Tempo Popper (or equivalent)

[hotjava]

Re: Tempo Popper (or equivalent)

I tested the Tempo popper and found that it lacked oomph compared to the poppers Ive used previously (people have described the Aldi version as having the same issue). The model number was B-32a1A which seems to be an A revision. They appear to have changed the fan output. I exchanged it for one with the older packaging and model number B-32A1 and this performs much more as expected and is probably the model people have had good experience as a roaster with. Be careful to get the correct one.

To identify - The old version has the the Tempo logo on the front of the unit - the new version does not. The model number is on the bottom plate. The old packaging has a 1 year warranty badging and short recipes included notice the new has 12 month warranty badging.

[hotjava]

Re: Tempo Popper (or equivalent)

Ive opened up the Tempo with the intention of separating the heater and fan coil and having the fan run constantly and the heater controlled by the existing switch. No luck there - this unit is of the voltage-divider type with the two elements in series.

The fan motor is labelled as:
SHUN DE LONG JIA CO. LTD
DC18V 15W CLASS A

I dont know the rpm. The supply is 16-16.5vdc and climbing as the coils heated up. Otherwise it is your pretty typical unit but for some inductors and greencaps on the motor board for RF suppression and an electro for dc smoothing.

Im surprised at the 15W - that would make it less than an amp at 18v which doesnt seem to agree with what Ive read here (I didnt measure). I gather people have found them to draw more in the vicinity of 2 - 3 amps. Ive got an 18vac 1A plugpack I was tempted to try but I dont think it will cut it.

My goal is to build a starter roaster that is neat (all-in-one) and effective but as cheaply as possible. I was personally hoping to go down the KKTO route this xmas but that idea was killed off by the household ministry of finance. Maybe next year once that irresistible allure of fresh coffee takes hold

It would be interesting to see what people discover in the new Tempo model and the Aldi version and how they all compare?

Ill share my modifications and results here as a reference for others also thinking of pursuing this path.

[hotjava]

Re: Tempo Popper (or equivalent)

I thought it was time that I share my progress so-far with the Tempo popper.

So far it has done 17 roasts without an issue with roasts taking around 6.30 - 7.00 minutes. I am roasting 125 gram batches which seems to be a good compromise amount for this unit.

I operate the popper with a 20 metre light duty extension cord and a bead thermocouple threaded through the top and into the bean mass for temperature monitoring. This works very well as the spinning beans draws the loose bead into the centre of the bean mass.

I fashioned a chimney from a stainless steel thermo travel mug by removing the plastic lining and cutting off the top and bottom of the SS casing to fit. The bottom of the chimney protrudes down into the heat chamber and is an interference fit into the black plastic popper top. The clear plastic cover fits snugly over the top and forms a nice protective heat shield from the hot chimney.

There has been some heat deformation of the inner edge of the heat shield so it will be interesting to see how it all looks after 100+ or so roasts. Otherwise I think it is quite neat and works really well. Originally I planned to fasten the shield to the body with screws but I have found that the ability to easily dismantle it all is handy to clean out all the chaff and I will leave it as is.

The whole roasting process has been remarkably easy and great fun. As the popper is very hands-on you learn so much more with every roast. The only real downsides are the puny batch sizes and lack of control.

For about $25 outlay (+ a CS starter pack) this seems to me to be the ideal introduction to coffee roasting.

[hotjava]

Re: Tempo Popper (or equivalent)

The next mod Im planning is to the temperature monitoring.

I was planning on drilling a hole for a standard k-type thermo probe to use with my DMM.

My thinking now is to go instead with a little LCD thermo probe like in this picture. Ive noticed from CS pictures that some other people have tried them in their roasters but Im unsure how well they worked in this application. It would be much more compact and would be better if I end up passing the roaster on to someone else in the future.

Can someone please pass on their results with this kind of probe with a roaster?

[A_M]

Re: Tempo Popper (or equivalent)

The next mod Im planning is to the temperature monitoring.

I was planning on drilling a hole for a standard k-type thermo probe to use with my DMM.

My thinking now is to go instead with a little LCD thermo probe like in this picture. Ive noticed from CS pictures that some other people have tried them in their roasters but Im unsure how well they worked in this application. It would be much more compact and would be better if I end up passing the roaster on to someone else in the future.

Can someone please pass on their results with this kind of probe with a roaster?

Well I made the mistake of only getting one the first time round..

1: Cheep

2: A good indicator..  Remember we are all different ( first crack = first crack ) Yours might say 193 and mine could say 213.. means nothing... It is first crack

It means a little; but only to you and if  the conditions are exactly the same.

