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Huky 500
ginny
Top  #1 Print Post
Posted on 04/30/2013 12:30 PM
Hi folks:

I am posting this for member John who wants to know if any of you use or know about the Huky 500.

thanks and John appreciates your thoughts and comments.


-g


beach
Edited by ginny on 08/14/2013 5:45 AM
 
tamarian
Top  #2 Print Post
Posted on 04/30/2013 12:40 PM
There's a Huky 500 roaster that is a 1/2kg drum roaster but without heating element, you just use your stove. Several members at home-barista wrote about. For example: http://www.home-b...20245.html

Edit: looks like we have some users here as well with a Huky http://forum.home...post_42972
Edited by JackH on 08/14/2013 3:31 AM
Wa'il. 1 Kg PID'ed gas-fired fluid bed roaster, GS/3MPS, K10F
 
Web
boar_d_laze
Top  #3 Print Post
Posted on 08/13/2013 11:04 PM
The Huky is a Taiwanese made drum roaster with a roughly 500g capacity. On the upside it's well-built and versatile. On the downside, despite good craftsmanship and finish, the design, construction and setup are definitely kludged.

In use, a Huky is one workaround after another, but it allows plenty of control and consistency, and rewards good roasting technique so wotthehell.

The Huky is not made with a heat source, and although the manufacturer does sell one which works well, there are also number of good gas possibilities, including infra-red and open flame burners, as well as the kitchen stove top.

Buyers can choose solid or perforated drums, and two different speed motors. Some experienced Huky owners "collect 'em all," and use different combinations for different purposes.

Even with the cost of the burner, compared to other 500g - 1kg Chinese gas roasters, like the Bela Mini 500 and TJ-067, the Huky runs significantly cheaper. It's fair to say that the Huky is the value leader of that class.

On the other hand, it's also fair to say the real competition for the Huky is the similarly priced, but electric and smaller Quest M3 -- which is somewhat more elegant in operation.

There are a fair number of people using the Huky in one configuration or another. That means there's a user base posting on Coffee-Geek and Home-Barista, made up of roasters who've had experience and success with the Huky, willing to help with support and advice.

At this stage of development, despite many units sold, the machine still seems to be something of a prototype. I believe the "2.0" version, which includes some important improvements, is expected to come out shortly.

BDL
Edited by ginny on 08/14/2013 5:45 PM
USRC 1lb Roaster, Chemex+Kone, Espro, Various FPs, Royal Siphon Vacuum, Yama Ice Drip Tower, Bunnzilla, La Cimbali M21 Casa, Ceado E92.
CookFoodGood
 
boar_d_laze
Top  #4 Print Post
Posted on 08/15/2013 9:59 AM
The Huky is not retailed in the US nor is it associated with an importer.

If you want one, you need to contact the inventor/maker yourself. His name is Mr. Li, and his email address is:

Finally, a disclaimer. Pretty much everything I know about the Huky I know from hanging out in roasting forums, including a little bit of research for the brief time I seriously considered buying one for myself. I don't have any actual roasts logged on one myself. The closest I ever came was hanging out with someone while he did three or four -- which convinced me that I wanted something more sophisticated.

BDL
USRC 1lb Roaster, Chemex+Kone, Espro, Various FPs, Royal Siphon Vacuum, Yama Ice Drip Tower, Bunnzilla, La Cimbali M21 Casa, Ceado E92.
CookFoodGood
 
jedovaty
Top  #5 Print Post
Posted on 08/15/2013 12:36 PM
I've got and use a Huky. I gave up trying to build my own roaster. But, fear not, I still built my own data logger with the tc4 smile It logs BT, ET, "MET", and fan voltage. I didn't get the quest because the batch size was too small. I thought I was buying the mini500, but found out my error after purchasing the Huky; when I saw the price point, I stuck with the Huky.

It has goods and bads. The goods - you can get some amazing results and the price point is PERFECT. The bad: steep learning curve, and a few inconveniences such as inability to remove the trier without getting beans everywhere, a few unroasted beans get stuck in the drop-in chute, a small shuffle at the end, and my config has a lot of cables. It is a very manual roaster. With the included heat source, you can roast 250-450g beans no problem. It is not an "integrated" roaster, with separate parts: roaster itself, heat source, exhaust tube, fan, trays, data logger, laptop. Cables galore, ugh (this is a result of my setup with the data logger, though.. it's possible to avoid this). On one hand, BDL's description "unsophisticated" is spot on. But - again - the results are phenomenal in the hands of someone who knows how to use it.

