New Used Compak K-10

[SJM]

Well, it's here and it's huge and scary.  It's bigger than any of the dogs and outweighs them by a lot....

So, first thing I noticed is that beans collect in that little divot in the chute.  What do you do to keep that from happening?  I'm gonna be single dosing, so I need all the beans that go IN to come OUT.

What I need is your experience with single dosing this beast since the hopper can't live here.  We don't do no stinking hoppers in this house :-))))

I'm guessing I will first need to remove that guard over the chute and ....

Tell me
Tell me
Tell me

[sgreen]

The guard will have a small lever switch that breaks contact when the doser is filled. All you really need to do is take all that mess apart, remove the wires from the switch, and wire nut them together.

If you really want to, you can disassemble the machine, trace the wires to where they terminate, and run a jumper between the two contacts.

I use a chopstick to sweep the chute clear -you'll jam a chopstick in there exactly once when the burrs are still spinning. After an hour disassembling the burr carrier to free the chopstick, you'll never do that again.

Then I get super tricky by wiring a 30 second variable time delay relay in the circuit and I have timed dosing to easily within half a gram. That's when you'll want your hopper back. That relay will give you usability analogous to a K30 for about $20.  I weighed beans several times a day for a couple of years. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but since I started using the timer my shot quality has only improved. Although that might not be saying much as it had nowhere to go but up.

We didn't finish it, but we worked on a kit for the Mazzers last spring and I have a RR45 on the bench that I'm wiring right now. If you need help. PM me. I may even have parts for you.

[peter]

My K10 didn't have the switch that Steve speaks of, it was simply to keep women in CA from sticking their fingers in there and suing Compak.

Here's a photo of the chute mod I did.  I cut the slot in the plexiglass doser hopper a little deeper and fashioned a little ramp out of some thin sheet metal.



There's an old thread on HB that might help; http://www.home-barista.com/grinders/compak-k10-chute-mods-t14728.html

[GC7]

Hi Susan

You will lear to love the K10. It is a huge improvement over my old K3 and it is very efficient at single dosing with some small modifications. I too got a great deal on a like new used and broken in model but I did need to mod the chute for single dosing. Check out this thread on HB.

http://www.home-barista.com/grinders/compak-k10-chute-mods-t14728.html

Also, go to home depot and purchase acid brushes. A pack of three costs about $1.25. They are perfect for sweeping the coffee out of the chute.

Enjoy!

Edit - Peter was quicker than I was with the JohnB mod discussion. You just need a file, proper screw removal tool and some patience and much less coffee will be retained in the chute.

[SJM]

I'm already in love with it !!!!
You can see that I put the MD-50 up for sale already.
There's no turning back.

One question:  Even with the dose size as large as it will go (10 gm), the grinds fall at the back of the grounds catcher and it takes multiple pulls of the handle to empty the only one or two that are full.

Am I missing something or is that the way it will always be? 

Has anyone here removed that altogether and attached the nozzle nose instead?

[GC7]

There is a doser mod over on HB too but that was already done to mine. It involves taping the sweeper arms to get more efficient pushing of the coffee to the opening. I think you need to remove that bottom piece that measures (inaccurately) the dose and just sweep all the grounds down by 5-10 quick pulls of the handle. That's how mine works.

[peter]

One question:  Even with the dose size as large as it will go (10 gm), the grinds fall at the back of the grounds catcher and it takes multiple pulls of the handle to empty the only one or two that are full.

Am I missing something or is that the way it will always be? 

The doser needs to have enough in it to at least cover the spokes, or it'll be as you say.  But the clack-clack of the doser handle is such a lovely sound, who cares if you have to pull it several times?  Recently, I removed the doser plate altogether because it was buzzing.

[sgreen]

My last Compak didn't need tape. It swept pretty clean. I did take the doser plate out though. I have a doserless "bag tube" for my Super Jolly, but I went back to the doser because it was cleaner and broke up the clumps. I seldom WDT anymore either. I just hit the button and cycle the doser until the grinder stops. Usually about 9 seconds for 18 grams. I adjust to shot time and taste more than weight. If I'm only doing one shot, I clean the throat (chopstick), brush everything down, and cycle the doser a couple of more times to get everything out. Then I slap, tamp, and pull. -although that sounds like it should be illegal somewhere.

[SJM]

This is the chute I thought would make the K-10 perfect
http://www.compakgrinders.com/docs/osp/osp_K8_K10_Fresh.pdf

[GC7]

This is the chute I thought would make the K-10 perfect
http://www.compakgrinders.com/docs/osp/osp_K8_K10_Fresh.pdf

I would not recommend doing that. My K3 was doserless and surprisingly it is less efficient than the doser. As mentioned above the doser also removes clumps and I have not used WDT once with the K10 while it was essential for the K3.

My routine.-
Run 1-2 gm. coffee through the grinder to remove old coffee. Sweep the chute clean with the acid brush. Pulse 3-4 times to remove grounds. Remove the coffee from the doser and you are set for the day.
 
Weigh out desired dose and put into the grinder. I use a small Penzyes spice bottle over the top as it fits perfectly. 17-18 gms. take about 7 seconds to grind. Use acid brush to push into doser. Pulse 3-4 times to get all the grinds into the doser and use acid brush to get all the grinds into the doser. Sweep the doser to get grinds into basket. Distribute with finger, tamp and pull your shot.

This may sound complicated but it is in the end faster than having to WDT. It becomes second nature in no time and it works well with very little loss of coffee (maybe 0.2- 0.3 gm tops).

[SJM]

Oh good.  I'm tired of bleeding $$$$.

My SAMA tamper fits perfectly in the top of the grind chute to keep the beans from popcorning.
And I will probably keep using the toothbrush I have always used to clean out the MD-50 maw....and replace it with an acid brush when it gives up or gets lost.

As to running the 1-2 grams of beans per the weighed grind?   What a concept !!!  Thanks.  I'll try that in the morning.

Susan

[milowebailey]

I think I have grinder envy.....

[peter]

I think I have grinder envy.....

And unlike many toys, Susan won't be selling this one in two months.

[SJM]

Nope.  Add a bit of plumbing and I can move into it ....

[milowebailey]

I think I have grinder envy.....

And unlike many toys, Susan won't be selling this one in two months.

Dibs when she does!