Cheap Rival PP25's

[mikerblade]

this may be old news to some but thought it deserved a mention

Right now Argos is discontinuing selling Rival PP25's so there being sold off for £12.99.
I was nerding last night on here about home roasting and thought I would take a look at argos etc web sites to see whats available and i found the PP25 is being phased out of there stock.Its not in there new catalogue but the old number is 4222561, I just picked up the last one at my local branch so i thought i'd post this in case anyone was thinking of getting one.

If anyone is using one feel free to post any tips on it as im a total newbie to roasting but thought it would be a fun toy to try it out with..

mike

[simonp]

If anyone is using one feel free to post any tips on it as im a total newbie to roasting but thought it would be a fun toy to try it out with..

mike

I have one (modified) and it works well, it seems to cope with the heat abuse well. I've switched to using a modified Imex for the colder months, as I can roast inside with that (chaff collector) but will probably fire up the Rival in the warmer for some roasts as it is easier to hear the cracks.

First tip, use a thermometer of some description. Then (if you are inclined to tinker) look at the article by mnemonix on splitting the fan and heater, and then look at my dimmer mod article to allow heat control, it is quite easy using the ready-made high wattage dimmer mentioned in the article list.

Simon

[mikerblade]

Simon-I must confess that its your's and mnemonix's guides that made me curious to trying one.
I did have a brief look in Maplins for a thermometer today but all i found was a probe looking one for £14 ( may need to see if RS still does a kit type that I used years ago on my bike for oil temp)
right now its lurking under the counter till I order some green's but I feel i make have to tinker with it at some point.
thanks for the replie

mike

[Gouezeri]

Mike,
You might want to check out my recent thread on DMM and thermocouples. I ended up buying the Caltek CM 1200T (from Maplin), but the probe might not be right for your needs (more refs for probes available in the aforementioned thread). Or, AnotherCoffee sell a digital thermometer suitable for cooking which has an aluminium probe.
If you need more details, just ask.
Dom

[mikerblade]

this was the one i was looking at http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=36138&TabID=1&source=15&WorldID=&doy=25m2


the only concern I have is although its rated to 280c I have my doubts that the LCD will stand that kind of constant temp for long, install wise i think its a easy one as my plan was to drill a hole much as Simon said (was going to be says but you get the drift ) I looked at the way Sweetmarias had theres installed but suspending it from above looks like its asking for trouble.

mike

[Gouezeri]

Mike,
I bought this, it works really well, but you probably need a probe which is more "solid," to avoid being pushed around too much (doesn't seem to be a problem with the I-Roast though).
In which case, this might be better.
D

[HughF]

The second linked thermometer (from AC) seems from that Web page only to be rated for a maximum temperature of 200 degrees C which might be a problem for roasting coffee...

Cheers,

Hugh

[Gouezeri]

That's a good point Hugh, hadn't seen that! For the record, my DMM is rated upto 1000 degrees C. Pity about the thermometer from AC, the probe looked good. K and J type thermocouples are available from http://custom1.farnell.com/cpc/. Which may be the cheapest option.
Again, sorry for the confusion.
Dom

[steves]

Mike

Sorry not to have responded sooner, so maybe it's too late by now. I've been using one of these to roast for a little while. I've been planning to split the motor and put a dimmer on the heater for some time, but have been waiting to recover my 24V supply (which I will do this weekend). So, hopefully, I'll sort it out soon and will post an article / pictures.

In the meantime, let me know where you're at with this - have you had a go at roasting with it yet?

[mikerblade]

Steve:
I've probably done 2-3lbs worth so far includeing 1lb or so of malabar gold & everything has worked out pretty well so far, only mods if you can call them that are hole for the temp probe and the chimney.
I'm guessing that with the high temperatures that us in the NE of scotland have all year round may have contributed to my sucsess so far (14 mins to 2nd crack outside once
I will be starting to mod it a bit further soon once I get everything together but its in the "to-do pile" right now but i do need to order some greens so that might push it up the list.

Mike

[steves]

Good stuff.

I've finally got round to doing the mod on my rival myself - article and pictures to follow soonish, hopefully...

In the meantime, there's something else you might like to try, though it is rather crude, to say the least

Basically, I've been using a pyrex lid on top of the chimney to restrict the airflow through the popper, which allows me to roast outside, even in sub-zero temperatures. You can, to some extent, control the temperature and roast to a profile by moving the lid backwards and forwards to cover more or less of the chimney. To be effective, you do have to reduce the airflow quite considerably - but your temp probe will show you what's going on. (It also has the benefit of directing the chaff if you're roasting in an open doorway).

Hopefully these very hastily taken pics will give you the idea.

Steve