Decent Espresso Machines (DE1) - Any thoughts?

[>decentespresso]

I've just ordered a new battery for my old 7" nexus 7 (2012) to use as a backup if the DE1+ tablet goes belly up for some reason. Gotta keep that coffee coming.

It your old tablet is running Android OS 4.4.3 or newer, it should work. Android versions previous to that had totally broken bluetooth.

If my memory is correct, the specs on our tablets are almost identical to the Google Nexus 8.

FYI the DE1+ tablet app works best on tablets with one of these resolutions: 1280x800 (720P), 1920x1280 (1080p), 2560x1600 (name?) but will auto-resize itself to other dimensions.

Is there an init or config file to edit so I don't have to manually load the DE1+ program into Androwish each time?

Yes: if you follow the directions for Android at https://decentespresso.com/downloads you will be hand-loading a script only once, which then puts a DE1+ icon on your Android desktop.

Alternatively, if you're technical and you have "adb" installed on your computer (while your tablet is usb connected), you can install the icon by running this command:
adb shell am start -n tk.tcl.wish/.AndroWishLauncher -a android.intent.action.ACTION_VIEW -e arg file:///sdcard/de1plus/create_de1plus_icon.tcl

-john

[>decentespresso]

Do we have any information about when more pre-orders will be accepted? The website says:
Since it's already getting close to May, I wondered if there was any update on this.

I wanted to wait until two things occurred:
1) we actually are able to make machines, on a fairly dependable schedule
2) some detailed user reviews came out.

Thus far, we've shipped 15 espresso machines out (all 110V), and there have been some reviews, but nothing really detailed. 10 days ago, we were able to make 0.5 machines per day, this week we should be at about 2 to 2.5 machines made per day.

I'd rather not take money from people until:
1) they can read real reviews of the machine for themselves and not have to (as prebuyers have done) depend on our claims about how "super-awesome" our machine is
2) we would be able to give people a realistic delivery date.

Those two conditions haven't yet been met, but hopefully in the next 4 weeks, they will be.

20 machines at 220V should ship this week.

-john

[>decentespresso]

Tech support video: a dirty shower screen can cause uneven espresso water

Shin (our man in Korea) was demoing to some serious baristas, who were unimpressed that the water coming out of the shower screen was so uneven. After a bit of head scratching, we found that taking out the shower screen and cleaning the coffee off of it fixed the problem.

(n.b.: this is an example of how we're planning on doing most tech support. A short video shows the problem, and the solution. Few words or language necessary. The next revision of this video will show the parts being cleaned. Great for our many customers for whom English is not so easy)

[HorseFD]

Thanks for the detailed response John. This is a great way to do business.

[gc]

It your old tablet is running Android OS 4.4.3 or newer, it should work. Android versions previous to that had totally broken bluetooth.

If my memory is correct, the specs on our tablets are almost identical to the Google Nexus 8.

FYI the DE1+ tablet app works best on tablets with one of these resolutions: 1280x800 (720P), 1920x1280 (1080p), 2560x1600 (name?) but will auto-resize itself to other dimensions.



Yes: if you follow the directions for Android at https://decentespresso.com/downloads you will be hand-loading a script only once, which then puts a DE1+ icon on your Android desktop.

Alternatively, if you're technical and you have "adb" installed on your computer (while your tablet is usb connected), you can install the icon by running this command:
adb shell am start -n tk.tcl.wish/.AndroWishLauncher -a android.intent.action.ACTION_VIEW -e arg file:///sdcard/de1plus/create_de1plus_icon.tcl

-john

Thanks for this info John. I chose to use my old Nexus 7 as a backup for the DE1+ tablet because the Nexus specs, and particularly the screen, (1280x800) were similar to it. I have a custom 7.1.1 Nougat ROM on it but only Bluetooth 3 though, so will have to see if the BT link works with the DE1+ module.

I am assuming I can just use a terminal on the nexus (it's rooted and I can do what I like with system files) instead of adb shell to install the icon.

[>decentespresso]

but only Bluetooth 3 though, so will have to see if the BT link works with the DE1+ module.

Bad news: your old tablet will absolutely not work with your DE1+, because "bluetooth low energy" (BLE) is also known as "Bluetooth 4", and is the Bluetooth that we use. Bluetooth 3 is completely incompatible with Bluetooth 4 BLE.

We had to go to BLE (aka Bluetooth 4) as that is the only bluetooth standard that Apple supports on its iDevices.

-john

[gc]

Bad news: your old tablet will absolutely not work with your DE1+, because "bluetooth low energy" (BLE) is also known as "Bluetooth 4", and is the Bluetooth that we use. Bluetooth 3 is completely incompatible with Bluetooth 4 BLE.

We had to go to BLE (aka Bluetooth 4) as that is the only bluetooth standard that Apple supports on its iDevices.

-john

Thanks John. Your "bad news" reply pushed me into looking a little deeper into my old Nexus 7. Turns out the Broadcom BT chip in it is BLE [4.] capable, but was not activated in the stock roms for Google's own reasons. Apparently activating this feature is now doable. I may have to use a different Custom ROM, but sounds like I will be able to pair the Nexus with the DE1+ one way or another......maybe......

Update: Just tried connecting the nexus to a BT4.2 device (speaker) and it worked fine. So I guess there is still hope.

[>decentespresso]

Good progress today building 20 espresso machines

[>decentespresso]

New feature: do you have enough water?



A challenge for home espresso machines is to decide when they're out of water. Some machines wait until the very last drop, but that might be in the middle of steaming or making an Americano when you least want this to happen. Drinkus interruptus.

