air popper modding

Roasters and roasting

Moderators: GreenBean, Gouezeri, bruceb, CakeBoy

air popper modding

Postby mnemonix » Fri Jan 09, 2004 8:51 pm

If desired, I hope to give more information over the coming weeks on my popper modifications but as the subject's been brought up recently I wanted to start with a word of warning. It has been mentioned that there are several sites detailing the wiring of a popper and how to simply seperate the blower from the heater, however the sites I have seen have been exclusively American. Apart from the voltage difference, the Poppery II, that looks to all intents and purposes like the European Prima, IS WIRED IN A FUNDEMENTALLY DIFFERENT WAY. Attempting to follow the US diagrams will at best burn your motor out and at worse could be a serious fire hazard. My best advice is to take your popper apart and draw yourself a diagram so you know and understand how it works. I can provide a wiring diagram that is correct for the UK popper if desired though I can't be sure if it applies to the rest of Europe.

Having said all that, modifying your popper to seperate the blower from the heater is very easy and requires no more cost than that of a DC power supply to run the blower.

Didn't mean to patronize anyone or imply that any of us would do anything dangerous but I've never seen this simple difference documented anywhere and it's fairly important !

Chris.
mnemonix
 
Posts: 176
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2003 11:03 pm
Location: Nottingham

Postby phil » Fri Jan 09, 2004 8:56 pm

Chris you're da man on TMC for popper mods.

You do realise that this is going to be an article, preferably with piccies, don't you? Don't think you can get away with just a few quick postings! :lol:
La Spaziale Spazio 2 group semi-auto

La Spaziale Lusso grinder (espresso),
Macap MC4 shop grinder (brewed coffee)
Three Thor tampers
Two Hottops, first since Feb 2003
No partridge, no pear tree either
Conas, Zassenhaus hand grinder....
User avatar
phil
Founder Member
 
Posts: 2321
Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2003 12:05 pm
Location: Swindon, UK

Postby michel » Fri Jan 09, 2004 10:23 pm

Please Chris,
As I don't have the money for a hottop already, but do want to 'upgrade' my roasting-amount-abilities... Write this article about it, so I can double my HWP with a popper and start roasting bigger amounts:
Attachments
coffee-beans.jpg
coffee-beans.jpg (20.83 KiB) Viewed 12289 times
User avatar
michel
 
Posts: 366
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2003 9:55 pm
Location: Hoorn (50km above Amsterdam)

Postby DrZeus » Sat Jan 10, 2004 12:42 pm

I've seen people adding one of those glass kerosine lamp tops to their popper, in order to roast more...although I admit I don't know any details (ie: does it work?).
User avatar
DrZeus
 
Posts: 189
Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2003 3:28 pm
Location: Seattle

Postby mnemonix » Sat Jan 10, 2004 1:40 pm

I haven't used one but my observations may be relevant : the maximum I've been able to roast so far is 100g, the limiting factor being the mass of beans that the fan can lift - this could vary between poppers and with mains voltage variations though. Additionally, I have found that the more beans I use, the faster & more uneven the roast tends to be thus requiring better control.

The fan power problem can apparently be overcome by stirring the beans manually until they've dried a little. Alternatively, with the split motor/heater mod it may be possible to run the fan faster with a higher voltage, but at the great risk of burning the motor out !

The lamp top may be one of those cheap mods that's worth doing just to see for yourself but as I know the limitation of my fan and I'm trying to avoid manually interfering with the beans other than simply watching them and adjusting the roast profile, I haven't bothered.

Others experience may differ !

Chris.
mnemonix
 
Posts: 176
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2003 11:03 pm
Location: Nottingham

Postby mnemonix » Sat Jan 10, 2004 2:14 pm

Phil, I could let you have a simple article on the split fan/heater mod for UK Primas in a couple of days as I have notes and just need a couple of pics. What format do you prefer ?

Michel, I hope the pic isn't an indication of your roast capacity ambitions ! (though it doesn't hurt to aim high !) You can easily use a popper unmodded but it's very 'hands-on' so in terms of increasing your roasting capacity, do you want to run two machines simultaneously ? I suppose if your HWP can be left unattended so you could focus on nursing the popper this might be possible.

As far as mods to make your life easier in this respect, splitting the fan/heater makes control easier but it still requires the same degree of attention to manually switch the heater on and off. I believe Ian runs some poppers with a Variac (though last time I looked these aren't cheap) which would make life considerably easier. Ian ?

Alternatively, the chap who emailed Phil sounds to be developing a cheap and easy control box to run a modded popper and I'd be very interested to hear about that. A PID could be a similar/alternative solution to this.

For myself, I've been working towards controling my popper from a laptop. Whilst this seems like overkill, I already have the computer, am writing my own software to do it and the only cost is a serial port interface box (about twice the cost of a new Variac). However I have realtime graphing, manual and automatic modes with the ability to save and load profiles. And I like playing with things like this :wink: The point of this however is not to eliminate the human element but rather to increase my own control over the roast to an extent not possible with any commercially available roasters. I'll post more on this when I either get it working or set my hair on fire :shock: whichever comes first.

Chris.
mnemonix
 
Posts: 176
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2003 11:03 pm
Location: Nottingham

Postby DrZeus » Sat Jan 10, 2004 3:46 pm

Holy smokes! (no pun intended) A computer interface?? You go, Chris!!

