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Adventures or misadventures of a Hotmix Pro owner


Franci

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4 hours ago, rotuts said:

@Franci 

did you ask them in Italy about the ' chips ? '

 

I think Id bet [ not too much ] that you need a new machine.

 

ps   the DrillPress from The Lux is probably just a motor and some belts.  no chips .

 

just my offering.

 

While the drill press does have a motor and a belt (just one), the motor is DC and there is a power supply with chips.  Luxembourgians are known for their high tech.  Pretty sure I could attach a mixing paddle to the spindle and put a Belgian copper pot below.  Hmm.

 

In the case of the Hotmix and the pastry cream I'm wondering if there is a sensor problem such that the unit is not properly detecting a fluid the consistency of pastry cream and therefore turns itself off?

 

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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Little update. I've been on the phone with Italy yesterday. And the engineer on the other side couldn't believe it if he didn't see it with his own eyes. The  only explanation for him is that the problem is with the program on the machine. So he sent me instructions on how to reprogram the machine. Today and tomorrow are very busy for me but over the weekend I'll do. Hopefully will work. I'll let you know.

Thanks for all support!

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50 minutes ago, Franci said:

Little update. I've been on the phone with Italy yesterday. And the engineer on the other side couldn't believe it if he didn't see it with his own eyes. The  only explanation for him is that the problem is with the program on the machine. So he sent me instructions on how to reprogram the machine. Today and tomorrow are very busy for me but over the weekend I'll do. Hopefully will work. I'll let you know.

Thanks for all support!

Good luck!

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thanks for continuing the story.

 

it would be very interesting if this were just a programming error.

 

Im sure that soon (a) machine will be working well for you.

 

Im hoping in the little spare time you have you will keep us informed of how the machine works out

 

when its feeling better.

 

20 + years ago I would have loved to have something like this in the kitchen.

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@rotuts , I've just finished working now, I don't have energy right now for the hotmix but over the weekend I'll work on it.  The other day, with this guy on the phone,  just setting the standard temperature of 84C for the pastry cream as other times, once reached 70-72C stalled and then temperature started to decrease. Then he told me to insert the turbo function and  at that point the machine quickly reached temperature. So the machine is capable of getting to temperature, the only explanation he could find was with the program.

If this can be fixed I'm very happy, I think it's a great machine with a lot of potential. I love it but only if I can have it working right. I'll keep you posted.

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Ok, as Rotuts predicted. I need a new machine.

The guy that has been troubleshooting with me these days was really without words...never happened anything like this before.

So, I reprogrammed the machine. I am  pretty sure, I've done it because everything happened according to instructions. I tried first some caramelized almonds that require a syrup to 120C. I selected the recipe stored into the machine, but the temperature on the display was not flashing, signing that the temperature was not rising. I manually input the necessary temperature and follow the next steps. The machine stopped when reached 120C. I checked with the thermapen and saw that it was reading 111C and not 120.

So I tried again with the pastry cream. With the recipe stored in the machine same result as before. Temperature not moving. But if I hit the temperature setting, I could see that the target temperature stored was 84C. I decided to execute again the recipe manually. Selected the right speed and temperature of 84C. It reached 68C and then started to decrease. At that point I was already messaging with the Italian guy from hotmix. I decided to increase the target temperature to 120C, the pastry cream reached 85C and I turned it off. At this point, my help on the other side, suggested to try with water at 84C. It stalled too, like for the pastry cream. Craziness.

The guy was sooooo nice and helpful. I'll get a new machine and this will become a case study :biggrin:

Edited by Franci (log)
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But even after this...I love this machine!

Tonight I made some pesto. Grated fist the cheese in it, then added garlic while running, pine nuts, stopped, added basil and salt. 20 seconds at high speed and drizzle the oil, 10 second at low/medium speed. Really seconds to make the pesto. Nice bright color, great texture and the color is still very nice and bright in the pesto left over. And didn't turn color with the pasta. Really great.

Adding photo my son took of it

IMG_6788.thumb.JPG.c79bc07a01a452976fbe67184046cec2.JPG

Edited by Franci
Added photo (log)
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I've had this machine since October last year. I'm in Australia, so it's on "native" voltage, so to speak.

 

Haven't had a problem with it yet (made pea soup in it just now and am holding it at temperature until my partner gets home!).

 

I haven't used the recipe programming at all, as the software for recipe creation is only available on Windows, and is quite abstruse.

 

I am, however, a programmer by trade, and have reverse engineered the recipe format and written a parser. Now I just need to finish the UI.* Let me know if you're on a Mac and up for beta testing.

 

*this may take a while!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks @flippant I am not on Mac right now but I'll be soon, I'll let you know.

The good news is that habemus hotmix! :laugh:  I unpacked the new machine today. Did a quick test bringing water to different temperatures and that was fine. Made a syrup and tried to make my hydrophobic sugar. Oh man, I got the nastiest cocoa butter on earth...never trust Amazon reviews :S But so far looks like is working. Looking forward to try more interesting stuff!

Edited by Franci (log)
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  • 2 weeks later...

That's very discouraging. 

 

 

“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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Franci, you must be so frustrated!

Cape Town - At the foot of a flat topped mountain with a tablecloth covering it.

Some time ago we had Johnny Cash, Bob Hope and Steve Jobs. Now we have no Cash, no Hope and no Jobs. Please don't let Kevin Bacon die.

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  • 4 years later...

Picked up a Hotmix Pro Gastro at auction the other day. @Alleguede picked it up after the auction and dropped it on my doorstep - I quickly texted him and got him to take it back to the shop. It's 220 volts and I am not wired for that in my chocolate room and I'm not prepared to use it in hubbies workshop. 

 

 

image.thumb.jpeg.07e0fd3c126cb11623e552088d5481cf.jpeg

 

image.thumb.jpeg.fec1fdd06643248daabd8796ce9080a9.jpeg

 

67052921149__1B3A7B35-4DC5-4A83-A308-7802FEE7FE72.thumb.jpeg.d4f0048e1da2450894182f23c89ae06e.jpeg

 

Need to find a couple of parts for it - the whisk and perhaps the cup that goes in the top (not that I use that in my thermomix. The shipping from Florida for the parts is about twice the cost of the part so I'm hoping that somewhere in Canada sells them. 

 

 

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2 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

Picked up a Hotmix Pro Gastro at auction the other day. @Alleguede picked it up after the auction and dropped it on my doorstep - I quickly texted him and got him to take it back to the shop. It's 220 volts and I am not wired for that in my chocolate room and I'm not prepared to use it in hubbies workshop. 

 

 

image.thumb.jpeg.07e0fd3c126cb11623e552088d5481cf.jpeg

 

image.thumb.jpeg.fec1fdd06643248daabd8796ce9080a9.jpeg

 

67052921149__1B3A7B35-4DC5-4A83-A308-7802FEE7FE72.thumb.jpeg.d4f0048e1da2450894182f23c89ae06e.jpeg

 

Need to find a couple of parts for it - the whisk and perhaps the cup that goes in the top (not that I use that in my thermomix. The shipping from Florida for the parts is about twice the cost of the part so I'm hoping that somewhere in Canada sells them. 

 

 

 

Kerry, you don't sound like yourself:  rewire the chocolate room.

 

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Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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1 minute ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Kerry, you don't sound like yourself:  rewire the chocolate room.

 

LOL - that's hubbies area of expertise and he's he's a little behind on his other projects. I have asked him to do it before!

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