Ion Beam static reducer - Page 8
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espressoren (original poster)
- Posts: 471
- Joined: 1 year ago
Ok, here we go.
In summary, it works. It works even better than RDT, and RDT for me has some flaws in that it changes the grind - always seems to make the grind a tad coarser, which may be due to slowing down the beans, but not in a consistent way. Ion Beam of course has flaws too - you have this device you need to manage and spend money to get.
There's no sound whatsoever, the output can hardly even be felt. It has a light that comes on to show it is activated.
Does not come with a tripod, but any old stand with a regular camera mount screw will work with it.
Size wise, it's almost exactly the dimension of a toilet paper cardboard roll, but 50% longer.
Time will tell whether or not I feel it is worth the hassle to set up every grind. I'd like if I had a grinder mount that I could just swivel it into and out of position. It's really a neat little gadget though. I know it's not for everyone but thought someone out there may appreciate the detail and hands-on.
In summary, it works. It works even better than RDT, and RDT for me has some flaws in that it changes the grind - always seems to make the grind a tad coarser, which may be due to slowing down the beans, but not in a consistent way. Ion Beam of course has flaws too - you have this device you need to manage and spend money to get.
There's no sound whatsoever, the output can hardly even be felt. It has a light that comes on to show it is activated.
Does not come with a tripod, but any old stand with a regular camera mount screw will work with it.
Size wise, it's almost exactly the dimension of a toilet paper cardboard roll, but 50% longer.
Time will tell whether or not I feel it is worth the hassle to set up every grind. I'd like if I had a grinder mount that I could just swivel it into and out of position. It's really a neat little gadget though. I know it's not for everyone but thought someone out there may appreciate the detail and hands-on.
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Sproyo
- Posts: 23
- Joined: 1 year ago
I saw in a marketing email that Acaia is working on a more powerful ion emitter for the ek43. Does anyone have any insight why they need two versions?
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espressoren (original poster)
- Posts: 471
- Joined: 1 year ago
This one seems to work well, but the manual does say it needs to be within 2" of the puck. Perhaps a larger one would be more flexible in its mounting options/placement.
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InfamousTuba
- Posts: 36
- Joined: 2 years ago
The EK43 grinds quite a bit faster in comparison to most home grinders and also if it is being used as a bag grinder you would probably need a stronger emitter
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malling
- Posts: 2934
- Joined: 13 years ago
The EK can grind 100-200g in the time most grinders grind a dose it would those need a much stronger one. Also the design of it is much different then your to go grinder
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GDM528
- Posts: 852
- Joined: 2 years ago
Totally appreciate your detail and hands-on, thank you for posting it!espressoren wrote:I know it's not for everyone but thought someone out there may appreciate the detail and hands-on.
Can you post photos of the 'business end' of the unit? I presume there's some sort of opening; curious what the aperture looks like, and if you can see inside to a bluish glow from the emitter (depending on the voltages involved).
If, hypothetically, you turned it off halfway through the grind, would chaff start flying everywhere until you turn it back on? I'm wondering if the ions are for the grind, or for the area around the grind - maybe both.
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espressoren (original poster)
- Posts: 471
- Joined: 1 year ago
I suspect that normally there is a static buildup on the ground coffee and if you turned it off in the middle the effect wouldn't be extreme since what is already in the portafilter is already treated. In fact I wonder if it is actually charging things to cause the grounds to be attracted, it is so effective.
There is a pair of carbon filaments on the front and on the back. The instructions say not to touch these, for one they look pretty fragile. No glow other than the included LED light.
Overall I'd say I'm pretty happy, it has made grinding directly into the portafilter a fuss free workflow and it only takes a second to move it into place prior to grinding and stow it back behind the grinder again. I thought maybe it would be annoying to set up every day but it's quick and allows me to ditch the dosing cup entirely.
There is a pair of carbon filaments on the front and on the back. The instructions say not to touch these, for one they look pretty fragile. No glow other than the included LED light.
Overall I'd say I'm pretty happy, it has made grinding directly into the portafilter a fuss free workflow and it only takes a second to move it into place prior to grinding and stow it back behind the grinder again. I thought maybe it would be annoying to set up every day but it's quick and allows me to ditch the dosing cup entirely.
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rfleming944
- Supporter
- Posts: 31
- Joined: 1 year ago
Has anyone figured out how to turn off the thing without having to cycle through both lights? Mine I have to press the off button twice to cycle through both lights, I would be great if I could just turn it off.
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GDM528
- Posts: 852
- Joined: 2 years ago
Apologies for not having a known-working answer for your question, but does it respond to a long press? Sometimes industrial design gets too focused on visual simplicity over operational simplicity. An extra 'on/off' button would add less than a dollar to the manufacturing cost.
Two presses = high/low settings for the ions produced, or is it just for the lighting effects?
Do they recommend even turning it off? Seems like it could function as an air freshener when it's not reducing your static mess.
Two presses = high/low settings for the ions produced, or is it just for the lighting effects?
Do they recommend even turning it off? Seems like it could function as an air freshener when it's not reducing your static mess.
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GDM528
- Posts: 852
- Joined: 2 years ago
Appreciate the additional photos - they are different than what I expected.
So, there is a 'positive' and a 'negative' end - do they indicate which end is which?
The back end (with the power button) is designed a lot differently from the LED end. I had the impression that the user was supposed to experiment with which end to use, but it looks like the back isn't meant for reducing static effects.
The front (LED) end is vented, but you've indicated its completely silent, implying there's no fan inside. But there are vents along the side of the cylinder that could allow a very subtle air flow, driven by the high voltages involved. That would help spread the ions faster and further. I'm guessing the static reduction would be enhanced by starting the ions up to a minute before starting the grind.
Now that I've seen the carbon brush emitters, I would minimize turning it off around coffee grinds, lest they get stuck on the brushes (although turning the ions on should eject them).
So, there is a 'positive' and a 'negative' end - do they indicate which end is which?
The back end (with the power button) is designed a lot differently from the LED end. I had the impression that the user was supposed to experiment with which end to use, but it looks like the back isn't meant for reducing static effects.
The front (LED) end is vented, but you've indicated its completely silent, implying there's no fan inside. But there are vents along the side of the cylinder that could allow a very subtle air flow, driven by the high voltages involved. That would help spread the ions faster and further. I'm guessing the static reduction would be enhanced by starting the ions up to a minute before starting the grind.
Now that I've seen the carbon brush emitters, I would minimize turning it off around coffee grinds, lest they get stuck on the brushes (although turning the ions on should eject them).
