Sonofresco / Q&A / Tip & Tricks

[jimbo]

I use a  type K thin wire, beaded-end thermocouple that I loop over the glass and suspend ~3" from the bottom of the roast chamber. With this setup I can judge the bean mass temps - much more accurate than environmental temps.

I used this in milo's Sono and recorded the temps of each roast - but like a dummy I tossed my notes when I sold the roaster. Now I'm beginning to build my notes again, so I should be able to roast just by temp.

To my mind this is the only way to go with a Sono. The glass gets smudgy, so you can't depend on color. The noise level is such that 2nd crack is tough to monitor.

Thanks for that! That's helpful info.  SM has one for $29. 

[Tex]

I use a  type K thin wire, beaded-end thermocouple that I loop over the glass and suspend ~3" from the bottom of the roast chamber. With this setup I can judge the bean mass temps - much more accurate than environmental temps.

I used this in milo's Sono and recorded the temps of each roast - but like a dummy I tossed my notes when I sold the roaster. Now I'm beginning to build my notes again, so I should be able to roast just by temp.

To my mind this is the only way to go with a Sono. The glass gets smudgy, so you can't depend on color. The noise level is such that 2nd crack is tough to monitor.

Thanks for that! That's helpful info.  SM has one for $29.

Once you're roasting to temp, you can use a higher program setting, because you'll always turn the gas off at whatever temp you choose. The selected program is just a way to get to the desired temp - not an end-point for your roast.

[Tex]

Here's an early video, before I had a decent thermometer; and yes that's a PID I have hooked up to monitor temps. You can see the t/c looped over the glass.

2009-04-23: Milo's Sonofresco coffee roaster

[milowebailey]

Here's an early video, before I had a decent thermometer; and yes that's a PID I have hooked up to monitor temps. You can see the t/c looped over the glass.

Hey, isn't that my sono?

[mp]

Here's an early video, before I had a decent thermometer; and yes that's a PID I have hooked up to monitor temps. You can see the t/c looped over the glass.

Hey, isn't that my sono?

 

[Tex]

Here's an early video, before I had a decent thermometer; and yes that's a PID I have hooked up to monitor temps. You can see the t/c looped over the glass.

Hey, isn't that my sono?

No, that's a stainless steel model - I sent you the red one. Haven't you received it yet?

[1981er]

Tex, I used your method with the TC but ran it under the chaff screen, in through the chaff collector.  Prior to this I had it sitting tight next to the Sono sensor and was concerned about stalling right in the middle of 1c (as I was seeing temp swings of 20~F).  Running it all the way down into the glass chamber gave what I think to be much more accurate temps by a difference of around 20 degrees.  Also, when the gas would cycle I'd see temp drops of 5-10 degrees as opposed to the 20.  I'm guessing internal bean temps to be a bit less than that. 

Were you concerned about running the TC over the glass and leaving a gap in the seal between glass/ o-ring?  I will try that next as when using my method, it's kind of a pain to extract through the chaff collector and while doing so it makes more chaff fall down to the beans.  Not a big deal with a shop vac handy but takes another minute or two.

[Tex]

I've never had any problems looping the t/c over the top of the glass, but I do use a very thin wire thermocouple (30 AWG). I also prefer the PFA sheathing as opposed to the braided fiberglass.

I get these in 5-packs: 5SRTC-TT-K-30-36, they are 36" long and have male mini-connectors on them.

[Tex]

I wonder if these would work in a Sono, in place of the OEM RTD?
 
 http://www.omega.com/ppt/pptsc.asp?ref=RTD-2-F3105-DINB-5PK&Nav=temc06
 
 $82 for 5 is more to my liking! I'd need a sleeve for the tip (or reuse the old one) and a connector.
 
 

[1981er]

Thinking about taking this on the road but looking to avoid using a gas generator.  Anyone run the Sono using an inverter?  I spoke with the folks at Sono today and they mentioned some of the cheaper inverters may have sine wave issues -- producing square/ sawtooth waveforms.  I was thinking about using this one:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=125-326
• Output power: 1,500 watts continuous, 3,000 watts surge • AC outlets: 3 • Output waveform: Modified sine wave • Output voltage: 115 VAC RMS ±5% • Output frequency: 60 Hz ±2 Hz • Dimensions: 9.35" L x 8.8" W x 3.27" H.

