Pull out your bugles, just in case.
After 6 years, my Gene is limping. Even with 45 minutes between roasts, with successive roasts, it has progressively more difficulty reaching and sustaining desired temps. Spent about 20 minutes talking with Tim Skaling at Freshbeans.
Tim suggests that it is either an ailing fan or motherboard going whacky (I have replaced both as well as heater over the years). I didn't understand Tim's reasoning for suggesting the fan but I have found him responsive, accurate, and knowledgeable about the Gene over the years. I have a fan on the way to me from Utah. If it is the motherboard, the unit is going in the basement and will be a 'parts machine,' and I will grab a new Gene until I have saved enough to pull the trigger on a US Roasters' 1 lb sampler. I am content for the interim with the Gene and find it perfect for my present demands. Retirement, next summer, is another discussion.