Decent Espresso Machines (DE1) - Any thoughts?

[>decentespresso]

Brilliant Advice from Colin Harmon's book



My train-ride reading this week was Colin Harmon's book "What I know about running coffee shops" https://whatiknowaboutrunningcoffeeshops.com/

It's one of those "experience human does brain-dump of his life's knowledge". I agree wholeheartedly with virtually all of it, but when something new-to-me comes along, it's then totally in line with how I think and so it immediately changes my thinking in a deep way.

Here's a great example of an insight about to how to help your customers feel better about waiting for their coffee:

"Another thing to do is to give customers strangely specific wait times. In a busy queue, I'd often go down the line with the first three customers and tell them:
1st customer: I have yours here
2nd customer: Yours is a cappuccino?
3rd customer: Yours is going to be about 70 seconds"

The explanation of why this works is the paragraph following, and you should buy the book to read it, and the ~20 other gems of brilliance scattered around the pages.

-john

[>decentespresso]

Conference Presentation: Coffee Without Java

A conference talk I gave, directed toward programmers and IT people, about the Decent Espresso machine. It especially covers the tablet app, which is written in Tcl/Tk https://androwish.org/

Fairly long but hopefully interesting to open source folk, open hardware, tinkerers, and Makers.

I'm hoping that my way of explaining myself will be (mostly) clear to non-programmers, as long as you're fairly familiar with technology.

[Dimal]

Very well done mate...

Mal.

[>decentespresso]

Some progress with my $99 IKEA coffee cart ... looks like everything will actually fit.

[>decentespresso]

One of the golden rules of products in today’s age is “thou shalt make products that look good on Instagram”

Thus, when I saw what Ben’s prototype group head controller looked like in a photo he took (top left photo, below), I knew we had a problem on our hands (har har).

Today we received a set of parts for revisions on all the parts for our upcoming group head controller. Among the fine tuning we’re trying to accomplish in this pass:

1) 4 different coatings, though I’m betting that the dual “anti reflective” and then “anti fingerprint” on top of that, will be the winner (bottom left image)

2) a light-diffusing ring, to make the LEDs bleed into each other (top right photo)

3) a spongy custom-cut gasket, so that slight non-flatness on the metal group head cover, doesn’t permit small unsightly gaps to appear

4) custom die cut insulation to keep the group head touch controller very much heat isolated from the 90º pre-heated water path below it.

-john

[>decentespresso]

Coffee Cart with a Niche Grinder

In the continuing saga of my turning a $99 IKEA table into a coffee cart, I've now put my Niche grinder in place, alongside a scale (for weighing the coffee beans), as well as empty milk jugs for waste water.

My "waste water solution" is very much "sub-optimal" and so I'll be working on finding larger, and appropriate-height, plastic containers for my espresso and pitcher rinser dirty water.

I also found that my full-size kitchen towels are much too large for such a small cart. I'll go looking for small brown-colored ones that I've used in Hong Kong.

-john

[>decentespresso]

Ben continues his quest to “pimp his DE1”, this time with a craquelure red/black paint that looks like some sort of demonic lizard skin.

[Dimal]

Very classy...

Mal.

[>decentespresso]

John's group head controller prototype

Fabrice built me a prototype group head controller, so I can start programming its interaction with the tablet app. The reflectivity is much improved with this latest revision, though the "light show" is really awfully tacky and gaudy. That'll get fixed before we ship!

And there's a surprise at the end.

[>decentespresso]

Coffee Cart Wired Up & Cleaned Up

Coffee Cart Wired Up & Cleaned Up

Latest changes:
- A german-made power bar installed, cabling cleaned up
- Combined dirty water vessels for DE1 and pitcher rinser
- Jettisoned tamping cradle for lack of space
- Bottomless portafilter stand modified to fit Niche grinder
- Much more working space now, much less crowded.

[level3ninja]

Nice and neat! I assume you've replaced the screws holding the Niche's feet on with longer ones that go through the table top in order to secure it? Can't see any screw heads on the underside photo.

If you wanted it to be a bit cleaner you could also drill a hole for the power cord to hide it too. Or if you didn't want to rewire the plug just cut a slot behind the Niche that's the power cable width longer than the frame is wide and then lift the table top to put the plug through.

[>decentespresso]

Nice and neat! I assume you've replaced the screws holding the Niche's feet on with longer ones that go through the table top in order to secure it? Can't see any screw heads on the underside photo.

I asked Martin@Niche to give me the specifications on the bolts for the feet, and just heard back.

They are both M5, though the front feet are using 20 mm bolts whereas the rear feet are using 40 mm bolts. A 50mm bolt will go through the tabletop into the rear foot. My plan is only have one mounting bolt, for now, and see if that's stable enough.

If you wanted it to be a bit cleaner you could also drill a hole for the power cord to hide it too. Or if you didn't want to rewire the plug just cut a slot behind the Niche that's the power cable width longer than the frame is wide and then lift the table top to put the plug through.

indeed, that was exctly the conversation with my girlfriend yesterday.

We don't really want to drill such a big hole as is needed for the power plug. Much nicer would be a small 5 mm hole for the cable.

However, to do that will mean taking apart the Niche and removing the cable from the strain relief, threading it all through the hole and then putting it back together again. That strain relief is buried in the back on the Niche, and a bit hard to get to.

At any rate, that's what we decide we want to do, and I'll hopefully get to that in the next few days.

– John

[>decentespresso]

Minor New Accessories

I’ve recently been working on my coffee cart, and I’m about to upgrade to the white DE1XL. I’ve needed some new stuff to make it all work, and can now make those parts available to you.

I’ve added the “natural wood” portafilter (both bottomless and double spouted) to our web site today. And also the rubber ring that allows you to countersink our knockbox.

https://decentespresso.com/new

-john

[Lyrebird]

However, to do that will mean taking apart the Niche and removing the cable from the strain relief, threading it all through the hole and then putting it back together again. That strain relief is buried in the back on the Niche, and a bit hard to get to.

– John

You could hack the coaxial connection from a cordless kettle onto the bottom of the Niche with the mating part from the kettle docking station fixed to the table.

A bit OTT, I know, but it would mean you could remove it for cleaning etc and then simply place it back on the dock.

If you wanted to get really fancy you could engineer a bayonet mount so it locks into the dock, eliminating the mounting bolt.

If you wanted to use the Niche somewhere else you would just need a spare kettle docking station.

[>decentespresso]

We’re sorry about your drip tray cover

As of today, espresso machines that we're shipping out will have this message printed out, attached to the drip tray cover.

I'll explain how this came to happen, in a separate posting.

-john



:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :

We’re sorry about your drip tray cover

We have run out of “perfect” drip tray covers. We did not want to delay your order, so we have sent you an “ugly” one, so you can start making espresso right away.

In about 2 months, we will send you a beautiful stainless steel drip tray cover to replace this ugly one.

Everything else about your machine is perfect, except for this. We’re really sorry!

ps: as an apology, we want to give you a free digital thermometer or milk jug (of any size). We will email you when the new drip tray is available. You can make your choice then and we’ll send your gift in the same shipment.