[HN Gopher] CT scans of coffee-making equipment
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CT scans of coffee-making equipment
Author : eucalyptuseye
Score : 249 points
Date : 2023-08-31 18:35 UTC (4 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.scanofthemonth.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.scanofthemonth.com)
| blamazon wrote:
| I got a kick out of this passage:
|
| > At times, Fourth Wave innovations verge into the realm of
| obsession, making you wonder how much real difference all of this
| precision makes to a cup of coffee. At the end (or beginning) of
| the day, coffee is a ritual. More than mere caffeine delivery,
| these technologies enable a multi-faceted sensory experience.
| Exploring the complexity of its flavors and aromas has
| transformed coffee from an article of consumption into an open-
| ended object of scientific and aesthetic experimentation.
| notamy wrote:
| I love that way of thinking about it. I wish I thought about
| more things as more than just the bland day-to-day they seem to
| be on the surface.
| fabian2k wrote:
| There are certainly diminishing returns on many of the aspects
| coffee enthusiasts care about. But when I started experimenting
| with an Aeropress and some better coffee I found it interesting
| that there were many fundamental aspects I could easily taste.
| Temperature and grind settings can get very obvious quickly.
| And also the difference between roast levels or some kinds of
| coffee beans/preparation are not difficult to taste. And I
| don't trust myself to distinguish any of the more subtle tastes
| coffee enthusiasts talk about.
|
| But once you e.g get into arguments on whether high-end
| grinders with conical or flat burrs are better you're far into
| the diminishing returns that might not survive a blind test.
| tomasGiden wrote:
| Related, but not as fancily presented, the startup I'm at just
| scanned a coffee bean in our micro-CT that we developed. It's
| especially good for low-Z (like carbon and silicon) based samples
| in contrast to normal X-Rays that see right through it (think
| x-ray images of a broken arm where the tissue is invisible).
|
| https://exciscope.com/applications/food-and-packaging/
| C-x_C-f wrote:
| Very cool as always! If I may be pedantic about the lede:
|
| > The history of coffee provides a rich index of global economic
| and cultural exchange going back thousands of years.
|
| The history of coffee is less than 600 years old.
| culi wrote:
| If I may be pedantic in return
|
| > The history of coffee is less than 600 years old.
|
| The history of coffee being traded internationally is around
| 600 years old. Coffee began being "domesticated" (more in the
| Graeber "play-farming" sense of the word) at least 7k years ago
|
| Likely even longer before that given the dominance of the plant
| in parts of Ethiopia. Today the few "coffee forests" remaining
| are protected ecosystems by UNESCO
| gaudat wrote:
| I thought X-rays do not pass through metal? Like it shows up
| opaque in clinical images. Suprised that they got a scan of the
| moka pot. Truly amazing stuff.
| mcpackieh wrote:
| Metal blocks some x-rays but not all. The more x-rays you have,
| the more pass through. When doctors are xraying people, they
| use as little xrays as they need to get a good image of the
| fleshy bits, so metal objects appear opaque relative to that.
| ceejayoz wrote:
| You can use a much higher dose on inanimate objects than you
| could on a human patient. (See, for example, airport security's
| ability to see inside your Macbook...)
| chongli wrote:
| X-rays are used a lot in non-destructive testing for welding
| and also in civil engineering to look inside concrete and
| rebar!
| exabrial wrote:
| Entire aircraft engines and rocket engines can in fact be
| x-rayed (google image search awaits you). Granted if you stuck
| your hand in there it would definitely get cooked. The power
| levels are much higher.
|
| If you really want to dive down a rabbit hole, look up how they
| image welds on pipelines... literally inject radioactive gas
| between two cardboard/clay plugs and tape an xray film on the
| outside of the weld for an hour or two.
| kwhitefoot wrote:
| Interesting images and a very well put together page.
|
| But a little off topic, I was struck by this:
|
| > With the powerful 1200 W heating element
|
| A typical European kettle is at least 1800 W, comfortably less
| than the power deliverable from a 10 A, 230 V circuit. A typical
| UK kettle would be more like 3000 W, such as this one (it seems
| that all the kettles on that website are 3 kW):
|
| https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9363195?clickPR=plp:1:72
| cjs_ac wrote:
| UK plug sockets are rated at 13 A, giving a maximum power
| rating of 2,990 W. Kettles are consequently amongst the
| highest-drawing household appliances in the UK.
|
| Back when there were only three television channels, the
| National Grid planners used to pore over the Radio Times,
| looking for popular programmes like the Morecambe and Wise
| Christmas Special (21 to 28 million viewers in 1977), so they
| could prepare for the demand surge of the entire nation putting
| the kettle on at the end of the programme.
