SC/TO Profiles / Q&A / Tips & Tricks

[RobertL]

Could someone share a generic roast profile with me for the sc/to? I have read through this whole thread and I know I saw a profile somewhere but I can't find it now. I remember reading the part about coasting at 350f for a few minutes and then trying to go slowly into 1C.

[peter]

Here's my basic profile, which is only altered for end of roast temps.  These time/temps are generalizations, since roasts vary w/ ambient temp, bean moisture, batch size, etc.

Bring beans to 280, start timer and let them coast to 300.  When timer shows 2:30 (or beans have begun changing from green to gold), turn heat back on full.  I use 3min. for drying phase, but there's a lag once you turn the heat on.  Set the alarm for 344.

Beans rise to 344, shut alarm off and turn heat off, start 2min30sec. countdown timer (built into the thermometer, along w/ the alarm).  Let beans coast to mid-350's, and hold there.  When 2:30 timer is done, raise heat toward 1st, and enter 1st gradually w/o stalling.

[J.Jirehs Roaster]

I like the look of that profile peter.. I may ave to try it out..

my profile (just to confuse things) I have been pre-heating to 350 or 360; add the beans and start the timer.. the temp will drop to about 180 or 190 before it heads back up: 300 degrees around 3 to 4 minutes when I get to 350 I lift the handle on the TO to turn the heat off.. when the temp stops rising (usually around 360) and I see it just starting to drop or sitting still I put the heat back on.. it will drop a few degrees (get about 2 minutes in the 350 to 375 zone) then climb to 1C.. at 1C I will start to turn on and off the heat (usually 5 seconds off and 10 seconds on as a minimum) to slow the roast but not stall.. some beans don't need this much fusing.. then its al a matter of the roast you want.. my roasts are typically 14:45 to 15:30 minutes..  mostly 15:00 to 15:15 ...  depending on the bean, day, faze of the moon, etc.  I will hear 2C around 430 to 440 degrees.

[peter]

Don't ask me why, but I think it would be better to turn off the heat with the thermostat, and leave the fan running.  Oh yeah, you split-wired yours didn't you?

[grinderz]

What are your batch sizes, Peter? I can't usually coast up 10 whole degrees without stalling.

[peter]

380g.  And doing back to back roasts, so the thing is heated up well.

[Tex]

380g.  And doing back to back roasts, so the thing is heated up well.

I may have to switch back to my SC popper - the UFO popper has difficulty stirring much more than 300 grams.

[peter]

380g.  And doing back to back roasts, so the thing is heated up well.

I may have to switch back to my SC popper - the UFO popper has difficulty stirring much more than 300 grams.

The SC could go higher, but I found that in batches 400g and over, the outside beans get roasted faster because that's the flow of the heated air - the fan sucks up in the center, blows it over the heating element and then down around the perimeter, and 380g roasts a lot more evenly.  That might could change with different stirring arms. 

I really like farmroasts contraption and the way-higher rpm of his stirring arm.

[RobertL]

Thanks for the replies, now I have a couple of good starting profiles.

[J.Jirehs Roaster]

Don't ask me why, but I think it would be better to turn off the heat with the thermostat, and leave the fan running.  Oh yeah, you split-wired yours didn't you?

yep.. that would make a difference..

380g.  And doing back to back roasts, so the thing is heated up well.

yep, my sweet spot is 14oz but I can easily get 16oz of green in with my mutation of peters stir arms

[RobertL]

I was looking at a variac on circuit specialists website in their description they say the variac is VERY popular amongst home coffee roasters. I thought I would share the link in case anyone interested.

http://www.circuitspecialists.com/variac-tdgc2-2.html?advancedsearch=true

[Tex]

I was looking at a variac on circuit specialists website in their description they say the variac is VERY popular amongst home coffee roasters. I thought I would share the link in case anyone interested.

http://www.circuitspecialists.com/variac-tdgc2-2.html?advancedsearch=true

These are the same folks that put 10 amp fuses in 5 amp variacs, right?

Anyone have experience with these Chinese variacs?

[blzrfn]

That is the variac I have been using for a month or so and it does well at controlling the heat.  Switching the power on will sometimes trip the circuit breaker in the garage, but otherwise it works much better than the router speed controllers I was using before which got very hot with back to back roasts.  The variac stays cool to the touch is really heavy which hopefully means it is built well.  Only time will tell.

[JHan816]

..

[J.Jirehs Roaster]

My second power cord to the fan motor and using the TO handle to control the heat is looking more economical the more I read..