germantownrob Senior Member Joined: 2 Dec 2007 Posts: 2,018 Location: Philadelphia Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Duetto 3, A Dead Oscar Grinder: Vario-W, Preciso w/Esatto,... Drip: Brazen Roaster: Diedrich IR-1, HT B
Posted Mon Mar 5, 2012, 1:47pm Subject: Re: Quick test on Vario timer
GDK Said:
Rob, Craig may be right. Take a mirror and place it under the grind dispensing hole to look up and see if grinds are stuck around the flap. If you see ground coffee in the pathway, get a toothpick (but break the sharp end) and gently remove the coffee. If the pathway is obstructed, then the flow coming out will be very irregular (bursts as opposed to a more steady flow) and quantity will vary quite a bit for the same time setting.
More tests with out making any grind adjustments and some wild 4.5g differences after a deep clean, the conclusion from Kyle is the motor is speeding up and slowing down. I keep my equipment clean so it functions the way it should but I do go through 4lbs on average per week, this is conservative since some weeks I am doing many shots testing new roasts to dial in profiles which could be 5lbs in a weekend. If I wore a motor out in 2+ years I would think a more average home would get 5+ years of trouble free motor operation. Even now the Vario gives perfect grind performance just not accurate times.
Edit: I don't mean to come across as being rude with my above statement, it's just this has been going on for a few months and of course a deep clean was the first thing I checked including burrs being unscrewed, shoot being kept clean of build up, belt tension, recalibration, and pounds of coffee being weighed just to be certain things where off.
Posted Mon Mar 5, 2012, 1:54pm Subject: Re: Quick test on Vario timer
germantownrob Said:
If I wore a motor out in 2+ years I would think a more average home would get 5+ years of trouble free motor operation. Even now the Vario gives perfect grind performance just not accurate times.
If the belt is too loose it may be slipping over the drive gear teeth also, affecting the motors speed. This can also happen with a dirty motor commutator & its carbon brushs.
One thing I always clean & fix on any Baratza grinder refurbishment. Also re-tweeking & resetting the brushs spring tensioners too.
That was a concern of mine as well. Kyle described the sound that makes and that is not what I am experiencing.
Kyle and I have worked things out and I must say I feel like I have been treated like royalty, couldn't be happier with the outcome. Thank you Kyle and Baratza!
I missed your thread Rob. Even though I am fundamentalist regarding single dose grinding, I had performed a very crude time-dosing test in the past. My grinder was only about 7 months old at that time and of course my grinder never encountered heavy grinding sessions as yours. LOL
germantownrob Senior Member Joined: 2 Dec 2007 Posts: 2,018 Location: Philadelphia Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Duetto 3, A Dead Oscar Grinder: Vario-W, Preciso w/Esatto,... Drip: Brazen Roaster: Diedrich IR-1, HT B
Posted Tue Mar 6, 2012, 9:33am Subject: Re: Quick test on Vario timer
Thanks for posting those results Christos, those are the results I would expect from the timer on the Vario here is attest without making any adjustments.
Sadly I like to bang my head against a wall while I try to solve a problem, if I had switched to single dosing my frustration would have been far less, lol. I have some time before all is resolved so I will take your post as a sign to remove my frustration and SD my shots. Just did it, saved me the adding more grind or taking some out, espresso tastes better when frustration is not present.
Posted Tue Mar 6, 2012, 2:49pm Subject: Re: Quick test on Vario timer
I'm also having the same problem with dose and grind changing on the same setting grinding one right after the other. I called Baratza about it and they decided to send a new grinder. It arrived today (thank god) and this morning the old one quit grinding all together,can hear the motor running but not grinding.This leads me to beleave it was caused by belt sliping. On a side note the replacement grinder sent had a different face plate than the original one. I suspected it might be the older face plate but techs at Baratza say this is the one on the newest grinders. sleep works and does keep settings when unplugged.I'm not sure what the old (pre 2010)ones looked like but the new one is on the left.
germantownrob Senior Member Joined: 2 Dec 2007 Posts: 2,018 Location: Philadelphia Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Duetto 3, A Dead Oscar Grinder: Vario-W, Preciso w/Esatto,... Drip: Brazen Roaster: Diedrich IR-1, HT B
Posted Wed Mar 14, 2012, 10:26am Subject: Re: Quick test on Vario timer
I have the Vario-W sitting side by side with my old Vario, running them both empty is night and day for the sound the motors make. Also this past week plus I have been single dosing and around mid grind the motor changes speeds or at least the motor sound varies.
A new motor is $40 from Baratza and not a very difficult swap so for anybody experiencing similar problems this should fix the issue.
I want to thank Baratza and Kyle for helping to resolve this problem and hooking me up with a refurbed W to boot at a price I couldn't refuse!
jwoodyu Senior Member Joined: 31 Dec 2010 Posts: 704 Location: Michigan Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Allex Duetto II Grinder: Mazzer Major Roaster: Poppery
Posted Wed Mar 14, 2012, 10:42am Subject: Re: Quick test on Vario timer
Very cool. I am going to run the this on my Vario and post it for grins. I am going to single dose and put a digital timer on my Major and run the same type of test just to see.
You know those people that want to tell you how to raise your kids but have none of their own? That is how i feel when someone with a kitchen appliance tells me how the merits or dis-merits of my machine or how to use it.
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