This helps immensely! D, Thank you for the pics! This maybe a weekend's project! Much appreciated! I don't want this poppery 1 to die in my hands. It's used from a thrift shop and has seen its days. It had to be cleaned out, so much corn skin/shell were in it. I might operate on the Poplite first (or poppery 2) just so I don't mess up this rare find work horse.

I scored a very clean poppery 2 today! I will have to read Jim/Hiro's mod very thoroughly before I do anything to it. Or may just add a 2nd power cable to the fan as suggested. While I opened it to clean, I didn't disengage the thermostat. Is this necessary to roast? I may give it a test run later tonight.

youmingc wrote:It doesn't stall the roast? I'll def try it!

It does not stall the roast in my experience. It keeps the roast in the drying phase a little longer, which dries the bean out more, leading to a more complex flavor. My roaster advanced too quickly to first crack, and didnt effectively dry the beans.

thank you for the suggestion! I tried sitting the beans between 1:30-2:20 with poplite, it did prolong the roast during that drying phase. It too can probably benefit with a separate power cable. Does the oil or thin film of whatever left in the roasting chamber after roasts affect timing?

The timing with costa rican tarrazu in my unmodded poppers are:
-1/2 cup in Poppery 1: 4:45 1st crack, FC at 8:00
-Little Less than 1/2 cup in Poppery 2: 5:50 1st crack, FC at 9:00
-1/2 cup in Poplite with pause during drying phase: 3:45 1st crack, FC at 6:00

Of course, different wattage/age/condition yielded to different timing, but I am pretty happy with the result. I will most definitely do a fan power mod soon. I haven't tasted them in the cup, but knowing that slow caramelization in cooking works better, i will bet my money on the slightly longer roast to be better.

What I am wondering is, is the period (FC) between 1st crack and 2nd crack suppose to be this long?

It won't hurt it to be that long, mine is not, but it has been in the past. Many people have modded to get their roasts into the 9+ minute range. As for the film, I don't think it matters as roasts with and without it seem similar, though I would imagine that it would go stale just like any other part of the coffee, so it may be affecting your taste a bit. Maybe someone more knowledgeable would know for sure. Keep in mind that when you roast successively, subsequent roasts should be stopped sooner than the first one due to the roaster warming, I usually adjust -10 seconds on stop time per roast, keeping the stall interval the same (stop 10 seconds sooner, start 10 seconds sooner)

I modded my poppery 1 with extra fan power cord and did a couple roasts today. With the wet processed Ethiopian illubador beans, I wasn't getting 1C before. Now I am able to control the drying phase, lengthening the time by shutting off/unplugging heat source (still runs hot air through with just the fan on, but doesn't keep rising). I was able to get 1C at 9 min and finish with FC at 11:00.

As for my my poppery 2, I took out the bi-metallic thermostat disc. Had to open the second time to reconnect the ther thermostat coz it wasn't running hot at all. Now it'll run hot continuously. I'd like to add a second power cord to the fan in the near future for more control.

I scrapped an underpowered nolstalgic brand for parts, but may keep my Poplite as is so I have a spare when both popperys fail.

Next on the list...thermometer probe!