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Behmor and Thermocouple

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Discussions > Coffee > Home Roast > Behmor and...

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Oriondriver
Senior Member

Joined: 12 Jan 2013
Posts: 7
Location: Prattville
Expertise: Just starting

Espresso: Saeco Magic Comfort+
Grinder: Cuisinart Burr Grinder
Vac Pot: Cory Vintage
Drip: Cuisinart Grind and Brew
Roaster: Behmor 1600

Posted Sat Jan 12, 2013, 7:22am Subject: Behmor and Thermocouple

Greetings all... let me start by saying that I am brand new to this obsession and already hooked... as a long time homebrewer it was a natural evolution to get into coffee roasting... much like homebrewing I love the art and science behind coffee roasting and being a Type A, OCD kind of person I am driven by tracking measurements and statistics.... hence my questions... I have spent a couple of days scouring the internet for ideas on how to best add the ability of tracking temperature in my new Behmor 1600.. which I already love... I have only done about a dozen roasts so far but the coffee has been really good and now I want to better understand what is going on so I can understand the nuances to taking good coffee to great coffee.... so... What is the best method for adding temperature tracking to Behmor 1600? The K Type Thermocouple seems to fit the bill... what is everyone using? What is the best location for thermocouple? Are you using a logging system? Are you doing it manually? Do you use an app or software program to document your roast history? Thanks in advance for any assistance is helping me passify my OCD tendencies... Oriondriver

JKalpin
Senior Member

Joined: 28 Dec 2008
Posts: 707
Location: Thornhill, Ontario Canada
Expertise: I love coffee

Espresso: Aerobie Aeropress
Grinder: Baratza Maestro Plus
Vac Pot: Yama 5-Cup
Drip: Krups Moka Brew, BraZen
Roaster: Freshroast+8, Behmor 1600

Posted Sat Jan 12, 2013, 9:33am Subject: Re: Behmor and Thermocouple

Welcome to the forum ...!! Temperature tracking in the Behmor is difficult because it's VERY hard to fish a thermocouple into the drum. However, maybe I'm 'over thinking' the problem; there might be good value to measuring the temperature of the exhaust air (square) duct through one of the holes on the top rear. It would not be the real bean temperature but the ups-and-downs would be proportional. On my previous roaster I used a type K thermocouple. It is in the right range and there is a large variety of them at low cost. At the time I used a TENMA model 72-7712 purchased on sale from MCM Electronics look here. It is a thermocouple reader but it is also a flexible data logger. The App Software I use is Roastmaster for the iPad (or iPhone or iPod Touch) made by Rainfrog, look here. It is an exceptional piece of software that lets you track your roasting process and also minds your greens inventory. In Ver. 4, Danny Hall has provided a 'solution' for those who want to see both the appropriate Behmor profile ...and also temperature profiles. He does it with 'Phidgets' PC on a board and WiFi and it is not cheap. OTOH, if you have a yen to do a bit of programming as a learning experience (or you know how to do it already) it might be just right for you. However, bear in mind that the Behmor is a 'simple roaster' without much adjustability. I do not need the extra expense and complication ...to produce a good roast. Nevertheless, remember: Here in Coffee Geekdom we do all kinds of experiments that seem unlikely at first but end up advancing the art and science of making good coffee. So if you are interested, jump in ...and don't forget to post your results.

Jerry

Posted Sat Jan 12, 2013, 10:07am Subject: Re: Behmor and Thermocouple

Thanks for the quick response... couple of thoughts.... I already had my eye on Roastmaster... even contacted the owner about option to convert to Android... not going to happen... so now I have an excuse to buy an iPad Mini... :-) Initial thoughts... getting the TC in the right spot will add more precision.... a. Has anyone tried to drill out the end of the drum and insert a TC probe such that the drum spins around the TC which resides stationary in the middle of the drum? b. Would it better to drill a hole in the side of the Chaff Tray and insert a probe that would be suspended under the drum but protected from direct heat from the heating elements? Thoughts?

efilive
Senior Member

Joined: 28 Dec 2007
Posts: 159
Location: los angeles
Expertise: I live coffee

Espresso: Expobar Brewtus II
Grinder: Macap M4D/Rocky Doserless
Drip: capresso aroma...
Roaster: Behmor 1600