I haven't measured, but I've been able to put in over two of the measuring cups (the one that's on top of the popper). The beans don't move, but I just keep the lid off and stir with a spoon. The result is rather uneven, and in order to get them all roasted properly I have to take it darker than I usually would, but it still tastes good to me. My opinion of even roasts, however, is this: for the commercial roaster, an even roast is pertinent; for the hobbiest, having varying degrees of roast adds some complexity to it that I don't mind at all.
User avatar
DrZeus
 
Posts: 189
Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2003 3:28 pm
Location: Seattle

Postby phil » Sat Jan 10, 2004 4:14 pm

Chris, (or anyone else) if you're interested in variacs, I got a second hand 10A Claude Lyons Regavolt for forty quid from Telford Electronics . Solid as the proverbial brick you-know-what.

As far as format for content goes, please will everyone just send it as plain text for the moment as the production technique requires me to cut and paste it into a control that's not mad keen on Word or other stuff. For the techies, HTML doesn't help as the code I generate has to be embedded into a framework set by some style sheets which I'm still coming to terms with.
La Spaziale Spazio 2 group semi-auto

La Spaziale Lusso grinder (espresso),
Macap MC4 shop grinder (brewed coffee)
Three Thor tampers
Two Hottops, first since Feb 2003
No partridge, no pear tree either
Conas, Zassenhaus hand grinder....
User avatar
phil
Founder Member
 
Posts: 2321
Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2003 12:05 pm
Location: Swindon, UK

Postby Ian » Wed Jan 14, 2004 11:46 am

I started off with one Prima, the first roast I did was in midsummer and it was all over in less than four minutes. I managed to get an 8A variac off eBay for £21 which was unboxed, the boxed ones usually go for more. I use several Primas which allows back to back roasting without having to wait for any cooling period.

I have a home made chamber extension made from a 200g Heinz baked bean tin – the top rim is left on but the bottom is removed, eight equidistant vertical slits are cut in the side of the cylinder and some soft wire is wound round the cylinder (about 10mm from the bottom) to make a slight cone that just fits in the neck of chamber.The digicam I have access to is pretty dire but I’ll try and get a photo.

The maximum roast size without unevenness seems to be 125g, I have to stir for a couple of minutes until the beans approach first, this is done at maximum voltage. As soon as the first pops of first are heard, I lower the voltage to about 210 – each popper has slightly different characteristics. Also, the ambient temperature is a considerable variable.

Usually first crack appears in 3-4 mins and I aim for second in 10-12 mins. Haven’t got into profiling yet, I was intending to buy myself a new multimeter with thermocouple for Christmas but (ahem) accidentally bought a Cona instead.
The beans seem to reach their peak after 2-3 days and start to head downhill after about 6 days.

Cheers

Ian


PS Somewhere on the net is a report done by someone who controlled a popper with a dedicated PC. It was sometime ago and I think the bookmark is on my old machine - I'll see if I can dig it out.
User avatar
Ian
 
Posts: 423
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2004 11:07 pm
Location: Hampshire,England

Postby mnemonix » Wed Jan 14, 2004 3:01 pm

the pc thing's been mentioned as an idea on alt.coffee a couple of times but i've seen no documented evidence of someone actually doing it, though i'm sure they must have. love to hear if they are.

i got mine hooked up and started testing last night. no roasting yet as I want to be sure my basic control functions are working properly first.

chris.
mnemonix
 
Posts: 176
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2003 11:03 pm
Location: Nottingham

Postby Ian » Thu Jan 15, 2004 12:51 am

Chris, I found it at last - http://home.columbus.rr.com/thegramilas ... aster.html

Cheers

Ian
User avatar
Ian
 
Posts: 423
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2004 11:07 pm
Location: Hampshire,England

Postby Danny » Thu Jan 15, 2004 8:30 am

A bit off post but I am looking into home roasting at the moment.
I have a popper but I want to go with something that will do more at once...

All the alt.coffee / CG posts talk about using a convection oven and a automatically stiring popcorn maker (stir crazy/Galloping Gourmet).

Unfortunatly although these things are cheap, they are of course 110v. I found a convection oven already on martkplaats.nl it is called a "Magic Kitchen".

It's rated at 1350 watts and hopefully will do the job. Now I need to find a base with an automatic stirrer.

I notice there is another one on the site now for 15 euros (I paid 20 for an unused one), if anyone else is interested in experimenting...
Attachments
magickitchen.jpg
Magic Kitchen convection oven.
magickitchen.jpg (25.72 KiB) Viewed 12224 times
Danny
 
Posts: 229
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2003 1:04 pm
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Postby mnemonix » Thu Jan 15, 2004 10:28 am

Mr Follies,

Prima do a European version of the Stir Crazy available here :

http://www.24-7electrical.com/epages/tw ... ource=ciao

I don't have one and haven't tested it.

I've always liked the look and roasting capacity of these setups. Now I wonder if the top can be computer controlled :wink:

Chris.
mnemonix
 
Posts: 176
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2003 11:03 pm
Location: Nottingham

Postby mnemonix » Thu Jan 15, 2004 10:35 am

Thanks for the link Ian. Very interesting, shame he hasn't updated the site in a while. With the interface box I'm using I've found the '1 box solution' to replacing the mountain of lab equipment he has connected at any rate.

Chris
mnemonix
 
Posts: 176
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2003 11:03 pm
Location: Nottingham

Postby Danny » Thu Jan 15, 2004 11:35 am

Yeah Alan pointed me to that one, but it looks to me like the bottom is not metal. This concerns me.
I would not be opposed to modding a cheap electric frypan or even a standard one. I am not sure that the bottom heat element would be needed. If you could seal it well enough then it probably isnt.
Danny
 
Posts: 229
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2003 1:04 pm
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands


Return to Roasting - Equipment and Techniques

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 17 guests

cron