FotonDrv wrote:200C drop is what I have been using but it is dependent on charge weight and bean type.

What is the charge weight you use? I use 225gr.

Could it be thermocouple placement or type?

200C is a mere 10C higher than very early 1c cracks. I'll have to try it...

theres alot to read in this thread. Is there a good location for perhaps the top 5 or 10 mods for a quest m3? Trying to decide a huky or quest m3 but also trying to understand which requires the most mods for a great roaster.

I believe the new production Quests are coming with the drum we're all talking about. I've never personally used a Huky but I think you will really like using this roaster.

amagad wrote:theres alot to read in this thread. Is there a good location for perhaps the top 5 or 10 mods for a quest m3? Trying to decide a huky or quest m3 but also trying to understand which requires the most mods for a great roaster.

Most mods for what?

I am a telemetry and Arduino and measurement* junky - so stuffing the machine (whichever) with K-type thermocouples and using a roaster scope application (I love Artisan) was a no-brainer. Probe placement has its own strengths and weaknesses...

I used the roaster with the original drum (no longer in production) for 5 years and had awesome results. The drilled drum gives me great results as well - and it is easier to get there. Some people cut the louvre - I have yet to. I added a chimney (my SO was pregnant and became overly sensitive of the smoke).

There are other mods that are conveniences - like outboarding a cooling fan, printing a chute to insert beans, an LED light to monitor the color, etc.

Here is my though about your question: buy a roaster - use it, learn how to extract the optimal quality from the roaster - and then (based on what you want to do) make changes. Forget about making the changes prior to using the roaster.

E.g. assume you like to roast well into 2nd C - I am not sure how any of these mods relate to you. Perhaps more - perhaps less. I never get that far so my ideas and observations would be worthless... FutonDrv roasts to 200C. I drop at 210C. Are our observations consistent? Should we make identical mods? Even Jim Schulman's recipe (which many of us started with) is no longer relevant (2017 vs. 2010 quest are different machines).

As for which machine? I like the Quest - but I've heard nothing but good things about the Huky. If there is any "inconvenience" for me with the Quest - it is the charge - I'd prefer if it were a 500gr roaster.

*Not just for roasting coffee, espresso machine and grinder, cooking (sous vide, refractometers for candy and ice cream) electronics, metrology, audio and many other disciplines.

FotonDrv wrote:Thanks Tom!

I will be working on my own Quest in the not to distant future, but first I have a cooling tray rack to build for you.

Cheers,

Stephen

Stephen, just got M3s and the handles I have seen on this post that you do are amazing. Is it possible to contact you about these?

Regards,

Goducks

Q on use of Coffee Shrub TC for Quest M3

I have looked for this topic, but don't recall seeing it, so will ask (sorry if replication). Just got new M3 and ordered the TC that CS sells for it. I was told it is specifically for the M3 (in terms of probe length). Has anyone used this, if so, do you have any problems with reading BT on loads in the 120-140g range in addition to the 200g +- size as well? Does the probe need to be 'curved down' a bit to do so, or will it work as is for both load types?

Am also interested in setting up Artisan w/Phidgets (1048) for BT/MET on this, but I was in the back of the line when they handed out 'computer smarts', and would appreciate some direction.

Thanks in advance,

Brian

To those who did the copper tube mod, how often do you guys clean the space beneath the drum? Previously I would vacuum-clean from the rear air inlet hole after each roast session, but with the copper tube one cannot do so.

The reason being I had found significant smokey/roasty notes in my roasted beans recently. After trying different approaches(low charge weight, low drop temp, larger batch, lower MET etc) and still finding heavy roasty notes, I opened up my Quest and found what appeared to be 0.5g of dry burned ashes! That's only from about 3 sessions worth of roasts (each of 3-4 batches). I am fairly confident this is the cause as I have never struggled with such smokey notes with lightly roasted beans. I did notice there were some burned hints in the exhaust air during ramp up phase (~170C) and should've done the disassembly much sooner.

Maybe this can be a good way to cure some smoked-ham but definitely not for African/fruity coffee beans.

I am considering getting rid of the pipe because of that.

One thought I had was to seal the back hole and drill a few holes in the front instead. That way the air will be pulled from the front around the drum heaters to the shortened (or in my case - drilled) drum. Drilling 5 or six smaller holes instead of 1 large one can also help heat the air more uniformly. To help with cleaning my thought was to cover the rear hole with a flap that one can swivel to get rid of ash.

Does anyone know if the removable ash tray can be purchased as a retrofit for existing Quests?

samuellaw178 wrote:To those who did the copper tube mod, how often do you guys clean the space beneath the drum? Previously I would vacuum-clean from the rear air inlet hole after each roast session, but with the copper tube one cannot do so.

I'm using a removable pipe:

AssafL wrote:One thought I had was to seal the back hole and drill a few holes in the front instead.

The airflow in the Quest is a mystery to me. With an old, unmodified Quest the air was probably mostly sucked up at the front of the roaster. I think TomC posted a drawing of the airflow somewhere.
Now if you drill holes in the front, will not a big part of the air take the direct (if somewhat narrow) way up the frontplate instead of going round the back?

I slide the copper pipe right out for periodic cleaning.