With our espresso machine, we decided that once you started making your drink, we should let you use the last drop. However, if you haven't started your drink, we should try to anticipate the amount of water you might need and ask you to refill if we're worried you don't have enough for the drink you might make. The idea is to save you from yourself.

As of today, I've made "how much water is enough" configurable by you.

For example, the new "Pour Over" profile use a lot more water than espresso, so it's easy to run out mid-pour-over (whoops). We've also heard from some of you that you like a Big Americano, using more water than most other people do.

On the other hand, nothing seems to irritate people more than a machine that declares "out of water" when there's still plenty in the water tank, so there's a balance to be struck. You get to set the balance that works for you.

As of today, you can indicate how much water there needs to be in the tank (in terms of millimeters of water depth) before the espresso machine asks you to add more.

Those of you who have bought our PRO model will find that your espresso machine remains automatically topped up to whatever level you set using this new feature. It's the point at which the Refill Pump turns on.

-john

[roastini]

Update: Just tried connecting the nexus to a BT4.2 device (speaker) and it worked fine. So I guess there is still hope.

This is not as useful an indicator as you might hope.

The support you need for connecting to a Decent machine is support for BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). BLE was introduced as part of the Bluetooth 4 standard, but Bluetooth 4 also includes "Classic Bluetooth," which is almost certainly what your speaker supports. Moreover, a BT4.2 speaker could well be backward compatible with, say, BT3.

So a BT4.2 speaker doesn't necessarily use BLE, and connecting to a BT4.2 speaker doesn't necessarily mean your connection is using the BT4.2 protocol.

[>decentespresso]

Final assembly of our first batch of 20 machines

We're doing the final assembly of 20 espresso machines at once. This is the first time we've done such a large batch. Because of its complexity and small size, this last step is a bit more fiddly than we'd like. It took us 7 day work days, starting at zero, to get to this point. There is probably another half day of work left to move these machines over to testing and burnin.

[gc]

This is not as useful an indicator as you might hope.

The support you need for connecting to a Decent machine is support for BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). BLE was introduced as part of the Bluetooth 4 standard, but Bluetooth 4 also includes "Classic Bluetooth," which is almost certainly what your speaker supports. Moreover, a BT4.2 speaker could well be backward compatible with, say, BT3.

So a BT4.2 speaker doesn't necessarily use BLE, and connecting to a BT4.2 speaker doesn't necessarily mean your connection is using the BT4.2 protocol.

Thanks for these thoughts. I did know this was a possible (likely?) result for just the reasons you describe. Hence my final comment in the post about "maybe.......". I have read on XDA Forum that the Broadcom BT chip in the nexus 7 is BLE compatible, but this feature needs to be enabled either in the kernel or build.prop. (not sure which yet) Only way to know for sure of course, is to await the arrival of my machine and see if it can pair.

[>decentespresso]

Preparing Tablets



Besides programming, my job is also to prepare Android tablets for use with an espresso machine. We hadn't expected it, but Shin's USB cable actually melted when he brought his machine home. We hadn't thought to test each cable.

Also, some beta testers found their tablets to be out of battery power so they couldn't make coffee right away with their new toy. Major Bummer.

After I update and load each tablet, I'm plugging each into a "smart USB charger" to keep it fully charged. This has the advantage of testing the USB cable that we'll be sending you. One cable (of 40) was defective today (the USB charger screen went blank when I plugged it in).

This new approach also lets me test each tablet's charging and battery, because the next morning, each tablet should be 100% topped up and no longer charging.

In the attached image, you can see that the tablet on port #6 is acting crazily. Sadly (sort of), the problem turned out to be the USB charger: the tablet, plugged into another port, was fine. Sigh.

I have enough chargers for 24 tablets "ready to ship", and just ordered enough chargers to up that to 80 tablets (make that 79, due to a defective port, argh)

Our goal is to plan for 40 machines made and shipped per week. That's 8 per day. We're currently at 2.5 machines made per day, but I think that our next batch will be at 4 machines made per day.

Between now and the end of June, we need to achieve 6 machines made and shipped per day, in order to hit our goal of shipping the remaining 265 machines people have already paid for.

-john

[>decentespresso]

DE1+ owner Damian Scisci has made a video showing his experiments making a "pour over" inside a portafilter basket, with a aeropress filter in the basket, and the "advanced profile" editor on his Decent Espresso machine.

[>decentespresso]

20 espresso machines

This was the first time we've built 20 machines at once (previous time was 5 at once). We were pretty excited to get them all done, and 3 new hires started last week, helping with this.

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85% failure rate

Our rejoicing at having built 20 espresso machines in 8 days didn't last long.

This morning, only 3 of the 20 machines passed the hipot safety tests: the other 17 failed. "hipot" runs 1700 volts (!!!) through the machine to make sure that the insulation is everywhere sufficient to prevent a potential electric shock. If any wires are too close, or not sufficient insulated, this test complains. Loudly. Literally: it's in the standard that the test gear should fail with a piercing sound.

I'm annoyed at myself because as I poked my head this morning to try to offer a helpful tip, I saw something that didn't look right to me, but I thought "no, that can't be it" and didn't speak up.

Four hours later, Johnny figured out the problem, and it indeed was what my hunch had told me.

On the 220V water heaters, one of the electrical connectors is soldered on by the factory at a different rotation than on the 110V water heaters. On 17 machines This caused the cable that plugged into it to push against the "flush diffuser" box.

Under normal 220V power, this probably wouldn't cause a problem. But at 1700V, even with the silicone insulation, electricity would jump through the insulation.

Thankfully, the solution is really simple and doesn't require us to take apart the machines. Some pliers inside the machine to bend the steam connection counter-clockwise, so it doesn't touch anything, and now the hipot test is happy.

Now I know why the safety standard requires every single machine to be hipot tested.

-john