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?

[@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.

[@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!

[@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!

[@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.

[@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!

[@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?

[@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

[@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.

[@mkmnails]

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

[@ryunosukefuriya3748]

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

[@sayingROFLisgay]

I would vote breville dual boiler! Really has the potential to be a crazy capable machine with the right mods, and id love to see what would be possible with something like a custom board or even a raspberry pi!

[@samanthakitchen5190]

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

[@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!

[@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 :)

[@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.

[@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 👴👴😅

[@Tetsomina]

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

[@Ryezn5057]

Definitely need a tutorial or a build log on this!

[@jakobperkin7417]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@palefire]

Brilliant! Wonderful presentation as well.

[@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

[@surindhatalwatte8176]

Fabulous - you are what the industry needs!

[@quaxie]

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

[@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.

[@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!

[@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.

[@brewbudsclub]

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

[@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!

[@ay735]

Quite the big upgrade by adding pressure profiling. If you need an Appartamento TCA for filming mods, let me know. Cheers

[@robertsaca3512]

lol, all that bravado, money, time etc. and then dirty water shots 😂

[@tatemazer]

Some coffees taste great as a turbo shot, try it out! 😁😁

[@phatcowboy76]

I'm suffering grinder envy.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@CodingWithAuryn]

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

[@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!

[@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!!

[@nillaconke3012]

Single dosing on that grinder is the actual endgame here...

[@edwardwaterhouse7698]

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

[@ondrejhav]

Thanks!

[@nickterzulli8912]

Great work Tate!

[@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!

[@jamesconnolly2061]

great video Tate, always impressed by your passion for coffee

[@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!

[@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 ?

[@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!

[@weissachturbo7574]

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

[@NolanGerald]

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

[@galagaev]

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

[@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, …)

[@fred-san]

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

[@charleskenney3574]

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

[@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 🙏🏻😊🌈✌☮❤🕊

[@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.

[@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.

[@braxtonjens7839]

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

[@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!

[@noahbrooks3319]

Great Vid-- nice roos roast in the background

[@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 👀👀👀

[@jackderloshon2848]

This is badass!

[@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 :)!

[@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.

[@AvivMakesRobots]

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

[@mbnto3135]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@brianharman82]

You looking for a roommate, I have a Giotto you can mess with 😂

[@dennisseemann571]

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

[@user-bv5ys5qt8m]

I’d love to see a linea mini with a gear pump!

[@user-bv5ys5qt8m]

Also with the ability to save profiles like the strada ep

[@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.

[@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

[@rveats]

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

[@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.

[@ThePlayahans]

The dream-appartamento 🙏🏻

[@peterpan69]

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

[@travishookham]

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

[@BrianQuan]

Wew it's happening 😎

[@swwito4821]

Waow super happy this has been suggested to me. Excellent content & super interesting. Would be cool to see some graphs & telemetry outputs from your pulls or long term automated potentiameter actuation with repeatable pulls (Not a recommendation just an idea, I wish you the most success with this channel)

[@deathkid411]

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

[@SUPR_NTRL]

Elephant in the R😂😂M The King EK43 🎉

[@tatemazer]

🤴🤴🤴

[@EthanF555]

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

[@tristanadriel]

this is a compliment you sound like timothee chalamet lmao

[@clarksol]

Hi Tate! We will soon be supplying that Fluidotech FG gear pump drive package in 12VDC. We will also have some newer versions of the pump coming out later in 2024. Should anyone have any espresso pump or valve needs please feel welcome to reach out! Cheers, Geoff

[@tatemazer]

Wow great news! It's always been a headache finding these pumps in the states, I will reach out

[@angeloc700]

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

[@MichaelEntner]

Fabulous work brother.

[@Popcornbeetle]

Very cool. Learned a lot. Thanks!

[@Jptg_76]

I would love a video on something like a programmable shot timer for common prosumer machines like the apartamento or similar. I just got a profitec pro 400, and now that I’ve really dialed in my coffee and grind it would be really nice to just have the program ready to go so I don’t have to bust out the scale every morning. Just a thought! Great work!

[@christopherbidmead4564]

I'd love your thoughts and ideas on a decent.

[@andreacapani2170]

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

[@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

[@d.t.4523]

Keep working. Good luck! 👍

[@alexjcbs]

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