It's likely that it would not blow the control board and I'd just get an error message and then go into cooldown mode, but I'm not sure I want to take the risk.  Any thoughts?

[Tex]

Thinking about taking this on the road but looking to avoid using a gas generator.  Anyone run the Sono using an inverter?  I spoke with the folks at Sono today and they mentioned some of the cheaper inverters may have sine wave issues -- producing square/ sawtooth waveforms.  I was thinking about using this one:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=125-326
• Output power: 1,500 watts continuous, 3,000 watts surge • AC outlets: 3 • Output waveform: Modified sine wave • Output voltage: 115 VAC RMS ±5% • Output frequency: 60 Hz ±2 Hz • Dimensions: 9.35" L x 8.8" W x 3.27" H.

It's likely that it would not blow the control board and I'd just get an error message and then go into cooldown mode, but I'm not sure I want to take the risk.  Any thoughts?

I ran milo's Sono using a Honda like this, with no problems. But I'm not sure I'd risk my $3,000 roaster on something like that: I'd first take it over to Mr Spain's house and try it on his roaster first?

[milowebailey]

Thinking about taking this on the road but looking to avoid using a gas generator.  Anyone run the Sono using an inverter?  I spoke with the folks at Sono today and they mentioned some of the cheaper inverters may have sine wave issues -- producing square/ sawtooth waveforms.  I was thinking about using this one:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=125-326
• Output power: 1,500 watts continuous, 3,000 watts surge • AC outlets: 3 • Output waveform: Modified sine wave • Output voltage: 115 VAC RMS ±5% • Output frequency: 60 Hz ±2 Hz • Dimensions: 9.35" L x 8.8" W x 3.27" H.

It's likely that it would not blow the control board and I'd just get an error message and then go into cooldown mode, but I'm not sure I want to take the risk.  Any thoughts?

don't do it.  The motor in the Sono will not like the wave form.  From the specs

Output waveform: Modified sine wave

Here is the kind you want if you are going to use an inverter (pure sinewave).

http://www.donrowe.com/inverters/puresine.html

[1981er]

Thanks guys..  That was the feeling I got after speaking with the folks at Sono and researching the modified sine wave vs pure sinewave.

[jspain]

Thinking about taking this on the road but looking to avoid using a gas generator.  Anyone run the Sono using an inverter?  I spoke with the folks at Sono today and they mentioned some of the cheaper inverters may have sine wave issues -- producing square/ sawtooth waveforms.  I was thinking about using this one:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=125-326
• Output power: 1,500 watts continuous, 3,000 watts surge • AC outlets: 3 • Output waveform: Modified sine wave • Output voltage: 115 VAC RMS ±5% • Output frequency: 60 Hz ±2 Hz • Dimensions: 9.35" L x 8.8" W x 3.27" H.

It's likely that it would not blow the control board and I'd just get an error message and then go into cooldown mode, but I'm not sure I want to take the risk.  Any thoughts?

I ran milo's Sono using a Honda like this, with no problems. But I'm not sure I'd risk my $3,000 roaster on something like that: I'd first take it over to Mr Spain's house and try it on his roaster first?

I'd be happy to let you experiment on mine!! You'll need to head over to Canonsburg, Pa. and ask her new owner bojen if it's available for experimentation!!! I'm no longer a Sono owner. BTW, just like a good old girlfriend, "I miss her already!" 

[1981er]

I don't think I realized how vital having the sono perfectly level is.  For a while it was close but when I took out a level and made it exact, all the small dead zones disappeared and I see much more bean movement.  Finishing temps still seem to be reached early though -- many times I'm having to manually shut down around the 10 min mark just before or at the first snaps of 2c.  Still seems fast... Are you other Sono users hitting 2c around the 10-11 mark?