Jumping temperature readings

[rlevine]

Huky, Center 301, Artisan

For a long while I was having no issues with temperature readings. All of a sudden, the last couple of sessions, I've had issues with very jumpy temperature readings. Sometimes it's only for very small portions of the roast (right around the turn, right toward the end of crack), but it seems to have gotten worse. Here's a look at my last roast, with no smoothing. This roast was almost impossible to manage, with regular 10 degree spikes and drops all throughout.

I'm roasting in my garage; is it possible that ambient cold temperatures are wreaking havoc on the probes? If that were the case, I would think they would stabilize after the first roast, but in my case it got worse with successive roasts.

-RL

[SusanJoM]

What are your settings on this page?

[jyalpert]

Not sure if maybe it's noise in your circuitry, but I had some success recently by grounding the roaster.

I took a piece of baling wire (which if you haven't used it before, is probably more handy than duct tape around the house), wrapped it around one of the bolts on the back of the Huky, then jammed the other end into one of the open ground holes in my power strip.  It appears to have fixed the spikiness with my TMD-56.

[rlevine]

Here's the extra screen, and what the curve looks like after. But this doesn't help during the roast, as the temperatures are jumping around. This only smoothes the curve after the roast is over.

The readings in Artisan are accurate - they are exactly what the Center 301 is reading. Which is why my first thought was that it was a probe issue. I've had other issues with spikes, but only the kind where the temperature spikes to infinity at one moment, such as when I turn on the cooling fan preparing to drop. But this doesn't seem the same.

I've heard others had issues with laptop power cords causing issues. I do roast with my macbook plugged in, which has never caused problems before. But perhaps that's worth a shot.

[rodraguirre]

I do roast with my macbook plugged in, which has never caused problems before. But perhaps that's worth a shot.

It's more than worth a shot. Believe me

Once I unplugged my mac, things got pretty!

[rlevine]

Update: it was the macbook. Running off battery instead of keeping it plugged in, and my readings are smooth as silk. Thanks y'all!

-RL

[afrah2407]

I have been dealing with this issue for a long time. Grounding the roaster (even laptop plugged in)  solved the problem for few months but now again back to jumpy readings.
The problem now is my laptop doesnt hold charge for long and I have to plug in.

Really desperate for a solution!!!

[SusanJoM]

This issue has been covered many times, so if search can't find you an answer, and since it really isn't a HUKY problem but an Artisan problem, I suggest you take it to the Artisan Users Archive.  There is a link under Artisan Resources there to the right of the page.

[cgriffith]

It is not an Artisan issue.  It is a Center issue.  Over last four months I have had a handful of occasions where the temp would spike dramatically in a roast for a short period of time (say 10 sec. with 3 or four spikes).  Curve smoothing helps after the roast is done.  None of these previous occasions have caused any true harm to my ability to see what was going on.  But a few days ago, I had severe issues that impacted my ability to roast.  It started during roast number 3 for the day.  I replaced the 9v battery in Center after roast to see if that was the issue.  On the 3rd roast, the temperature readings from Center were all over the place starting around FC and keeping me from knowing the temp to drop.  I was roasting blind.  I am really concerned about this problem now and would like more discussion.