| quartz wrote:
| Related HN discussion about UK power demand surges due to
| millions of kettles being simultaneously turned on during TV
| breaks: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5018560
| Lapha wrote:
| >UK plug sockets are rated at 13 A, giving a maximum power
| rating of 2,990 W.
|
| Nominally, anyway. When the EU standardised mains voltages
| they mostly did so on paper by fudging the tolerances, UK's
| 240v +/- 3% became 230v -6/+10%. 28 years later and I still
| see the mains voltage in the 240-250v range more often than
| not.
| [deleted]
| cjrp wrote:
| > ...the kettle reaches optimal temperature very quickly -- in
| under three minutes
|
| That's too long to wait for a brew.
| p1mrx wrote:
| If you fill to the minimum line (0.5L) instead of the maximum
| (1.7L), it will boil in under 1 minute.
|
| When buying a kettle, the most important specs are the
| minimum fill and wattage (ideally 1500W in the US.)
| blamazon wrote:
| Any amount of time feels like too long to wait for a brew
| ever since I got one of these:
|
| https://www.zojirushi.com/app/category/water-boilers-warmers
|
| (To answer the question an inquisitive reader may ask: the
| keep-warm setting of the model I have uses about 25-60 watts
| average at room temp 73degF/23degC depending on volume and
| selected water temp) [1, pg5]
|
| [1]: https://www.zojirushi.com/servicesupport/manuals/manual_
| pdf/...
| exabrial wrote:
| Reduce the pressure! :)
| crazygringo wrote:
| I'm not sure what the point is you're trying to make?
|
| I'm sure you're aware that US sockets are 110-120V. The power
| required by a European kettle would too often trip someone's
| circuit breaker in the US, especially if any other equipment
| were also plugged in (you usually want to stick to max 1500 W
| on a circuit).
|
| Clearly the "powerful 1200 W" is in the context of equipment
| designed for American residential sockets -- the page is
| produced by an American company after all.
|
| (Which is why Americans don't use electric kettles nearly as
| much as Brits/Europeans, of course.)
| beojan wrote:
| A heating element is basically just a resistor, right? Which
| means if you run one on half the design voltage it'll draw
| half the current it's meant to and produce 1/4 the power.
| dgfitz wrote:
| Half the voltage = 2x the amperage draw, not half, if I'm
| not mistaken.
| exabrial wrote:
| [flagged]
| tpl wrote:
| They picked boring things to look at unfortunately. Not a lot
| going on in Moka pot that you can't grok just by looking at and
| taking it apart. Throwing a whole all-in-one countertop machine
| might be cooler.
| hex4def6 wrote:
| Agree, although it was interesting seeing the porosity in the
| casting in the new design.
| hammock wrote:
| And the aluminum shavings inside the chamber...
| felipc wrote:
| The point about the newer Bialettis being cheaper is absolutely
| true. My mother has an old (>10 years) Moka that feels heavy and
| sturdy. A couple of years ago, after accidentally leaving it on
| the stove for too long, the bottom chamber and the filter basket
| got a permanent burnt coffee taste, and we bought a new one to
| replace it. That one was lighter and came with a significant
| thinner filter basket, which I also attributed to either being
| counterfeit or just they shipping cheaper versions of the product
| to Brazil.
|
| Then, a couple of months ago, I was on vacation in Italy and
| decided to get a brand new one as a gift, directly from an
| official Bialetti store. To my surprise, the Mokas in the store
| felt exactly like the lower-quality one we had bought in Brazil.
| I didn't even buy the gift.
| MarkMarine wrote:
| You see a similar thing with the glass chemex. There is a
| healthy market on eBay for pre-1980 models that were hand blown
| from great quality glass. My wife got me one for a gift and the
| difference in feel is remarkable. New ones feel fragile, this
| feels solid and strong. I've broken two of the newer versions
| and it's dangerous. The old one is still standing strong in my
| house, surviving trips in my RV, and generally doing it's job.
| I'm sure I sound like a curmudgeon but they don't make stuff
| like they used to
| anamexis wrote:
| They still make high quality ones, you just have to
| specifically get the "handblown series" (at 2-3x the price of
| the regular).
|
| e.g. https://www.chemexcoffeemaker.com/eight-cup-handblown-
| series...
| C-x_C-f wrote:
| Bialetti has been on its last leg since 2015. They're drowning
| in debt and (in the best case scenario) are headed toward
| restructuring soon; in any case their future's not looking
| bright.
| tdullien wrote:
| Any insights into what went wrong?
| C-x_C-f wrote:
| I'm not sure about the details. IMHO a contributing factor
| is that they're a company historically centered around
| manufacturing nearly indestructible appliances (even the
| newer mokas, however flimsier, don't break easily); once
| the market was saturated with the flagship product, there's
| only so much profit they could squeeze out of selling
| accessories and the like.
