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West Bend Poppery II Modified
Noboundries
Top  #1 Print Post
Posted on 08/11/2020 9:54 PM
Lucky me I found the old poppery 2 in the roasting room, i thought for certain we threw it away after we got the 6m. So an hour later with a soldering iron armed with this info https://ineedcoffee.com/west-bend-popper-2-rewire-coffee-roasting/ I was roasting some robusta to get the hang of things.

What i did:

I separated the fan and coil to 2 different plugins, and bypassed the overtemp switch.

I plugged the fan straight in, no controller needed since it would always live at 100% speed anyways.

I plugged the heat into a "fan speed controller" we got off amazon years ago for a different project

4 roasts in, 2 of those being some aa kenya


What i learned:

60g will never reach 1st crack and 90g is the sweet spot haha!

Ambient temp on a windy day outside roasting sucks

not having a bt probe sucks

having a temp controller without lines marking where you are makes it hard to follow any kind of a profile.


What i need to know:

Are all k-type probes the same?

Will this get me going?
https://www.amazon.com/Signstek-Thermometer-58%C2%B0F-1022%C2%B0F-50-1300%C2%B0C-Thermocouple/dp/B078WQJ4Q3/ref=sr_1_28?dchild=1&keywords=k%2Btype%2Bsteel%2Bprobe&qid=1597193825&s=industrial&sr=1-28&th=1

Is shaking the poppery better than stirring with a dowel? Both are a pita, i prefer shaking vertically, but i fear that i'm actually extending the drying phase by reducing air pressure.

Does anyone cool in the RC? Just by shutting the element off. I did this on all my roasts today and i'm curious if there is any real benefit to the colander dance i have seen all over the place.

I couldn't be more excited to get this thing going.
Thanks!
Roaster: Hottop-P, Hottop B-2 FS, Artisan 6M in red FS, SR800 FS. Someday:Bullet. Sold: Nesco CR-04-13, Poppery II

Grinder: DF64, 1Zpresso JX-Pro, Grindmaster 835s

Brew Methods: BV1900TS, BMW espresso machine, Aeropress, Chemex, V60, French press.
 
renatoa
Top  #2 Print Post
Posted on 08/12/2020 12:40 AM
Instead shaking or stirring, that both needs your attention, you could tilt the whole machine some degrees, and make this permanent by mounting additional feet/raisers on a side.
This way you make the pile asymmetrical, and yes asymmetrical is better, is how I did my 50g sampler. You create a shorter escape path for beans in a point of the circumference, thus creating also the ascending movement you need for an uniform roast. Just turning in a vortex , without lift is not good. the inner beans will be underdeveloped.
You can obtain a similar effect by obturate/masking some hot air admission slots with aluminium tape. A segment of 90 degrees is enough.

Instead lines marking, you are better with a digital control, up/down buttons, and a value display, like this:
https://www.amazo...ef=sr_1_81
Used it a lot in the past, along with a Mastech MS6514 thermometer, that can be directly interfaced with Artisan too.

Cooling in the RC is the main big plus of this machine type, that make me regret I left them.
Is so effective that there is no reason to think to a separate cooler or colanders.
 
Noboundries
Top  #3 Print Post
Posted on 08/12/2020 12:57 AM
Wow renotoa you surely are full of info! I greatly appreciate your swift response.

I'll definitely check out the tilting method, i've seen others mention 15 degrees, i'll start with that.

Good call on the Mastech, i've seen k types run much cheaper, but the ability to directly integrate with artisan is extremely intriguing, ill have to mull that one over.

I love that controller, at $11 i don't see how that could be beat, and i like the repeatability it offers over a stepless knob.

I agree on the cooling, i didn't have a working probe today, but it seemed to cool genuinely fast, thanks for backing up my thinking.

Well i think with your help, and a couple bucks, i will be more than happy with this popper, with the Nesco CR, well lets just say i'm posting it for sale haha.

