Ive long been a fan of the concept of the Pharos. I thought it to be a perfect travel grinder, a perfect auxiliary grinder, or a perfect low-cost option. I never purchased one though.

The reason for this is mostly due to my abhorrence of hand grinding day to day. I abandoned that as fast as I could. But when I found myself needing a portable grinder, the ergonomics lacking when it comes to removing the grounds in its stock form kept me from buying one.

Then one day I stumbled into the thread Pharos - Removing Grounds (voodoodaddy mod) and the gears started turning. I have long had plans to move my vario off of secondary espresso grinding duties to drip, but I couldnt decide on a worthwhile replacement.

I thought of a pharos with this mod, straight through, no change in grind path at all. Change the catch cup out for a grind chute. It could be attached to a mount. It could be cranked with a more advantageous handle, or even motorized. I came up with this. Pharos mounting station

It took on the appearance of an HG one not by choice, but because a grinder that works by hand power optimally takes on a similar design. The centerpiece of the design was a CNC machined aluminum casing for the Pharos, which would hold it in position on the frame, allowing it to take the place of the HG one beehive.

I decided that a large CNC piece like this would probably be too expensive to be viable, and developed a design that only encased the top plate of the grinder. That same day rpalvis suggested I could make this piece of bar stock rather than a machined piece.

I designed a piece that uses square extruded aluminum slotted to accept the pharos plate, with a matching hole to insert a pin for locking the pharos, keeping it from spinning in the mount. The main goal of this design is the pharos can be removed, and used as a hand grinder without modification further than removing the handle and inserting a funnel rather than a catch cup.

In a conversation with an engineer friend of mine, it was confirmed that all the torque in this design is on the pin rather than the frame, so I decided these parts are to be attached using these L braces, with long bolts that run the width of the bar going through it, attaching to another brace on the opposite side of the frame.



Soon after this I looked at the concept my design took on. I decided I had no interest in building a hand grinder then modifying it to be a motorized grinder. Instead I decided to move directly to the motorized grinder phase. The most effective design I could come up with took on this design.



It started to look more like a Versalab than an HG one, not by choice, but because the concept is quite effective in its design.

After this, I started thinking about the conventional parts of a grinder, and decided that I have no need of a portafilter fork with this design, eliminating the bottom five inches of the design. I ordered the raw metals and components, all but the motor have now arrived. I ordered a pharos when it came back in stock, and sent directly for voodoodaddy mods. As of this writing I am of the opinion the grinder will stay in better alignment if the frame is affixed to the center plate rather than the top plate.

I spent my evening marking the bar stock so it can be cut by a machinist I know. The parts are taking shape and its exciting.



will update as progress ensues.

My machinist is really busy right now, so Ill be contacting the university instrument shop soon to see how their rates look. In the meantime, my motor arrived.





I decided to do a little work on the drive train for the grinder. I found specs for the Pharos's axle threads, so I could get started on the coupler. Thanks to tamarian for the idea on the coupler. It uses a socket and a nut that fits the pharos.





I squared the axle to the size of the square hole on the back of the socket.



The motor came without a switch or power cable, so I attached one to test it. I also got this switch to control the grinder.



I didnt think about it till now, but my timing gears may reduce the RPM too low. If that's the case Ill have to order one with less reduction. I over-estimated the speed of 110 RMP, and also feared a lack of torque, so I opted for a nearly 3:1 ratio. In reality I will probably need less.

I think having the motor on the opposite side, if I understood the drawing correctly, should help reduce the side forces on the shaft, in addition to reducing the total height of the grinder. Can't wait to see it in action!

You did. Think versalab type setup. I have it down to 17" or so, and could find more space to remove height if I need to. While I have no misgivings about a large grinder, I don't really seek to dwarf my espresso machine.

OE shipped my Pharos today, will expects Ill have it before Christmas. The university machine shop will help me after the term ends (~ two weeks). This gives me some time to find solid dimensions on the Pharos so I can get all the parts cut at once.

Paid for Pharos mods today, and dropped off some of my metal for machining. The shop is fitting in my parts around their big jobs, so it's getting done in segments. Pics tomorrow of whatever I have complete.

Went to the machine shop, saw the work in progress, decided to leave the parts there and have the frame put together with countersunk screws rather than using L-braces. The machining looks great though, exactly how it looked in my head. The machining is getting done as there's time between jobs, so it's not a next day turn around. I'm fine with that, though, since I'm not paying work costs.

Pharos arrived today in voodoo fashion. I ground at least a half pound and got it dialed pretty well. Seems to bring out lots of flavors, like the taste is expanded or something. Biggest difference is the ease of getting a good pour. My first thought when using it is that I need to come up with a sweep for the lower carrier, and I still need a lower funnel for portafilter grinding. Other than that, I firmly believe the Pharos is a feat of engineering, and voodoo mods make it no more complicated to use than any box mill. It's actually easier, since the mechanical advantage is greater. I don't find it hard to hold at all, but my hands are quite large.

I'm planning to work on a sweep while I wait on machining, pics later.

Pharos #889