Ambex Users

[milowebailey]

Here is a photo of my 6" probe.  I've only done 1 roast with it.... kinda roasted 25 lbs with the one Ambex sent me before I put this one in.  Tomorrow I'll roast a few batches and will report on the consistancy... I'm going to try 1 1/2 lbs and see how it reads.

Larry, where did you source your 6" probe? I'm pretty sure my YM-5 doesn't have one that long and my YM-15 is a stubbie. I know my temps are off because it doesn't reach as far into the bean mass as it should.

I got it from my stash of thermocouples

I bought it a few years ago on ebay to fit into my sonofresco.

Go to www.omega.com and search for TJ36-ICSS-18G-6... It should be about $30 or you can look for one on ebay.  BTW the 36 in TJ36 is the lengh of wire in inches... if you need longer you can get an online quote for longer length.~ $1 / foot more.  You can also add an Armor shield to the outside of the wire. for a few dollars more.  They will build it how you want it.

[seldomseensmith]

If you are going to add a 6" probe, and bend it to where it needs to be, make sure when you bend it, you brace it against something about as thick as your finger. Like a small piece of a wooden dowel or something like that. Otherwise it will want to bend at 90degrees where the probe meets the inlet; it will break.

Also, make sure you're not putting the tip of the probe to close to the drum, or your temperatures will still be inaccurate, just in a different way.

That said, getting the correct length probe and placing it where it needs to be is essential. The fact that these roasters are being sold with 2" probes sticking straight into the drum makes me wonder.

[danetrainer]

The fact that these roasters are being sold with 2" probes sticking straight into the drum makes me wonder.

Yeah, it especially makes me wonder when Terry Davis did the article in this months Roast magazine about it!

[milowebailey]

I did 6 roasts yesterday with varying amounts of beans

With a 1 1/2 lb charge of green the readings are accurate.  However if I dropped down to 1.2 lbs charge it depended on the beans.  One load the temp read correctly but the second didn't.  I may try to lower the probe even lower to see if I can get consistent readings with a 1.2 lb charge.   I seldom roast only 1 lb, but it would be great if I could do it with constant temp readings.

I suspect the factory install reads environment temp.  Terry eluded to that when I spoke with him a few weeks ago.

I also finished my cooling fan modification.  With a 3 3/4 lb charge it cooled to room temperature in under 3 minutes.  I'll upload some photos and a bill of materials for folks.  I think it cost me about $125 to do the mod. with the blower ducting and blower adapters.

[MGLloyd]

^^^^^ Ay, caramba!  Now there is some cooling!

[milowebailey]

Ok, here are a couple photos.

Parts


Dayton 1TDV2 High Temperature Blower, 115 Volt, 130 CFM - Amazon.com $68
4" Flange Kit  - Growannex.com - $13 (2 flanges, 1 to connection to ambex and the other to the outlet of the blower)
Active Air 4" Flange - Growannex.com - $6 (inlet port of the blower)
4" y-pipe - Home Depot - $12
4" adjustable elbow - $5 home Depot
Aluminum Duct tape - $15
High temp gasket - Furnace supply store $10 (used between the steel plate and the blower and the steel plate and the outlet flange)
6"x6" steel plate (had to make a round to rectangular adapter for the outlet port of the blower) $10

Total ~$139

[mp]

Well done Larry!

 :icon_thumleft:

[milowebailey]

I ran into a glitch today.  Must be the atmospheric pressure.... but smoke started come out the been cooler... so I turned the cooling fan on... about 30 seconds later smoke blowing out the bottom of the roaster.... I think I either need a separate exhaust through the window for the bean cooler or a backdraft damper in the bean cooler line..... but boy does it cool the beans!

[Stubbie]

My USRC uses a separate duct for the cooling tray...

-Stubbie