Given this, I would actually think the description of a fully manual italian sports car from the 60s would be far more appropriate description: no fancy computers, no suspensions, no auto tranny, just you and the machine, you have total control whether you spin out of control or powerslide through the corner.

I have a piece of advice for anyone sitting on the fence trying to decide which roaster to buy/build. Pick one. Just pick one, don't look back, and start roasting. Use the time to learn how to roast with the new machine, while you search for your "silver bullet" roaster. Buy several pounds of beans, and do a few marathon roast sessions, with those beans intended for the composter. If I hadn't chosen the Huky, I'd still be here, months out, struggling waiting to find the right roaster. Instead, after a year or so of learning with the Huky, I'm starting to churn out some awesome cups, many on par with the local pro roasters.
 
ginny
Top  #6 Print Post
Posted on 08/15/2013 2:07 PM

Quote

I have a piece of advice for anyone sitting on the fence trying to decide which roaster to buy/build. Pick one. Just pick one, don't look back, and start roasting. Use the time to learn how to roast with the new machine, while you search for your "silver bullet" roaster. Buy several pounds of beans, and do a few marathon roast sessions, with those beans intended for the composter. If I hadn't chosen the Huky, I'd still be here, months out, struggling waiting to find the right roaster. Instead, after a year or so of learning with the Huky, I'm starting to churn out some awesome cups, many on par with the local pro roasters.


I could not agree more with your well chosen words. There is NO perfect roaster for anyone especially home roasters...

Pick one and enjoy the well out of it...

ginny

beach
Edited by ginny on 08/16/2013 2:52 PM
 
JETROASTER
Top  #7 Print Post
Posted on 08/16/2013 8:56 AM

Quote

jedovaty wrote:



Just pick one, don't look back, and start roasting.


Amen. Plenty of bad coffee coming out of good roasting machines....lot's of good coffee coming out of popcorn poppers. -Scott
 
boar_d_laze
Top  #8 Print Post
Posted on 08/16/2013 7:58 PM
Oh. I don't know.

My Amazon 1kg is a pretty good roaster, and I'm turning out very good roasts with it -- but it's sensitivity to a dodgy electric supply and limited speed means it's not right for me. Replacing it with a roaster that has the qualities I need and which also happens to be one of two roasters I really wanted all along is costing me quite a bit of money.

There's quite a bit of ground between impulsive choice and a two-year paralysis by analysis. While it's true that nothing's perfect, some things are better than others; and some of those better things are particularly well or poorly suited to some people.

Take your time.

BDL
Edited by boar_d_laze on 08/16/2013 8:08 PM
USRC 1lb Roaster, Chemex+Kone, Espro, Various FPs, Royal Siphon Vacuum, Yama Ice Drip Tower, Bunnzilla, La Cimbali M21 Casa, Ceado E92.
CookFoodGood
 
JETROASTER
Top  #9 Print Post
Posted on 08/17/2013 10:07 AM
Amazon 1kg. Looks like a pretty good chunk of change. That's alot of money for "pretty good".

Looking for "perfect" is a waste of time, but clearly a little bit of research my be beneficial .
-Scott
 
boar_d_laze
Top  #10 Print Post
Posted on 08/17/2013 10:30 AM
There were very few Amazons out there at the time I purchased, and they were not well documented. I did what research I could -- which meant talking to a couple of owners whose names were given to me by the importer, reading the manuals, etc.

They were around $2700 retail, before tax. Mine was originally purchase by someone else, had been damaged in shipping, and returned unused to the importer. My price was considerably discounted.

I spent another couple of hundred bucks or so on a 20A Variac, BT thermocouple, compression fitting for the BT thermocouple, thermocouple extension cable to piggyback off the onboard ET thermocouple's signal, datalogger, and a metal guy to spot weld the breaks from the shipping damage. By the time everything was said and done, about $2800. Which only goes to show... I don't know... it must show something.

