Hottop 2K vs 2K+

Discuss roast levels and profiles for espresso, equipment for roasting coffee.
BrianSicilia
Posts: 9
Joined: 5 years ago

#1: Post by BrianSicilia »

I am looking into buying a Hottop. I have owned a Huky 500 for about a year. Unfortunately the gas roaster setup simply isn't viable in my apartment so I am essentially looking to "downgrade" to an electric roaster, but would like to keep as much capability as possible.

I really like to observe and record roast profiles on Artisan. It seems to me from research that this is only possible with the Hottop 2K+ model, but $1,600 seems like a steep price especially when the 2K is only $1,100. I don't really care about controlling the roast with my computer, just monitoring and logging. Has anyone done that successfully with the basic 2K model?

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happycat
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#2: Post by happycat replying to BrianSicilia »

You can add thermocouples to any electric roaster (even a corn popper) for that purpose.

A quick check at Prima shows 2k comes with one k-type thermocouple

I assume you need something to read the temps of the thermocouple like a Phidget, tc4, or whatnot. Prima could probably tell you or maybe someone here.

I think 2 thermocouples makes more sense to monitor BT and ET.

I have a Quest with 2 thermocouples and a TC4. I bought my Quest direct from the manufacturer in Taiwan and saved quite a bit of money which I spent on my thermocouple setup. I have roasted for 4.5 years in a condo or apt by an open door. Recently I did
10 back to back batches with no problem.

I'm not pushing the Quest... lots of options now. But bear in mind thermocouples are something you can add.
LMWDP #603

BrianSicilia (original poster)
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#3: Post by BrianSicilia (original poster) »

Yes I am wondering if someone has successfully moded the 2K so they can record profiles on Artisan or other roasting software. I am familiar with Phidget but I would imagine it would be difficult to splice the wire or something on the hottop thermocouple?

The Quest does look like a great option too but I am discouraged by the small batch size. Do you find you can roast more than 120g?

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Randy G.
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#4: Post by Randy G. »

Try these solutions:
Here is the PDF I created to install thermocouples in a Hottop before the B2K+ arrived:
http://www.espressomyespresso.com/Hotto ... nstall.pdf

This next one is a rudimentary method to add thermocouples I created long ago:
http://www.espressomyespresso.com/HowToHottopTemp.html
EspressoMyEspresso.com - 2000-2023 - a good run, its time is done

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GC7
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#5: Post by GC7 »

Randy G. wrote: This next one is a rudimentary method to add thermocouples I created long ago:
http://www.espressomyespresso.com/HowToHottopTemp.html
This is not so rudimentary. I still use it on my hottop. It is accurate and totally reproducible. In fact, I believe the short thermocouples attached to the wall of the roaster on 2k and 2k+ models are influenced as much by the temperature of the roaster walls as the beans. With the solution Randy invented and good data logger you get real time temperatures and can log them for graphing should you desire. I long ago abandoned those now popular curves.

vmpull
Posts: 24
Joined: 11 years ago

#6: Post by vmpull »

BrianSicilia wrote:I am looking into buying a Hottop. I have owned a Huky 500 for about a year. Unfortunately the gas roaster setup simply isn't viable in my apartment so I am essentially looking to "downgrade" to an electric roaster, but would like to keep as much capability as possible.

I really like to observe and record roast profiles on Artisan. It seems to me from research that this is only possible with the Hottop 2K+ model, but $1,600 seems like a steep price especially when the 2K is only $1,100. I don't really care about controlling the roast with my computer, just monitoring and logging. Has anyone done that successfully with the basic 2K model?
From time to time used Hottop 2k+ comes on sale at HB. I bought one of these and am happy with it. I also have the 2K version that I was planning on modding to a K+. The Hottop guys are very helpful and would have cost me about $500 in parts to upgrade and was ready to pull the trigger when the used one came up so I just have the old one as a backu for now.

BrianSicilia (original poster)
Posts: 9
Joined: 5 years ago

#7: Post by BrianSicilia (original poster) »

Randy G. wrote:Try these solutions:
Here is the PDF I created to install thermocouples in a Hottop before the B2K+ arrived:
http://www.espressomyespresso.com/Hotto ... nstall.pdf

This next one is a rudimentary method to add thermocouples I created long ago:
http://www.espressomyespresso.com/HowToHottopTemp.html
Thank you Randy, these are very helpful. I agree that your methods are not so rudimentary!

BrianSicilia (original poster)
Posts: 9
Joined: 5 years ago

#8: Post by BrianSicilia (original poster) »

vmpull wrote:From time to time used Hottop 2k+ comes on sale at HB. I bought one of these and am happy with it. I also have the 2K version that I was planning on modding to a K+. The Hottop guys are very helpful and would have cost me about $500 in parts to upgrade and was ready to pull the trigger when the used one came up so I just have the old one as a backu for now.
I'll definitley look out for one. Almost seems like it is worth spending the $1,600 upfront if the upgrade costs $500 anyways.

BarryR
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Joined: 12 years ago

#9: Post by BarryR »

I upgraded my 2K with 2 probes and the HTC / TC4 setup before the K+ came out.
If I were doing it now, I'd just get a 2K+ as has been mentioned above.

If you do want to install thermocouples into a 2K, you can google my post where I used brass (lamp) hardware and no epoxies. If you're interested & can't locate my post, let me know and I'll find it.

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happycat
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#10: Post by happycat »

BrianSicilia wrote:Yes I am wondering if someone has successfully moded the 2K so they can record profiles on Artisan or other roasting software. I am familiar with Phidget but I would imagine it would be difficult to splice the wire or something on the hottop thermocouple?

The Quest does look like a great option too but I am discouraged by the small batch size. Do you find you can roast more than 120g?
120g? Absolutely. It's rated for half a pound 227 and after painting the drum black with BBQ paint I was doing 300g or more.
LMWDP #603

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