https://youtu.be/lKgIlNJJIEo A quick rundown of the revised small display software, if you opted for the auto release system...which you should. The video starts with the display showing the numbers from the previous shot, handy if you want consistency and they are held on the display, until you start your next shot. You always know what you did last. **Software changes are:** * The pressure at which the display switches from pre infusion to brew can now be set by the user. It was previously hard coded to 5.8 bar, I asked for this to be under user control. I set mine to 9 bar...as my brewing always starts at a pressure higher than that and it prevents any pressure bounce causing issues. * The system auto vents out of the rear of the group and into the drip tray...the water is almost totally clean as unlike a normal lever, it doesn't pass through the old coffee. The vent solenoid is held open for 30s (to aid puck draining), and during this time you cannot do a second shot... A software change to allow this solenoid to be closed immediately by pressing the middle button has been added.This means you can start a second shot faster...if you're busy. * The look of the display has been simplified The software update was done over the air and should be available soon.

@"MediumRoastSteam"#p72173 On Auto You can press the middle button anytime to dump, but, that doesn't help when you grind too course as it dumps too early. Auto can also be set to dump by time not pressure, which maybe i should spend some time with. You can also put it in 1 of 2 manual modes. 1. Traditional lever, no solenoid. Move cup to end shot 2. Traditional lever press middle button any time to dump So it already does what i want in that case i just hit stop on every shot when i want. In all cases the dump is done by the solenoid operated dump valve, not a manual lever opening a valve. (The correct implementation 🫣)

Evo2 and Vostock - Auto vent display software changes

DavecUK

A quick rundown of the revised small display software, if you opted for the auto release system…which you should. The video starts with the display showing the numbers from the previous shot, handy if you want consistency and they are held on the display, until you start your next shot. You always know what you did last.

Software changes are:

The pressure at which the display switches from pre infusion to brew can now be set by the user. It was previously hard coded to 5.8 bar, I asked for this to be under user control. I set mine to 9 bar…as my brewing always starts at a pressure higher than that and it prevents any pressure bounce causing issues.
The system auto vents out of the rear of the group and into the drip tray…the water is almost totally clean as unlike a normal lever, it doesn’t pass through the old coffee. The vent solenoid is held open for 30s (to aid puck draining), and during this time you cannot do a second shot… A software change to allow this solenoid to be closed immediately by pressing the middle button has been added.This means you can start a second shot faster…if you’re busy.
The look of the display has been simplified The software update was done over the air and should be available soon.

Adrianmsmith

@DavecUK Do we need to do anything in order to get the update?

Middle button solenoid reset will be a bonus.

Is there a mailing list we need to join to get the update….

DavecUK

Adrianmsmith Do we need to do anything in order to get the update?

Middle button solenoid reset will be a bonus.

Is there a mailing list we need to join to get the update….

I’m testing at the moment and will keep you guys updated and also what you need to do to get it. The method depends on whether you have an early board like me, or a later board, where it’s easier and a different process.

I am just pleased to see the 2 major changes I asked for, the solenoid toggle and the ability to set the pressure at which it thinks the shot has begun. It seems good so far.

Adrianmsmith

DavecUK

I would have added 1 extra….

Im dialling in, still on auto dump. The shot looks like it will dump at 18 seconds as i ground too course.

I want to press the + button and hold it, to override the dump.

It will dump when i release the + button.

We can do the opposite if the shot is too fine we can press the middle button to dump early.

MediumRoastSteam

This is interesting! Even though I don’t have one of those machines, it’s great to see customers can receive updates over the air - so presumably the machine can be connected to a network somehow, or to a device which can receive the updates.

Also, are customers (or prospective customers) able to have a say on features they might want to see in the future, or a roadmap, and those customers then decide what is worthwhile having? I suppose my question is, who decides what the next features are?

Any news on the Falcon machines? 😊

DavecUK

MediumRoastSteam so presumably the machine can be connected to a network somehow, or to a device which can receive the updates.

