Macap M4 zero point

Discussion of coffee grinder hardware. How to get the most out of specific grinders. Cleaning and maintenance issues with grinders. Comparison of different grinders.
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4vDesmo

Macap M4 zero point

Post by 4vDesmo »

Things have seemed a bit odd lately with my 5 month old Macap (and resultant coffee), and last night after running some Grindz thru it I started messing around to refind my zero point. The strange part is that I couldn't find it - I twisted the adjuster all the way until it stopped and the burrs never touched.

Why would my zero point move? Better yet, why would my adjustment of the grinder be unable to bring the burrs to zero, as in run out of movement?

Something stinks, and I'm not liking it....

Help!
Steve
Niko

Post by Niko »

Stevo, same thing on my MACAP man.
Not sure what it is but after running Grindz, acorns, pine nuts and a couple of hand grenades through the Mazzer....it still holds its zero point DEAD ON.
What you need to do is run a bunch of old coffee through the MACAP to season it again, your sold setting will come back - it just needs a bunch of coffee to get in the burrs again to pad those settings. Sounds kind of strange but the MACAP will get its old setting back in due time.
4vDesmo

Post by 4vDesmo »

Niko,
The thing that worries me is that even adjusting all the way to the stop, the burrs still don't touch. That makes me think something bad has happened without me knowing it. Maybe I've been ticking away at the burrs, drinking burr-laced espresso, and screwed up the grinding part of the grinder.
Say it ain't so. Should I pull the beast apart to inspect, or just assume it will continue on and be fine?
bbqnut

Post by bbqnut »

You should take it apart - it is really not that hard.

I like to clean each and every burr surface and crevice with a little wooden toothpick or something similar, as well as the thread, housing, and anything else in there that has old coffee on it. I would say twice a year is good.

Don't forget the threads are reversed (I think).

I am wondering if you go a piece of debris that is keeping you from getting all the way to the zero point? If so, the above will fix it.
Niko

Post by Niko »

bbqnut wrote: I like to clean each and every burr surface and crevice with a little wooden toothpick or something similar, as well as the thread, housing, and anything else in there that has old coffee on it.
reminds me of some time spent in prison... :lol: ...man that's why I love Grindz, so you don't have to do this dismantling process.
It sounds like Chris is right, I'd take it apart at this point after what you're describing to us. Something don't sound right...
algrilli

Post by algrilli »

Many owners love this grinder and don't seem to have a problem with it, but I had one for a while and mine was VERY finicky. The grind would change all the time. It seemed anything would throw it off - cleaning, using Grindz, not keeping the hopper full. Also, the morning grind was WAY finer than the evening grind. Somehow, I thought these issues were related to it being a "commercial" grinder. Or the freshness of the bean.

I would get so frustrated, so I'd "start from scratch" by cleaning it and finding the elusive zero point. Every month, I would swear this time I really found it. It would be fine for a while, but then in mid-grind I would hear a sudden shift to chirping metal and that was it - the grind was off again.

I really don't think a true zero point could just shift at random; isn't everything bolted down? Was it just a stuck bean or a bad grinder? After 3 months, I couldn't figure it out, so I just went ahead and sold it.
Niko

Post by Niko »

What are you using now?
michael

grindz

Post by michael »

when you run the grindz through the grinder, say the mini mazzer e, do you do it at your current grind setting, take it back to the mid point or does it matter at all 8)
Niko

Post by Niko »

When I run Grindz through the Mazzer, I open it up to about a filter drip setting (medium) which is roughly 2 whole numbers coarser on the collar on mine. After the Grindz go through, I re-adjust back to my fine espresso setting and season it with a couple of shots-worth of beans.
Everything is back to normal, all settings are the same, nothing has changed except the fact that the Mazzer is clean after all this.
bbqnut

Post by bbqnut »

Overall I liked my Doser Mazzer Mini and Doserless Super Jolly (both gone now), over my current stepped doserless MACAP M4.

The adjustment sometimes seems screwy, and taking it apart seemed easier on the Mazzers.

I think I need a new toy.
Niko

Post by Niko »

Are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'...? :P
Conical or a combination of both 8)
This is way on the backburner for me but I'd love a new grinder along the lines of the Kony or one of the other big boy grinders. Only problems is, those huge dosered shop grinders are a tremendous overkill for the home enthusiast. Something along the lines of of the Versalabs M3 grinder would be more up our alley.
What do you think, Chris?
bbqnut

Post by bbqnut »

I am thinking Versalab for espresso, but $1700 is not in the budget right now.

For my drip needs, I just bought a vintage (though brand new in the box), Swiss-made Ditting supermarket grinder (about 63 pounds).

It grinds a pound in way less than a minute, and is rated for 2500 hours. I figure that is conservatively 150,000 pounds.

Oh yeah, the Ditting cost me $225.
Niko

Post by Niko »

bbqnut wrote:...but $1700 is not in the budget right now.
I HEAR THAT!
4vDesmo

Post by 4vDesmo »

Well I've continued to struggle with this, and with crappy coffee, and it turns out the fix was embarrassingly simple.

Since I don't use the hopper and put in only enough beans for each grind, I had threaded the long screw that secures the bean hopper in just far enough to allow me to remove the hopper without unscrewing it each time. I didn't notice that there are THREE possible holes for that screw to use, and the one I was using (I'm right handed) was running the long screw into the adjuster worm gear, thereby stopping all movement. No counter-clockwise movement meant no zero point was being reached.

Talk about feeling like a dumbass! :oops: Thanks to Jason at Chris' for his immediate insight to this. And for not rubbing my nose in it.
Niko

Post by Niko »

:|
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