2.0kp to 2.2kp
    current setting goes like 2.0->2.05->2.1->2.15->2.2
    it’s so precise but easy to error

    I hope you consider my proposals deeply

    Always thank you for your great work

    • Danny Hall
      Danny HallApr 12, 2022

      Hi Jesse Lee

      Thank you for your suggestions, and the kind words.

      It is true that iCloud supports automatic syncing of databases between devices. However, iCloud has not performed well in the past for larger, more complex databases like Roastmaster’s. It performs better with less complex data structures, like calendars and to-do lists, and such. I keep an eye on its advancements with each iOS release, though, and will be looking into it for the coming release. Believe me, that is a feature I’d love to have as well.

      I will definitely look into the gas pressure interval, and likely adjust that. I don’t work with that myself, so your input is valuable to me.

      Kind regards
      Danny

  56. Ryan Hagler
    Ryan HaglerApr 19, 2023

    Aloha Danny!

    I’ve used Roastmaster for over 10 years now and I am grateful for it on a weekly basis. Thank you for everything you’ve put into this.

    Quick question for you. I read through the comments but didn’t see any info on this so hopefully this isn’t redundant. Is there any way to directly upload to a sheet in google sheets or to google sheets in general. I’ve been developing an operational app using appsheet for our company here in Maui and currently we log roasts in roastmaster for profile tracking purposes and then separately log the weights and origins in to google sheets/appsheet to bring all of our ordering/inventory/COGs data together (along with our other consumables data, i.e. bags, labels, etc). Just wondering if I could integrate roastmaster data in some way.

    Thanks again. And if you’re ever on the islands, come visit us.

    Mahalo,
    Ryan

    Ryan Hagler
    Social Hour Coffee Roasters
    http://www.socialhourcoffee.com

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