If I'm lucky, I'll be able to get $1400 when I sell it.

The roaster I've ordered to replace it, one of two I always wanted since going beyond the Behmor stage, and which is also the roaster I should have ordered once I outgrew my HotTop, is considerably more expensive.

BDL
USRC 1lb Roaster, Chemex+Kone, Espro, Various FPs, Royal Siphon Vacuum, Yama Ice Drip Tower, Bunnzilla, La Cimbali M21 Casa, Ceado E92.
CookFoodGood
 
duckfat
Top  #11 Print Post
Posted on 08/18/2013 12:55 PM
hi, my experience in researching and purchasing a Huky 500 was excellent. This machine is a work of art to behold. I have roasted a good twenty batches of beans ranging in size from 250g to 500g, and notwithstanding my inexperience with this machine - the results were excellent. As many, I desired to move beyond my Gene Cafe and other air roasters, but did not want to jump spend upwards of $5,000. After reading everything I could find on the web, I began communicating with the father of this machine, Mr. Kuanho Li. All of inquiries were met with a thoughtful and quick response. I belabored my choices for over a week, sent a lot of questions to Mr. Li. Finally, I ordered the Huky with an additional fan and sieve, an additional motor (but 73 rpm this time); and an additional drum (solid), along with some flexible exhaust. I paid confidently with paypal and much to my amazement, two boxes were delivered to my doorstep from Taiwan in four days! The machining and metalwork were more akin to something manufactured in Japan - an exactness and refinement and polish rarely found in today's world. I immediately fired up this puppy and love every roast it has produced. The IR propane gas burner is adequate for the moment, and it will be quite easy to switch to a more powerful burner or use the commercial stove burners in the kitchen when needed. I have two K TC's hooked up to an Amprobe and love the ability to track and graph my roasts. I hope everyone keeps sharing their experience with the Huky.
Rancilio Sylvias, Rocky, Mazzer, La Pavoni, Huky 500, Fresh Roasts & a Gene Cafe(put out to pasture)
 
KCbean
Top  #12 Print Post
Posted on 11/25/2013 12:49 PM
Hey folks Ive Just ordered a huky and would like to be all set up for roasting and profiling before it arrives in 7-14 days.

Im new to home roasting Ive only air roasted at work.

I have downloaded artisan and I know I need a digital thermometer and have been looking at the Omega HH802.
Compatible?
good choice?
Any other suggestions?

thanks,
Jake
 
MaKoMo
Top  #13 Print Post
Posted on 11/25/2013 1:04 PM
Phidget 1048 + clear case. Supported by Artisan v0.7. Very fast and reliable communication via USB (not serial). Very low price.
 
boar_d_laze
Top  #14 Print Post
Posted on 11/25/2013 3:36 PM
If you're going to be using your data logger solely as a way of getting TC information to a computer via USB, and don't need a display on it, the Phidget recommended by MaKoMo is the new favorite, overtaking the Arduino as the apple of everyone's eye. It can handle four channels ($108 for the 1048 AND the enclosure). A Phidget allows you to do all kinds of control stuff that the Amprobe/Omega types will not.

If you need a display on the unit, the best budget choice is the Amprobe TMD 56 (2 probe, $115, including software); and the next step up (slightly better quality, doesn't do anything more) is the Omega 806AU (2 probe, $240, including software and AC converter). You can spend more on a meter -- a Fluke perhaps -- but these days all the dataloggers are made in China, no matter how prestigious the brand; and there's really no better two-probe thermometer than the 806AU.

The straight answer to your question, is that the 802 will work.

If you already own it, stick with it until you find a reason to buy something else. If you don't already own it, choose between the Phidget, TMD 56 and 806AU.

I never want more than two channels of information going to my logging software, and don't always want to schlepp a computer outside to roast, so a Phidget wouldn't be a good choice for me.

That's a statement, by the way -- not a recommendation; a Phidget might be perfect for you. I have both the TMD 56 and 806AU, both work seamlessly with Artisan, and both work just fine for my purposes.

Hope the above fleshed it out a little better for you.

