Wish list...


 
R

RalphTrimble

TVWBB Diamond Member
Watching the development log I see you have been doing lots of work on the Heater Meter lately, so I thought perhaps this is a good time to put a wish list out there...

You've covered lots of bases already, lowering the noise level and adding the filters to the probe line(s) should be a nice improvement, and the integration of thermocouple support is awesome as well. The addition of the servo booster circuit is great, my servo has been working really nice and solid since I put the prototype circuit inline.

One thing I would like to see change, on the graph I think it would be better to have the temperatures listed on the right and the blower speed listed on the left. We had discussed this before and most people agreed, it would be more functional to have the temperature scale on the right where the probe graphs terminate.

Anticipating the move over to a thermocouple pit probe I think it would be nice to be able to select via software which probe gets used as the pit probe. Reason being, I have several pits and plan on a semi-permanent installation of a thermocouple in only my Kamado grill where I do high heat cooking, my smokers do just fine with the standard probes. I would like to be able to choose which probe controls the pit so I could use either or depending on which grill I am using. (or so if my thermocouple takes a crap I'm not SOL until I get a new one)

I think this one is a pipe dream, but it would be nice to be able to select an area on the bottom graph and delete it, to get rid of yesterdays data or spikes in the data which make the graph scale go really large.

It would also be nice to be able to select the default view time for the graph and have it remembered. Ever since the graph data started to be retained after a power cycle the default auto-scale view likes to select the long time period by default, but most of the time I would prefer to see the 1 hour or 6 hour scale. Every time I load the page or come out of config the graph resets to the long time period and I need to change the display back to the way I like it. Not a biggie, but I do get tired of doing it...

Finally, I don't know if this is possible, but it would be nice if when you select a manual fan speed via software, instead of entering -50 for 50% you could just enter 50% instead? Perhaps the "-" has some significance and needs to be used here, but I thought I would ask/suggest... Also, it would be nice if the setpoint display would show the manual speed setting when running in manual fan mode rather than the irrelevant target temperature.

So I guess that is all software stuff, since you seem to have nailed down the hardware wish list pretty good already...
 
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would be nice to have a timer on the graph, count down or a count up

in the settings it would make sense to have a check box for the PID graph, instead of pressing "p" on the graph, as I have a hard time in IE to get that to work

A minor request, that seemed to change a while ago- Using android, every time I display the graph on my web browser it shows it continuous loading and after about so many minutes it locks up my phone for a few seconds and then it resets it back to the home screen. It does this every time, I have to leave the page, if I close the browser without leaving the HM graph it still resets the phone.
 
Hey great stuff! I like suggestions because a lot of times I just never consider that there's a better way to do things. Let's see what we've got here. I'm sort of typing as I'm thinking so some of this is sort of stream of consciousness...

-- The temperature / fan speed is already done. It's in git so the next version will have that.

-- Making another probe the "control probe" isn't too terrible, but also changing the LCD display to support having the control probe on top and the old Pit probe be part of the rotating display adds a lot of code. It also can be confusing once set. With thermocouples available for about the same cost as a maverick probe, it seems like a bit of a waste. This is a maybe.

-- I would love the ability to trim the data! Reasons you can't: it's complicated on the backend. It's not a SQL database so I can't just say "remove the data in this range", I've actually got to dump all the data for all the timescales then re-import it into a new database. Also, there's a small problem with the browser cache in that for performance the graph data is cached for a short time, if you delete part of it there's no way to invalidate the cache so you'd see the changes. I think that can be worked around using some sort of unique data though. I like your UI idea though. It would be easy to just use the select tool, and hit a button to delete it. If I can work out how to remove the data from the RRD, then this could be done.

-- The home page really should save its settings. Every time I think of that, I consider that there are only two settings now but in the home page redesign there are a lot of settings, so I should create a more robust method of saving a bunch of options. Then I stop thinking about it. I might put in a stopgap measure to just save the default duration.

-- Whoa why didn't I think of using "%"? That's a good idea, the "-" is just because it was easy to parse on the HeaterMeter side (it's still a number). This is how my brain thinks about that. 1) I can change that on the webui side, no problem. 2) It would be nice if it showed the % on the webui too. 3) HeaterMeter could put that out instead of setpoint in manual mode in the serial data. 4) linkmeterd would need to not put that value in the database 5) If there's no setpoint in the serial data, then there's no setpoint configuration item... is that a problem? 6) Maybe % is like a temperature unit.. should I put units in the serial data? 7) What am I working on again?

