I Built an Endgame Rocket Espresso Machine | An Engineer's Rocket Appartamento Mods

[@LanceHedrick]

A MUCH needed channel. Coffee professional, engineer, and software designer. Not to mention solid video and audio quality out the gate AND solid dry humor and good presentation ability. Looking forward to your videos! Now do this to a saturated group machine because I can't stand HX 😅

[@lenovo7999]

Yes yes now your Reddit sheep will all bleat their disapproval of HX and relegate it with their snobbery to some dustbin. I think you and hoff are terrible monoculture shills.

[@setshootstrike6147]

I agree Lance. Love the online coffee community, for all its weird nuance and crazy price points, its still very inclusive and generous. So easy to learn from people that love what they do, thanks to all of you that pass on your knowledge, it is really appreciated. Lance and Tate you guys should team up for a video!

[@Caffeinatedtechnerd]

Yeah a saturated group machine would be awesome. Maybe turn a BBE into an end game machine with a rotary pump, wireless flow control and an extra boiler if that’s even possible by removing the included grinder.

[@dypitersu]

Where can i learn more about espresso machine? if machine turn on & the pressure gauge goes up to 15bars before it slowly come down 9 bars. How can i set it not goes to 15 bars. Just want max up to 12 bars? Is it this overpressure valve adjustment?

[@TheMartinChnnl]

So true, a HX is only a good deal if the output water that goes to the group head first passes through a smaller PID controlled 400ml boiler, like some Dalla Corte machines do... At the same time, a PID controlled smaller boiler assembled directly on top of the group head prevents the E61 stand-by overheating issue that even the Lelit Maras (which have a PID) have. ⬇ At the same time I was wondering, the voltage meter that sends its signal to the Arduino moves as the e61 internal valves are closing its water inlet, so I wonder if that's the wiser way to go about re-using the lever as the pump pressure controller. ⬇ Other than that, AMAZING PROJECT, my most heartfelt congratulations!! ⬇ PS: The E61 overheating issue could be fixed in machines like the Mara X, by placing a temperature sensor inside the E61 group and adding a valve that opens and closes recirculation of water from the boiler (into the group-head) according to the temperature reading. Also: we NEED more factory rotary pumps in smaller machines like the Appartamento and the Mara X.

[@mexicanhalloween]

it's always funny to see how comically large the EK43 is in a home setting

[@Shadowguy456234]

Not when the home is big enough 😉

[@greysuit17]

But worth it

[@stirfryjedi]

Early in the vid, "I bet he only got it in that godawful color because it was a great deal." 10:31, "I got a great deal on it."

[@DmitrijPaskevic]

@@greysuit17 not really :) Unless you're grinding 20kg+ a day.

[@greysuit17]

@@DmitrijPaskevic no its worth it, I have one. I use it daily and rarely grind 20kg …more like 12g -50g a day. But if I ever have to grind a ton its nice to have that option. Fantastic grinder for consistency and serving large groups of people. You might not think its feasible for you but to some it might be.

[@robertroy8542]

As an engineer, I’d love to see a deep dive on why you choose certain components, certain design considerations and the software youtube seems to be lacking in engineer work for coffee machines! great video!

[@schmiki9911]

Can you show how you changed the pressure gauge at the front? I think this would be an easy and helpful mod for a lot of people. Cheers

[@overthetopblues]

Yes, it would be great to see how he changed the pressure gauge out. Does anyone else know a video showing how to do this?

[@kylebastien2575]

I don't know how to confirm this but I think this is probably the coolest espresso machine in the world. Linear potentiometer? Insane.

[@domingosvarelamarreiros7490]

As a Mechanical Engineer and a coffee lover, this was just amazing! And blew me away how this is your first video. Great quality video, audio, explanation and humour. Keep it up!!

[@tatemazer]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@gooseberree4955]

very impressive to me. It would be awesome to see a series just, like, teaching this machine.

[@tatemazer]

Thanks! What sort of information are you hoping to learn?

[@natehaiden]

I would recommend looking into thermosyphon restrictors for the Heat Exchanger thermosyphon. The reduced flow will lower the idle temp of the group and will require less flushing.

