Manage Machines in Rostoc
Rostoc can connect to one or more Machines. Machines has its own place in the sidebar — press G then M to open it.
Looking for compatible roasters? See Supported Machines for supported models and connection options.
If you are setting up your first Machine, see Add Your First Machine for a step-by-step walkthrough. This page covers ongoing management.
Your Machine list
Section titled “Your Machine list”The Machines screen lists every Machine you have added. Each entry displays:
- The Machine name you gave it
- The manufacturer and model (if selected from the catalog)
- The current connection status
The Machine currently selected for roasting has a highlighted indicator. Only one Machine can be active at a time.
Live data and direct control are separate capabilities. A Machine can send temperatures to Rostoc without accepting control commands. Check the model’s catalog page, then read Machine controls for access, compatibility, and safety requirements.
What the status indicator means
Section titled “What the status indicator means”Each connected Machine shows a status dot next to its name. Hover over the dot to see the details behind it.
The dot reflects what is happening right now: Rostoc keeps checking that readings are actually arriving, so the status changes within seconds when data stops flowing — even if the Machine connected successfully earlier.
| Indicator | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Green | Connected and healthy — hovering shows All streams operational. If a Machine only sends certain readings while a roast is running, the dot stays green and the hover text says which readings it is waiting for. |
| Amber | Connected, but something is wrong. Either a specific reading stream could not be read, or telemetry is degraded — readings have stopped arriving even though the connection is still up. The hover text explains which, e.g. Telemetry degraded — telemetry silent for 5 consecutive polls. How long a silent Machine takes to show as degraded depends on its Read every pace. |
| Blue (pulsing) | Connecting. |
| Red | The connection failed — hovering shows Connection failed — click Connect to retry. |
| No dot | The Machine is not connected. Click Connect to connect it. |
A Machine that is not connected shows no dot at all:
An amber Telemetry degraded status usually means a cable, network, or Bluetooth problem between the computer and the machine, or another program claiming the same connection. See greyed-out readings and degraded status for what to check.
Some machines only send readings while a roast is running. Their entry shows a note — This machine sends readings only while a roast is running — and the status stays green while Rostoc waits for the first sample.
What Rostoc reads from your Machine
Section titled “What Rostoc reads from your Machine”Every connected Machine sends Bean Temperature and Exhaust Temperature, which Rostoc records with their Rate of Rise. On machines that share more, Rostoc records and charts additional channels alongside them:
- Control channels — gas, airflow, and drum speed, drawn in their own chart area below the temperature Curve.
- Extra temperature probes — such as drum or inlet, drawn on the temperature Curve.
- Other readings — such as air pressure, energy, or humidity.
Which channels are available depends on the model and connection — the machine’s catalog page lists them. Everything recorded is saved with the Batch, and the Style & Colors section of the Machine’s settings controls how each channel is drawn. Its Show in boxes choose where each channel appears: Roast Studio, the Batch chart of saved roasts, or both. BT is always shown in both. See Choose the probes you see.
Add another Machine
Section titled “Add another Machine”Click Add Machine to add a new Machine. Choose the path that matches what you already have:
- Import from Artisan — start here when you already have the Machine working
in Artisan. Import the
.asetsettings file so Rostoc can bring over the existing connection details. - Browse Catalogue — use this when you do not have an Artisan setup file. Search by manufacturer or model, then check the support status. Supported and experimental catalog entries can pre-fill the connection settings; Coming soon entries let you request support.
- Set Up Manually — enter connection parameters directly when you have exact setup details and no matching import or catalog path. Manual setup is primarily for Modbus TCP and Modbus RTU. Catalog entries can also include Kaleido, Kaffelogic Nano 7, Nucleus Link, Phidget USB, and selected Ethernet, USB, and serial connections.
After saving, Rostoc selects the new Machine. A Machine that connects by USB serial or RS-485 starts with no port: the port field reads None selected until you pick the port the Machine is plugged into. The catalog never fills in a port for you.
- Saved with its port or address — Rostoc can connect it straight away.
- Saved without a port — the Machine is saved and waits for you to connect it. Rostoc does not try to connect it. If you click Connect before choosing a port, its entry reads Your … has no port on this computer yet. Click Choose its port to open its connection settings and pick the port.
If Rostoc shows a connection test, run it before relying on the setup for production logging. If the connection fails, open the Machine’s connection settings and run Test Connection again after checking the setup.
Switch the active Machine
Section titled “Switch the active Machine”Click Use to make a connected Machine the active one. Rostoc will use this Machine the next time you open Roast Studio.