| johnnyApplePRNG wrote:
| They started making garbage quality products and their
| brand recognition plummeted? Look at the mukka express for
| example. [0]
|
| They did one thing well and succeeded for decades and then
| tried to expand their business and failed miserably.
|
| I have seen crap quality bialetti everything. They make
| pots and pans now too.
|
| [0] https://www.amazon.ca/Bialetti-Express-Cow-Print-
| Stovetop-Ca...
| void-pointer wrote:
| It drives me crazy how V60 and Chemex are regarded as "modern"
| when the Chemex is from the 40s and the V60 is a knock-off of the
| Melitta 102 conical filter system, which was invented in 1936!
| Fricken wrote:
| 1936, that's the year the Charlie Chaplin film "Modern Times"
| came out.
| tokai wrote:
| Isn't that modern in the sense of the modern movement in
| design, and not modern as contemporary?
| for1nner wrote:
| > Compared to flat burrs, conical burrs also create a more
| uniform particle size distribution, reducing the potential for
| clogs and jams
|
| Well this is just...not true. Porlex musta sold them pretty hard
| on Conicals.
| exabrial wrote:
| I've always thought that about conical burrs, but I guess I've
| never seen anyone actually look at them under a microscope
| either
| GoofballJones wrote:
| Just reading the headline I was like "why X-ray them? Couldn't
| they just take them apart to see what's inside". But clicking on
| the article made me go "Oh, I get it now. This is damn
| interesting and very informative."
|
| Well done!
| billsmithaustin wrote:
| Moka pot rubber gaskets are replaceable.
| murermader wrote:
| The images on mobile behind the text lead to pretty low contrast
| between foreground and background, making the text hard to read.
| bragr wrote:
| This site is probably one of the most clever bits of advertising
| since the Will It Blend folks at Blendtec
| supportengineer wrote:
| Another company that made an indestructible product!
| mlsu wrote:
| This has to be a marketing exercise by the CT machine maker,
| right?
|
| "We spotted casting issues with the new pot" "We can see the
| density difference in the plastic" "We found aluminum shavings"
|
| For the right audience, this would definitely sell one of those
| big fancy CT machines.
|
| Not that I'm complaining -- visuals, presentation, content is all
| thoroughly interesting, speaking as someone with an Aeropress, a
| Moka. Pretty awesome piece.
| rx_tx wrote:
| Correct, it's produced as a cool nerdy promo by a CT scan
| machine company (https://www.scanofthemonth.com/about)
|
| Every article from them does pretty well on HN, understandably
| so.
| [deleted]
| advisedwang wrote:
| Yes, in the about us page they say it is "powered by"
| Lumafield.
| fabian2k wrote:
| Nice images. It's probably too much effort, but for the grinder
| it would have been interesting to compare the now rather old
| Porlex grinder with the much heavier steel burr grinders you'd
| get recommended today. Those are very noticeably heavier and more
| massive compared to the Porlex, could be interesting to compare.
| quickthrower2 wrote:
| Those 4 items are a good coffee setup!
| EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK wrote:
| Nah, its all toys for lazy impatient kids. Real coffee needs
| slow and thoughtful preparation in a cezve.
| quickthrower2 wrote:
| Them is the fighting words considering a moka pot is there!
| trebligdivad wrote:
| The 'nature' page on there is just lovely; including Romanesco
| broccoli and pomegranate - just lovely.
| munchler wrote:
| I liked that page too, but did a double-take when they said
| that the skin of a pomegranate protects it from "predators".
| bowmessage wrote:
| Incredible scans!
|
| > Removing used coffee immediately after brewing and storing the
| AeroPress with the seal pushed all the way through the chamber
| (as shown) can help minimize wear by reducing compression to
| extend the gasket's life.
|
| But, that's not what's shown. Pushing the gasket all the way
| through isn't possible unless the filter head is removed.
| amatecha wrote:
| Yeah I personally store mine with the filter head on, and the
| plunger/gasket inner cylinder separate. Also other protip
| (which may actually be in the instructions), I pour the hot
| water onto the gasket before pushing it into the AeroPress, so
| the material expands and will have a tighter seal.
| angst_ridden wrote:
| Proper storage is just pulling the plunger out entirely.
|
| Every few years, soaking the rubber seal in mineral oil
| overnight then cleaning will restore flexibility (otherwise it
| shrinks over time, reducing the quality of the seal).
|
| Unrelated: using paper filters is less eco-responsible than the
| gold foil filter, but makes for better coffee.
| bowmessage wrote:
| Why is pulling the plunger out entirely necessary for proper
| storage? I always just push mine all the way through so the
| rubber isn't under any tension.
