10 votes

Is it possible to reprogram a coffee maker?

Our new coffee maker moves the water too fast through the coffee grounds making the coffee weaker than we would like, and if we use a finer grain, overflows the basket. Is there a way to reprogram the rate of... I don't know, flow? It's a Mr. Coffee if that helps.

9 comments

  1. [3]
    cfabbro
    Link
    If you like strong coffee why are you using a percolator instead of something like a French Press, Vacuum Siphon, or Stovetop Pot, where you can easily control the exact strength based on how much...

    If you like strong coffee why are you using a percolator instead of something like a French Press, Vacuum Siphon, or Stovetop Pot, where you can easily control the exact strength based on how much time you give it to steep and the quantity of grounds/water you use?

    7 votes
    1. [2]
      monarda
      Link Parent
      I had never heard of a vacuum siphon. Those look awesome!

      I had never heard of a vacuum siphon. Those look awesome!

      1 vote
      1. cfabbro
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        Yeah, vacuum siphons are pretty awesome/flashy/dramatic and make damn fine cups of coffee. I don't own one myself but have a buddy who does, and I have been to a few hipstery coffee shops that use...

        Yeah, vacuum siphons are pretty awesome/flashy/dramatic and make damn fine cups of coffee. I don't own one myself but have a buddy who does, and I have been to a few hipstery coffee shops that use them as well... but fair warning, they are also incredibly finicky to use, a bit slow, and a PITA to clean.

        My preferred method of daily coffee making is my french press, which is easy+fast to use/clean/control the variables with, and makes damn good coffee as well. Depending on the size of your french press you can make pretty sizeable quantities of coffee as well, and I would highly recommend it over a percolator, especially for someone like myself who also prefers a strong brew.

        2 votes
  2. [2]
    pseudolobster
    Link
    Well, you can absolutely modify it, but the cost of doing so will almost certainly be higher than buying a new one with the features you want already included. I don't think there's a pump...

    Well, you can absolutely modify it, but the cost of doing so will almost certainly be higher than buying a new one with the features you want already included.

    I don't think there's a pump involved in moving the water. It's all based on boiling. If you want less water flow, you need to reduce power to the heating element. This is probably done via pulse-width-modulation using mosfets to control the heating element. A cheap way of slowing it might be to insert a resistor between the heating element and controller to limit current flow, but you'll need a power resistor capable of handling something like a couple hundred watts, which is not a cheap commodity part you can find laying around anywhere.

    The nuclear option would be to replace all the circuitry using an arduino or something, coupled with some mosfets etc to replace the entire circuitry. The parts alone would cost close to the price of a new coffee maker. The time you'd spend overcoming the learning curve and the amount of time you'd spend coding would end up making it cost many times the value of a new one that has those features already. Unless you really love coding and tinkering, or learning all this stuff could somehow be profitable for you down the line, it's really not worth it.

    $40 at walmart or $10 at goodwill will get you a better drip coffee maker. Or as others have mentioned there are things like french presses, moka pots, aeropresses, etc which do a better job as well.

    Let me know if you want help fucking around with arduinos, but it's definitely not going to save you any money, and unless you plan on working in industrial automation etc, the skills you learn will probably not pay for themself.

    6 votes
    1. monarda
      Link Parent
      I had just assumed it pumped the water because the water moves so quickly through the reservoir. I'm going to share your post with my other half, but in the meantime I think I found a temp fix: I...

      I had just assumed it pumped the water because the water moves so quickly through the reservoir. I'm going to share your post with my other half, but in the meantime I think I found a temp fix: I put a coffee filter in the bottom of the reservoir, over the hole. That slowed down the flow a bit, and I am now drinking a stronger cup of coffee.

      3 votes
  3. [3]
    Octofox
    Link
    I remember one coffee machine I used had a wheel on the front for coffee strength. You are most likely out of luck if it isn't obvious from the ui.

    I remember one coffee machine I used had a wheel on the front for coffee strength. You are most likely out of luck if it isn't obvious from the ui.

    3 votes
    1. [2]
      monarda
      Link Parent
      Our old one had a button named "strong," and it just made the water flow slower. When it broke, we bought another that had a strong button, but it didn't seem to make any difference so we sent it...

      Our old one had a button named "strong," and it just made the water flow slower. When it broke, we bought another that had a strong button, but it didn't seem to make any difference so we sent it back. Finally we were desperate and bought something that had good reviews but did not have a strong button. Oh how we miss the stronger coffee. There are programmable aspects to the machine, but nothing regarding strength.

      I guess we'll live without stronger coffee, but it seems so uncivilized!

      3 votes
      1. [2]
        Comment deleted by author
        Link Parent
        1. monarda
          Link Parent
          I hadn't looked at french presses in a long time. I had no idea they had large ones and in stainless steel! I think this might be the route we go. Thank you!

          I hadn't looked at french presses in a long time. I had no idea they had large ones and in stainless steel! I think this might be the route we go. Thank you!

          3 votes
  4. Akir
    Link
    Just return it if it is new. Most coffee makers are not smart devices. Chances are that your coffee maker has no motor or pump to regulate how fast water is being moved. Instead, the water is...

    Just return it if it is new.

    Most coffee makers are not smart devices. Chances are that your coffee maker has no motor or pump to regulate how fast water is being moved. Instead, the water is moved entirely with the power of heat.

    There are coffee makers that are more advanced, of course, but they are appropriately more expensive.

    3 votes