New Calculator to try

[Hoggy]

Sadly, not anymore - they stopped doing that late last year(?) and now the only thing sent in glass is the 8mL. The others are in those PET bottles with the twist dropper tops.

That makes sense since they were recently bought out by another company. They apparently got rid of a lot of the employees who had been around from the start. Makes sense that they would change their bottles too.

Well that.. just.. sucks. Terrible, too, for the employees they got rid of.

OTOH, it puts them on equal footing with others.. So now I'll just go with whichever [sales] have the best price and free shipping - with no extra consideration due to the use of proper glass bottles.

 

[Mr.Reliant]

Apparently this company is yet another victim of the "race to the bottom" in today's "price is all that matters" world. Although I will admit that I never used WL since it was so hard to mix by weight easily using their fancy glass bottles. I LOATH syringes and moving liquids around from one container to another needlessly. So much easier just to squirt & drip from the original bottle until the scale reads right then put the top back on and move to the next flavor. When everything is in the target container just cap shake and vape.

 

[Hoggy]

I LOATH syringes and moving liquids around from one container to another needlessly. So much easier just to squirt & drip from the original bottle

Yeah, I can no doubt see the appeal in not dealing with that (and I do I have a couple of accurate (.01 & .001) scales for it).. ..... I now have about 36 new glass bottles and caps that I need to clean, dry, then transfer both liquid and labels from the plastic bottles. <sigh> Not looking forward to that.

But.. I'm disabled and currently have no income while in an 8-year disability case (just a couple low-$ inheritances)... So that's why cost 'savings' () is of utmost supreme importance over ALL other considerations. If I should run out of money (which I did for a bit due in part to my flavoring addiction), at least I'll be able to live in my car and mix up e-liquids for quite...a while!

...Although you might not hate syringes quite so much if you tried some glass syringes with SS dispensing tips. Sooooooo super easy to clean and deal with compared to those plastic pieces of garbage. Moving containers of liquid around, notwithstanding.

 

[yooperdad]

@yooperdad, what does your entire JuiceCalculator directory contain? Mine looks like this:
View attachment 691811

If you are using the default installation settings (by which I mean you have not renamed your files), the active JC file should be: JuiceCalculator.xml; not JuiceCalculator_Backup_<fill in the blank>.xml (which is what it still seems to be trying to write to. DO you have any xml files that do NOT have "Backup" anywhere in the name? If not; try using the Windows File Explorer, and search for "JuiceCalculator.xml" on both drives. What are the results?

I am not particularly computer savvy, and I am certainly no programmer, but I am wondering if HotRod has something (other than basic "Read Only") that internally protects each backup that has been saved. It would make sense (to me anyway) that this might be the case... for if you overwrite to a particular backup date; it would no longer be a backup of "that" date... right?

How exactly did you try to restore? It is done using JC>File>Restore from Backups... ; and not by changing the path (JC>File>Open).

If you decide to reinstall, you might save one, or more, of your backup pairs (JuiceCalculator_Backup_ file, AND DefaultOptions_Backup_ files), to a separate temporary Document directory. I don't know that the originals will be deleted/overwritten, but a little extra precaution wouldn't hurt. Then I would use the Windows Uninstall Program(s) to manually uninstall JC (this should get rid of any bad pathways). Then reinstall JC. Once you have a fresh installation; you should be able to use the File>Restore from Backups... to reload all your ingredients and recipes.

Keep us in the loop; I am really puzzled by this one.

Sorry it has taken so long to get back to this one. Was pheasant hunting in SD and other fun activities. Finally got to it today.

The same issue existed where JC wouldn't let me save anything. So I created a new folder for bacups and when I closed JC it did create a backup in the new location as it was supoosed to do.
C:\eJuiceCalculator
Then I deleted JC from Program Files, downloaded and installed JC again. The install process does not let you specify where you want to program installed. I opened the newly installed JC and when I tried to save, I got the same error message that I couldn't save. So then I went to File, Open, and the new backup file. It opened in JC and everything seems to work properly now.

