Behmor 1600: first look

by **motoman** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 4:32 pm

Cheers Joe,

I have packed away my Gene Cafe in the Behmor box, your machine is the dogs B******s but it is difficult to wish you a similar compliment as we have (almost) ladies here. Thanks man, youre the best.

by **Gouezeri** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 4:57 pm

Unfortunately, mine is all packed up now, ready to be shipped, I did manage to roast somewhere over a kilo though... different size batches, different beans etc.. not had chance to actually cup much though.

All credit to Joe for bringing this to market, especially at its price point.
Soooo much quieter than the I-Roar. I find it a pity that you can't attach a hose to it though, as that would really get rid of what little smoke there is. Do remember folks that you can theoretically roast up to 545g, which is a pretty large batch size and will smoke heavily if you take it dark! The new chaff tray allows for much better visibility of the beans, which should definitely help people (though remember to plan at least 10 seconds ahead and not judge just by colour). Having a small dustbuster or similar nearby to clean-up afterwards is definitely a good idea.
Not had much chance to really play with profiles, and still looking for a way to insert a thermocouple.

by **Jaanus** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 6:39 am

Gouezeri wrote: I find it a pity that you can't attach a hose to it though, as that would really get rid of what little smoke there is.

try this one Dom: http://www.freshcoffeebeans.com/res/Behmor_Exhaust_Mod.pdf

a nice mod that allows You to take Your smoke elsewhere :lol:

by **triptogenetica** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 7:20 am

Hi all,

So a Behmor arrived at our place yesterday. (Actually, at my college, but I towed it home

). Exciting stuff! Yes, I gave in and ordered one... Steve / UPS do an amazing turnaround.

I cleaned the inside, gave it the dry run to season it, then waited... which is difficult. Then it was time for a roast. I did half a pound; not too big or too small, i hoped. (I wouldn't usually use pounds, but since that's what the buttons say... I weighed out 226g though).

All was going well, but I guess i didn't believe the guide in the manual - when it details that for various weights, once you hit 1st crack, you have X time lefttil second, and you should reduce the timer appropriately. I didn't, letting it run on - and it ran away a bit at the end. Quite a shiny French roast.

I should really have believed those figures in the manual. (But this is operator error, not the machine).

I also find the lever on the chaff tray doesn't stay pushed in without pushing on it. Moto, instead of a screwdriver, you can simply pull the tray out slightly, depress the lever, then push the whole tray in (with the door). Worked for me.

Does anyone else get smoke coming out round the door seal? Quite a lot of it - though i guess not even half of what the French roast was making. It was fairly smoky for me - maybe just the roast level.

Also - have other people managed to get the voltage setting to work? This is the one thing that I can't seem to do. I follow the procedure (for 240v), but the screen stays blank. Yet on the button test, every button is working. Is this just my unit? (Seems to roast just fine, however - just no confirmation of the set voltage on the screen)...

by **Gouezeri** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 8:48 am

Trip,
to set the voltage... follow what it says in the manual BUT, instead of using the weight buttons 1/4 1/2 1 use A B or C
that should work for you. It's an error in the manual.

by **motoman** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 9:28 am

Thanks Dom, got that sorted. Trippy's chaff tray tip works too.

Am busy today grinding up beans to give to my friends (How else can I carry on roasting unchecked).

Joe says that the leaking smoke problem will go with experience, the manual covers that. My first roast was also a bit too much but still very good with no sign of baked beans.

We will have to keep careful logs of all roasts and start a database, there is a good chance that we will get more consistant results using 240v. Judging by the US results we are starting from scratch with only Joe's guidelines to follow.

by **johnny** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 9:31 am

If you have old wiring in the house ... would setting the unit to the lower voltage be a benificial step to getting a more consistant roast ?

by **bruceb** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 9:51 am

johnny wrote:If you have old wiring in the house ... would setting the unit to the lower voltage be a benificial step to getting a more consistant roast ?

It makes sense to buy or borrow a good, reliable, accurate voltmeter and check the voltage, first without and then with the roaster running. Make sure you measure on the same line to which the roaster is connected. Try this at different times of day, with and without the dishwasher, washer and dryer turned on. House line voltage can vary sharply throughout the day and depending upon local load.

Having that data will allow one to decide whether to lower the operating voltage of the roaster. Running a 230V machine on a 240V line may have unwanted side effects (ie. premature death of heating element and/or motor(s)).

Note: Many inexpensive "multimeters" are so inaccurate that they are worthless. It's a good idea to check the instrument one is using against a reliably accurate meter, for instance one from Fluke.

by **tahoejoe** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 11:21 am

Trip..