I also found a 1400w air crazy in the same cabinet, it has chaff in it, and i don't remember ever roasting with it but im sure at some point i did haha. I can't find a thread on it so i can see if others have tried it out, internally it's very similar to the P2, but the RC has a center mesh, instead of vanes on the side.

Should i start another thread with that guy? Or just retitle this one and continue on?

Thanks for your help renatoa!
Roaster: Hottop-P, Hottop B-2 FS, Artisan 6M in red FS, SR800 FS. Someday:Bullet. Sold: Nesco CR-04-13, Poppery II

Grinder: DF64, 1Zpresso JX-Pro, Grindmaster 835s

Brew Methods: BV1900TS, BMW espresso machine, Aeropress, Chemex, V60, French press.
 
renatoa
Top  #4 Print Post
Posted on 08/12/2020 1:47 AM
Nothing intriguing, being on the Artisan devices list, as an USB thermometer, checked the price and found is the cheapest of the crowd so... let's try it !
And indeed it is established for some time as the most plug and play method to have temperature logging without any soldering and tinkering.
 
Noboundries
Top  #5 Print Post
Posted on 08/12/2020 2:18 PM
Wired up the air crazy using the same instructions I used yesterday and blew the fan motor. IDk if I did something wrong or if the air crazy, even though visibly similar, was different internally. Not a big deal though, if I were to actually roast with the air crazy it would be building it into something else entirely anyways.

I also found a candy thermometer in my kitchen, but it sadly tops out at 400f so it's of no use to me.

My dad found an Arduino Uno in his drawer, so now do i get a TC4 or an artisan ready thermometer?

I have a lot to think about lol.
Roaster: Hottop-P, Hottop B-2 FS, Artisan 6M in red FS, SR800 FS. Someday:Bullet. Sold: Nesco CR-04-13, Poppery II

Grinder: DF64, 1Zpresso JX-Pro, Grindmaster 835s

Brew Methods: BV1900TS, BMW espresso machine, Aeropress, Chemex, V60, French press.
 
mtbizzle
Top  #6 Print Post
Posted on 08/12/2020 7:13 PM

Quote

Noboundries wrote:


My dad found an Arduino Uno in his drawer, so now do i get a TC4 or an artisan ready thermometer?


If I understand your question. I believe the TC4 kind of builds have thermocouples wired directly to the chip set. There is a big thread on this sort of project, designed by a user, that you can find. To wire a thermocouple directly to your PC for Artisan, you can use a k type thermocouple and mastech ms6514 or a phidget.
Edited by mtbizzle on 08/12/2020 8:38 PM
Roast: Kaldi wide, SR800 + projects
Grind: Lab sweet, Bentwood, giota w/ MP burrs, Commandante
Pull: Decent, La Pavoni, Elektra Microcasa a Leva, Faemina anno 60, Kim Express
 
Noboundries
Top  #7 Print Post
Posted on 08/13/2020 1:42 AM
I apologize mtbizzle, that question mark was more of a ponder, I was saying, do I want to go tc4? Or do I want to be the PID lol.

renatoa the 15-degree mod was a life changer! Thank you!

I borrowed the thermometer and probe from our 6m and using a basic profile got to 440f bt in 9:30 pretty smoothly, the roast is acceptably even, of course, the 6m is more even, but anything under 3lbs doesn't even reach our probe and is pretty difficult to maintain loft.

After the first roast was a success I said let's get 5 different roasts and have a cupping session, I proceed, and 4 minutes in I notice there is no change in color, I check the fuse in my heater rheostat and sure enough, its blown, a couple clicks into Bezos's moneymaker and I now have 18 fuses, and a $20 dual-probe thermostat coming in a few days, don't tell the wife!

I'm not sure why the fuse blew, I'm pretty confident that everything is wired correctly, but I guess time will tell what the problem is, in the meantime, I feel that with a bt probe, the 15-degree mod, and a router controller, I have exactly what I want in a sample roaster.

