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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
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
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