Gene Cafe - drive fault

[KJM]

Re: Gene Cafe - drive fault

Thank you KJM,

Sourced the part and I am now waiting for delivery.  

-Linda

If you have grief getting it to bits, PM me and I can help via telephone if needed. Feel free to ask!

/Kevin

[KJM]

Re: Gene Cafe - drive fault

Time to break out the Heatgun and bowl while you are waiting

Which is why holding a spare drive gear in the cupboard is a good idea! Avoids having to clean the heatgun out of blistered paint and get the asbestos gloves out :

/Kevin

[beanflying]

Re: Gene Cafe - drive fault

Time to break out the Heatgun and bowl while you are waiting

[LindaD]

Re: Gene Cafe - drive fault

Thank you KJM,

Sourced the part and I am now waiting for delivery.

-Linda

[KJM]

Re: Gene Cafe - drive fault

That part is just the gear - the motor isnt listed (but it looks like a generic motor to me, so it should be possible to source one if it has died).

Thats the part that I replaced.  If you havent yet taken it to bits, Id recommend the coffeetime.wikidot.com website - it has some blow by blow descriptions.  The only really scary bit is bending the plastic shield enough to pop the plastic pivots out of the sockets.  Mine takes a fair bit of force, which seems un-natural to do to a biggish hunk of clear plastic!

Another tip for first time dis-memberment is to use a digital camera to photograph it step by step  

/Kevin

PS: you also need a bit of force with a flat bladed driver to pull the busted gear off and a fair bit of heft to force the new one on. I cant recall exactly how I did that, but my guess would be pointy nosed pliers.

[LindaD]

Help!!!

The gear motor on my GC has just split.

Where can I get the part for it?

I went to Avacuppa on the side here, but I am unsure if this is the correct part.

It costs about $3, is that about right?

-Linda

[A_M]

Re: Gene Cafe - drive fault

I recommend a "dry" lube silicon spray

or carbon

[davec]

Re: Gene Cafe - drive fault

I recommend a "dry" lube silicon spray

[KJM]

Dear all,
Since Ive had my Gene Café, it has had a (slightly) annoying quiet clunk about it. The clunk was very quiet - just a background lack-of-smoothness of the drum. My colleague Hazbean also has one, and his was absolutely silky smooth and quiet - so I knew it was a drive issue with mine.

Anyway, the drum stopped working today! As I approached first crack, it stopped! So with fingers and my old toothbrush I keep next to it to clean it with, I kept the drum going to complete the roast (as you do...).

When I dismembered it, the fault was immediately clear - the drive gear on the motor has a crack and the motor shaft turns inside the gear.

Fortunately I have a spare gear (and a spare rubber snubber thing) - so a quick change and hey presto! The thing is absolutely smooth and the present-from-new quiet clunk is gone.

So any Gene owners out there who have a slight vibration/clunk in there roaster: lay in a spare drive cog! They cost very little and will fix the machine.

Interestingly, the old cog is just a nylon gear, the new one has a brass strengthening band on it which stops the motor from cracking the gear. So I suspect this is a problem Genesis have noted and fixed.

In searching the web for any other people with clunking, I also came across some information on lubricating the Gene. I suspect the information is wrong - they tell you to oil the gears. Nylon gears are self lubricating (although I havent done a materials course for 30+ years, I dont think that has changed). If you lube them, theyll just get the chaff and crud sticking to them and cause wear. Im prepared to be called wrong on this, but I think that is correct.

Everytime I open the Gene up, Im impressed all over again at how well it is actually made.

Cheers
/Kevin