What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!

[Kim Christensen]

Knob on the popper is a dimmer in series with the heating element to lower the heat. Without it, this popper roasted WAY too fast.

So that's a modified hot air popcorn popper?
How long does it take to roast the beans in that?

[beanflying]

Out of Coffee 

I started with a bowl and heatgun as a popper load was never enough  The popper I did get for a play actually ran slow out of the box and they are a mixed bag of power and like you did can be modded including a taller chimney to help keep the beans inside.

Day old is a bit lively and your flavours haven't developed fully but on a lighter roast for brewed 3-5 days is about spot on. For Espresso or if you like a darker roast then 5-10 days is about right for most.

For anyone else tempted attached is my quick and dirty poor mans guide to roasting. Most of us have what is needed already and Green Beans are not to hard to find in smaller quantities.

[rfclown]

Knob on the popper is a dimmer in series with the heating element to lower the heat. Without it, this popper roasted WAY too fast.

So that's a modified hot air popcorn popper?
How long does it take to roast the beans in that?

20+ years ago I used to roast in this popper all the time. When I first tried it, it would be over done in less than 5 minutes. I put a dimmer switch in-line with the heating coil, assuming it would just burn up, since the dimmer said "600W" and I think the popper said 1200W. I just tied it onto the outside of the popper since I thought it was a temporary experiment. Lo and behold it worked, and eventually I put the dimmer inside the case. I can adjust the heat from too hot (as it was), to too cold (never roast). I have it set to a point where 2nd crack occurs around 9 minutes. Back when I did this as my regular way of doing coffee, I would buy green beans from a local roaster for I think $3 a pound less than he charged for his roasted coffee. I was the only coffee drinker in my house (kids all young). My primary motivation for roasting was that if I bought a whole pound of roasted coffee, it wouldn't be fresh enough for my tastes when I got near the end of the bag. I generally drink a morning and an afternoon cup. That's all. I grind enough for a few days, which for my tastes is fine.

Later I changed my coffee habits and started drinking espresso. I couldn't figure out how to roast anything that I liked as well as Starbuck's, so I gave up roasting. With medium roast, I could roast such that it tasted the same to me as the local roaster's coffee. I'm thinking now that for espresso I roasted too fast and too dark. Starbuck's is really dark, and when I roast to that color, it just tasted burnt.

[rfclown]

Out of Coffee 

I started with a bowl and heatgun as a popper load was never enough  The popper I did get for a play actually ran slow out of the box and they are a mixed bag of power and like you did can be modded including a taller chimney to help keep the beans inside.

Day old is a bit lively and your flavours haven't developed fully but on a lighter roast for brewed 3-5 days is about spot on. For Espresso or if you like a darker roast then 5-10 days is about right for most.

For anyone else tempted attached is my quick and dirty poor mans guide to roasting. Most of us have what is needed already and Green Beans are not to hard to find in smaller quantities.

I know I've read your thing in the past, but I'll have to read it again. My popper doesn't have any issue with the beans coming out of the chimmey. I like how the chaff just get blown off as it roasts (I do it outside), and it stirs itself. I'm glad you mention the longer sitting time for dark roast. I would never have guessed that long. I think I used to wait 3 days for medium roast.

[beanflying]

With my Espresso blend I roast each of the beans separately and one of the beans in particular I roast 7-10 days before the others to let it settle before blending it together with the others. So that bean in particular you are drinking at nearly 3 weeks+. Indian Monsooned Malabar btw and only 15% of the roast as it has a very large personality 

The Plastic loader on yours is a lot taller than most of the modern ones so the beans should be ok without a chimney.

[rfclown]

One of the three bags I bought is an "Espresso Blend", but I have no clue what's in it. Website didn't say, and I thought I'd take a chance. I only roasted 1/3 cup of each. The Espresso Blend actually smells the best at this point, followed by the Java.

...edit... I was wrong. Just looked at the website and they have a picture which shows Sumatra, Ethiopia, Brazil and Robusta. I wouldn't think I'd like that mix, but we'll see.

[RAPo]

A HP 3312A function/sweep generator.

[gamalot]

I needed some 18AWG wire with 3.96mm connectors, so I bought this cheap crimping tool from Aliexpress and I'm very happy with it.

[tom66]

12 Zigbee GU10 smart bulbs and some smart switches.  IKEA are discontinuing some of the TRADFRI bulbs and they are quite good, so at £3 a piece I could hardly resist.  I already got the switches to work with Home Assistant to control some lighting scenes in my house.   I plan to replace the hallway pendant light with some nicer spotlights which will go well with later redecoration.  My cloudless smart home adventures continue.

[Alex Eisenhut]

I found a amp/speaker switchbox while thrifting... couldn't believe it. That's not a household item, at all, IMO. It's the kind of thing audio stores would hook up different amps and different speakers to compare.
Why not? It was 15$ and very heavy. That's all I need to know!

[YurkshireLad]

About a week ago, I picked up an AD9833 Programmable Waveform Generator, so I could mess around with basic signal generation. I also grabbed a couple of accelerometers, though I can't remember which particular types.

[armandine2]

After a couple of hiccups  with my SMD version I just bought a handful of these THT ammeter kits.

... arrived today. Not so many instructions  ...but we have a picture and aforementioned video 

[beanflying]

Preparations for inbound heavy metal. -17% discount on local evilbay for another week or so.



So maybe time to look at a heavy duty Fluke Amplifier now I will be able to lift it 

Seriously it is because I am getting OLD'er and powerlifting 80kg+ Coffee machines, full sheets of steel, Lathes, CNC gear and general bits is just not worth the downsides.

[wkb]

A HP 3312A function/sweep generator.

Markplaats find?

[RAPo]

yes!

[ledtester]

After a couple of hiccups  with my SMD version I just bought a handful of these THT ammeter kits.

... arrived today. Not so many instructions  ...but we have a picture and aforementioned video 

You might also be interested in the ICL7135 - more counts and it is easily interfaced with an MCU - for instance for recording the measurements or for displaying on pixel-based display.

[RAPo]

I've ordered a jumperless in a matteblack case.

[PA0PBZ]

I've ordered a jumperless in a matteblack case.

What an interesting thing! Do you have any specific plans for it or just playing (which is totally understandable)?

[RAPo]

I have had a CFA. As a result my left hand is somewhat handicapped. I want to make it easy for myself: no more (or less) fumbling with jumpers.

[armandine2]

I've ordered a jumperless in a matteblack case.

I feel better now, after shelling out similar for an HP-16C 

[armandine2]

After a couple of hiccups  with my SMD version I just bought a handful of these THT ammeter kits.

... arrived today. Not so many instructions  ...but we have a picture and aforementioned video 

... it is possible to put the ic socket and LED displays in each other's location, solder - and then fail to recover the pcb (after doing one correctly first time:-//)

[tom66]

A Melitta bean-to-cup coffee machine.  Cost around £250, it seems to be a model they are discontinuing soon as most places have no stock now. I'm hoping it ends up lasting longer than our previous espresso unit which managed 3 years but struggled with anything other than very well ground coffee.  In the end that one died because despite occasionally descaling it, the heater block became permanently scaled up and the high pressure hose just burst off, spewing hot high pressure water all inside the machine.  I probably could have fixed it but would need a new block which didn't seem to be sold anywhere.

[PartialDischarge]

A Melitta bean-to-cup coffee machine.

That is a very good machine, I have a similar one, compared to a Krupps I had before: coffee is better, much lower noise and easier to clean coffee grounds

[RAPo]

I'm guilty of that sin too. Not once but for every voyager model, prime and HP41CX.

[RAPo]

Look at that beautiful sine