Ambex YM-2 concerns, questions or advice

[hootowl]

I am buying a YM-2 ambex that has been completely rebuilt by another roasting company in the US. Is there any concerns or comments in regards to roasting on an ambex? Also does anyone know how much propane this will use? I have heard there are "hot spots" within ambex roasters, is this true? Can I roast a full #5 on the roaster?

 

[sdcoffeeroaster]

Sorry so late on this reply. I have one of these, a 2009 model. you can roast in 5 lb lots with some beans. The AA's, sumatras, etc are better roasted at 4 lbs. In general 4 lbs is the sort of sweet spot on the this roaster. The drum is not overly large in my opinion relative to the burners. I have improved my roasting by swapping out the 1700 rpm fan motor with the 3450 rpm one. It only cost me about $160 and this was suggested to me by Don Vinning from Roaster Authority (he took over Ambex roasters now). It's a pretty good roaster and you need an external cyclone for it. I added another fan blower downstream of my cyclone after taking a lot careful flow measurements. I also use the Artisan logger program and a dual thermocouple in the front plate.

 

[topher]

I have never had problems with any of the 5 Ambex that I have worked on...but I think that "full" batches do not come out as nicely. 3 to 4 pounds worked for me on my 2 kilo...on the sixty I just had rebuilt for me the sweet spot was 90 lbs. I have also heard from manufactures that you can get 4 batches an hour...not true.

 

[coffeejoes]

Hello A good rule to follow is to assume that the roaster will roast 80% of the stated capacity. This 20% factor gives the coffee enough room in the drum. Without proper circulation some of the coffee will get pinned against the faceplate(called facing). When I roasted on a YM2 I would roast about 3.75 pounds. On my YM10 I would roast 15pound batches. If you feel you need more capacity, buy a YM5.

 

[sdcoffeeroaster]

Hello A good rule to follow is to assume that the roaster will roast 80% of the stated capacity. This 20% factor gives the coffee enough room in the drum. Without proper circulation some of the coffee will get pinned against the faceplate(called facing). When I roasted on a YM2 I would roast about 3.75 pounds. On my YM10 I would roast 15pound batches. If you feel you need more capacity, buy a YM5.

Yeah 3.75 lbs works out perfect for 3 lbs net for most of my roasts. I've found that roasts with a lot of chaff or large beans don't do very well at 5 lbs, although it is possible to roast 5 lbs at a time. I've never had any uneven roasting issues. You just seem to have more control and better agitation at 4 lbs or less with the ym-2. 3 to 3.5 roasts an hr are pretty typical and the larger blower motor makes it easy to cool and roast at the same time. I generally cool for min or two and larger blower really cools it quickly, then I start the roast with 50% air which is about as much as I had at 100% with the smaller fan motor.

 

[clinton]

Can anyone point me in the right direction to obtain the higher speed fan for the YM-2. I'm also trying to locate a suitable cyclone. Thanks.

 

[sdcoffeeroaster]

Can anyone point me in the right direction to obtain the higher speed fan for the YM-2. I'm also trying to locate a suitable cyclone. Thanks.

I can help you with that. I have to look it up at home tonight at home. It was about $160. and is a drop in replacement. This is where I bought it:

It's one of these from this company. It might be the first one but it's 3450 rpm, 1 phase....you have to get the right one so it has the right shaft and bolt pattern:

http://www.globalindustrial.com/searchResult?cp=1&q=baldor 3450 rpm

Remember to include the 3450 rpm in the link. I'll look up the right one for you tonight.


he cyclone I'm using was designed for a shop vac so I had to enlarge the inlet port. The inlet is now about 3" and outlet 4". I used a 4" to 3" cone for the inlet so it is 4" where I connect to the roaster. You can see the set up here: www.cupofjoycoffeeroasters.com

This is the cylone I modified: Cyclone Separator for Shop Vacuum | eBay

I also added another fan downstream of the cyclone because I was concerned about the flow drop with the 3" inlet. I did a lot of measurements to convince myself it was helping but you could try it withou it. I bought the 1700 rpm fans online and they were inexpensivea at a surplus house. I don't see them available anymore. It took a bit of fabrication to make everything fit.

 

[clinton]

Thanks so much for the reply. I was able to find the fan using the info on the existing motor, and then the Baldor website. (Sorry, the forum won't allow me to post links because my post count isn't high enough)

baldor.com/products/product.asp?1=1&product=AC+Motors&family=Definite+Purpose|vw_ACMotors_DefinitePurpose .

