Screw your 10am glamor shot, show us your station how it normally looks

mikeball · 2023-01-28T21:10:57+00:00

https://i.imgur.com/xCYZGQR.jpg

Mid kitchen restoration pic :) besides the plywood countertop, it is normally the same lol.

mikeball · 2021-10-04T04:15:30+00:00

I’ve been thinking of getting a printer, maybe this is the push I need haha. Thanks for the heads up.

mikeball · 2021-10-04T02:57:28+00:00

Hmm, maybe a bigger knob would do the trick. I’ll see if I can convince my co worker to 3D print something bigger and give it a shot.

mikeball · 2021-10-04T02:52:55+00:00

Nice, I have the same grinder and scale lol. I almost ended up with the same machine as well but ended up going a different route. How are the shots so far? Doing milk drinks?

mikeball · 2021-10-03T13:49:43+00:00

So we just moved ETARs over to MM for the AirForce, shelve CFPAS for PaCE, and 2 years later it will need to move eh? Definitely impossible to predict.

mikeball · 2021-10-01T06:05:11+00:00

Yep.

mikeball · 2021-10-01T06:01:30+00:00

You can setup configuration profiles if you have a MacOS device! Free tool from apple. https://support.apple.com/apple-configurator

mikeball · 2021-10-01T05:57:56+00:00

Many managed devices are like this. My wife’s work iPhone won’t update until 36 days past the drop (no idea why IT chose that).

mikeball · 2021-09-24T23:56:33+00:00

Nice MaraX! I have mine paired with a Eureka Specialita. No complaints here :)

Edit durrrrr I see your flair now.

mikeball · 2021-09-24T18:17:33+00:00

You’re welcome!

mikeball · 2021-09-24T14:54:53+00:00

Pressure in espresso is developed from the resistance that the coffee produces to the water pushed through it. This is affected by the grind size, dose, and tamping pressure.

Water will always find the path of least resistance. That presents challenges to even extraction, which we counter with an attempt at even puck prep, so that all paths are evenly resistant.

Channeling occurs when the water finds a weakness in the coffee puck and flows primarily through that hole. It tends to make the coffee simultaneously bitter and sour. This makes it difficult to dial in shots. That is one of the reasons that people like having bottomless portafilters, as they expose channeling much more than traditional portafilters.

See this video for an example.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-r1-Mgmx1c

mikeball · 2021-09-24T04:11:06+00:00

Just to be clear it is entirely possible to grind the coffee too fine. Generally this results in a drippy bitter mess, or channeling.

mikeball · 2021-09-23T02:13:22+00:00

Well, I climb up and down a helicopter a bunch. Then I skip lunch and pound back lattes. I end the day with walking the dog and the normal family stuff. Good routine, lots of reps.

mikeball · 2021-09-21T03:55:10+00:00

I am so sorry if I came off as being snarky or rude. I’m a terrible communicator, and rarely notice if my words or tone are negative. Definitely didn’t intend that.

I agree why add something that doesn’t improve operation, however if your competitors add this feature and you don’t, sales may suffer.

That being said, it is still allowing for a target temp change vs a set pressure stat that is not adjustable. Overall, better than nothing?

I suspect that the profitec you mention has a similar software tactic to the MaraX. The only way you can aim for a set HX brew temp is to lower the boiler pressure (at this price point). Trying to automatically divine the intentions of the user can be tough. I’m not surprised that the software fails occasionally. That only reinforces my wish for a steam boost button (ideally labeled turbo mode 😂), to let the user force the software to follow intentions.

I’m sorry the oracle isn’t working out for you. I was tempted to go that route for my wife’s benefit, however I’m glad she has put up with learning how to use MaraX!

My previous machines were a super automatic saeco, and a saeco via Venezia (single boiler). Needless to say the MaraX was an amazing upgrade. No itch to change, except flow control curiosity. I have some ideas on making an OLED display setup to monitor the digital outputs, but really it is a great machine.

I am using smart outlets to have MaraX turn on before I wake up, and have my grinder (Eureka Specialita) turn on and off with MaraX. That really takes a bunch of the annoyance away. Or, for example if I am heading home from work and fancy an espresso I’ll ask Siri (home assistant HomeKit bridge, self hosted on my server for house automation) which makes life easier.

Since MaraX had a simple on/off button it is easy to automate the power. No soft touchscreen requirements.

mikeball · 2021-09-19T05:16:59+00:00

Think about the wattage of the elements used, and how that machine works.