Roast Studio records on the Machine in use. If none is in use, it asks you to choose one before the roast, and Start stays unavailable until that Machine is connected.
Edit a Machine’s settings
Section titled “Edit a Machine’s settings”Click Configure on a Machine to edit it. The Machine settings window fills the screen and opens on Connection, with the sections listed on the left:
- Connection — the connection type and its parameters, and how often Rostoc reads the Machine.
- Controls — which Machine controls are enabled, for Machines that support direct control.
- Style & Colors — how this Machine’s channels are drawn on charts, and which ones show.
- Machine Details — name, manufacturer and model, capacity, notes, and the per-machine Recording automation setting.
Adding a Machine opens the same window on Connection. If you save a new Machine without a name, Rostoc takes you to Machine Details with the name field ready to fill in.
The Machine settings window. Machine Details holds the per-machine Recording automation choice; Test Connection sits below the section list.
Click a section to jump to it, make your changes, then click Save. Use Test Connection at any time to check the setup — for Nucleus Link this opens a guided connection test. Renaming a Machine or changing its settings does not affect your roast history.
You can save a Machine’s settings while a roast is recording: the roast keeps recording and the Curve keeps drawing. If you save the settings of a different Machine during a roast, Rostoc saves them and shows Connect after this roast; select that Machine once the roast has stopped.
Rarely, a change to the Machine in use cannot be saved during a roast. Rostoc then shows This change can’t be saved while a roast is recording. Stop the roast, then save again. The settings window stays open with your edits, so you can click Save again once the roast has stopped.
Changing the connection type
Section titled “Changing the connection type”When you switch a Machine to a different connection type, Rostoc keeps only the controls the new connection can run and removes the rest. A note under the connection type says what was removed. Switching to a Phidget board keeps Bean Temp on channel 0 and Env Temp on channel 1 and removes the other channels. Switch back to the original connection type to restore them. Nothing changes until you click Save.
A Machine’s port on each computer
Section titled “A Machine’s port on each computer”If you roast with the same Machine from more than one computer, such as the roastery PC and a laptop, each computer keeps its own USB serial port and its own Bluetooth device for that Machine. The same roaster often appears under a different port name on each computer, so picking a port on the laptop does not change the port the roastery PC uses. Everything else in the Machine’s settings, including a network address, is the same on every computer.
- The first port you choose is saved with the Machine. A computer that has never chosen its own port uses it.
- A different port chosen on another computer is kept on that computer only. The other computers keep theirs.
- In the port list, the Machine’s saved port carries a Recommended badge when this computer is set to a different one. Pick it to use the same port here. If that port does not exist on this computer, it is listed as Not on this computer and cannot be picked. Bluetooth Machines show their saved device the same way.
Rarely, Rostoc cannot read the port this computer keeps when you save. It then shows This computer’s port was left as it was and saves the rest of your changes. Try again in a moment.
How often Rostoc reads your Machine
Section titled “How often Rostoc reads your Machine”Read every (ms), under Sampling in the Connection section, sets how often Rostoc takes a reading from your Machine. It accepts 500 to 1500 milliseconds: twice a second to once every second and a half. Set it in the desktop app; the web app does not show this field.
Where it starts depends on how you added the Machine:
- Added before Rostoc 0.4.5 — the field is empty and reads Not set. Rostoc reads the Machine every 500 ms, as it always has, until you enter a value.
- Added from the catalog or an Artisan
.asetsettings file — it starts at half the sampling delay those settings carry, never faster than 500 ms and never slower than 1500 ms. A delay of 1000 ms starts at 500 ms. A delay of 3000 ms starts at 1500 ms. A catalog entry with no delay starts at 1000 ms. - Set up manually — it starts at 1000 ms.
A value below 500 or above 1500 is refused as you type: the field shows Minimum 500 ms or Maximum 1500 ms, and the Machine is not saved until you correct it. The value stays when you change the connection type. When you click Save, Rostoc reconnects the Machine at the new pace.
If your Machine drops readings when it is asked too often, give it more room with a slower pace, such as 1000 ms. Roast Studio’s Stale warning allows for the pace you set, so a slower Machine that is working normally does not show as stale. Rate of Rise responds a little more slowly at a slower pace. If readings arrive steadily, leave it where it is.
Remove a Machine
Section titled “Remove a Machine”Click Remove on the Machine, then confirm with Remove machine. Its connection setup is deleted. Batches and Roasting Plans that used it stay, no longer linked to a Machine.