BDL
USRC 1lb Roaster, Chemex+Kone, Espro, Various FPs, Royal Siphon Vacuum, Yama Ice Drip Tower, Bunnzilla, La Cimbali M21 Casa, Ceado E92.
CookFoodGood
 
KCbean
Top  #15 Print Post
Posted on 11/25/2013 7:50 PM
Wow thats a lot cheaper than what I was dreading spending. Thanks for the tip I think I will go with the Phidget because I will be roasting in my heated basement and always have my computer at the ready. Ive got the artisan v6 does this mean I need to get an upgrade to a newer version?
 
allenb
Top  #16 Print Post
Posted on 11/25/2013 8:39 PM
Something to consider before a final decision is made. Make sure with whatever combination of components and software you end up with that you can read bean temperature rate of rise in real time. To me it's as important to a roaster as an altimeter is to a pilot.

Allen
1/2 lb and 1 lb drum, Siemens Sirocco fluidbed, presspot, chemex, cajun biggin brewer from the backwoods of Louisiana
 
boar_d_laze
Top  #17 Print Post
Posted on 11/25/2013 9:37 PM

Quote

allenb wrote:Something to consider before a final decision is made. Make sure with whatever combination of components and software you end up with that you can read bean temperature rate of rise in real time. To me it's as important to a roaster as an altimeter is to a pilot.


Allen,

It's something to think about for sure. Not all data-loggers do report real time information. Some of them save the information to something which looks like a spread sheet, and must be saved and stored after the roast in order to be accessed.

However, that's not the case with these. All four data-loggers represented in this thread can report to Artisan via USB for real time datalogging. All four can do the same for other (but not all) roasting software. Typica for instance.

The two Omegas and the Amprobe have integral displays, which show real time information from (up to) two probes simultaneously.

I've never seen a Phidget in the flesh nor have I done much research, but 'm pretty sure that you can wire a separate display for the Phidget which can readout as many as four channels in real time.

Rich
USRC 1lb Roaster, Chemex+Kone, Espro, Various FPs, Royal Siphon Vacuum, Yama Ice Drip Tower, Bunnzilla, La Cimbali M21 Casa, Ceado E92.
CookFoodGood
 
JackH
Top  #18 Print Post
Posted on 11/26/2013 5:49 AM

Quote

MaKoMo wrote:

Phidget 1048 + clear case. Supported by Artisan v0.7. Very fast and reliable communication via USB (not serial). Very low price.


The Phidget is a good choice if you only want to measure temperatures without any I/O control.

I don't know why USB Vs serial speed would matter to an application that reads temperatures every 1-2 seconds or so unless the software has been changed. Serial at 115,000 baud is plenty fast enough.
 
allenb
Top  #19 Print Post
Posted on 11/26/2013 6:30 PM

Quote

boar_d_laze wrote:

Allen,

It's something to think about for sure. Not all data-loggers do report real time information. Some of them save the information to something which looks like a spread sheet, and must be saved and stored after the roast in order to be accessed.
However, that's not the case with these. All four data-loggers represented in this thread can report to Artisan via USB for real time datalogging. All four can do the same for other (but not all) roasting software. Typica for instance.


I'm assuming that all of these require you to be plugged into your computer in order to view rate of rise and don't have the ability to view it via a small LCD on-board the datalogger. If this is the case then the TC4 is the way to view rate of rise and temps/time whether standalone or tethered to your pc.

This obviously requires one to be able and have the desire to solder a board together.

Allen
1/2 lb and 1 lb drum, Siemens Sirocco fluidbed, presspot, chemex, cajun biggin brewer from the backwoods of Louisiana
 
KCbean
Top  #20 Print Post
Posted on 11/26/2013 11:14 PM
How can I get my hands on this new artisan 7? Also what does I/O mean?
 
Airhan
Top  #21 Print Post
Posted on 11/26/2013 11:19 PM
I/O just means input/output. Used here it means that a Phidget has no I/O or it cannot give you any control over heaters/fans motors/whatever. A TC4 or PID have I/O capabilities.
Aaron
"Grind it like it did you some great injustice!"D.L.Clark
 
boar_d_laze
Top  #22 Print Post
Posted on 11/27/2013 10:26 AM

Quote

allenb wrote:
I'm assuming that all of these require you to be plugged into your computer in order to view rate of rise and don't have the ability to view it via a small LCD on-board the datalogger. If this is the case then the TC4 is the way to view rate of rise and temps/time whether standalone or tethered to your pc.

