There is the screw for the hopper. On mine it lines up more or less behind the spout.

When I clean mine, I put a mark on the threaded collar where it meets the top with a felt pen, a medium point Sharpie. I can remove the upper burr and replace it exactly by lining up the marks. 1 rotation too high and the mark has a gap. 1 turn too low and the mark is almost hidden.

I don't worry about the numbers. I back up a turn and a half with a new roast and turn down 1/2 a turn per day for starters.

The scale is confusing. When the grind is finer, the Wedge on the scale is getting wider relative to a fixed point. With my right hand turning the right adjustment, CW is finer.

I received my Macap MC4 dozerless/stepless earier today. I followed the directions and got my zero point which equals to #5 mark.

When you folks mention moving 1.5 steps for the espresso setting to start, forgive my ignorance but is this moving to the #6.5 setting or to the 1.5 marks (clicks) to the right of the #5 zero point?

Thanks!

The quick and dirty answer is that, by definition, you can't go finer than your zero point. So, when you spun the dial down to the zero point, you were spinning it in the "finer" direction. Spin the dial in the opposite, or "coarser" direction 1.5 numbers to find your starting point.

Thank you. Yes, I believe I understand what you said.

My confusion was to move it 1.5 incremental 'marks' coarser or 1.5 'numbers' (in my case #6.5) as my starting point.

From what you posted, it's 1.5 numbers to the 6.5 setting (to start) and then probably go finer (toward the zero point) from there.

This correct?

Climb14er wrote:I received my Macap MC4 dozerless/stepless earier today. I followed the directions and got my zero point which equals to #5 mark.

What are you lining the #5 up to, since the M4 has no alignment mark on the body? I've had the M4 stepless for a week and I've placed a mark in the center of the hopper on the very front of the machine to use as my alignment mark. I've been testing a few different beans and somewhere between 7 and 7.5 seems to work well for me.

Andrew

That's excellent. I marked the front/left side of the machine where the black plastic piece is and right above it on the dial was the #5. I could have marked anywhere but this looked convenient, for the time being.

Make sense?

So when I move the dial coarser 2.5 numbers, the #7.5 is now on the mark where the #5 was previously.

arossphoto wrote:What are you lining the #5 up to, since the M4 has no alignment mark on the body? I've had the M4 stepless for a week and I've placed a mark in the center of the hopper on the very front of the machine to use as my alignment mark. I've been testing a few different beans and somewhere between 7 and 7.5 seems to work well for me.

Andrew

If I look at my machine and just move it a few 'marks' and not 'numbers', the 7-7.5 is in the middle of my hopper.

So my question still is: marks (on the dial) or (full) numbers to move to the starting point from the zero point?

I apologize for the confusion.

Climb14er wrote:So my question still is: marks (on the dial) or (full) numbers to move to the starting point from the zero point?

Really I recommend ignoring the numbers and learn to Trust the Force, Luke! I stripped the "start here" sticker off my Mazzer Mini and went by the feel of the grinds. Other suggestions in Dialing in the Macap MC4 for the first time, excerpted below:

HB wrote:If I remember correctly, the espresso range is about 1/8th turn above the zero point (where the burrs touch). You can confirm the zero point by first running the grinder empty, then turning it off and rotating the collar until the burrs touch (again, the grinder does not need to be running and the chamber must be empty). Grind a sample and pinch it between your fingers. It should feel much coarser than flour, but less coarse than salt. The grinds should stick together slightly; if the beans are fresh and the grinds don't adhere together, it's too coarse. If the grinds hold a fingerprint impression, it's too fine.

With a little practice, you should be able to dial in almost any grinder to a first approximation using less than one double's worth of coffee beans. This was one of the hints during the vignettes of the Extreme Pours video.

Thanks guys. I'm running some small test batches and experimenting using little coffee.

When you say 1/8 turn, is this the screw on the back of the Macap that turns the dial or the dial itself that's 1/8 turn?

BTW, I'm more of a feel rather than a thinking guy but this is a first for me with a burr grinder.

Much obliged for the assistance!

Sorry, I should have said around 1/8th of a revolution of the collar above the zero point, i.e., approximately the same as 10 minutes on the face of a clock. It works well enough as a starting point for Macaps and Mazzers.