Posted Sun Jan 13, 2013, 10:59am Subject: Re: Behmor and Thermocouple

A couple of people have done the hole in the drum mod. It's hard to say if it's possible to get meaningful information from a thermocouple in a Behmor. I've done 100 roasts or so with 2 thermocouples in place as have a number of my users. it certainly makes roasting more interesting and has helped me better understand the roast cycle and get more consistent roasts. If you've a PC, I also have software for coffee roasting. Ira

The guy who wrote RoasterThing www.RoasterThing.com

Posted Sun Jan 13, 2013, 11:11am Subject: Re: Behmor and Thermocouple

Thanks Ira... been playing around with RT... couple of questions... Where do you place your TCs in Behmor? I assume the TCs plug into the logging box? Then the box into a PC? Then info during a roast is automatically logged in RT? Thanks!

Posted Sun Jan 13, 2013, 10:32pm Subject: Re: Behmor and Thermocouple

I have one hooked over the left edge of the old style chaff tray and one on the bottom just under the edge of the chaff tray. Yes, there is a place for 2 thermocouples. Into a USB port Yes, the temperatures are displayed and logged. I believe if you look at some of the last roasts in the sample data you can see some of the logged roasts I did. I've covered my chaff tray with foil to try and keep the heat in. Cut the roast time by over a minute. I struggle a lot with consistency and so I have recently started pre-heating till the machine won't re-start and then putting the beans in quickly at the instant it will start again. When I try to pre-heat till it will just start I fail too often. Ira

The guy who wrote RoasterThing www.RoasterThing.com

yakster
Senior Member

Joined: 25 Feb 2009
Posts: 1,006
Location: San Jose, CA
Expertise: I live coffee

Espresso: Gaggia Factory / La Peppina...
Grinder: Vario / Kyocera
Vac Pot: Yama 8 + Pyrex Lox-in Rod
Drip: Brazen / Kalita / Chemex /...
Roaster: Behmor

Posted Mon Jan 14, 2013, 5:26pm Subject: Re: Behmor and Thermocouple

I use RoasterThing and thermocouples to monitor my roasts. One thermocouple is mounted just below the bottom heating element, with the wire run under the chaff tray that allows me to get a bead on the max heat output. For the longest time I just left the other thermocouple on my desk measuring outside air temp, but that's pretty boring so I recently stuck it in the vent of my Behmor to see what information I could get. The exhaust fan doesn't run on the Behmor for five to seven or so minutes depending on the load size, but once it does, you start getting readings of the exhaust temps. While I've only done maybe a dozen or so roasts with the thermocouple lazily stuck in the vent, the exhaust temp seems to be more directly proportional to bean temps than my other probe and for 1/2 # batch sizes most of the roasts hit first crack when this temp probe crosses 300°F. I chose this location because it's very easy to use, no mods needed, and it seems to provide some useful feedback. (Click for larger image)

-Chris LMWDP # 272

rarebear
Senior Member

Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Posts: 212
Location: Rex. Georgia USA
Expertise: I love coffee

Espresso: Fiorenzata Bricoletta
Grinder: Mazzer Mini
Vac Pot: Yama 8C
Roaster: Hot Top B2

Posted Tue Jan 15, 2013, 12:28am Subject: Re: Behmor and Thermocouple

I have a Roaster Thing Interface board for sale if I can find it.. Make me an offer..

Burner0000
Senior Member

Joined: 28 Jul 2011
Posts: 397
Location: Kitchener. Ontario Canada
Expertise: Professional

Espresso: Rancilio Silvia, VFA Expres...
Grinder: Macap MX/VFA N1464/Kyocera...
Drip: Manual Drip, French Press
Roaster: Behmor 1600 / Sonofresco

Posted Tue Jan 15, 2013, 1:35pm Subject: Re: Behmor and Thermocouple

I know a K-type probe fit's under the front door of the roaster. Has anyone tried placing the probe under the drum close to or possibly touching the drum? That's almost direct contact with the beans. Some thermal tape should hold it in place. It would at least give drum temp.

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