First of all I'd like also to than you all and Paul for this very interesting topic !
Also I fully agree with Paul's last message, he is the only coffee machine brand to be fully transparent on the materials used ! Well done !

Quick question as I haven't found the answer in the previous pages : I need to unscrew the piston (some coffee got inside...) but I have the last barista version. So I wanted to unplug the tube near the pressure gauge and then unscrew the piston - so I can let everything else in place including the metal sleeve that is pegged inside in my version.
So if I replug the tube after cleaning the piston do you think the gauge will still work ? I.e. can we unplug and replug the tube with no issue?

Yes, that's a good way to disassemble it. It's easiest if you lay it on it's side with the arms resting on two thick textbooks or pieces of wood.

HeadHop wrote:
Quick question as I haven't found the answer in the previous pages : I need to unscrew the piston (some coffee got inside...) but I have the last barista version. So I wanted to unplug the tube near the pressure gauge and then unscrew the piston - so I can let everything else in place including the metal sleeve that is pegged inside in my version.

Hey, I can post a helpful answer rather than ask a question for a change. well... maybe not if you have already seen this.

Here is a video from Paul showing the gauge and how it is installed. Take a peek. He did not actually drop the piston in this explanation, but one of his videos he did take off the piston. If memory serves me correctly there was a pin that had to be slid out after unscrewing the bolt.

Though, maybe there is enough slack to drop the piston a bit without disconnecting anything for the the gauge?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVJSjgsF-ak

Ken

HeadHop wrote:Also I fully agree with Paul's last message, he is the only coffee machine brand to be fully transparent on the materials used ! Well done !

That's not really what he said. He said that as far as he knew he is "one of the only" that is open about materials. That's a phrase that causes confusion for some people and is objected to by certain purists of the English language. What it means is "one of the few".

HeadHop wrote:Quick question as I haven't found the answer in the previous pages : I need to unscrew the piston (some coffee got inside...) but I have the last barista version. So I wanted to unplug the tube near the pressure gauge and then unscrew the piston - so I can let everything else in place including the metal sleeve that is pegged inside in my version.
So if I replug the tube after cleaning the piston do you think the gauge will still work ? I.e. can we unplug and replug the tube with no issue?

That's the way to do it. Don't disconnect the tube from the fittings. The hardest part of reassembly is lining up the inner part of the arms with the piston bolt. It's tricky, especially with the pressure tube pushing on the piston. It takes some patience or luck.

WOOOO!!
Arriving today w/ the upgraded arms and extra screen!

I will have had my Flair for nearly two years, and while it has been quite wonderful, getting Paul's device today has put a big smile on my face! I have read some people express that the quality of drink you can get from it rivals some automatic machines that stretch into the thousands. I think I look forward to the lack of cleanup almost as much as anything lol. I got EXTREMELY lucky a couple years ago and found of those vintage CXE25s for steaming milk at a thrift shop for $10, so I have never really had a lot of hesitations about moving from the Flair to the Robot.

The next months will be fraught with tinkering, but the general sense I get is that I should be pushing the fineness of the light roasts I plan to use and that preinfusion, declumping and a light tamp are part of what allow you to pull a tasty shot. Thinking of starting with 15g and adjusting the preheating/fineness/shot time as necessary, and then stepping up the dose as the other variables become clearer.

Off to the market now to grab some fresh beans. Needed all of you to know about my excitement lol. Thank you Paul!

I'd go straight to 18 g. The thinner puck with a 15 g dose generally requires better control of grind and prep than does a thicker one.

Thanks for your answers, jpender, Ken5 and GregoryJ !

So if I understand well I can unplug the plastic tube and replug it to the pressure gauge and the gauge should be still working fine !
The hardest part will be to rescrew the piston !

That's not really what he said. He said that as far as he knew he is "one of the only" that is open about materials. That's a phrase that causes confusion for some people and is objected to by certain purists of the English language. What it means is "one of the few

Well spotted, I must admit that I'm far from being totally fluent in English... Thanks for the clarification !
Nevertheless lately I've been looking at machines 10/15 times more expensive than the robot and there is not single top manufacturers that is as open as Paul for his robot. It takes a few emails to obtain more details - but of course these machines have far more components.

HeadHop wrote:So if I understand well I can unplug the plastic tube and replug it to the pressure gauge and the gauge should be still working fine !

Don't "unplug" the tube from the fitting.

Unscrew the nut that is integral to the elbow fitting, part (6) in the diagram below (taken from the manual). Leave the other nut (4) alone. It is affixed with an adhesive. The nut on the elbow fitting will rotate freely with respect to the fitting so that you don't need to rotate the elbow itself, just it's nut. I hope that makes sense.

There will also be a tiny little screen (5) that is in there and is easy to drop and lose. It won't ruin your Robot if the screen isn't there but it's meant to protect the gauge from the off-chance that coffee debris makes it that far up the tube.

One other thing: the tube is held to one of the Robot arm inner shafts with a bendable tie. You may need to undo this to get the piston. Or maybe not. But in any case it's easy to bend a little and then bend back when you reassemble.

HeadHop wrote:...I've been looking at machines 10/15 times more expensive than the robot and there is not single top manufacturers that is as open as Paul for his robot. It takes a few emails to obtain more details - but of course these machines have far more components.

Yes, the simplicity of the Robot no doubt makes it easier to have all the parts kosher, halal, vegan, gluten free, cholesterol free, nut free, etc. But it's still really nice that Paul has made it clear that the materials are of high quality and safety. On top of that the details of the design, construction, and operation are incredibly well documented and he has an active and very cordial presence here. Every morning I use my Robot and even after a year and half I'm just blown away by how good the thing is. It puts a smile on my face every day.

It will be cool to see these in the wild soon!

I have tried the preheat method using boiling water, and I think I often prefer the taste with a preheat, but I do not like the added steps it brings to my workflow. I have been trying to think of an alternative solution, and I was wondering how crazy it would be to put the portafilter in a toaster oven. I tried this morning and set my oven to the lowest setting (I think 250 F) and put the PF in for 1 minute and the metal was much warmer but not exceeding what I would get with boiling water, so I think this process can be done in a way that won't exceed boiling temperatures. Should I be concerned about damaging the basket with this method or any other problems I might not have considered? Does anyone else have a dry method of heating their PF?