Pressure profiling lever with scale working for you?

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day
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#1: Post by day »

So, i have been thinking about getting a large digital scale for my entire rancilio base, particularly one with a large external extern digital readout mounted to the wall. I could get one with sufficient accuracy to weigh my shot volume after 30 sec and to measure the lb force used...has anyone been using a scale to maintain repeat ability and pressure profiling? If so, how well has it been working?
Yes, i you per this on an iPhone

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dominico
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#2: Post by dominico »

I used an analog bathroom scale under my Europiccola for a few months. It was a great training tool and after a while I developed the muscle memory for it and no longer needed the bulk of the scale.

Funny thing about manual levers, you can grind too coarse and pull very lightly or grind too fine and do a gorilla pull and still wind up with the same looking flow in the right amount of time. The scale taught me how to feel what the proper grind should be to get the desired flow with an initial 9 bar pressure.

I also found that once this is achieved, getting that slowly declining "spring lever" profile from my Pavoni was simply a matter of keeping the flow constant. That seems like common sense, but I did have the scale measurements to verify.

I posted a thread on my bathroom scale set up a while ago, Pressure Profiling a La Pavoni, which actually you commented on and made fun of my tamper! :P

The next time I have to learn a non Pavoni manual lever, the bathroom scale is coming back out.

I still measure the brew ratio of my shot religiously though.
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FotonDrv
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#3: Post by FotonDrv »

Have you considered this?

http://acaia.co/
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weebit_nutty
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#4: Post by weebit_nutty »

I'd never get past the idea of using something intended for stepping on much less from the bathroom, would be used on my kitchen counter.

But I understand the practicality behind it. I actually never thought about measuring the profile. That'd be the only reason for it. For repeatability it wouldn't be hard at all to duplicate a shot just by feel. I mean after all that's the main strength of a direct lever.

It actually sounds interesting to find a way to measure the b pressure. But perhaps it would be less disgusting to use a classic torque wrench installed onto the lever instead. It would be much more direct, too.
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dominico
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#5: Post by dominico »

As a disclaimer, I bought the scale originally for the sole use of direct lever profiling. I had never actually stood on it! Well, actually, there was that one time I used it to weigh myself naked, but don't worry, I think I remembered to take the espresso machine off first...
https://bit.ly/3N1bhPR
Il caffè è un piacere, se non è buono che piacere è?

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dominico
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#6: Post by dominico »

FotonDrv wrote:Have you considered this?

http://acaia.co/
Yes! It is very cool, and it would be fun to watch the flow rate over time for an espresso pour rather than just the ending weight, but since I don't do any brew method other than espresso, a lot of the features of this device would go underutilized by me. That and I don't think it would be able to handle the 11 lb Pavoni plus +-40lb levr pull to graph a pressure profile (though that would be really cool too)
https://bit.ly/3N1bhPR
Il caffè è un piacere, se non è buono che piacere è?

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weebit_nutty
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#7: Post by weebit_nutty »

Something like this...
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FotonDrv
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#8: Post by FotonDrv »

For a Manual Lever, not a spring lever, that torque wrench is a great idea! for learning what pressures you are exerting.

The Acacia Scales are for weighing the shot so you know exactly what you are getting.
That Light at the End of the Tunnel is actually a train