[@azza2575]

Love this, maybe mod one of the entry level machines Breville Barista Express or Gaggia Classic Pro - I know alot of people have done the GCP, however, I think your explanation and laid back approach will be appreciated a lot more

[@tatemazer]

Thanks that means a lot! I'm partial to the GCP since they're significantly more serviceable, so that's high on my list 🙏🙏

[@TheAS2609]

@@tatemazer check out the gaggiuino mod!

[@BBB_025]

@@tatemazer I am also voting for a GCP video. It's a machine I might actually buy if there is enough community support for modding it into something desirable for less money than buying a machine that is desirable out of the box (i.e. a decent or the Meticulous Brian just showcased). I am very curious about comparing your thoughts with the videos James and Lance did.

[@zeropuckprep]

Wow I think we found a future Squid Espresso Machine Engineer. Concept is a $500 kickstarter espresso machine with a $1000 retail price. Still gotta launch Squid but we’re definitely interested in doing either grinders, roasters,and/or espresso machines. Great vid!! Love all these little mods. Just ordered my first e61 ECM Puristika.

[@justinbouchard]

ahahhaha

[@MichaelEntner]

100% Kickstart and I'm in!

[@mkmnails]

YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!! GREAT VIDEO TATE!

[@samanthakitchen5190]

HELL YEAH!!! Been waiting on the video for so long 🎉

[@itssoaztek4592]

I loved everything in this video, and I am not even drinking espresso myself. I just love it when people are passionate about their profession/hobby/whatever and are willing to share their knowledge. On top of that I am absolutely thrilled when people do make/create something unique with their own hands (as opposed to people who only talk). So, I was in heaven watching your video! Subscribed!

[@a-aron2276]

I have a gaggia classic pro that heats just fine, doesn't over do it or under do it(luckily, although I am a barista so temp surfing just comes with the territory, every machine has it's quirks no matter how good in my opinion, commercial asnd domestic alike), so I'm just after adding the dimmer mod, to drop it to 9bar. Can now do full pressure profiling for the cost of a 100w dimmer, like €4.50 with delivery, ran the wire out the top and it's magnetic so absolutely zero damage and completely reverable. I'm happy and probably too caffeinated.

[@cameronwressell]

i think you should tackle the breville barista series of machines - i notice that many people seem to have them and the older 870's are becoming very available at affordable price points to get into modding. The stock grinders are poor; but the machines are fairly capable

[@oussamathedjfreeman]

The best machine for study the good coffe ,i like it, hoffman should see it

[@tatemazer]

Thanks! Let him know if you think so! 🙏😅

[@oussamathedjfreeman]

@@tatemazer cool things will be shown on his suggestion like your machine :)

[@kintarooe575]

Just five days into the new year and have already discovered my new favorite channel. Great content, Tate!

[@grumpyoldguy4817]

As a coffee newb, I love how your personality (to me, at least) seems to fit in the middle between James and Lance. Great video. Subscribed and awaiting more content.

[@Pekz00r]

I'm very happy that I found this channel! As an engineer, software developer and coffee nerd this really scratches my itch. I guess you already got many questions about this, but I would love a teardown of the Meticulous Espresso machine. This was a great video. I would like an ever deeper dive into how you built it, the hardware choices and the software.

[@szehnder]

The Brewhob lives on! This video made me feel super nostalgic, incredible to see where you’ve taken the project. PID light flickering hit close to home lol

[@tatemazer]

Here here! Damn I guess it was long enough ago to feel nostalgia for 👴👴😅

[@lars-sorensen]

Having tried different semi automatic machines, but aways returned to my La Pavoni (though I really liked the La Spaciale), but this nerdy and tech video really made me want to play with more technical machines again! Thanks for the great video!

[@lars-sorensen]

Also I really want to see more about that controller board!

[@dmgrk-9474]

Awesome, you could totally use the arduino to record the inputs of the potentiometer and parameterize different techniques and bind those to buttons/presets, less skill involved but should guarantee similar shots every pull.

[@SimonSchumann]

That's what came to my mind too. Just automatically record the profile every time, and when the shot turned out well mark the profile for permanent storage. You could have a list of profiles with different styles, and just replay which one you fancy

[@charlesdaigre1386]

Absoluty fantastic !!!! Iam curently adding upgrades on mine, and i woulk to install a dual pressure gauge like you did. How do yous install the pump pressure sensor ?

[@surindhatalwatte8176]

Fabulous - you are what the industry needs!