I think the 3450 rpm fan CNL20172 is the correct upgrade. It's .17 hp, where the existing fan is a CNL 20134 at .13 hp. I found it for $155 here:

mrosupply.com/product/26982-Baldor_Electric_Motors-Motors_AC_Motors_Definite_Purpose .

The eBay seller you bought your cyclone from has another model:

ebay.com/itm/Cyclone-Separator-for-Dust-Collector-/280840027122?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item41635ebbf2

I contacted him and he said he has sold many of that model specifically for coffee roasters. It has a 4" inlet and a 4" outlet so it will connect with the outlet on the Ambex and most dust collector fans with no adapters. I tried the small Harbor Freight fan he shows in the first photo but it was too loud so I went to the slightly larger one which is quieter. I may also try this fan which reviews indicate is very quiet:

amazon.com/PSI-DC660P-Horsepower-Collector-1-Micron/dp/B0000223WS/ref=pd_cp_hi_0

Our roaster is in our coffee house so we want the fan as quiet as possible. Do you feel that the 24 gauge steel that the cyclone is constructed from is strong enough to support the weight of your fan? I'd like to order a cyclone from him, but I just wanted to get some feedback from someone like you who has used one. I like how you installed your fan up high on the pipe instead of on the cyclone. Do you feel that works better and that it's quieter away from the cyclone?

Thanks,
Clint

 

[sdcoffeeroaster]

Here is where I bought the motor:Buy CNL20172 Baldor Electric Definite Purpose Motor

 

[sdcoffeeroaster]

This person supplied all of the ducts to my dimensions and I used Teflon seals in all the clamped joints HIGH TECH DUCT WERKS [email protected]
As you can see at my site, the cyclone sits on top of 5 gal can and all of that easily supports the cyclone and motor. I originally had some ceiling straps but took them out since it's all strong enough as is. The lid to the can unclamps quickly. The cyclone works very well and that's great that he has the 4" sizes. I had to do some work to get mine to fit. You won't find a cyclone this inexpensive anywhere. Good luck.

 

[sdcoffeeroaster]

This person supplied all of the ducts to my dimensions and I used Teflon seals in all the clamped joints HIGH TECH DUCT WERKS [email protected]
As you can see at my site, the cyclone sits on top of 5 gal can and all of that easily supports the cyclone and motor. I originally had some ceiling straps but took them out since it's all strong enough as is. The lid to the can unclamps quickly. The cyclone works very well and that's great that he has the 4" sizes. I had to do some work to get mine to fit. You won't find a cyclone this inexpensive anywhere. That fan looks to be overkill to me. My fan is only about 230 cfm. I look around again for where you might find one cheap. I know grainger has them this size. 600+ cfm is way too much air flow and will probably make roasting tricky as well. I think I bought something like this one at the surpluscenter but they are out of them now. I bought 3 and I just installed my 2nd one. Pellet Stove Replacement Convection Blower - 357-542 | Northline Express

 

[peterjschmidt]

Just out of curiosity, is the new/stronger/faster blower motor desirable for better control over the roast primarily, or is it because the stock motor doesn't do well for cooling and drum airflow?

On my Ambex YM-2K, I added a separate Grainger blower to the cooling tray by making an adapter for the rear clean-out door, running a second duct out. Doing that leaves the stock blower to serve only the drum. I don't feel the need for greater airflow through the drum, but you guys have me wondering.

 

[sdcoffeeroaster]

I think you are right in your assumptions. The bigger motor allows you to cool and roast at the same time and gives you the option of more air flow thru the coffee to either enhance convection or slow the roast. At about the half throttle position I have the same flow thru the drum that I had with wide open with the 1700 rpm fan.

 

[clinton]

We went ahead and got the 3450 rpm blower, and thanks to sdcoffeeroasters photo, we've figured out our cyclone and ducting. We're going to use the Nordfab QF ducting for ease of maintenance.

Has anyone successfully pulled the drum bearings off of a YM-2 or similar roaster? I'm trying to figure out how to replace the bearings and am not sure how to pull them. Looks like I may need a bearing puller, but there may be an easier way. Thanks for all of the help so far.

 

[lachoza]

Hello I hava an ambex ym 2 too and im having troubles when roasting my coffee, the first load comes out like it should but the second one throws almost black beans or not roasted at all, does my machine needs any special maintenance I have had it for about 4 months