# Gene Roaster dimmer mod- sanity check



## johnealey

Evening all

Having finally decided to do the stage 1 dimmer mod on my gene, it seems to be fighting me at every turn.

One of the reasons for not doing it so far, other than being downright lazy, has been the thought of staring at plastic boxes on the worktop.

So with this in mind, clever clogs here decides to make it look a little more, shall we say, wife friendly....

1. decide to do this properly, read all the threads on here and coffeetime wiki

2. DaveC's maplin power control regulator look like the business. Go online, 1 in Aylesbury, 2 in North east 1 in Aberdeen, None anywhere else. Ok, Drive to Aylesbury.

3. Pick up last one south of Cramlington along with a 100k pot (forgot the knob...!), some female crimping bits (ooh err!), some piggy back crimp bits, forgoting the male ones and a crimping tool. Drive home.

4.Procastinate for a week.

5. Drive to stratford maplins pick up aluminium project box, £15, an on / off switch (sticky up metal type) and a "missile switch" ( i kid you not, this is how maplins describe it...) cover for said sticky up switch. Still forget the male crimp connectors. Pick up some enormous black rubber computer case feet for said project box.Pick up box of 300 assorted nuts and bolts. drive home

6. procrastinate some more with a little cogitating thrown in.

7. Today, first day off with daughter for school hols; needs to get homework out of the way (!). Use this as opportunity to start the dimmer mod, after all, I have all the bits right...

8. Get stumped trying to work out how to lift the top off as can't seem to see how to get the crescent shaped covers off. Head scratch for 20 minutes them decide looking at the wiki on a smart phone may be the issue. Look at wiki on a 24" screen, see comment about removeing silver heat reflector, ah ha, remove and crescents out, lid off, looking forward to roasting in less than an hour....fatal.

9. Discover lack of male crimping connector, decide togo to screwfix later and buy a 100 of them even if only need one as that os the smallest pack size.

10. in meantime crack on with fitting power control regulator to discoverd slide out base of project box. drilling holes for bolts (from 300 box above, 4 nuts / 4 bolts used). Try to locate dremmel to cut of bolts, waste 30 minutes but do find cable ties and grommets (more later). Undo nuts / bolts and turn upside down so bolts now inside the case ( easy in hindsight, not so when not caffeined).

11. work out location on top of project box to locate dimmer (400k pot) and standy up power switch. Looks like a 10mm HSS bit should do it, result, have one. Drill holes (x2). Discover hole for standy power switch requires a 12mm HSS drill bit, rummage rummage, no not got one of those add that to screwfix shopping list.

12. Discover in wifes drill case (her cordless is way better than mine) a sideways drill bit of which I am sure there is a clever name to describe what it does but for me, at this point in my day, is going to increase the size of the holes by 2mm as dremmel case also has small files / rasps in..

13. increase size of holes x2. Standy up switch now fits, brucey flipping bonus. "missile switch" cover also goes on a treat, motoring now having started about 4 hours earlier. Discover the 400k pot dimmer dial only needs a 10mm hole, swear, rant and say lots of rude words. Fit 13mm blanking grommet found during rummage earlier ( just the one though, bizzarre). Drill new 10mm hole, fit and so far so good. Scratch lid of project box whilst doing up nut, more rude words decide break at screwfix required.

14.Gather up junior and drag off to collect more bits: 100 each of red and blue / male and female crimping connectors, a 12mm HSS drill bit forgot to take off order..2 gang 47mm patress box and a rather natty black chrome blank cover plus a white plastic one (thought being to frighten the ali project box into playing ball, top gear challenge style) just in case and to practice on.

15. Forget electrical tape. Round to Homebase, result.

16. Fit male spade to cable inside gene, crimp, conect and cable tie off power lead inside and out. Attack project box, drop box of 300 nuts and bolts, more rude words whilst picking up thanking dog for not assisting.

17. look at wiring diagram on wiki

18. look at some more

19. realise standy up power switch only has 2 connectors marked "on" and "off". cut off crimp connector on cables from power control and then realise now to flipping short to connect to module and dimmer switch unless develop ET fingers. Find new cable strip out and make up longer cales and fit piggy back to one end.

20. Stare some more at the wiring diagram them start writing this highly cathartic thread to ask one simple question:

*Q: with there only being an on and off on the switch do I wire both cables back from the power control module to the "on" or have I bought the wrong single gang switch requiring similar but with an additional connector?*

I have it currently wired up this way but not powered up yet (photos below) and any pointers gratefully received especially if you got this far.

Thanks in advance, John


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## johnealey

Have also just realised, sitting here now and looking end on at the project box, that could have saved myself a whole load of grief mounting the switch / dimmer on the end cap rather than the top which would have saved me another 20 minutes of very careful black electrical tape insulation of underside of top plate, argh....

