hi all, i'm using a kaldi mini and looking to get artisan up and running. i see phidget set has RTD or Thermocouple option. which one would work better and would be more recommended? does k-type give more of noise and spikes in artisan and if so, is that something that can be adjusted or avg out in the graph? likewise would going with RTD reduce that issue and/or provide more accuracy? thanks.

The general preference I have seen is RTDs for less noise and better accuracy, I believe. However the connection to artisan is not supported by my hardware, TC4.

My controller also relays commands to a fan and for that reason I have not switched from TC to RTD. So if all you are going to do is take temperature readings, make sure the phidget (or other system ) you use can relay the number of probes you want.

Or consider in advance if there are other control or measurements you will want to exert or take so that you buy once.

In general, RTDs are more accurate. TCs are usually the default because they are typically more durable, accurate enough, cheaper, and more ubiquitous. Durability in a small roaster isn't as big of an issue because the loading is smaller, it doesn't affect business revenue if it breaks, and it doesn't see nearly as many cycles. So many hobbyists go down the RTD path in the quest for more accuracy.

I went with TC because they are cheap and the literature I learned with used TCs so the graphs look similar. Turning point and such will change depending on the TC size or if you go RTD.

yup, i got my webpage tabs mixed up when i placed my order, so now i have TMP1200 for RTD instead of the current one for TC. i have TC available on hand, so figured TC might be the easier way to go.

If you want the nitty gritty details on using RTD vs TC with Artisan, see here and here. If you decide you want RTDs you can order a kit here .

Because of the overall low noise in the RTD setup you need less smoothing resulting in faster response in Artisan. Much easier to drive a roast. Very happy with them. I use RTDs for my BT and ET, but still use TCs for monitoring less critical areas in my roaster and exhaust.

Brewzologist wrote:If you want the nitty gritty details on using RTD vs TC with Artisan, see here and here. If you decide you want RTDs you can order the kit here .

Because of the overall low noise in the RTD setup you need less smoothing resulting in faster response in Artisan. Much easier to drive a roast. Very happy with them. I use RTDs for my BT and ET, but still use TCs for monitoring less critical areas in my roaster and exhaust.

completely agree, my roast results went up fast once I changed to RTDs and exactly for the reason mentioned; speed and less smoothing

To convert from TC to RTD, receivers like Center 306 need to be ditched?

Unless the Center 306 supports RTD's then yes you'd need to get a Phidget or similar that can talk to a RTD probe. That said, if you want to use your existing TC's in other parts of your roaster, you could just put an RTD where you really want it (e.g. BT probe and maybe ET) and continue to use the Center 306 to drive the other TC's. This is what I am doing, but mind you I have an eixsting Phidget driving my existing TC's and not a Center 306. I believe Artisan can support both but verify this.

Brewzologist wrote:That said, if you want to use your existing TC's in other parts of your roaster, you could just put an RTD where you really want it (e.g. BT probe and maybe ET) and continue to use the Center 306 to drive the other TC's.

For the benefit of RTD probe's higher sensitivity? Artisan does work with Center 306 which is what I've been using.

Center has very slow response times. Yes it may work but slow readings. See the Suppoted Device pages.