pj.walczak wrote:Received mine finally yesterday.
Did few shots today, using medium roasted coffee. I dose 15-16 grams, with grind settings bit coarser then I do for my LR.
I still have bit under-extracted shots, with very thin light crema. All are drinkable, but still far from well extracted spring lever shots.
I wonder what should I do better? Grind finer? Push harder so I have higher pressure? Or maybe heat the PF before the shot?

try 17-18gr, higher pre infusion 3+ bar, 8bar extraction no decline

pj.walczak wrote:Received mine finally yesterday.
Did few shots today, using medium roasted coffee. I dose 15-16 grams, with grind settings bit coarser then I do for my LR.
I still have bit under-extracted shots, with very thin light crema. All are drinkable, but still far from well extracted spring lever shots.
I wonder what should I do better? Grind finer? Push harder so I have higher pressure? Or maybe heat the PF before the shot?

I would start with grind size, I regularly pull 14 - 16 gram shots on the Robot.

I also usually pre-heat the basket and portafilter because we keep the house pretty cold in the morning.

evert wrote:My Robot loses pressure right away, the arms just fall down and water spills out from outside the portafilter.
Please help a frustrated guy!

Is it the silicone seal that needs some attention?

I'm reading about Dow 111 in the manual, are all silicone fats safe to use?

/Evert

evert wrote:The piston seems to seal, but how tight should it be? I can let the pf hang from the piston from just the sealing, but it's not very tight.

No water on top of the piston.

Have you listened to see if there is a leak near the pressure gauge? The tubing can come loose at either end. If something like that is going on I did a repair to the water path and posted that here. BTW it is normal for water to go up the tubing.

Robot pressure gauge water path repair

Thanks for the tips.
Next tests tomorrow.
But build quality, excellent!

Balthazar_B wrote:Rather than some fancy right-angled replacement bracket -- which I'm sure Paul will come up with at some point -- I wonder whether affixing a small mirror will do the trick in the meantime. Thinking one about the size of what the dentist sticks in your mouth would fit the bill.

Some sort of bracket that can be repositioned would be good, but right now the whole gauge thing is more trouble than it is worth. Sure we have had a few tubes break and a few Parker Legris fittings inexplicably die but it is nothing compared to the emails and messages it has generated about shot times, grind settings, people buying it for use on pressurised baskets etc....

Right now I want to focus on sorting out the basic Robot production and then revisit the gauge system later. It should always be seen as an add-on tool but not a fully fledged retail product.

evert wrote:My Robot loses pressure right away, the arms just fall down and water spills out from outside the portafilter.
Please help a frustrated guy!

Is it the silicone seal that needs some attention?

I'm reading about Dow 111 in the manual, are all silicone fats safe to use?

/Evert

Best to email us about things like this, I sadly do not have time to check HB everyday anymore.

If this helps, I've used a Robot with and without a pressure gauge and don't feel it interfered with quality shot-making to go without. Once you get your dose, grind and temperature sorted out you do the rest by taste and feel. I tend to mimic the action of my spring lever, starting with a soft preinfusion with gentle pressure on the arms, then I bear down with some weight and pressure and gradually ease off. This method extracts the desired flavor and mouthfeel and minimizes overextraction. You develop a feel for it and watch the flow rate too.

Hello all!

Not much to report here except that the Robot is still working and making good shots (just wish it could also make 7-9g single shots but you can't have everything).

While the adjustable gauge bracket is still on its way (if that does work out), I think I found a workaround to view the gauge when pulling shots (especially if you lean over the Robot to pull shots like I do). If you are using the Robot on a low bench (or if you are tall enough), just flip the Robot Barista 180-degree front-to-back (meaning the gauge will now be on the your right, but facing backward). That way you will be able to see the gauge when leaning over to pull the shot. That was the first time I was able to see the gauge for the entire duration of the shot, which I thought was worth sharing.

You can lock the portafilter normally in the flipped position as well - no need do some awkward yoga pose to lock the pf from behind.

pj.walczak wrote:Received mine finally yesterday.
Did few shots today, using medium roasted coffee. I dose 15-16 grams, with grind settings bit coarser then I do for my LR.
I still have bit under-extracted shots, with very thin light crema. All are drinkable, but still far from well extracted spring lever shots.
I wonder what should I do better? Grind finer? Push harder so I have higher pressure? Or maybe heat the PF before the shot?

All 3. Nice to see you here, Pawel!

drgary wrote:If this helps, I've used a Robot with and without a pressure gauge and don't feel it interfered with quality shot-making to go without. Once you get your dose, grind and temperature sorted out you do the rest by taste and feel. I tend to mimic the action of my spring lever, starting with a soft preinfusion with gentle pressure on the arms, then I bear down with some weight and pressure and gradually ease off. This method extracts the desired flavor and mouthfeel and minimizes overextraction. You develop a feel for it and watch the flow rate too.

My method exactly (^^^^), and I really don't even bother to look at the gauge any longer. Strangely, I see no water in the tubing when I'm pulling a shot..I try my reading glasses tomorrow.