|
| Disagreed on the paper filters, I personally enjoy using a
| metal filter to ensure the oils from the coffee beans are not
| filtered out. I suppose it is all subjective.
| joezydeco wrote:
| When the plunger is at the end of travel and out of
| tension, the cap won't fit on.
|
| I just tried screwing on my cap and it forces the plunger
| back into the shaft, compressing it.
| pavon wrote:
| Yeah, so you just set it down cap up, not screwed in.
| Takes up less space than keeping the plunger separate,
| and is just as good on the plunger.
| angst_ridden wrote:
| That works too. I call it "proper" because it removes one
| step _before_ I have coffee, which, no matter how trivial,
| is a big deal for me in the morning.
|
| Interesting about the filter. I prefer super dark roast,
| Italian espresso-grind coffees. The paper filters give me a
| much smoother brew. Of course, as you say, taste is
| entirely subjective! I'm envious, because I'd rather have
| just one reusable filter rather than go through a stack of
| paper discs each year.
| semi-extrinsic wrote:
| I've never maintained or replaced the seal on mine in over
| ten years, and it still seals just fine. It's made from
| silicone rubber, which is extreme durability even when
| continuously exposed to temperatures above boiling or strong
| acids/bases. As used in the AeroPress where it's just sitting
| at room temperature indoors for 99% of the time, durability
| is at least 20 years.
|
| I also use a metal filter, but just for the taste and
| convenience of not having to buy paper filters.
|
| The eco-responsibility argument against filters I don't get.
| Unless you drink extreme amounts of coffee, you use
| significantly more paper in a day just going to the bathroom.
| I hope people aren't using metal foil for that as well.
| <insert seashell joke here>
| pavon wrote:
| My first one had to replaced after about 6 or 7 years. The
| plunger rubber had gotten worn down, and the internal wall
| of the brewing compartment had become blistered from hot
| water (I used 170-185F water). The new one with different
| materials seems to be holding up better.
| totoglazer wrote:
| Such a cool idea, and attractive images. However I'm kind of
| disappointed they mostly picked things that are fairly simple,
| transparent or openable, and look exactly the way you'd expect
| them to inside. I assume some combination of cost & size drove
| this.
|
| A vintage espresso machine with 1 group head would be more novel,
| for example.
| OJFord wrote:
| And even that you essentially disassemble them and see how they
| work through using them. I suppose a lot of people only know or
| use one or two ways and may be completely unfamiliar with
| others though.
| amatecha wrote:
| There are scans of other, more-complex objects on the site,
| such as the Nintendo Game Boy series:
| https://www.scanofthemonth.com/scans/game-boy-compendium
| joezydeco wrote:
| I actually enjoyed this one more, since it was used to point
| out measured tolerances and problems with manufacturing (voids,
| bubbles, untrimmed flash, shavings, etc).
| jacobwilliamroy wrote:
| You just reminded me there's a video on youtube of a guy
| literally tearing a Juicero apart and it's hilarious:
|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cp-BGQfpHQ
| somewhat_drunk wrote:
| Thank you for posting this. I've seen it a few times already,
| but I'm watching it again, and it's cracking me up, yet
| again.
| switchbak wrote:
| Probably one of AvE's best videos. I was just chatting about
| the peak Silicon Valley insanity that was Juicero yesterday.
|
| That thing was built like a Bugatti. And he's like "why not
| use a roller instead of a press??".
| mtreis86 wrote:
| It really is, he is equally impressed and disgusted with
| this one, a rare combination. Most impressively built stuff
| isn't so wasteful. And most useless junk isn't nearly so
| well made.
| jacobwilliamroy wrote:
| I think they were trying to turn food into a subscription
| service? Having complete control over a person's food
| supply sounds like an 8 million dollar idea. It still
| sounds like a really bad idea, but I think that is how
| Juicero was pitched to investors, rather than a spaceship
| that squeezes bags marginally worse than a person can.
| etrautmann wrote:
| Even when first announced, it became a meme among friends
| Juicero (and Ubeam) were peak Silicon Valley.
| kens wrote:
| Lumafield scanned a 1960s flip flop module for me, to help
| reverse engineer some vintage NASA hardware. The module
| contained a bunch of resistors, transistors, capacitors, and
| diodes, encased in a 13-pin plastic package. These modules had
| various functions and were used like integrated circuits, but
| made from discrete components in the pre-IC time. With the
| Lumafield scans, I could reverse-engineer the circuitry.
|
| My writeup: https://www.righto.com/2022/08/lumafield-flip-
| flop.html
| lostlogin wrote:
| E-61! Second choice, Atomic stovetop espresso machine.
|
| With clinical equipment you can image all sorts of things
| beautifully, but a hunk of brass won't generate any useful
| images.
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