So I have in my possession what I think is a Roastmaster 9001 from about 2001 or so, an infrared drum roaster. It's been sitting unused for quite some time. Filthy but seems to be in pretty good working order. There seems to be no way to get the manual. It seems to run on 13 minute cycles divided into a Warm and Roast setting. There are several parameters one can enter for each cycle. T for temperature. But also H1(options 1-3) , D1, and H2 (options 1-3). See attached photos.

Does anyone know what these settings mean?
Also, should I charge the beans at the beginning of the warm cycle or only after it has reached set warm temperature (seems to be about 195F on most of the selections)?

I roasted a couple batches. From charging to 2nd crack was about 9-10 minutes. Both batches came out quite a bit past what I usually prefer. Close to Starbucks dark roast. There seemed not to be much time between 1st and 2nd crack. Any tips on how to extend this period using the settings? I suppose I could perhaps install an exhaust fan to better control the temp.

Thanks in advance for the help. Much appreciated.

They also went under the name Unimax, and various green vendors like Sweet Maria's sold them way back when. But a quick google didn't turn up the manual. Using "Unimax" in the search may help; but I didn't turn up anything in the first pages (except people complaining about its fast finish twenty years ago), so it will take a deep dive either way.

FYI - the old Sweet Marias sell page for it:

http://www.eg.bucknell.edu/~mead/HomePa ... x2000.html

The SM page is for the 2000. The 90o1 is a 1kg roaster.

cnadon wrote:So I have in my possession what I think is a Roastmaster 9001 from about 2001 or so.

Some info on alt.coffee link below, especially scroll to bottom for clarifcations from seller of machines about diff between unimax, royal max, models.

https://alt.coffee.narkive.com/wY6HX2di ... g-roasters

The seller, ref as CDC and posting at the end of that thread, is still around. Maybe email them and ask for tips, info, manual or contacts of people who have one or had one.

https://www.coffeebeancorral.com/

It was Jim's post on the newsgroup that started the thread, amazingly enough.

Here's some more info on the roaster from Sweet Marias roast archives. Some names of people who might be aboe to help if you track them down,

http://themeyers.org/HomeRoast/Topic2694.htm

http://themeyers.org/HomeRoast/Topic360.htm

http://themeyers.org/HomeRoast/Topic750.htm

Done. We'll see what comes up from the Coffee Corral.

Well, Russ no longer works at the Coffee Corral. Nice folks there, however. Still trying to find out what the H and D parameters are. In the meantime, I installed a speed control exhaust fan that allows for much better temperature control and have gotten a couple good medium roasts just short of 2C.

Please, can you post some pictures of the IR innards?
I am reconditioning an IMEX DigiRosto 1500 roaster, and interested about other IR roasters builds.

Thank you !

Dear Renatoa,

I had the thing apart this weekend to clean and give it the once over twice. I'm afraid I didn't take any photos when I had it apart, esp. as it was a big pain in the butt to get it back together. The machines do look similar. The 4 heat elements are fixed at the top of a cylindrical drum which rotates from a gear drive with the cylinder bases remaining fixed. I stuck my camera in the (too) small door to let you see those. But that's about all I can get of its innards. It has a fixed thermocouple that sits down in the beans that seems to read a bit on the low side. I'm getting 2nd crack around 385 F. First around 355-60. The shortcoming of the machine for me so far is that there is no way to run the thing manually and adjust on the fly. 10 set profiles that can be changed, but apart from the temperature setting, I have no idea what the other parameters do. Open to any suggestions you might have passed on your Digirosto.

Also, one of the earlier replies had some links to a discussion of replacement elements that might be helpful to you too. They were to me.

Best, Chris

Photo in the next post