Ambex Roasters

[IslandRoast]

IslandRoast, Doesn't the chaff collector and data software come with it (included in price)?

Yep, so I guess I really didn't upgrade anything. I called talked to the owner of Ambex and a week later it was sitting in my shop. I had shopped around and looked at all of the brands on the market and decided on the Ambex. I'm really glad I did.

On a different note, the segmented belt was what Ambex overnighted me when my belt split last month. I had already got a kevlar Gates belt to replace it but the owner at Ambex called me within 30min. of me emailing him about the split belt. I've had no issues getting in touch with them and they have been really helpful.

 

[topher]

Amer the owner of Ambex is AWESOME.

 

[IslandRoast]

Amer the owner of Ambex is AWESOME.

Yes he is!! I've had nothing but good dealings with him.

 

[Kbeans]

Thank you everybody, this has been very helpful. I don't want to regret a big purchase like this one. I was reading some posts on that Ambex forum that JumpinJakJava posted and some people were talking about adding a couple of washers between some plate and the roaster to stop chaff buildup. Has anyone done this on their roaster?

 

[peterjschmidt]

I was reading some posts on that Ambex forum that JumpinJakJava posted and some people were talking about adding a couple of washers between some plate and the roaster to stop chaff buildup. Has anyone done this on their roaster?

It doesn't seem like it would necessary, at least not the way mine is built. There's an adjustment that can be easily done to open or close the gap between the drum and the front plate. Mine is cracked enough to let a fair amount of chaff out, but if it's opened any further very small beans can wedge in there and actually stop the drum.

So there should be enough adjustability that washers aren't needed. Perhaps some older models didn't have that feature. I believe mine was built in '08 or '09.

 

[Kbeans]

It doesn't seem like it would necessary, at least not the way mine is built. There's an adjustment that can be easily done to open or close the gap between the drum and the front plate. Mine is cracked enough to let a fair amount of chaff out, but if it's opened any further very small beans can wedge in there and actually stop the drum.

So there should be enough adjustability that washers aren't needed. Perhaps some older models didn't have that feature. I believe mine was built in '08 or '09.

Ok great! That makes sense. Thank you.

Are you able to log different sample times and temp as you roast a batch on the software that came with the Ambex?

 

[LBBeans]

Amer the owner of Ambex is AWESOME.

I thought Terry Davis owns Ambex. They've undergone three iterations since I bought my machine so I'm a little confused. I haven't had any issues for almost a year though so I haven't had to contact them. It sounds like they've sorted things out? Good to know, I was worried that I would have limited support for my machine going forward.

 

[LBBeans]

Thank you everybody, this has been very helpful. I don't want to regret a big purchase like this one. I was reading some posts on that Ambex forum that JumpinJakJava posted and some people were talking about adding a couple of washers between some plate and the roaster to stop chaff buildup. Has anyone done this on their roaster?

I read that too. The plate is removable for cleaning chaff. Take the plate off at the beginning of the roasting session, vacuum out the chaff and then put the plate back on. I don't think washers are needed , they would just create an unnecessary air gap. In my experience most chaff fires are caused by bean fragments falling between the gap at the front drum and roaster chassis. The burners make them red hot and on occasion one makes it into the chaff collector. I've found that proper adjustment of the drum and diligent removal of the bean fragments has greatly reduced any chaff fires. I can roast for hours without having to clean the chaff collector now that I do this.

Edit: The plate I'm thinking of is at the back of the roaster above the large drum pulley.

 

[topher]

Amer started Ambex with another gentleman who left a few years after they started. Terry worked with them from the start till a few years ago. Terry is now gone. Amer is still plugging away and last time I spoke to him he is doing well.

 

[coffeejoes]

Hello! I have used a YM2 and YM10 for a number of years. Never ever had a mechanical problem. Always keep them greased well and clean. I can not overemphasize the cleaning part. I currently use a Diedrich IR12. The two problems I had with Ambex was fire and cleaning. All roasters need to be cleaned but Ambex is just tougher to keep clean than the Diedrich. The chaff fires seemed to be caused by sparks dropped into the chaff collector from the space between the front plant and the chaff collector. Never was able to fix it, rather you need to vac out the chaff area at least every 4 batches to neon the safe side. Once I even caught my vac on fire from the embers. I should have squirted it with a spray bottle prior to vac out. A simple spritzer works great to control. Ambex at one time was even offering a installed nozzle in the chaff area to stop any embers from developing. My roasters had the auto profile system attached and it work great after it was set up properly. Like the other gentleman mentioned it help him learned the roaster and gives you a great crash course in roasting. Paul from Roaster Dymanics still sells and servicing all the profiling and data logging software. In fact I just started to use the sample roaster I purchased from him. It is a sweet little roaster with the data profiler. I plan to use the machine to test out samples prior to purchase and then to finalize profiles prior to production. Paul has been talking about a 10 Kilo machine is coming soon. You may want total to him prior to pulling your trigger. Call me or PM if you have additional questions or concerns. PS. I sold my Ambex equipment to a startup roaster in Madison,WI and he has never had a problem nor a fire.
Cheers

 

[Cafeciteaux]

Anyone using Typica or any other logging software besides Logging Dynamics with their Ambex?