[@wolfganglienbacher]

Oh I love this so much! I found another guy on github who put an AC light dimmer and a digital pressure sensor into a Mara X controlled by an ESP32 and some GUI to set pressure profiles. I might want to join that party soon!

[@jakobperkin7417]

Super cool video. Can't believe this is only the first video, im def subbing for more content

[@quaxie]

This has given me more ideas on modding my astoria argenta SAE-1J and its new external mounted water tank.

[@wakeawaken430]

You said it right about people bad using HX machines, without cooling flush, some are "famous" KZbinrs too, that lead many people to go crazy

[@tatemazer]

Transparency is everything!

[@brewbudsclub]

Amazing mods - Wish I had the knowledge to play around inside machines, but I'll leave it to people like you!

[@Ryezn5057]

Definitely need a tutorial or a build log on this!

[@JonathanLeverkuhn]

This is absolutely fantastic. Aside from the temperature inconsistencies associated with the thermal coil boiler, you've addressed essentially every beef you could possibly have with this machine. How do you shield your electronics from errant water? For example, my vacuum prevention valve will occasionally blast a little steam into the interior of my machine when it's initially heating up. I can't imagine any amount of condensation would be great for an Arduino.

[@aaronfidelisrecine]

Fascinating. I'm wondering if you could somehow add a line of code that runs the pump with the group closed so it back flows out of a over pressure valve like a commercial espresso machine has to automatically bring the group temperature down automatically. It would likely need to be tapped in right before the valve on the group which would be a lot of custom work. That or it could auto cycle before loading the ground coffee. Really great work here.

[@palefire]

Brilliant! Wonderful presentation as well.

[@overthetopblues]

Tate, great video some really good information. It would be super helpful if you could do a video on how you changed out the dual pressure gauge.

[@cjattard83]

This video is awesome! ive been modding my 10 year old Appartamento in bits over years. initially two solenoids, a switch and a pressure regulator to build my own plumb kit, and changing the physical switch for a momentary toggle to IOT enable it and turn it on automatically when i get out of bed! looking at your other videos i'm now trying to figure out if i go full on rotary pump, or upgrade the 10 year old vibe pump with a marax silent pump and a pulsor. so many decisions!! would be well up for modding with your board when available!!

[@whysgui7415]

Excellent video, I was sad to see that it is the only one you published so far :p . I would love to see other machine mods and maybe a step by step explanations. Keep up the good work

[@OneIdeaTooMany]

I don't know how difficult these mods are but they look awesome. At the risk of offending people I'm going to say that you should probably mod the Breville dual boiler. I know there's things like the slayer mod etc but I think pushing the boundaries a bit more needs to be explored and you're probably the right person to do it.

[@AvivMakesRobots]

I haven't even watched this and I love you already.

[@ozespresso]

Great video and a well-put-together Appartamento. Love the dual gauge, I think a lot of Appartamento owners will benefit just from this mod and the removal of those pesky side panels mounts.

[@tatemazer]

Thanks for the kind words 🙏🙏 Yes! Sad I didn't note how annoying those things are!

[@frommyashesrisenrebornredemed]

Sweet build. Have you found any electronic pressure switches for espressos in the market ? Would be nice to have a digital indication and readings for more precission and controll of each brew.

[@caffeebenzina1347]

Would be awesome to get more details about the controller for the gear pump. I have this idea in my head to have the chance to “drive” Manual and to have the choose of 3 mods (lever, …)

[@NolanGerald]

Here for the modding, great video! Might need to grab an espresso machine now

[@Adam-vx6to]

With the last name Mazer it's no wonder you're in coffee. Fantastic video. Finally another KZbinr who knows what they're talking about.

[@phillipzx3754]

As the old saying goes, "Ignorance is bliss." My cheap, non-pressurized, EC680 and a Eureka Facile make the most wonderful espresso I've ever tasted. I've always refused to drink espresso brewed from a better setup than I own. My taste buds will never know the difference. 🙂 The geek in me is jealous of your setup. I found a sweet Arduino mod for the Gaggia Classic/pro, which is a bit closer to my budget. Nothing like yours. But a big step up from my EC680.

[@MikeBifulco]

Peeping that bag from B&W on your shelf - I just finished a bag of their anaerobic single origin roast, Esteban Zamora. Super good! This video is fantastic. You did a great job modifying your machine!