This obviously requires one to be able and have the desire to solder a board together.


I'm not sure, but the REL mode on the 806AU and TMD 56 might be able to give you RoR. But it would require you to start pressing buttons while the beans are spinning. Too busy for me.

Computer or no computer, like a lot of people, as long as I can see a temp and a clock, I keep a running calculation going in my head. Doing so with the roast going is something which comes with practice and/or the compulsion to calculate everything. Just like soldering a board, it's not going to be the right solution for everyone.

I'm pretty sure that the combination of ways I keep track of the roast in real time -- which includes, an 806, a stand-alone timer, a computer running Artisan (for the present) AND detailed note taking in a lab book -- would be too clunky, distracting and awkward for just about everyone else.

Sometimes it is for me too. I've been doing that or something like it for ever, but am still in dithering since switching roasters. More than anything, it's knowing where to look and what to touch at an given time.

The hardest thing to integrate into the routine is the computer display. We tend to focus on a video screen and it can be hard to shift attention to whatever else needs to be done. Also part of the learning process is the need to rearrange where everything is relative to everything else to make the new setup work.

I know you already know because you've been through it yourself, but...

For someone just starting out roasting, or someone who's roasted before but is adding a lot of information equipment for the first time, the big take away should be that it takes time to get used to all this stuff and really start using it. The more practice and planning you do (plotting your ideal profile, with RoR calculated for each leg, etc., before starting the roast) the quicker you're going to learn. Even so, there's still a pretty steep learning curve involved in getting to the point where you're roasting a profile instead of letting events carry you along with them.

BDL
USRC 1lb Roaster, Chemex+Kone, Espro, Various FPs, Royal Siphon Vacuum, Yama Ice Drip Tower, Bunnzilla, La Cimbali M21 Casa, Ceado E92.
CookFoodGood
 
allenb
Top  #23 Print Post
Posted on 11/27/2013 8:58 PM

Quote

boar_d_laze wrote:

Computer or no computer, like a lot of people, as long as I can see a temp and a clock, I keep a running calculation going in my head. Doing so with the roast going is something which comes with practice and/or the compulsion to calculate everything. Just like soldering a board, it's not going to be the right solution for everyone.
BDL


Well said and you're right that some are able to multitask and check in from time to time to do a mental calc and are in good enough control of their machine for it to not run away before the next calc but others, including myself, never really master it and it can be frustrating especially when other things distract like my dog dragging off a very important part I carelessly left on the floor nearby and, after retrieving the part, my mental calculation is gone and by the time I'm able to let enough degrees tic by to formulate the next calculation I find the roast is too far off to do a smooth recovery and so it gets over corrected with resulting yo-yo for a while. OTOH, with real time RoR displayed, I've only got to take a glance and immediately know how much of a micro tweak I need to make and I can concentrate on other areas of the roast.

It's really too bad that real-time RoR is such a rare commodity. I decided to interrogate the staff at Omega today to see if they new of an off the shelf temperature meter that displayed rate of rise and all of them including the data logger experts said no dice and had never ever heard of one that could do this. They suggested I buy an expensive programmable logic controller (PLC) and develop a program to create the function. I said thanks for the advice but I'll pass on that one!

Allen
1/2 lb and 1 lb drum, Siemens Sirocco fluidbed, presspot, chemex, cajun biggin brewer from the backwoods of Louisiana
 
KCbean
Top  #24 Print Post
Posted on 12/06/2013 3:38 PM
Hey guys, Ive got my roaster and Ive got my Phidget, Now I cant figure out how to correctly plug my roasters probes to the phidget and get artisan 7 to read it
 
marce
Top  #25 Print Post
Posted on 12/06/2013 4:00 PM
On the Phidget connect your probes on the green strip. connect to your pc. In Artisan, Config, Device assignment, Meter. set to Phidget 1048 or 1046 what ever your Phidget is.

Should work...
you may need to download the drivers from Phidget

http://www.phidge...em_Support
 
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