John's Stuff
-- I would like a timer too. Not just on the web ui but on the HeaterMeter somehow. I was cooking steaks on Friday and wanted to do 1 minute on each side super-high-heat so I used the lid timer. It would be nice to be able to start a count up timer, although physically the UI for that would be super clunky I think. Anyway, getting back to your suggestion, yeah I'd love to have a timer on the homepage. It's on my list for the redesign so... expect it in January 2029?

-- Better UI for pid debug is (wait for it) in the redesign

-- What version of android? I have 2 android devices and they work fine, although both are on 4.4 KitKat so the Chrome browser is really good. Not sure I'll be able to fix that.
 
Bryan Mayland said:
-- Making another probe the "control probe" isn't too terrible, but also changing the LCD display to support having the control probe on top and the old Pit probe be part of the rotating display adds a lot of code. It also can be confusing once set. With thermocouples available for about the same cost as a maverick probe, it seems like a bit of a waste. This is a maybe.
Click to expand...

One way to do this is to precompile different versions of the firmware, and store them on the the Pi in the firmware folder. Then you can just use the AVR page to upload the correct firmware to the actual Heatermeter depending on your planed usage. I have two .hex files saved which are essentially identical, except one has the standard pinout for probes, the other swaps the PIT and Ambient probe pins. So if I want to use a Maverick to run my pit, I have my TC for ambient. It takes all of 5 seconds to upload the 'correct' firmware to the HM board since it is already stored on the Pi.
 
On the pit probe selection, could you possibly have the HM display just put a * or other symbol by the probe that is selected as the pit probe, or make the name for that probe be bold, italic or something, rather than moving that probe to the top?... or, there are a bunch of Display modes to choose from, could we somehow add one more display mode that flips probe0 and probe1, which is all we really need? Actually, we don't really NEED that either, I would be happy if I could select probe1 as the pit probe even if it stays second on the list with no indication that it is now the pit probe, because when I use Probe1 as the pit probe there would be no thermocouple connected (no probe0). Come to think of it, could you make it so Probe1 is moved up a notch to Probe0 when there is no thermocouple connected?

EDIT: How about adding a setting that allows you to disable Probe0, and when disabled Probe1 is substituted for the pit probe?
 
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Brian Hilgert said:
One way to do this is to precompile different versions of the firmware, and store them on the the Pi in the firmware folder. Then you can just use the AVR page to upload the correct firmware to the actual Heatermeter depending on your planed usage
Click to expand...
Yeah this just becomes a maintenance nightmare for me though, having to supply different versions of the firmware and then the next feature that comes along done in the same way and then suddenly I've got to build and push 392 different firmware versions for every release.
 
RalphTrimble said:
On the pit probe selection, could you possibly have the HM display just put a * or other symbol by the probe that is selected as the pit probe, or make the name for that probe be bold, italic or something, rather than moving that probe to the top?... or, there are a bunch of Display modes to choose from, could we somehow add one more display mode that flips probe0 and probe1, which is all we really need? Actually, we don't really NEED that either, I would be happy if I could select probe1 as the pit probe even if it stays second on the list with no indication that it is now the pit probe, because when I use Probe1 as the pit probe there would be no thermocouple connected (no probe0). Come to think of it, could you make it so Probe1 is moved up a notch to Probe0 when there is no thermocouple connected?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't be happy unless it was done right, to save me from having to answer questions about why it doesn't work how you'd expect or why the probes seem to be all messed up because the pit probe jack "stopped working".

I was thinking of maybe doing it the cheap way by allowing you to select 1-4 as the "control" which would then reorder the jacks by swapping them the control one for the first one. That might be really confusing no matter what the UI looks like.
 
Bryan Mayland said:
Yeah this just becomes a maintenance nightmare for me though, having to supply different versions of the firmware and then the next feature that comes along done in the same way and then suddenly I've got to build and push 392 different firmware versions for every release.
Click to expand...

I see your point. I was thinking more along the lines of each user could compile the firmware images depending on their probe configuration.
 
Bryan Mayland said:
Regarding running the probe wires on the ethernet cable, v4.2's "voltage" output mode for the blower means that you probably won't need probe ground any more. Because there's no high speed pulsing it should be pretty clean. Not that you'd probably want to change it though, on account of compatibility.
Click to expand...

You posted the above in the Development log today, which brings to mind another point...