[@Tetsomina]

This amazing, looking forward to all kind of crazy modding videos that may come along the way. Best of luck on your journey!

[@fred-san]

I got a machine running also with gaz Unic Major of 1973 Crazy machines. Top cofee.

[@Krispykashew]

I know this video was while ago but you should be able to solve the flickering lights by telling the heater controller PWM cycle to run at the same frequency that your household power runs at IE 50 or 60hrz. Its a pretty common issue with 3d printers and the heated beds. I would assume the ardiuno based controller you have should have the ability to adjust that. Great mods!

[@qwe7410]

I'm a little worried that the group lever is going to wear off in no time, check: 7:42 There's obstruction and my experience tells me it may wear off the brass. The Arduino regulator is something impressive and I will love to learn though, something new to me. I'm very concern of the exposed regulators and electronics on the right. Safety hose coming off, wet cups come into my mine. Not really a big fan of Rocket Appartamento, how can they skip placing a brew gauge on a prosumer machine and price themselves at a higher premium than most established Italian makers. The choice to remove the brew pressure gauge, is not due to any technical constraint, it is is something they have decided to do by choice. It could be easily attached to the overpressure valve. They have also cut short on the relay, full of flimsy thermostats, silly placement for the pump and solenoid. I prefer the safety valve directly planted onto the boiler, not another copper pipe. The way the heat exchanger is designed, the stability of temp isn't great. If one wants to get something similar, could simply go for the new Bezzera Aria. A 1.5L hx copper boiler with proper insulation, faster heat up and better temp range Nice and quiet rotary pump Flow control Dual gauge (pressure + boiler) Additional grouphead gauge pressure profiling. Good SSR relay Shot timer and PID Joystick wands Plumbable or switchable with internal tank. Most importantly, they are designed like Toyota and Honda, with service techs in mine. The build and choice of parts look pretty solid. They are much easier to service, electronics are shielded, meaning likely better longevity and lower cost for repairs.

[@nickterzulli8912]

Great work Tate!

[@charleskenney3574]

Ayyyy love to see the black & white beans!!!

[@weissachturbo7574]

Incredible work, thanks so much for the video. I would love to see you mod a Breville Dual Boiler.

[@jamesconnolly2061]

great video Tate, always impressed by your passion for coffee

[@peterpan69]

your next project should be to replace your lever with a tablet and turn it into decent killer

[@livedeliciously]

You ever heard of the Gaggiuino? It would be cool to see everything tied together with an LCD screen kinda like a Decent, but much cheaper.

[@braxtonjens7839]

Wow so awesome! Thank you for the video! Would you be able to dig into the board/ programming/ set up?

[@chiragshekhar7404]

That was awesome Tate, you have another subscriber! More videos, please!

[@harvey6850]

I've had the Rocket Appartamento for about three years and it has been a good first machine. I am a "closet" engineer and would love to take on a project like this but without your skills would find this mod a little too much to manage without more complete instructions. Ever consider selling a complete kit, all parts and instructions to do this? I could handle the sourcing of the parts, but being able to purchase a control board that was fully programmed along with a full wiring diagram and instructions would be awesome. I don't know what the full mod would cost, but my other choice would be an R58 for $3K and this upgraded Appartamento with the variable speed pump is actually better in my opinion. What about starting with a more basic mod of just converting this to a PID controller? that alone would be a huge improvement and probably not that difficult.

[@ctpr4mnc403]

I fully expected to see the pump be PWM driven by a PID routine in the firmware for a programmed profile by time. Have you considered that?

[@PeaceChanel]

Thank You Everybody for All that you are doing for our Planet Earth.. Peace Shalom Salam Namaste 🙏🏻😊🌈✌☮❤🕊

[@nikowinter833]

Awesome first video! I also do have an appartamento and can confirm that the tempreture sensor is the most important thing. Mine also gets very very hot!

[@tatemazer]

Yes! Glad you have an eye on it 👀👀👀

[@greglecompte3551]

Where did you attach the front pressure gauge for the brew pressure ? I would like to do the same with my apartments any instruction/links would be appreciated

[@angeloc700]

Interesting video. I’d love to learn more about espresso machines. Let’s see how deep the rabbit hole goes…

[@MrHackclan]

Id wish i was an engineer to implement some of these upgrades too. It would be really awesome if you would give a tutorial for some sweet E61 Upgrades that everyone can manage.