I have no clue what was wrong and why after 3 years it acted up in this fashion. But it works again.

 

[IDJoel]

Sorry it has taken so long to get back to this one. Was pheasant hunting in SD and other fun activities. Finally got to it today.

No worries; I am glad it was fun distractions, and not troubles!

I have no clue what was wrong and why after 3 years it acted up in this fashion. But it works again.

That is strange. I have no explanation to offer.

I do seem to recall that HotRod mentioned something about not being able to specify installation destination:

Version 8.0.0.6 is available. Updates include:
1. When installing the standard version of the calculator, don't prompt for a new installation location. The prompt was misleading and for the most part accomplished nothing since Windows would still install in the Program Files directory. The portable installation is used for installing in different locations.

How this applies to you, and your situation... I have no clue.

Regardless; I am glad you seem to have got it working again. Please let us know if it happens again so we have a record of it (just in case HotRod resurfaces).

Thanks for taking the time to keep us in the loop!

 

[Scouser]

Flavour Density.

Not sure if something about this has been posted before. But this may be useful to JuiceCalculator users.
There's a selection box in the Ingredients Editor titled "Grams per ml". HotRod has provided a button to auto calculate this, which always equates to 1.038 Grams/ml. However, the density of flavours have been calculated for most common flavours. I have been using these density levels now for a few years and they work well. Furthermore, I have tested at least a few dozen of them and they have been accurate.

The links to the flavour density I use are taken from the following links:

Capella
Densité des Arômes Capella - Le DIY pour les Nuls

Perfumers Apprentice
Densité des arômes Perfumer's Apprentice - Le DIY pour les Nuls

Flavour Art
Densité des arômes Flavour Art - Le DIY pour les Nuls

Flavour West
Densité des arômes Flavor West - Le DIY pour les Nuls


If anyone has any additional information on Flavour Densities, please do post them up.
Cheers

 

[Ed Sause]

I would be interested in finding the density numbers for Real Flavors super concentrates.

 

[Fozzy71]

I would be interested in finding the density numbers for Real Flavors super concentrates.

I found one on ELR (or perhaps on the RF site?) that was 1.020 so I just used that for all my RF SC for now. They were supposed to be putting SG up on their site eventually but most that I checked do not show it yet.

 

[Ed Sause]

Thanks Fozzy.

 

[Fozzy71]

Thanks Fozzy.

I checked a few flavors on the RF site and the product page's 'additional details' tab where the weight should be were still empty. I figured they were pretty close to 1.0 so 1.020 makes little difference to a recipe I doubt, and it should be indistinguishable if some are actually 1.01 or 1.03.

 

[Scouser]

Also found this one.
FlavourArt Specific Gravity Weights – Flavor-Pro

 

[SubieloveBeer]

If someone has the time to input off of the Values for the Flavors It would be much appreciated if you would share them for all to use It would save me the time of putting all of the flavors in also, I have been mixing for a few years and have used a phone app the entire time but Just downloaded the program tonight Thanks

 

[Ed Sause]

In the download there is a sample recipe and inventory file. I don't know how well it will apply to your needs. Please take the time to read the help file. There is a wealth of info that will help you learn the calculator and all it's functions.

 

[Scouser]

If someone has the time to input off of the Values for the Flavors It would be much appreciated if you would share them for all to use It would save me the time of putting all of the flavors in also, I have been mixing for a few years and have used a phone app the entire time but Just downloaded the program tonight Thanks

Not sure what you asking for here. Are you asking for some sort of method to export/import all the flavour values (or weight values)? There is no facility in the program to do this that I know of short of exporting/importing a single recipe or an entire database of recipes. But I dont think there is a capability to export say, just the flavour weights. I might be able to write a short script to parse the xml files to etch out the flavour name and its weight but then how would you import the result into JC?

