JohnLyn Senior Member Joined: 15 Aug 2011 Posts: 228 Location: Golden, BC, Canada Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: La Spaziale Mini Vivaldy Grinder: Vario Drip: Bonavita Roaster: Toastess popper
Posted Mon Mar 11, 2013, 10:48am Subject: Re: The Baratza Vario Grinder Owner's Thread
Hey all, I would just like to get some Vario advice. in the last couple of months I have been finding that 2-3 nothched of micro adjustment doesn't seem to be affecting my grind. Same dose (weighed), same tamp, same machine (pressure and Temp), but no change in the flow of my shot. This was not the case before. I am not sure why and I am waiting to hear back from idrinkcoffee and Baratza. any ideas?
IMAWriter Senior Member Joined: 4 Jul 2002 Posts: 5,464 Location: Brentwood, TN Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Nothing at the moment Grinder: Vario-W,Preciso-Esatto/KyM... Vac Pot: Adcraft SS, Yama 8 cup Drip: Brazen.Chemex, Hario, Clever... Roaster: Behmor 1600, CO/UFO combo
Posted Mon Mar 11, 2013, 11:20am Subject: Re: The Baratza Vario Grinder Owner's Thread
JohnLyn Said:
Hey all, I would just like to get some Vario advice. in the last couple of months I have been finding that 2-3 nothched of micro adjustment doesn't seem to be affecting my grind. Same dose (weighed), same tamp, same machine (pressure and Temp), but no change in the flow of my shot. This was not the case before. I am not sure why and I am waiting to hear back from idrinkcoffee and Baratza. any ideas?
You've obviously got good technique to get consistent results. Perhaps you just need to clean the grinder thoroughly, removing the upper and lower burrs. Sometimes a bit of coffee residue gets under the lower burr. make sure to run the Macro and Micro arms up an down a few times. A little compressed air in the slot of each arm wouldn't be a bad idea. When you've reassembled, I'd recommend another 2mm calibration, just for grins.
Posted Mon Mar 11, 2013, 11:41am Subject: Re: The Baratza Vario Grinder Owner's Thread
another good Idea while servicing check the setscrew on the motor pulley to make sure it's still secure. I've had mine come loose in the past (most recent 2 days ago) and it will chew the motor shaft a good bit. I've resorted this time to using a drop of locktite to keep from spinning out. if you notice your grinder vibrating more than normal this is one of the causes.
Posted Mon Mar 11, 2013, 11:53am Subject: Re: The Baratza Vario Grinder Owner's Thread
wsfarrell Said:
Something I haven't seen a lot of discussion on (I searched): it seems to be fairly easy to strip (round off) the Vario adjustment tool. I've done it a couple of times. It's tricky to diagnose. It just seems like the adjustment screw gets easier to turn, but has no effect. As soon as I got a "real" hardened hex key, the issue went away--adjustment was quick and positive. Maybe my adjustment screw is just really tight, I don't know. Anyway, it's something to consider if the original tool doesn't seem to have much of an an effect.
When adjusting finer, I've seen the steel square "C" channel that the grinds adjustment screw butts up against bent & damaged into a reverse "U" (caved in due to excessive cranking/turning down on going too fine) on Varios I've serviced. Of course when going coarser it loosens the adjustment mechanism & the turning gets easier.
See my previous posts for pics.
Edit: I'm working on a customers Vario right now, so I'm posting two pics about what I'm referring too. You can see on the far right the imprint of the 2.5 mm hex screw.
greekespresso Senior Member Joined: 27 Jul 2011 Posts: 170 Location: Ptolemaida, Greece Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Rancilio Silvia V3, Gaggia... Grinder: Mahlkönig Vario Home, Anfim...
Posted Mon Mar 11, 2013, 2:28pm Subject: Re: The Baratza Vario Grinder Owner's Thread
Dear Craig, I would be very grateful and I believe a few hundreds more here If you find some time and give us some info with pictures or diagrams of how the adjustment mechanism of Vario works. I am approaching almost 2 years of ownership of the Vario and I am completely clueless of how the bottom burr moves and locks into position.
