The start of a new Artisan generation.
THANK YOU!
The Artisan project relies on donations from individuals and companies who value Artisan for its impact on their customers, work, or personal lives. If you're interested in supporting this project, consider making a donation. And for an even more rewarding experience, consider becoming an artisan.plus member!
As before, Marko and Paul, the creators of artisan.plus, have been the main contributors to the costs. They designed the service to provide a financial foundation for the Artisan project.
This release also has been made possible with the technical and financial support by Coffee Crafters, the producer of affordable fluid bed coffee roasting machines.
The following individuals and operations (in no particular order) did support the development of this version with their donations: Alain Charles, Griffin Strole, Nick Rudolph, Interlocking Applications, Stephen Peacock, Federico Osorio, Bryce Null, Vlad-Stefan (thnxdev), Project Zulu, Andrew Weitzner, Benjamin Guizlo, Rob Elia, Joseph Jung, Miguel Zayas, lowsoonkuan, 9mqsg2fyyt-source, Harlen Whitling, Gustavo Rojas, 桟卓哉, Georg (Kress Kaffee), Leslie Brown, stouryp-cmyk, Charles Guill, Erica Reyes, Marco Guerra, Brian Weisman, Frank Gallina, Kenneth Siu and Mohamed Alshaebi.
We would like to express our deepest gratitude to those who have consistently supported this project, joining the growing list of dedicated contributors: Dennis Dran, Donald Burnham, Bart Kramer, Doug Francisco, Nakamura Tomoaki, Christopher Heard, Doug Francisco, Michael Silverman, Norman Hardy, Everette and Megan (Big E Bearded Coffee), Wilson Wong, Jeremy Good, Jason (Hermetheus Coffee), Martin Connell, Frans Goddijn, Nik (Gristle King), Daniel (derkaffee), John Ewing, Derek Stearns, Alessandro (Caffè Distratto), Kenneth (Coffee Review Books), and Rick Groszkiewicz.
In addition to monetary contributions, their valuable suggestions have led to improved translations, changes, and new features. For this version I would like to put forward Thomas for contributing the designer spline fitting (see below) and Terracotta-6 for many suggestions and his tremendous work on the Chinese translations (again). Additionally, they have reported numerous issues and resolved discussion items. A heartfelt thank you to all of you!
Let's get moving! Share your ideas, report any issues, help us improve the documentation, and correct and extend the localizations. If you're short on time, consider making a donation to help keep us going and develop a next version.
Platforms supported by Artisan 4
- macOS 14 Sonoma and newer on ARM (Apple Silicon)
- macOS 13 Ventura and newer on Intel (x86-64)
- Windows 10 and newer on Intel (x86-64)
- RedHat 8.6 and newer
- Ubuntu 24.04 and newer
- Linux glibc>=2.39
- Raspberry Pi OS 13 Trixie
Artisan has undergone significant upgrades, as we've enhanced the underlying infrastructure, added UI modes, upgraded the PID implementation (again!), and extended hardware support. Many new features have been added to the artisan.plus platform as well.
Infrastructure
Artisan 4 is built with Python 3.14 and Qt 6 for all platforms except Raspberry Pi (Python 3.13).
Artisan 4 does not run on Windows 8 or macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) through 12.7 (Monterey). In previous releases, these platforms were supported by "Legacy" builds that used Qt 5 for compatibility with the older Python versions used on those systems.
Windows 8.1 extended support ended in early 2023 and macOS 10.13 support ended in 2020. Non-commercial support for the GUI toolkit Qt 5 concluded in 2023, and the Python versions that run on these platforms are also out of support. Maintaining, testing, and releasing Legacy builds is no longer feasible.
We recognize some users still rely on Legacy builds. Downloads for Artisan v3.4.0 Legacy builds will remain available, but those builds will not receive new features or bug fixes.
Separate macOS builds are now available for Intel and Apple Silicon (ARM), replacing the single universal build. This reduces the size of the builds and improves the performance of the application.
We adhere to Google's guidelines, GitHub's guidelines, the Python guidelines, pymodbus guidelines, and many other projects that promote the use of neutral language in programming. We replaced the industry standard terms master and slave in 99% of the Artisan 4 code base. However, a few occurrences are still necessary for compatibility reasons. We intend to remove these occurrences as well from future release.
User Interface
This version introduces simplified UI modes. For new installations, Artisan 4 starts in Standard mode, which restricts menus and dialogs to basic configurations and functionalities. By using the Mode menu, Artisan can be switched to Expert mode, which restores full functionality, similar to previous versions. Additionally, there's a Production mode that hides all configuration options and features only the UI elements and functions necessary for production.