[@dennisseemann571]

Absolutely awesome! next step is a little ML/AI so you can replicate any profile over and over!

[@mikepennie]

Instead of using a cam on a linear potentiometer, why not attach a rotary pot to the lever? Seems like that would give better control with less hysteresis. I'm guessing the reason is aesthetics, which is valid because that thing is gorgeous.

[@tatemazer]

Thanks! You're exactly right, I went this route because it was mostly off the shelf parts and more elegant, especially considering all the electronics stay inside the machine

[@angeloc700]

Oh, and, you should probably get rid of the plexi, else you’ll melt all that nice wiring you did and those components you chose. I bet some textured brass screen would look good.

[@tatemazer]

You'd be surprised by how little heat reaches the plexiglass. Not even enough to get warm. It's held up for years 🙏🙏

[@abdullahkeles57]

I am watching this video while drinking an espresso made with the Flair Pro 2. It's really a beautiful machine. If it were my electric espresso machine, I wouldn't be able to make as many modifications as you. It's a little easier to do all these things with Flair.

[@deathkid411]

This is so cool. its a cross of craft e61 and a descent. Would love to see more.

[@ianshepherd6476]

Why don’t you use a Y splitter at the group for group pressure and temp both? Otherwise I love this, so much fun to tinker

[@tatemazer]

Good question! I've never really liked the look of that, looks a bit too out of place. I've been looking into a dual-guage instead!

[@d.t.4523]

Keep working. Good luck! 👍

[@CodingWithAuryn]

Wow, amazing project!! Now I want to do it as well 😂

[@Jonny9403]

As non engineeer I wondered whether I can add e.g. a shot timer to my espressomachine that easy and now I see this :D. I think a shottimer should work.

[@tatemazer]

Nice! Definitely possible!

[@BroadLyte]

You’re an engineer and a combination of inventer/professional tinkerer. Spro looks great man❤

[@edwardwaterhouse7698]

Superb! I would have kept my Appartamento if it had all these features! Congratulations excellent work.

[@MichaelEntner]

Fabulous work brother.

[@travishookham]

This is super neat to see! It would be neat to see your take/mod on Gaggiaduino.

[@christopherjiongo58]

Damn! This is great. I’d pay to know how to install the pressure gauge.

[@freezingsunbreaka]

Lol. The troubles of hair, I get it :)! Part of your charm is your great personality. Can't wait to see more from your unique channel :)!

[@galagaev]

I’d love to see how to install these mods!

[@EthanF555]

Subbed! Great content. Wishing success and looking forward to your future videos

[@markkut]

This is incredible. I do feel like having to purge water to bring down temp in the group would be bothersome

[@mikemihaylov8239]

That was the biggest reason I sold my HX machine and got a dual boiler. HX seem to waste a ton of water

[@charcoalgriller]

Purging water is just part of having an HX. It just becomes part of the process and isn’t really a big deal. Espresso by its nature is pretty extravagant with water.

[@phatcowboy76]

I'm suffering grinder envy.

[@lessmith3799]

Finally, there's someone I can ask! Since there's always an offset between the boiler temperature being measured by the temperature controller and the temperature at the group, and since the only effect of the I loop in a PID algorithm is to null out an offset, why have an I loop at all? Without it, you'll settle faster, at an offset from your set-point. But you're building in an offset anyway, so that offset is of no consequence at all. So: Why PID and not PD?

[@tatemazer]

Good question! Frankly adding the I-term is really just adding a couple lines of code, so it's not a particular burden and makes the code portable for a dual boiler (video coming soon 👀👀). It's also nice to be able to refer to rocket's temperature translation table to map the steam boiler temperature setpoint to the brew water temperature. This PID is working essentially identically to the PID in a chronometro or similar PID'd rocket machine, so I can refer to their documentation.