 

[IDJoel]

I might be able to write a short script to parse the xml files to etch out the flavour name and its weight but then how would you import the result into JC?

The only thing I can think of, if someone were so inclined, would be to copy the XML file; and then delete the individual recipes. This should(?) leave nothing but the ingredients (and any values assigned to them).

The only caution would be that all values would remain; including cost and inventory levels. Though, I imagine, it would be easy enough to use the Ingredient Editor to quickly zero those out.

I do not use "corrected" weight values for flavors; so this is one I will not be volunteering for... sorry.

 

[Scouser]

The only thing I can think of, if someone were so inclined, would be to copy the XML file; and then delete the individual recipes. This should(?) leave nothing but the ingredients (and any values assigned to them).

Agree but even then how would you import this XML into JC without messing up your existing database? In the end the only way is to manually input the data.

What would be really cool is if the program could parse SQL like statements against XML or CSV files. For example, it would great if it could parse something like....

for field "Ingredients:Grams per ml", read "database.xml", using "Ingredient Name" and "Grams per ml", where "Ingredient Name" exists.

The "exists" part ensures that the Ingredient Name is defined in the current database.

Alas, this is a seriously big feature to design/implement/test and it probably would not be used that often so it would unlikely be a priority for HotRod.

One day, when I lots have time, which will be never I might consider writing an awk/sed script to do this external to the program.

 

[IDJoel]

even then how would you import this XML into JC without messing up your existing database?

I thought about that; and I only see it being useful to a new user... someone who has no data yet stored.

I was kind of wondering if it would be advantageous to have it pre-loaded (as part of the install); but then I got to thinking about all the arguments about using precise specific gravities or a "default" value (such as 1gr/mL). And either way, there will end up being one group, or another, that would have to be manually adjusting the values to their preferences.

So, as I think along those lines, I can see this might be opening a proverbial can of worms.

 

[Ed Sause]

I thought about that; and I only see it being useful to a new user... someone who has no data yet stored.

As I mentioned above, there is already a sample recipe file included in the install. All the basics are there. For a new user, fine tuning is all that is needed. This will come as said user becomes familiar with JC. Interesting to think about, but already dealt with.

 

[Scouser]

As I mentioned above, there is already a sample recipe file included in the install. All the basics are there. For a new user, fine tuning is all that is needed. This will come as said user becomes familiar with JC. Interesting to think about, but already dealt with.

I think we got crossed wires Ed. I am talking about a capability to import/export specific fields/values into/out-of the JC database. As an example, I have some 250 flavours in my Ingredients list and for each of them (where I have the data), I have inserted the weight density in the "Grams per ml" field. I am willing to share this information but the discussion is about how a) I could export that data and b) it could be subsequently imported "safely" into someone else's database. Similar could be done for other database fields. It would be neat but difficult to implement......and as Joel pointed out....probably it will open a can of worms.

As Joel pointed out some people don't use "corrected" weight. HotRod has also provided the "Calculate weight based on PG/VG %" button albeit it always seems to result with the same value "1.038". But HotRod has provided the input field "Grams per ml" so I always assumed (since starting to use this program 3 years ago) that this filed had some importance, so I duly filled it with the "corrected" data. I seem to remember having communication with HotRod about this and he said the default 1.038 is good enough.....but me being a perfectionist and all

Anyway, there actually may be a way to do this. I will have to experiment some. I think it will be possible to import the database.xml file (a copy of course) into an SQL server, then use SQL statements to etch out the data and manipulate it. For those with an interest see: Parsing XML data

Personally, I think pre-loaded data would be an excellent idea newbies.

 

[Ed Sause]

I see your point about crossing wires. There are several programing languages that would work to parse XML files. The problem would be the method used to import that information.

However, this discussion goes way over the head of any new user.

To that end, I propose that we develop a generic combined list of flavors and manufacturers that could be included in the help file or posted in ECF. This could be d/l by any interested user and they could edit their own as they wished.