Might not have looked as nice as it does, inside my head at least.

(Big gap on the left if can work out a way to work it is for a wattage display. I have a hammer, an energy measuring plug and blind enthusiasm; what could possibly go wrong......).

John


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## DavecUK

I only used a switch to be able to switch the power controller completely out of the circuit (if I needed maximum power).


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## johnealey

Hi Dave

thanks for the above and assume with a 240v heater the issue or power drain will be minimal if just using the controller "dimmer"?

If above not correct (and the way to go forward) is the switch currently have:

1. Wrong completely (needs an additional connector)?

2. Wired wrong ?

3. Wired right (but this i suspect is not the case as can't see what it is working across if that makes sense)?

My voltage here is rediculous going from 240 up to 250 very rarely does it ever drop below 240 and the average wattage range used during roasting is 1220 ro 1350 hence final desire to tame this ( and a post a long time back about UPS's you very kindly assisted with).

At some point, when the heater unit wears out, will replace with the 230v as would seem silly not to have switch in place for then at least.

Going back to two things from your post: I thought I had insomnia and if bypassing the switch at this stage does the output on the power controller connect to the heater wire or the power board ( sorry am really doubting my fundamental electric knowledge at this stage)

Thanks for all your help.

John


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## johnealey

Evening all

Hopefully someone can offer up the answer to the above as really need to get this back together now ( apparently we have guests coming over tomorrow who may not appreciate the kitchen table full of roaster parts, tsch!)

Right, so below is a picture from the power controller (dimmer) destructions:









Having decided at this stage to do away with the on / off switch and just run with the controller, is the "load"going to the heater wire and the "fuse" wire going to the circuit board as per the picture below from the coffeetime wiki located here and have wired exactly the same way: http://coffeetimex.wikidot.com/gene-cafe-dimmer-control-mod-stage-1 (hope have credited this correctly)









Any help gratefully received as really questioning everything at the moment and with Easter upon us / BB shut for spares / beans running low, can't afford to take a punt to get it wrong

Many thanks in advance

John


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## DavecUK

I am busy right now, but will let you know shortly about how to connect it up.


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## DavecUK

OK, in the Gene you will see 2 wires from the heater, they will be white and they go into the power board. *Disconnect one of them from the power board (only one).*









In the diagram above you can see the power controller, you want to connect the heater wire you removed, to either of the connectors on the controller (obviously using spade crimps and extending the wiring thru the fuse hole so you can do this, as the power controller will be outside the roaster. Choose the light bulb one if you like.

Then make another wire up with the correct spade connectors and connect it to the AC 240V pin on the controller, feed it back through the hole where the fuse used to go and plug it into the power board...you plug it into the same connector you removed the heater wire from.

The Potentiometer connection is obvious and you should ideally use a 100K potentiometer, not the 400K one supplied (as you won't get fine enough control).

If you bought the maplin power controller you won't need a heatsink

Put it all into a project box, you could simply use a socket box with blanking plate and drill a hole to mount the potentiometer. Get a deep one

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercury-Electrical-Socket-Back-Box-Surface-Mount-16-25-47mm-Single-Gang-Switch-/130925458535?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item1e7bc3f467

Use a wattmeter on the plug and your done.


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## johnealey

Thanks for the above Dave really really appreciated and just about to dive in.

Had everything wired and ready to go so cabling already done into Gene got stumped with the 2 way switch only having 2 connectors so just a matter of pulliung the cable through into the project box a little further and de solder the connector on teh 400k pot to replace with the 100k pot bought ( did wonder for a while of the benefits of running a course 400k and a fine 100k in series for a roaster)

thanks again

John


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## DavecUK

If you get a flash of blue and a puff of smoke...don't blame me.


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## johnealey

No Blame, No Pack drill









Update: Whilst dial / knob for the 100k pot missing (400k pot knob does not fit) have left 400k pot in place and yes wildly course, tiny adjustments to dial do big wattage draws make, but result, is working and contrallable down!

Dave, thank you so much for taking the time to explain clearly and get me throught the wobble was having, especially given the wee hours you were posting in. You are a star!

I have made this way more difficult than it needed to be. If you bought the Maplins controller and a project box or even all the kit described in teh wiki you really could get this done in an hour tops adn if anyone ever in need of the odd crimp connector or nut and bolt to be able to complete their project give me a shout as have hundreds of the darn things.....

Thanks all and Dave especially, for both reading my ramblings and assisting, hopefully my mistakes will help others to avoid the same. All built up and guests due in the next 5 so got brownie points for celaring the table; can't wait to try a roast later.

John


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## DavecUK

I recommend you start using the 100K pot as soon as you get the right type of Knob, the type with the little grub screw.


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