[@stanislavsvediroh6622]

Heyo! I know a bit more about regulators than I know about coffee, but there's some things to correct here. You're correct that the I term makes the regulator go "slower", but it enables to regulate precisely to a set temperature. Without it, you won't be able to achieve the set temperature exactly in the real world. The difference of temperatures is where you've got things mixed up a little. The regulator regulates to a set temperature on the boiler (that's where the temperature sensor is), but the group is always a bit cooler due to thermal loss (this needs to be accounted for in software - i.e. setting the target temperature a bit higher in the boiler). This temperature difference is something you need to measure or estimate beforehand and put it into the software, otherwise you would have to measure it in the group directly. To sum up: With the I term you're able to regulate precisely on the boiler temp and if you know the boiler-group temp difference, that means you can precisely control group temp. Without the I term you won't be able to precisely regulate the boiler temp in the first place, so even your group temp is going to be a bit off.

[@lessmith3799]

@@stanislavsvediroh6622 Not at all. You just have to include the steady-state offset of the PD controller in your choice of set point.

[@noshbrooks]

Great Vid-- nice roos roast in the background

[@BensCoffeeRants]

Awesome mods but kinda sad it still needs so much cooling flush. If you did it on a good single boiler or dual boiler machine and trusted the temps you could install a group pressure gauge instead.

[@AndreY-ve8bc]

I just stumbled across your channel and did not understand like 30% of what you're saying because i'm not a barista or anything hahaha But, great video! Love the image quality, the way that you bring the information and explain things, I was really surprised to see that you only have 700 subscribers. Keep it up, lots of potential in your videos :) Subscribed to your channel and hope to se more soon!

[@garrettprost895]

That was super informative and articulated very well! I feel like I learned a lot about a tech segment I know little about, awesome stuff man! It’s cool getting to see someone live out the overlap of passion and skill!

[@piranhaa2]

Awesome video, thanks for showing how much more awesome you can make the Appartamento. Question - did you have to move the boiler when installing the dual gauge? There is essentially no room behind the OEM gauge.

[@tatemazer]

Thanks for the kind words! Good question. The replacement gauge is tight but fortunately fits. It's basically resting against the boiler

[@peakkopi9411]

Hope it can be done on a dual boiler version.. And lessen noise of the pump..

[@tatemazer]

Lol unfortunately a gear pump is already the quietest type of pump available! The only quieter option would be a lever (or maybe an external pump hidden behind a cabinet 🤫)

[@mbnto3135]

GitHub page with code and details? Would be cool to have everything repeatable and open. Thanks for sharing!

[@ThePlayahans]

The dream-appartamento 🙏🏻

[@Markiller15]

You’ve probably been asked this question many times, but do you think it would be possible to have a dual probe at the brew head that would give us pressure and temperature at the same time? Thanks for sharing the incredible work you’ve done!

[@tatemazer]

Yes definitely possible! There are some gauges out there with both of those measurements, I just haven't found how to adapt the typical 1/4" npt fitting to the group's M6 fitting. That should be all it takes! Would love to know if someone finds/makes an adapter like that

[@rconrad2k]

Great video. Amazing mods. Gotta be courageous to open the machine and tear it apart like that! I have a QM Silvano Evo that I love, but would never have the nerve to mod! I'll try simulating your Blooming Espresso by turning on the brew pump and then turning it off for a moment before turning it back on to finish.

[@andreacapani2170]

me who know nothing about modding: I LIKE YOUR FUNNY WORDS MAGIC MAN

[@jackderloshon2848]

This is badass!

[@philippberner]

Thanks for making this. Can you elaborate on the electronics components? Also the dual pressure valve shoes pump and boiler pressure, is that correct? What do you use for the controller? I love the idea of the analog measure for the lever. Would the controller allow you to save profiles so you can just reply a profile that you put in manually by pulling the lever on? Is that decoupled? I have a rancilio silver and a Sanremo cube. I think for the cube that be so awesome! Ps: I’ve got a tour from Ricardo on the belweather in Berkley. Cool stuff

[@cryx4]

the lack of linear control with the e61 group has always confused me. whats the point of having a lever, valve and cam just to flip (or press) a switch? cool mods!!!

[@alexjcbs]

Marc Rebillet has come a long way, hasn't he

[@washableaxe]

Awesome build! For the Fluid-O-tech MG304, was the primary motivation to be able to change brew pressure electronically? I am looking at replacing my appartamento pump because I believe it is failing, but I was thinking about replacing it with the Lelit 4000040 silent pump, as I don't care about having the ability to adjust brew pressure on the fly. Thoughts?