3: Great battery life - 15min time out..  A handy reminder that the roast should be about done....

4: Not of a substantial build quality...

You leave it stuck in the KKTO through a hole in the side and into the pasta pot...  And one attempts to remove said pasta pot at end of roast... Then persists to try remove said inner pot as the beans are now going into a full RSC...

Stuck... So you pull upwards with more force -  Something has to give..  Not always..

CRAB.. Bugger / Crap... Reach down and in a panic. grab and rip said probe from the system...  The plastic control bit tends to not like this...

Now depending on how often and how hard one pulls and grabs the probe... This has a direct relationship, on the life and userbility of said probe   ;D :   :-[ :-[ :-[

Done it more than once... Do not ask...

Fit for purpose and cost (flee bay) - I reckon they were good..  

Note 1: The second lot... I got two this time..  But they were a longer and thicker probe...

Do not force a thick probe in a small hole..  In particular; if you intend to forget about it, when it comes time to dump the beans.. Yes I did.. And no it did not survive.. :-X :-X

Note 2:  If I used a vacuum system to empty the beans and into a cooler directly.. Would not be a problem.


Fit for purpose - as an indicator with a 15min timer etc GREAT litle buy...

PS... Do not use any more... Ears, eys and smell only.. Just got to remember to use gloves when I grab the pot... That vacuum system is looking better every day  8-)

[hotjava]

Re: Tempo Popper (or equivalent)

A roasting session for me consists of 3x roasts with @ 15 mins rest between roasts.

This worked OK up until about the 20+ roast. The last couple of roasting sessions the popper has experienced thermal cutout on the 3rd roast of the day.

How annoying.

[lindsayra]

Re: Tempo Popper (or equivalent)

Hi hj,

I agree with all AMs points and would like to add:

The black plastic does soften when hot and the electronics go crazy, for which I suggest a heat sink outside the hot zone (to reduce heat flow to the black plastic and beyond).
Another option would be to swap the duty to a second unit before meltdown.
Fab. value at about $5 delivered though.

Lindsay

[hotjava]

Re: Tempo Popper (or equivalent)

Thanks guys - I suspected that the LCD probe probably wasnt robust enough to withstand this application - your comments bear this out. The K probe it is then !!

On the other issue - has anyone else experienced their poppers becoming seemingly more sensitive to thermal cutout as they age?

[hotjava]

Re: Tempo Popper (or equivalent)

Well the motor gave out on my Tempo Popper. From about roast twenty the popper would cutout. I thought it must have been the thermostat cutting it out but it turns out the motor itself would shut down but the elements were still active - giving me scorched beans. As the motor would heat up it would just periodically slow down or stop.

Now I have the newer A revision Tempo popper. I couldnt resist opening it up to see what was new. The motor (18v) and thermostat (150c) are the same but the thermal fuse has been upgraded from 192c to 240c. The motor voltages looked about the same so it would seem that the elements are also identical.

The fan output does seem reduced though - perhaps the fan is different. I have had to reduce my batches from 125g to 100g to get some agitation. Average 6.30min roasts with the old popper are now @ 3.30mins but it was a fair bit warmer that day than I would usually roast on so well see on that one.

[Nav]

Re: Tempo Popper (or equivalent)

Hey guys,

I just attempted to roast (Indian Mysore Plantation A) for the first time using the tempo popcorn roaster ~21 celsius in Sydney today. Ended up having 1C at around 1 min 47 seconds and roast finished at 3 minutes and 15 seconds. Is this incredibly quick? It was sunny outside and I was roasting in the sun, so not sure if that had something to do with making the roast quick. Can anyone tell me what sort of roast times should i be expecting with an unmodded tempo roaster?

Nav

[shapeshifter]

Re: Tempo Popper (or equivalent)

That is about right for an unmodified popper, at the most youd be lucky to get 4-6 minutes all up

I can get 22 minutes out of my modified popper

[Nav]

Re: Tempo Popper (or equivalent)

Thanks shapeshifter, I thought I did something completely wrong

[emckissock]

Re: Tempo Popper (or equivalent)

Before I modified my popper, first crack was around 5 min, with second crack about 2-3 mins later. Some poppers just run a bit cooler than others. Yours obviously runs quite hot.

You should try to extend roast times a bit if you can. Smaller batches roast more slowly, probably 80 or 90gm max. Keeping a fan blowing while you are roasting can also help and it blows the chaff away too. Tipping the popper at a slight angle can also help get the beans moving and slow things down.

Or you can start modifying it and get 150 gm roasts lasting 15-20min.