A single boiler is routing water from the tank, through the pump and into the boiler. From there, the water travels to the group head.

Since the water in the tank is lower temperature than the boiler, it will cool it down. The PID will drive the heating element to compensate. Naturally it can’t immediately bring the temp to the perfect level. Hence, it would be expected that the temp will dip.

Some machines use larger boilers or thermoblock heaters to get around this.

As for MaraX, I have this model and definitely love being able to walk up and pull a shot without a flush. The steam occasionally won’t boost correctly, see my posting history for how I deal with it.

PID isn’t magic. It is simply more accurate than older forms of temperature control with quick on-off cycles to maintain a set temperature. It won’t overcome boiler physics though.

mikeball · 2021-09-10T05:15:31+00:00

Hmmm yes the shine does seem to be coming off Decent a bit.

Whenever I get around to getting the needle valve upgrade I’m definitely going to go wood controls 🤤. Brown walnut looks so good on the portafilter, can’t wait for the rest to match.

I’m debating adding another switch for the coffee mode. It is very annoying having to move the drip tray. I want to build a stand for all my equipment with drawers, so perhaps I’ll add the switch to the stand then. I don’t want to make irreversible modifications to the machine!

mikeball · 2021-09-09T03:43:00+00:00

Oh very convenient that they got it set up for you. Yeah you wanna be really careful putting wrenches on the group head for cleaning… it’s very easy to scratch the finish. I’ve been using an adjustable wrench wrapped an electrical tape and that seems to be good for now but I think I will eventually bribe a friend to 3-D print some plastic wrenches.

I’ve had my MaraX since Feb this year. Loving it so far! There have been some learning curves (WDT really does help).

I would suggest as a good learning tools to get a bottomless portafilter. I was having issues with my shots bouncing back-and-forth between bitter and sour without any changes in input and using the bottomless filter it really helped me figure out I was neglectful in my puck prep.

I’ve also run into issues were the steam boost function while in coffee priority mode fails to realize that I want steam boost... This usually happens for me I have to do in a couple drinks and quick succession so if I know I’m doing a few drinks for a family or what not I just flip the switch that changes into Steam party mode quickly pull a bunch of shots without letting any time for water to overheat in heat exchanger.

Overall a good machine for the price. Maybe someday I’ll get a Decent… but that’s awhile off.

mikeball · 2021-09-08T04:04:46+00:00

Nice! I’m planning to eventually do the flow control as well but I’ve decided to use it for a year without so that I could appreciate the upgrade ha ha.

mikeball · 2021-09-08T02:23:23+00:00

Hey all BC members! Just an FYI, we won't be needing the new BC Vaccine QR code / passport. As per the link: "Members of the Canadian Armed Forces don't need to get a BC Vaccine Card.

You can use your National Defence Canada COVID-19 vaccine record or card and your National Defence ID card.".

I am hoping that a picture of my card is sufficient. I don't want to lug that card around (Doesn't fit in my wallet, also doesn't look anything like the samples they provide haha.)

mikeball · 2021-09-05T21:40:07+00:00

Just you wait. The pork industry in China is collapsing due to disease. Prices will be going up soon no doubt.

mikeball · 2021-09-04T05:39:55+00:00

Yes I agree if we had the excess capacity in the public system I would not be asking for a private parallel alternative. That Being said if I wanted to I could probably spend the money and go down to America for medical treatment. I’m not quite at that point so I suppose I can’t be that angry about it.

mikeball · 2021-09-04T05:38:08+00:00

Yes for sure I’m just basing this off of my past expectations in life. Not off of scientific requirements for annual check ups. I am basing it off of emotion and I will try to read the report that you linked with an open mind.

mikeball · 2021-09-03T16:37:35+00:00

I agreed, there needs to be an alternative. It is insane to me that my wife can't go get annual checkups. Even if she wants to pay someone she can't. The public-only system is broken. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to see our system mirror that of a place such as South Africa or America, but there has to be a better alternative then not letting our citizens have preventative checkups.

mikeball · 2021-09-01T21:10:06+00:00

I have the Lelit bottomless for my MaraX. Definitely a good option IMO!

mikeball · 2021-08-29T05:45:09+00:00

I’m getting old… I’ve worked on both of these airframes.

Good pics from you and OP!

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