Another reason I would like to be able to choose which probe is the pit probe, with the thermocouple being so sensitive to the type of terminal used for the connection I assume there is no way it will be able to work over a CAT5 cable. So, if I install the thermocouple circuit for the pit probe there is no way to run the pit over the CAT5 cable. So I would have to choose between the thermocouple or the convenience of running the pit via CAT5 cable, or have two Heater Meters.

Could you possibly code the HM software so when it does not get a signal from the thermocouple (Probe0) that it would automatically use Probe1 as the pit probe instead? Don't know how hard to code that would be, but it seems it would work and eliminate the issue. Or just add a DISABLE option to Probe0 in the config, and bump the Pit Probe over to Probe1 when Probe0 is disabled? I think the disable function for Probe0 is probably the most logical, easy to understand and manage, and probably the easiest to implement in the software I would guess..

EDIT:

BTW, speaking of the thermocouple terminal connector... I am wondering if the connector that comes on that thermoworks thermocouple I brought to your attention works with the connector you decided to use on the HM board?
 
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I would like to make the request of having a "servo off at max" toggle.

Currently the fan is only on at max.

It is not inline and having the servo open when the fan is running is creating some visible turbulence.
 
Phillip P said:
I would like to make the request of having a "servo off at max" toggle.

Currently the fan is only on at max.

It is not inline and having the servo open when the fan is running is creating some visible turbulence.
Click to expand...

I can't quite understand what you are asking for???
 
that is odd and I would say counterproductive, but if you invert the servo it will work its way from open to closed as the fan ramps up. Not sure, but perhaps including the fully open/closed only with the inverted servo might get you want you want?
 
This is not one for my "wish list" exactly, but while looking at the Config page and recalling talk of how busy it is this came to me.
It seems to me that having the probe coefficients and resist values for each probe showing on the config page all the time is unnecessary? I mean, how often to we actually read or edit the probe coefficients? It would seem more logical (to me at least) to remove the probe coefficients and Resist fields, and have a drop down box (like the probe Type) to select from the available preset probe coefficients that always shows what preset you are running (like the Type field does), and maybe have the Offset onscreen too... and just have a clickable link (like the presets are now) that will open a probe coefficients window where you can edit them and the Resist value. This would remove four data fields from the screen for each probe, 16 total, and I think it would be more user friendly and easier to tell how the probes are setup...

I hope that was clear? Any how, what do you think?

EDIT:
It would look something like shown on Probe0 in this pic:
ProbeConfig.jpg


You could also ditch the Coefficients link and just add MANUAL to the preset window and have the probe coefficients window pop up after you select MANUAL.
 
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I agree it does take a lot of space. There's just a lot of stuff you can set!

The reason it doesn't do that is because it can't tell what probe coefficients you're using. If you set "0.00253456" that goes to HeaterMeter which stores it as 0.00253455999932 or something which then gets spit back out as "2.53455599e-03" which then gets converted by LinkMeter to 0.0025345599 which then gets passed to the webui for display where it gets changed to "0.002534559".

If you select the preset again you get "0.00253456" which is different as far as the webui is concerned and it always wants to commit that change because they're different. Every time the page comes up it will say "MANUAL" because it can't match the current value up with the preset.

Part of the redesign of the webui changes this around a bit so there aren't so many conversions and that the presets are loaded with the values you get after it's gone through one round trip of conversion, allowing the ui to properly re-select it as one of the preset coefficients. I suppose I could backport some of those concepts.
 
OK, I "kinda" understand.... but couldn't you code it so there is a drop down box for probe preset, and have it simply display the preset that was manually selected, rather than reading the coefficients and reporting what probe it matches? Or if that is a programming nightmare, or can't be done for some reason, couldn't you program it to recognize the probe coefficients after they have been changed and spit back, or code it to recognize the coefficients the way they are ultimately reported by the GUI, or whichever set of coefficients will actually be there when it looks at them? If it's too much I understand, but I think it would be really nice if the GUI would show what probe type you have selected, and I don't really feel having the coefficient all showing is giving most of us any usable info...
 
The only time the coefficients are OK as is when you are not using a probe that is in the presets, but you could have it display something to reflect that it's a non preset probe or have the ability to name the probes
 
I was thinking for non-preset probes types it would just report as MANUAL... I think that is the easy part for Bryan, the fact that the way the coefficients are stored changes from stage to stage is what makes it hard to identify and display what preset is loaded.
 
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