Looking for a manual for an Ambex 5kg roaster + some profile parameters

[jimfarris]

Greetings,
Seeds Coffee in Homewood AL is in the process of growing from a Roaster Authority 2kg machine to a used Ambex 5kg machine. Does anyone have the owners/operators manual for a 5kg machine that we could get a copy of? As an aside, we never got a manual for our new Roaster Authority VR2 (Ambex 2kg clone). Anybody got a manual for that machine?
We roast mostly medium, City to City+ profiles and could use some starting parameters for a 5kg machine.
Thanks in advance,
Jim Farris
Roaster
Seeds Coffee

 

[topher]

I bought my first Ambex 19 years ago. I have some bad news for you. I do not think they ever did make a manual for any of their machines. I am pretty sure Don never made any for his either. My suggestion is to find someone to come in and train you on the equipment.

 

[eldub]

What do you need to know concerning the roasting profiles?

I would guess that it would only take a few practice roasts to see how the new machine operates in regard to time and temps. You are still going to want the machine to get down to the low 200*F after charging the barrel. The beans will stop drying and start roasting around 300*F. Your roaster's ambient temp should not need to rise above 425*F at any time. First and second cracks will occur at the same temps as the old roaster and the roasts should take around 15 minutes.

I would warm the roaster up to 420* ambient temp, charge the barrel with a full load observe the drop in temps and go from there. If the temps dip below 200* you might want to raise the ambient temp a bit further before the next batch in the cold roaster. If they don't get down as far as 230*F, you might want to start the next batch in a cold roaster a bit warmer. As tne machine warms up, you might need to lower the barrel temps as subsequent batches are introduced into the roaster. Raise the bean temps a degree every two seconds while drying, then go to a degree every three seconds until the bean mass reaches about 370*. let off the gas a bit and get control of the temp rise by the start of first crack. At that point, raise the temps a degree every 4-6 seconds until the desired roast level is reached.

The above process should be a sufficient starting point for most any commercial drum roaster, I'm guessing. Maintenance, lubrication and roaster upkeep might be another story.

Good luck.

lw

 

[Razzo]

jimfarris;

I have a Ambex manual I can scan and email to you. This will also have the Watlow controller instructions in it. PM me a email and I will send it out tomorrow.

Razzo Coffee

 

[topher]

Razzo..what year is that from? I would love a copy as well if you do not mind. I know how it works and maintenance needed..just curios to what they put on paper.

 

[PinkRose]

Hi Razzo,

It was nice of you to offer to scan and send the manual to JimFarris. It's great that you found something that's just what he's looking for. I bet a lot of people wish they had saved their old manuals. You never know when you're going to need them.

Rose

 

[jimfarris]

LW - thanks for the profile confirmation, that is very close to how we currently roast with just a few minor changes for desired end flavor. We'll just have to play with the gas and air to get to the desired profile.
Samples will probably be the toughest to figure out.
Razzo - pm sent with my email address, thanks for the manual.
topher - may ask you some preventative MX questions, if they aren't covered in the manual.
Pink Rose - you are a great encourager for this forum.
You guys are what makes this forum rock!
Jim

 

[topher]

hit me up.... [email protected] hope I can help.

 

[topher]

Here is a link for the manual. It is a 2kilo not a 5 though.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/27838069/2kilo manual.pdf

 

[lenicalabrese]

when i first started using my ambex it was suggested that the manual cooling damper always be set wide open because of bad venting on the ambex which could otherwise get smokey coffee. I took a match to the trier hole to check the draw on the machine and it seems good even with the damper almost all the way closed, So I've been playing with it just lately ( kinda dont know what to look for) I understand wanting to roast with mostly convection but don't see the value of closing up the damper. Again I don't really get whats happening. Today while warming up for a roast I had a hard time getting the the ambient (air temperature) to 400*F - So i played with the damper and surprisingly it raised the ambient but caused the drum temp on the watlow to get lower even though it had just been rising steady with the gas at like 5 water inches on my gas gauge.
When i do my usual roasts with the damper always set open i load when the air temp is 390*-400* turn around at 1minute at 158* - Rise 35* to 20* a minute till 300* which occurs at about 6 minutes- Rise 18* to 16* per minute until right after first crack then like 10* per minute till drop at around 15 minutes for a medium light roast- Is this consistent with you other ambex roaster users?- I love my coffee But always wonder about how /why /when to play with the damper.- feed back would be appreciated thanks