Also, are customers (or prospective customers) able to have a say on features they might want to see in the future, or a roadmap, and those customers then decide what is worthwhile having? I suppose my question is, who decides what the next features are?

Any news on the Falcon machines? 😊

You would use your android or apple phone to create a hot spot…the display never connects to your network.

In general customers won’t have a say, as you would get the car Homer Simpson designed and continual explanations of what is and isn’t possible with why. Ideas are seen, discussed and implemented by ACS. I generally take any ideas expressed on the forum, think about them and discuss how it may be implemented, or any issues I have myself after testing for things to be improved. You have to remember when I came up with the other functions idea as a considerable extension to what was only going to be a simple shot timer..it was only intended to do so much using 3 buttons.

Adrianmsmith idea is an interesting one, which I am going to think about…it might well be possible. The chip behind the display is of course, only small, but it is quite powerful.

I have been playing with a falcon prototype off and on, for a little while when Paolo bought it over about 7 weeks ago, no external case fitted, but still work to do on the prototype. It’s in Italy at the moment. I may be going over in January to do some work on it with Paolo. A few unintended stress tests did happen, which gives me hope that the group heating system will be robust though. The Falcon pump implementation does seem extremely quiet and refined though. However I can only tell for sure in a kitchen with the case on…which hasn’t happened yet.

The stress test was a fault which caused the group heater simply to stay on…to the point where over several hours it got so hot that the group mounted pressure gauge dial went grey, needle melted and dropped off, however the heater cartrige was fine

MediumRoastSteam

Adrianmsmith We can do the opposite if the shot is too fine we can press the middle button to dump early

Doesn’t the machine have a manual dump feature at all? As in, works as a manual lever, but you can press a button to dump. Or does that have to always be preset? Compared to the Elizabeth, for example: you can set the buttons to time 60s (or not set at all) and you can hit the button again to stop the shot before that.

Adrianmsmith

MediumRoastSteam

On Auto You can press the middle button anytime to dump, but, that doesn’t help when you grind too course as it dumps too early.

Auto can also be set to dump by time not pressure, which maybe i should spend some time with.

You can also put it in 1 of 2 manual modes.

Traditional lever, no solenoid. Move cup to end shot
Traditional lever press middle button any time to dump

So it already does what i want in that case i just hit stop on every shot when i want.

In all cases the dump is done by the solenoid operated dump valve, not a manual lever opening a valve.

(The correct implementation 🫣)

MediumRoastSteam

Adrianmsmith sounds good. I presume for a home environment all these auto features don’t help much. Well, it doesn’t help me much, for my usage at least. Sometimes it’s 35s, sometimes it’s 37. towards the end of the bag is 30 seconds - so automatically finish a shot for me never really works. Maybe it’s better by pressure, but then again when the shot is too fast, and then you want more volume (why throw it away? 😉) you have a problem.

On a commercial or semi commercial setting - this feature is ace.

Adrianmsmith

MediumRoastSteam

"“Sometimes it’s 35s, sometimes it’s 37. towards the end of the bag is 30 seconds”"

On something like the evo (1 or 2) or dare i say it 👄 ( nurri ) thats not quite right if you are ending the shot on pressure, when dialling in you aim for (for me) 28 seconds. That gives me y g of coffee, which ends at x bar pressure.

Through the bag i adjust the grind for the shot to end on 28 seconds.

No need to check anything else as the volume at that start and end point is the same at that time.

Very few, very slight adjustments required through a 1kg bag.

So yes daily brew us always auto. No need to stand and watch as the time is recorded for you (on the evo2 ). The only time i have to watch it is checking s new bag, which is when really i should be on manual!! But being idle the ability to hold a shot whilst dialling in would help me

Talking a couple of cups a month though not daily.

I believe the concept is what Dave refers to as “swept volume” and cant change if start pressure and end pressure are the same IN THE SAME TIME.

MediumRoastSteam

Adrianmsmith Through the bag i adjust the grind for the shot to end on 28 seconds.

How? If your shot today was 28s, what guarantees it will be 28s tomorrow? How do you adjust the grind and always end up with the same volume, or very close, for 28 seconds?