For instance my understanding is that the bottom burr cannot be moved down from the sliding arms when there is no beans to push it. Is that correct? How come is that? Please shed us some light on the above.
Posted Mon Mar 11, 2013, 3:57pm Subject: Re: The Baratza Vario Grinder Owner's Thread
Hi Christos,
It seems the more I've tried to explain things (pics, descriptions, etc), the more it seems to confuse people..
I believe that Baratzashould have blow up schematics of ALL their grinders (Like Mazzer does {dealers like 1st-line, EPNW Espresso Parts NorthWest}, etc) on their web site to put to rest the confusion that people have with their grinders.
I'll see what I can/could do, but all I have is my cheap webcam that I take all my pics with., & most of the parts are put up on top of my computer tower so I can take the pics there.., so I'm kind of limited to what I can do.
greekespresso Said:
For instance my understanding is that the bottom burr cannot be moved down from the sliding arms when there is no beans to push it. Is that correct? How come is that? Please shed us some light on the above.
The bottom burr does not move down from the sliding arms.. The bottom burr holder assembly can side vertically up & down inside its respective white resin housing/receiver inside a bronze bushing that's installed inside the bottom of this plastic housing.
Pictured below is the concave/scalloped brass piece that sits inside the steel square "C" channel. This is where the end of the lower burr carriers shaft resides & spins against. With the two adjuster arms Macro & Micro, the horizontal cam shaped arm., square steel |_| channel.., this acts like a fulcrum/teeter totter to move the whole lower burr carrier vertically up & down.
The Macro (coarse) adjuster arm & the Micro (fine) adjuster plastic arm are conected together by a stainless steel rod & the Micro arm moving the shaft has a concentric shaped cam area lengthwise {think camshaft shape}, but have separate functions within themselves.
It's really too hard to describe it so someone can picture it all visually. The ONLY way is to just get in there & take apart your grinder to see how all the inner parts work. That's what I did, I took apart my Vario to teach myself how it all worked. Same with all the other models too. {;-)
greekespresso Senior Member Joined: 27 Jul 2011 Posts: 170 Location: Ptolemaida, Greece Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Rancilio Silvia V3, Gaggia... Grinder: Mahlkönig Vario Home, Anfim...
Posted Tue Mar 12, 2013, 12:18am Subject: Re: The Baratza Vario Grinder Owner's Thread
Thank you Craig for all your effort to give me some description of how the adjustment mechanism works. I have now a slightly better understanding but I am still hoping that someone will find the opportunity to support the above text with pictures (Baratza maby?).
There is a very slim chance for me to dismantle mine. At present, I cannot afford any accidental damage that I might cause to the grinder.
JohnLyn Senior Member Joined: 15 Aug 2011 Posts: 228 Location: Golden, BC, Canada Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: La Spaziale Mini Vivaldy Grinder: Vario Drip: Bonavita Roaster: Toastess popper
Posted Wed Mar 13, 2013, 6:54am Subject: Re: The Baratza Vario Grinder Owner's Thread
IMAWriter Said:
You've obviously got good technique to get consistent results. Perhaps you just need to clean the grinder thoroughly, removing the upper and lower burrs. Sometimes a bit of coffee residue gets under the lower burr. make sure to run the Macro and Micro arms up an down a few times. A little compressed air in the slot of each arm wouldn't be a bad idea. When you've reassembled, I'd recommend another 2mm calibration, just for grins.
Whoa! I have now discovered that what I thought I have been doing for cleaning was not cleaning at all. I have been afraid to pull the burrs out because I am not a fix it guy. but after talking with Colin at Baratza and went ahead and did it. I found a lot of grinds in there and I found that the shut was pretty gummed up. Everything is cleaned, reassembled and re-calibrated. I'm learning!!
Two things I find now, one is that the grinds are fluffier and have more volume?? two, although there is definitely a difference from coarsest setting to finest, the coarse setting is well shy of what I would want for a french press. I only use the grinder for espresso but I was surprised to discover that. Does that make sense?
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