Mazzer has made the timer/cone doserless system used on the Mini-E available on all their grinders, including the Robur and Kony. The Robur and Kony also get an augur upgrade to prevent large screen sized beans from popcorning as the hopper gets low.

This thread on coffeed indicates that the Intelly USBC competitors were using the new doserless Robur model and Nick Cho timed them as having a substantial edge getting the PFs ready. Kyle Glanville, the winner, said that unlike previous doserless models, these delivered unclumped grinds, and that the augur sped up and evened out the grinding, full to empty hopper, making the timed dosing quite accurate.

I do not know if the doserless gear or the augurs are available as retrofits. If Mazzer really fixed the clumping and uneven dosing problems, this may indeed be the wave of the future.

another_jim wrote: an augur upgrade to prevent large screen sized beans from popcorning as the hopper gets low.
If Mazzer really fixed the clumping and uneven dosing problems, this may indeed be the wave of the future.

So on paper the auger upgrade should allow for an improved single dosing grind?

Perception or reality. The lower rpm of most conicals, shape of burrs & larger burrs results in less popcorning than high rpm planar burr grinders.

I could easily imagine that an augur could help even a 350 rpm conical. I am sure it would make the biggest difference on a 1600 rpm flat burr grinder, but still. You say that there is less popcorning with a conical, and I am sure you're right. But it sounds like it's still a factor in conicals, and it would be cool to see a solution as simple as an augur.

I am most curious about the clumpless funnel, though. That would be the real feat, to me.

Glad to see this thread as I was about to start one of my own. What kind of small metal augurs are already available for other products that might be adapted to this use? I'd love to convert my Major to have an augur and start keeping smaller amount of beans in the hopper.

As for the reduced clumping... I inquired and the feedback I got from someone who used a doserless Robur indicated that the perceived the anti-static wire grid as being what reduced the clumping. But I've spoken to someone who did a doserless mod on the Super Jolly and went back to dosered version because of clumping issues. He tried it both with and without the anti-static wire grid and saw little difference. His perception was that static in the metal funnel and the overly large size of the funnel bottom opening were the real issues.

But I have to wonder of the lower RPM of the Robur is a bigger factor in reduced clumping.

For those of you who didn't knew; Matt Riddle posted some pictures of the augur back in February.

Then it comes to the conversion of my grinder to a doserless, I probably have to make my own thing

Thanks for the pic, I missed it. Looks more like a ship's propeller than a full augur. It's a no brainer mod for any conical, since there's already a central screw. More difficult for a flat burr.

The issue Kyle mentioned is that it allows the same grind setting from full to empty hopper, rather than the progressive tightening up that is required when there's popcorning. Obviously, it should improve the single dose performance as well

Jim,

Why is it tougher for a flat burr? That looks like it would fit right on my Mini... it seems to have the same bolt (albeit probably shorter).

I wasn't aware there's a center bolt on flat burr grinders.

This photo from Mazzer Mini Component Photos shows a center bolt:

I think that the center bolt is only there to pull the burr carrier off the motor... I took it off once and there wasn't anything under it, nor did it loosen anything.