Edit: when including swept volume (ending by pressure, then I understand) - but it doesn’t mean you won’t achieve 7bar pressure after pulling a shot after the 28s. What if conditions deteriorated and it took 20s instead? Presumably the volume is always the same (I realise that now) but it doesn’t make it good. 👍

Adrianmsmith

MediumRoastSteam

That was my biggest surprise and something i wish i realised earlier and i would have switched to lever machine earlier!!.

Think about it, its a cylinder that holds x cm3 at y bar

So given normal parameters using normal coffee the volume will be the same if the end pressure is met at the same time.

Cant change?

Regarding tomorrow, beans will be one day older

Everything else the same.

Philos doesn’t rely on springs for burr spacing so that won’t change, unlike some grinders.

If the beans change by more than 1 one second or so in a day (flow rate controlled by the puck) , something else is wrong .

I have 1 coffee type in philos and one in the key. Both change by 1 grind unit every few days

Adrianmsmith

MediumRoastSteam but it doesn’t mean you won’t achieve 7bar pressure after pulling a shot after the 28s.

It does simply because the puck porosity is the same after you adjust the grind to give the same end pressure at the same time point.

P.s. none of this is complicated in practice, you just nudge grind to give 28 seconds on the next shot. Its never that far off to get a “bad” shot. Not with my taste buds!!

MediumRoastSteam

Adrianmsmith - sure. I understand. So essentially you figured out a way to keep it tuned by tweaking the grinder daily and expect something around 28s but at a set pressure dump. Suppose that’s more accurate than control it by timing for sure.

Adrianmsmith

MediumRoastSteam

I think it was @DavecUK who figured it out or it may predate Dave even!!

I cant take credit for regurgitating that 🤭🫣, just for finally realising how simple it makes getting real life repeatability.

Cuprajake

Or don’t be so anal and accept that 3s either way isnt the end of the world 🤷

DavecUK

Cuprajake accept that 3s either way isnt the end of the world 🤷

Go tell that to those on HB

MediumRoastSteam

Adrianmsmith - I do accept even 5 seconds either way. I’ve gone past that a long time ago… believe me! Sink shot? What’s that?

I was more interested in your technique of keeping the grind tuned to almost perfection using predictability. I now understand, maybe? How you do it. 👍

Cuprajake

I’ve given up with those other side of the pond, strange lot 😂😂😂

Adrianmsmith

MediumRoastSteam

When i first started looking at levers there was nothing and probably still isnt anything available showing how good, easy to use and repeatable they are compared to a e61 style pump machine.

So i purchased the anniversary edition synchronika and for a while loved it!! It looked simpler to use than the lever but actually isnt 🤔

Not sure why the industry doesn’t advertise more to show the advantage of the lever.

I guess for a company like ACS they simply dont have the budget required for large scale advertising .

I “accidentally” continued to investigate and mainly owe my journey to advice from people like Jake, Graham Philips, David and Dave .

I fell big time for the synchronika, Bianca is the best, easiest home style machine perception .

I didn’t get how the lever machine could be better for the home user.

I was wrong!

Its a pity theres nowhere showing how much better the experience is for the user who just wants simple, repeatable and top quality shots time after time.

Im still intrigued by the idea of the controllability of the Decent as well but cant quite feel the need to attend to that itch just yet 🫣😎

Amberale

MediumRoastSteam

I roast the same half a dozen beans regularly.
I keep records of grind settings for each and just go to my starting point on the P64 for each bean.
It is very repeatable and gets me pretty much 18/36 in 25-35 seconds.

MediumRoastSteam

Adrianmsmith I know. You don’t need to advertise that machine to me. 👍I remember going to Dave’s and having a play with the Frankenstein machine. I’ve seen the v1 machines, they look good. But man, they are huge! 🤣🤣🤣🤣 - so no matter how good they are, some people simply can’t have them. And I’m one of them.

Mloke I said, I was more interested in your routine to keep the coffee dialled in to a fine level, and how you could use the auto features and be happy with your shots to that extent. I get it now. All good!