Monday, April 20, 2009

Modifying a Capresso Infinity for stepless grinding

Modifying a Capresso Infinity -- and side note: I'm told that in recent years Capresso updated the burrs on the Infinity, so maybe that's why the various reports on the Infinity as to whether it will do espresso grinding well enough -- is drop dead simple.

Note: I did this on the ABS plastic version, so YMMV with the stainless steel version.

  1. Unplug the grinder from the wall. Seriously, don't want anyone getting hurt here.
  2. Remove any beans from the hopper and pull off the hopper off, as if you were going to clean the thing. (In fact, cleaning the thing while you're at it is probably a good idea)
  3. Pull out the ring burr (aka the "upper burr"). Set it aside in a safe place. Be careful not to drop it or bang it against anything, because you don't want to dull it up.
  4. Turn the grinder over. You'll notice 4 'pry' points that are present as notches. Stick the back end of a spoon in each of the four pry points and pull on the top. The whole top will come right off.
  5. Inside the grinder, you'll see the grind chamber. Attached at the top ring of the grind chamber is black plastic guard. Note the position of the guard in relation to the two white posts alongside the grind chamber. Gently pull this off the white nylon adjustment collar.
  6. Remove the white nylon adjustment collar itself. That's the ring with all the holes in it. There are (I think) 3 clips that hold the thing in place. You can gently pry them with a table knife if you need to to remove the collar, just be careful not to break them.
  7. Looking now at the top of the grind chamber, around the outside of it you will see the previously mentioned two white posts that stick up. In one of the posts, you will see a spring and a ball. These are just sitting in the post, if you turn the grinder upside down and shake, they'll fall out. Just make sure your hand is in place to catch them so you can reverse this mod later if you need to.
  8. Put the collar on and the black plastic piece guard back on it.
  9. Put the lid back on carefully, noting the position of the guides on either side of the bin/portafilter basket holder. These guides will help you get the top back on correctly. Pull it back down until it slides into place
  10. You're done! Congratulations! You now have a stepless grinder.

7 comments:

  1. Once this modification is made, how well does it "hold" its grind size? Do you need to tape the hopper down or something along those lines? Also, once a grind is dialed in, is it easy to adjust between espresso and french press grind size?

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  2. I haven't had to hold it down at all, actually, but mine is maybe 3 months old, so YMMV with an older machine with more wear on the nylon body. Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, just noticed the comment and I'm a bit new at this blogging thing. :)

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  3. Is this still holding OK? I'm getting my Capresso today .... thinking of doing this mod so I can be more succesfull with Espresso

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  4. Thanks! I did this mod and it works perfectly. I do have to hold it in place or else it slips while it grinds.

    I might also note that it is possible to modify it to extend the grind range (in both directions) although this is certainly not for the feint of heart. There are two tabs on the black plastic guard that stick down into the adjustment collar that are longer than the others. Clip these short with scissors. There is also a safety switch inside that prevents the grinder from turning on when you have it open. Clip the two wires going to the switch, tie them together, and seal them with plenty of electrical tape.

    If you turn the chamber all the way to the left, you will feel pressure at some point and it will not turn anymore. This is the point where the burrs are touching, so stay well away from this point while grinding! You can safely go at least an inch past the finest setting. I did this because I wanted a ristretto grind and this grinder just wasn't cutting it before. Now I'm making some of the best espresso I've ever had.

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  5. 來問個安,誰不支持這個部落格,我咬他. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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  6. Mine doesn't get fine enough for my Pasquini machine. I'm more interested in a finer grind. returned to big river for a second one, same thing. called Capresso they sent me the burr part or whatever it's called and same thing, not fine enough.

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