Thanks to this forum and renatoa for all your help!
Roaster: Hottop-P, Hottop B-2 FS, Artisan 6M in red FS, SR800 FS. Someday:Bullet. Sold: Nesco CR-04-13, Poppery II

Grinder: DF64, 1Zpresso JX-Pro, Grindmaster 835s

Brew Methods: BV1900TS, BMW espresso machine, Aeropress, Chemex, V60, French press.
 
Noboundries
Top  #8 Print Post
Posted on 08/16/2020 6:27 PM
I got my amazon order delivered, and I kept popping breakers and couldn't get a roast going. I figured there has to be something wrong, and decided to pull it back apart. I couldn't tell what was wrong, but I did have a non-polarized plug on the fan side, and decided to fix that and add a switch I had laying around.

So now I have the blower on a switch, and the heater on a freshly fused router controller, did a break-in roast of some Mexican decaf that's 5 years old, doing a basic ramp profile I pulled it at 9:30 and 440f.

I gotta say I'm pretty dang happy with my setup now, the probes I have are the cheapy plastic coating flimsy ones though.

Planned upgrades in the future:

1) A solid ended k probe so I can mount it on the popper, giving me more consistent bean temp, and freeing up a hand being as I wouldn't have to hold it the whole time.

2) https://www.amazo...&psc=1
So that I have more control of the heat.

3) Glass RC and dryer vent hose leading to my micro hood, so that I can bring the roasting inside, undecided on what kind of chaff separation I will go with.

4) Tc4/ full automation, living in the PNW I don't think ill be happy with automation outside, the ambient temp is about as inconsistent as possible.

As far as 90g roasts go, I doubt anything can beat the ease and affordability of a popper set up, this is pretty awesome!
Edited by JackH on 08/17/2020 7:34 AM
Roaster: Hottop-P, Hottop B-2 FS, Artisan 6M in red FS, SR800 FS. Someday:Bullet. Sold: Nesco CR-04-13, Poppery II

Grinder: DF64, 1Zpresso JX-Pro, Grindmaster 835s

Brew Methods: BV1900TS, BMW espresso machine, Aeropress, Chemex, V60, French press.
 
renatoa
Top  #9 Print Post
Posted on 08/17/2020 1:38 AM
TC4 does not take into account ambient temperature when roasting, just measure display and log/record it.
Of course, the effects of the ambient temperature will influence the power levels to get a result... the same beans will need other heater number when roasted summer or winter, to achieve same roast time, but not as a result of a software decision.
 
Noboundries
Top  #10 Print Post
Posted on 08/17/2020 11:19 AM
That makes sense, I think value-wise, until I can roast inside, I don't want to automate. Not to mention I don't have a laptop haha!
Roaster: Hottop-P, Hottop B-2 FS, Artisan 6M in red FS, SR800 FS. Someday:Bullet. Sold: Nesco CR-04-13, Poppery II

Grinder: DF64, 1Zpresso JX-Pro, Grindmaster 835s

Brew Methods: BV1900TS, BMW espresso machine, Aeropress, Chemex, V60, French press.
 
Noboundries
Top  #11 Print Post
Posted on 08/26/2020 7:53 PM
I had a 90g load fail due to bean shape, I couldn't get it anywhere near 1st crack.

I had an idea to modify the air vanes in the RC, by essentially plugging up the top half to both increase velocity and lower the height of the airflow so a lesser load of beans could be used.

In my head, this works, but I very well could just end up ruining my popper.

I looked around and haven't found anyone doing something like this.

What do you all think?
Roaster: Hottop-P, Hottop B-2 FS, Artisan 6M in red FS, SR800 FS. Someday:Bullet. Sold: Nesco CR-04-13, Poppery II

Grinder: DF64, 1Zpresso JX-Pro, Grindmaster 835s

Brew Methods: BV1900TS, BMW espresso machine, Aeropress, Chemex, V60, French press.
 
renatoa
Top  #12 Print Post
Posted on 08/27/2020 2:09 AM
You can mask them partially, with aluminium adhesive tape, placed on outside of RC.
So no change in slots layout, and you can revert to original design if not working, by simply peeling the tape.
 
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