popper repair - popper*

We find that a lot of mysterious issues people have with Popper are quite often a very simple problem; the Fan Speed Knob.

When the Fan Speed knob is broken, it can present a range of confusing symptoms. The machine won’t turn on, the fan speed changes in roasting, the operation of the machine is inconsistent.

All these can result from the knob not properly turning the knob post, which it is supposed to be firmly attached to. Often the knob malfunction doesn’t happen all at once. A small crack in the part that grabs the post develops, and a turn of the knob “kinda” turns the post.

We found that a lot of users of Popper didn’t note initially the Fan Speed knob (which also has the on-off function) and the Heat knob are different. The heat knob turns on a smooth gradient. The fan speed knob clicks into 3 distinct positions.

When the fan speed knob starts to crack, the “clicking” becomes soft, and the feel of the knob becomes a bit mushy – it doesn’t “click” any more, If you notice this, and start to turn the knob more gently, it probably will continue to function for you. The main cause is that some users turn the knob aggressively, and eventually it gets forced past the outside positions.

Above: Popper fan knob stress cracks, due to turning the knob past it’s limit

The good news it that later units have a reinforced knob design, which should help prevent aggressive handling. And we have spare knobs of the updated design available if you need one. The caveat is the knob doesn’t just pull off the stem … you have to remove the Popper shroud and one of the control boards to change the knob out. It’s not hard, takes about 15 minutes … and we have a video showing how you do it!

(Contact info@sweetmarias.com for the replacement fan speed knob).

Popper Coffee Roaster Knob Repair Video

Here is the link for the Step By Step DIY Repair illustrated with photos

Don’t be rough with that knob! We find people are twisting it past the stopping points: If the fan knob starts to feel like it is not “clicking” into position at Off, Low, or High, it might break soon…

If the fan knob is turned past the Off or the High position stops, it can break. When it breaks it spins freely on the post, so it can’t be used to turn the machine on or off, or change air speed.. Bummer.

This is caused by being handled too rough, turned too hard, especially when the user believes the range of the Fan knob is the same as the Heat knob, which turns in a 180 degree arc. It isn’t. The fan knob turns in a 90 degree range. But honestly this would be less of an issue if the way the knob grabbed the post was stronger. We will fix that in the next manufacturing run!

The good news is that it doesn’t damage the post that the knob attaches too, nor the function of the machine … just the knob itself.

The bad news is that the knob doesn’t just pull off the post from the front of the machine. It is “trapped” behind the front plastic panel. So you have to take the machine apart a bit to get at the knob. You can either get a used replacement knob from us , or even just opt to take it off and use the machine by turning the post directly. It also seems that other types of knobs will fit on this “half moon” shaped post. Get creative!

Also, getting at the knob isn’t hard, you just need one small screwdriver and the rest is pretty easy. I can do it in 5 minutes, but it probably took 15 minutes the first time to complete this repair. See below for the video version of this repair or follow this link to see on youtube directly