Artisan has learned some new shortcuts (refer to the menu Help >> Keyboard Shortcuts). Clicking on the roast title opens the Roast Properties dialog, allowing you to quickly describe your roast and enter the batch size and/or yield, among other details. Remember, a double-click on the roast title still opens the corresponding roast on artisan.plus if it's registered there. Additionally, the Roast Properties dialog now opens automatically if batch size and beans are not yet set when starting a new roast while connected to artisan.plus to ensure proper specification.
Remember, clicking on the readings LCD toggles the visibility of the corresponding curve. This feature works both offline and while recording a new roast. As a visual cue, the visibility of a curve is now indicated by the color of the corresponding LCD label. Furthermore, holding down the OPTION/ALT key while clicking on any of the ET/BT, ET/BT Delta LCDs now toggles the visibility of the corresponding template background curve. A double click on the background templates title still toggles its full visibility. Additionally, a double click on the graph canvas now toggles auto-zoom, which ensures that all curves are fully rendered by temporarily adjusting the temperature axis limits.
Thomas taught the profile designer a new trick. Starting the designer on an existing profile now simply takes the main event landmarks (CHARGE, DRY, FCs, ..., DROP) as nodes. You're then prompted to decide whether you'd like to add a number of additional spline nodes. This option allows for more detailed modifications to an existing profile, but it may make editing slightly more challenging. The choice is yours!
feichong83 asked for custom event buttons that could either reduce or increase the (burner) value by a specific percentage relative to its current reading (for instance, "reduce heater by 20%"). Why not? We complemented the already existing relative +- event button types by adding relative +- % button types.
Automation
We generalized the internal PID algorithm to a Two-Degree-of-Freedom (2DOF) PID algorithm. By introducing new parameters β and γ, you can assign different weights to the setpoint and the process variables, enabling independent optimization for transient response and disturbance rejection. Consequently, many PID variants can now be configured. Classical PID with Proportional on Error (PoE) and Derivative on Error (DoE) for β=1, γ=1, PI-D with Derivative on Measurement (DoM) for β=1, γ=0, and I-PD Proportional on Measurement (PoM) for β=0, γ=1, and all in between and beyond.
Heat transfer in roasting involves complex, time-dependent thermal processes where heat output does not change proportionally with energy input. Applying a linear controller, such as a PID algorithm, to such a non-linear process necessitates the ability to dynamically adjust the controller to the system's operating point. Artisan always allowed users to modify PID parameters dynamically using Artisan Commands. However, each such adjustment could produce abrupt control changes. Artisan v4 introduces gain scheduling, which allows to continuously update PID parameters based on linear or quadratic interpolation based on the PV or SV signal.
While on the project, we also introduced bumpless transfer. This allows for a smooth transition between manual and automatic control without causing significant changes in the controller's output.
Finally, the IIR SOS filter now respects the sampling interval. Additionally, an IIR SOS and a FIR filter have been added to filter the duty and SV signal, respectively.
For now, this is for PID control experts only, as there are no tutorials on those new features available yet. However, Jason recorded an excellent tutorial covering the NEW PID logic of Artisan 3.4.
Hardware Support
Artisan now supports the online color meter RoastSee NEXT from Lebrew. It connects via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and, in addition to the color reading obtained using its 850nm pulsed infrared laser, provides an estimate of the yellow point (DRY) based on the colors RoR signal and the cracks detected using its onboard omni-directional high-sensitive microphone applying sophisticated acoustic filtering.
After introducing support for Acaia's largest scale, the COSMO 100, we've now extended support to their smallest scale, the Acaia Pyxis Black.
Furthermore, the Yocto Metro, Phidget TMP1000, HUM1000, and PRE1000 modules can now be configured as regular extra devices, in addition to their function as ambient sensors. Additionally, Terracotta-6 contributed an importer for the Kaleido CSV file format.
Roastetta
We’d like to introduce Artisan users to an exciting new resource. Roastetta is a web-based app designed to help you store, explore, and share your Artisan roast profiles. By uploading your Artisan .alog files, you can visualize roasts with interactive charts and build a searchable history of every batch you’ve roasted.
Roastetta runs in the browser, so you can access your profiles from any device—phone, tablet, or computer. Tags make it easy to organize roasts and quickly find what you’re looking for. Roast profiles can be kept private or shared publicly, depending on your needs. Commercial roasters may prefer to keep profiles visible only to themselves, while home roasters may enjoy openly sharing and comparing results.
Roastetta is created by Josh, who actively welcomes feedback. Starting a Discussion topic in the Artisan forums helps the whole community benefit from questions and ideas, or you can contact Roastetta directly by email.
Check out Roastetta to see how it fits into your roasting workflow.
New on artisan.plus
The artisan.plus platform has also learned a few new tricks. We've added purchase graphs under the Store section and bean filters, enabling you to chart your purchases per bean.
We've also introduced custom attribute selection and filtering for stock reports, allowing you to tailor their content and format to your specific requirements.
We stay respectful, open and cooperative without the need for Non-Disclosure Agreements!
For sure.
