Preparing to place order

[omfgkaleidoscope]

Hi guys, I'm nearly ready to place my order. Is there anything I've missed?

Huky 500T
- Solid drum
- 72 RPM motor
- Quick connect
- All digital BT, ET, and extra MET thermocouples
- Infrared stove (with Needle valve & Gas Pressure gauge)
- Exhaust bowl
- Extra sieve/tray
- Extra fan
- Extra funnel
- Extra motor set (Motor,Box,Switch)
    - Does anyone have thoughts on this? Do I really need the full set, or just the extra motor?
- Extra ceramic bearings

I already have a Phidget 1048, and I'll be getting either a Variac or some sort of variable speed fan controller. I'll be piggybacking off my dryer exhaust vent to pipe the roast exhaust out of my basement, so I feel good there.

Thanks!

Edit: also, what are your thoughts on 48 vs 72 RPM motors?

[SusanJoM]

- Extra motor set (Motor,Box,Switch)
    - Does anyone have thoughts on this? Do I really need the full set, or just the extra motor?

Edit: also, what are your thoughts on 48 vs 72 RPM motors?

If you are getting the solid drum, you want the 72 rpm motor.  If you were getting the perforated drum you would probably want the 48 rpm motor.   (I say probably, because  you could still get the 72 rpm motor and add a gizmo that would allow you to make it variable ....slower.)

If you are getting a second motor as a back-up in case your original one burns out, you probably just need a motor.  If you are getting a second so you can experiment with the different speed (as in if you are getting both a solid and a perforated drum), you might well want it already mounted so you don't have to do a bunch of soldering.

Here's a picture of the motor set.  The motor itself is inside it.  A replacement would have to be wired and soldered into that cylinder.

[omfgkaleidoscope]

Thanks for the info, that clears it up for me. My experience with motors and bearings is that they should be expected to die, so it's just for backup. I prefer the idea of the solid drum for the thermal mass as I don't believe a machine this small needs a perforated drum for anything truly critical.

Any pro tips before I place my order?

Thanks!

[SusanJoM]

  I don't believe a machine this small needs a perforated drum for anything truly useful.

What would make a perforated drum 'useful'.  I consider it just a different style rather than a utilitarian choice, so I'm curious.

[omfgkaleidoscope]

I edited it to say "critical" instead as "useful" isn't what I really meant.

I'm looking at it from a mechanical engineering perspective. In a larger commercial machine I can see how a solid vs perforated drum could drastically change the dynamics of roasting, but in such a small machine with small charge weights, it seems to me that it wouldn't have that great an impact. From what I've read on this great forum, it does change the roast and require a different approach, but not to an objectively measurable degree where you could positively identify a major difference in the quality and flavor of the roasted beans.

Have you experimented with both solid and perforated?

[SusanJoM]

Nope.
I'm a perf 

[hankua]

You might want to consider getting the 48rpm motor set, and a spare 72rpm replacement motor. Or just get the motor replacement, and expect to take an hour or two for the change.

[omfgkaleidoscope]

That an interesting thought, can you elaborate on why I might do that?

[hankua]

Sure!
In the event you have to swap out the motor, why not take some time for the job (requires a bit if soldering). This is not a common occurrence by the way.

With the second gear motor you can swap back and forth, compare, then possible use the alternate motor (larger charges slower drum speeds, smaller charges higher drum speeds).

Duplicating the original motor box and speed seems like a waste to me.

[omfgkaleidoscope]

Do you know if these motors are AC or DC? If they're DC it may be a relatively easy (but non-trivial) side project to put a controller in place to make the speed variable. I don't have any experience with AC motor control, but it might be possible.

[SusanJoM]

Hank, I'm curious:  Are you suggesting he could pair a 48 rpm motor with his solid drum?   Or are you suggesting he buy a second motor and a second drum.

[edtbjon]

Do you know if these motors are AC or DC? If they're DC it may be a relatively easy (but non-trivial) side project to put a controller in place to make the speed variable. I don't have any experience with AC motor control, but it might be possible.

They are 24V DC motors, getting fed by a typical home inkjet printer transformer. As many printers seem to run at 18, 18.5, 19 or 20V you can easily find transformers to take down the speed of a 72rpm motor. (You do loose some torque too, but unless you intend to run 500g charges, that doesn't really matter.) I'm not certain if feeding a 24V motor with e.g. 18V takes it down to exactly 75% of the rpm (54...), but you're in that ballpark.

[omfgkaleidoscope]

Do you know if these motors are AC or DC? If they're DC it may be a relatively easy (but non-trivial) side project to put a controller in place to make the speed variable. I don't have any experience with AC motor control, but it might be possible.

They are 24V DC motors, getting fed by a typical home inkjet printer transformer. As many printers seem to run at 18, 18.5, 19 or 20V you can easily find transformers to take down the speed of a 72rpm motor. (You do loose some torque too, but unless you intend to run 500g charges, that doesn't really matter.) I'm not certain if feeding a 24V motor with e.g. 18V takes it down to exactly 75% of the rpm (54...), but you're in that ballpark.

Thanks for the info. The wide world of DC motor control is pretty well documented, it may be a fun endeavor to look into. I haven't done any work in that arena myself, outside of calculations and homework in college when I took a class on embedded systems. Regardless, it's likely not something I will do any time soon - just an interesting thought.

What's the story on the solid/72rpm perforated/48rpm requirement?

[edtbjon]

What's the story on the solid/72rpm perforated/48rpm requirement?

The solid drum and 72rpm motor was at first a special order from user SlickRock over at HomeBarista.com. You can see the whole story in his very comprehensive 3 piece article/review of the Huky written in 2013 (or so). Lots of good info in those threads, which made me buy a Huky.

[hankua]

Hank, I'm curious:  Are you suggesting he could pair a 48 rpm motor with his solid drum?   Or are you suggesting he buy a second motor and a second drum.

Don't see why not, your using it with the perforated drum. The slower motor ought to be just fine for roasting full charges, and it use the faster one for light loads. For a backup just the core 72rpm ought to be fine.