DIY Coffee Roaster
I built a coffee roaster, because I'm too lazy
For the last 5 years, I've been roasting my own coffee at home. The main reason behind this decision is because I moved outta big city, Istanbul and having roasted coffee sent to my address twice a month felt like a huge waste of resources, which is haram.
Also, I want to drink fresh coffee, the way I want, when I want. Sometimes I want to try a different origin but the roastery does not have it, or sometimes they have it but they don't roast it to my liking. Too many problems, you see...
First, I tried roasting with a popcorn pan. It was... meh. My arm hurt and the process produced a coffee with uneven roast. Some beans were burnt to a crisp, some were too blond.
Then I started to look for options. There were some paid devices but they were either too expensive, too large / professional or too weird. Then I came across this video:
This idea got to me and I decided to build my own. And I did. However, the first versions were far from optimal. I had a wooden platform first, and built a device out of makeshift parts from other devices I had.
Roaster Alpha
Yepp, I used a cheap wireless drill. The rod was causing too much friction and that caused the device to nearly explode...
Roaster Theta
The battery is from the recently deceased wireless drill. I put a PWM controller between the battery and the 90rpm 12v motor. But the friction is still there.
Roaster Zeta
This time I swapped to a composite chasis and used two rollers to get a lesser friction. Performance increased a bit. Also I used a tin can from a cheese package as an anclosure for my "technology". Yeah...
But the design still had its problems. I had to be careful not to touch the electronic parts as I was a newbie to soldering process. But it worked, for some time. Until it didn't...
Then I had to do it properly, once and for all.
Roaster Omega
This time I went all in and do a proper industrial design first. Found the enclosure that was most close to my imagination and came up with this:
Roaster Beta
The chamber was too large for the chasis and also very heat resistant. So I built another one and without the paint, it looked like an American muscle car!
BG Roaster MK1
The device is finished and I've been using it since winter 2023. It has a built in rechargable battery, PWM controller, custom soldered battery level indicator. Alhamdulillah it works great so far.
During the development, I had to learn electronics, usage of dremel to shape the aluminum chasis, and some 3d design. But the outcome was beyond my imagination. I will share the plans and schema here some time so that everyone can build their own roaster.