HotTop....B or P?

[BoldJava]

I have never gotten a complete answer.

Can the Hot Top be vented?

[sosha]

B.  Less money = mo betta.   Can always upgrade. 😀

[smico]

I have never gotten a complete answer.

Can the Hot Top be vented?

Someone on Ebay was selling custom build fitting, but not any more.  See pictures on HRO http://www.homeroasters.org/php/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=2978
I still keep mine under the kitchen hood and cardboard box as a chimney to direct smoke.
Works very well.

[BoldJava]

thanks

[smico]

B.  Less money = mo betta.   Can always upgrade.

Good choice.  Only upgrade from where you are is to invest in mods.

[sosha]

I have never gotten a complete answer.

Can the Hot Top be vented?

I roast in a screened in patio with a tin roof.  Just turn on the fans afterwards.

[sonnyhad]

I'd rather walk into a house full of smoke after roasting coffee, than after cooking fish!!!

[sosha]

Ok, it's here!   I've been learning the manual, and trying to read thru the wealth of info online.  But I've got a couple beginner questions.

How do I get it to run in full manual?  It talks about unplugging the unit, then plugging it back in.  But it keeps kicking into auto, a preprogrammed 18 minute roast.

Must it beep so damn much?  It beeps 10x at 397, and, if I don't hit a button, it ejects the beans! 

Any advice is appreciated. 

Patty

[GC7]

Hi Patty

It's been a long time since I started from Auto but you first need to create your profile.  From the auto selection first I would increase the time of the full roast to 25 minutes and start then the roaster. Let it heat up to the prescribed auto preheating (167*) when it beeps at you to add beans and then immediately move the controller to the heat position and change it it to a number that will further preheat the roaster to a desired/better temperature (I start on heat =8 usually until the roaster timer hits 21.5 minutes when I add the beans and move the heater up to 9 or 10 depending on bean type). During the preheat time as soon as possible put on the fan for a moment and turn it up then back to off as quickly as possible. That will put the fan in full manual control as well. You can now change heat and fan to suit your needs and at the end of the roast just save that profile. I generally add fan when bean temperature reaches 300* and lower heat when bean temperature reaches 380* (10* or so before 1C). You can then start another roast with that profile and modify if you wish and save that as #2. That probably came out as gibberish but ask any question and I'll try to answer.

[smico]

Alarms are safety fetaures probably built in to obtain safety certificates.  Just press circular select button as soon as you hear the sound.

1.  If you reach 397 within 8:30 min, alarm will sound.  This is to guard agains running empty roaster.
2.  410 - you can continue
3.  428 - end of roast - immediate eject.

[sosha]

Cool......now I know how to stop the beep. 

What temp do you drop the beans?

[smico]

I don't read display temperatures at all, but in general much higher than recommended in manual...  For 250g of hard beans 180C, sometimes 210C.  160C for soft.

You should look at some profiles that Rick posted in the HT thread: http://www.greencoffeebuyingclub.com/index.php?topic=4846.msg277318#new  and elsewhere.  I found his profiles very comprehensive.

[sosha]

I'm working my way thru that thread.

[rgrosz78]

I don't read display temperatures at all, but in general much higher than recommended in manual...  For 250g of hard beans 180C, sometimes 210C.  160C for soft.

You should look at some profiles that Rick posted in the HT thread: http://www.greencoffeebuyingclub.com/index.php?topic=4846.msg277318#new  and elsewhere.  I found his profiles very comprehensive.

This Stash Management post has a link to the Excel file (before I installed thermocouples in the Hottop). My Excel file has VERY detailed notes of about 1 year's roasts, maybe more detail than you want to see.

Warning - I loaded the beans at lower temps than most do, using display temps of 215 F to 300 F. This means it takes longer to get to first crack (not good). Better to use display temps of 300 F to 400 F, depending on bean type.

[sonnyhad]

Sosha, if you would, I'd like to know how things are going with the new roaster. I'm on the fence about moving up from the behmor.