Two things...actually three..

1) The voltage programming changed from using 1/4 etc to A, B, C... we were notified after the manuals had been printed..and then someone forgot to add a printed flyer in the box reflecting the changes..

Here is the change:

Setting voltage program:

For 220v countries while pressing program button A insert the power cord’s plug into your power source. Your system display should show 220. Now press Start. The 220 will disappear from the display and you are now ready to perform your next steps.

For 230v countries while pressing program button B insert the power cord’s plug into your power source. Your system display should show 230. Now press Start. The 230 will disappear from the display and you are now ready to perform your next steps.

For 240v countries while pressing program button C insert the power cord’s plug into your power source. Your system display should show 240. Now press Start. The 240 will disappear from the display and you are now ready to perform your next steps.

2) Smoke at the gasket.. in the manual we say we advise gently cleaning the door seal on a regular basis with a damp cloth to ensure no chaff or other particulate matter prevents a proper seal... also it is new and may take a few uses to seat itself.. each gasket has to find itself.....

3) Yes... Part V.. paragraphs 1-3.. are the Rosetta Stones...... and yes.. RT-M..

Enjoy

Joe

ps.. sorry for being a bit redundent.. just got up.. first cup in hand and started typing.. time for another cup...

by **Jaanus** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 11:51 am

Joe, what`s Your opinion on the modification i linked to earlier in this thread, for those that are still whining about smoke issues?

by **tahoejoe** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:14 pm

Jaanus..

Marcels design from freshcoffee works well according to those who have used it.. I'd actually approached asia about an adpater fashioned much like a roof jack that could attach easily. They are looking at how it can be manufactured without incurring a huge tooling fee..once decided that would take 6-9 months min. to go from idea to production..

Just to give you an idea of design to production.. the first hand made mock-up of the chaff tray went across to them June 08...

You'll really find the the issues are mainly when going dark.....

I had a newspaper reporter at my home and did a 1/2..slider open..no issues..

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/ ... ?uniontrib

by **marmhz** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 1:09 pm

My Behmor arrived yesterday. I just caught the UPS van before I had to leave for a family visit at 6 o'clock. Waited all day (and nothing came) and when you have to leave then the UPS comes ;-)

Today I've done the dry roast, then waited an our or two and then put in 226 grams of Peru organic greens.
The roast went very well, only 1st crack is pretty late compared to other home roaster (Iroast 2, Gene) and the 2nd crack is almost immediately after the first. I then hit the cool button. Cooling works quite well I think especially with the door open. The roast looked good and even, no complaints. I let them rest now for a while before cupping takes place.
The door handle annoyed me because it's a bit in front of the window. Is it possible to change that? Screw it of turn it around and screw it on?
I also had the issue with the chaff collector but I think when it's used a couple of times it will be OK.
Till now I like the Behmor more than the Gene (but maybe it's to early to say this). You can hear the cracks better, the larger bean container is a nice thing and if it falls it won't break in a thousand pieces as with the Gene. It's less expensive and it's just more Machine standing in front of you.
Drawbacks: the door handle, the weight, the short power line, the manual looks a bit cheapish.
I thought that Steve mentioned something in his Video about a little extra to cover the high shipping costs to continental Europe? Did I get that wrong?

by **tahoejoe** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 1:40 pm

marmhz..

Regarding cords and handle... blame the bureaucrats in the EU who set the standards... we are required to have a minimum clearance for the hand on the handle and can only supply a cord of specified length..

I'd have preferred to stay with the current handle..rather than have to redesign both door and handle.. but to get approvals.. to ship into the EU/ UK with GS and CE approvals I had no choice

The weight... to be lighter would be to use inferior materials and provide fewer means for cooling, smoke abatement, etc etc... and less safe in case of bean ignition..

as an aside..

Just wait till you see what they EU bureaucrats have in store next... we are already seeing/hearing discussion that all small ovens or similar high heat devices will be required to have an exterior "skin" temp of 100C (212F) or less.. manufacturing costs will sky rocket .. and will do nothing given 212F will burn the pooh out of you as will 250F...

bureaucrats trying to save you from yourself.. it's the same in all countries

by **marmhz** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 1:53 pm

I understand it now. It had to be something like that.
It's nice that you give support here on the forum Joe.

by **tahoejoe** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 1:59 pm

marmhz..

I'll do what I can... and can assure you the some of the rules and regs drive me crazy because they are so insanely stupid... but I have little choice but to comply...

Behmor 1600: first look

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