Grounds removal mod for Pharos 2?

#1: Post by **randyh** » April 5th, 2016, 5:28 pm

Got my Pharos 2! Burrs very well aligned, feeding beans is no problem (got rid of bean ring, just lift one side of the popper stopper up, feed beans carefully, and replace popper stopper, super easy), grinding is surprisingly easy, much easier than I imagined, and the end result is amazingly fluffy evenly ground coffee! However, getting coffee out is at least as difficult if not more so than I imagined.

Will (aka Voodoodaddy) has confirmed with me that he can't/won't do the catch cup mod for the Pharos 2. Are there any mods out there for grounds removal for the Pharos 2? If something like the Voodoodaddy catch cup mod can be done to my Pharos 2, I would be completely satisfied, and may even consider selling the HG-1.

#2: Post by **OldNuc** » April 5th, 2016, 5:56 pm

There is a sweeper mod for the existing grounds funnel that will fix the issue. It was posted here and is a 3D print job. As it relates to the pharos @ and grounds removal the search function should get you close if not a solid hit.

#3: Post by **coffinnate** » April 5th, 2016, 9:19 pm

My Pharos 2 is very easy to get the grounds from if I add one drop of water to the beans, shake well, then put them in the grinder. When I do that, I have no visible retention. When I don't add water, after several minutes of frustration and violent shaking/thumping, I have maybe 20% retention.

#4: Post by **happycat** » April 5th, 2016, 10:23 pm

I don't know what the Pharos 2 is like, but on the original I removed the abs ring and funnel so it's "naked" and coffee gets ground onto the bottom plate where a knock or brush gets it all onto a flexible plastic sheet that I curl and brush into the portafilter.

Static was only an issue in dry weather with darker roasts and was easily fixed with a clip lead of the bottom plate grounded to my espresso machine chassis. With lighter roasts I have moved to, no static issues.

never had an issue with ground coffee going anywhere but the bottom plate.

#5: Post by **MNate** » April 9th, 2016, 12:30 pm

I also find it fine at removing the grinds with the drip of water plus I grind first, then steam the milk, then remove the beans. The minute pause helps too, I think.

I would mod that part too though if there were a way to grind directly into a portafilter. There are just so many little steps with the Pharos and eliminating some of those would make life nicer. Likely though that's all getting too complex.

April 9th, 2016, 12:40 pm

It may just be a learning curve to get a reasonable work flow down. Now that I've had a little more time with the Pharos, it isn't too bad. I just use 1 spritz of water on the beans, shake it up and grind. I use the technique of shaking the grounds into a jar ala Doug Garrot's method on youtube. I don't have to shake it too much, and I get pretty much zero retention. This is probably something I can live with for making a shot or two at a time. The rest is a pleasure to use. I was thinking about spraying a few coats of food-grade silicone on the inside of the funnel, I've heard it helps the grounds slide out easier. But the Pharos came with the burrs so well aligned, I'd hate to mess with it and throw everything off.