Argos Update: March 31, 2022

Another short and quick weekly update. Anyone with experience in product design that is interested in helping out with some final odds and ends please reach out.

Hardware

Double spouted portafilter samples had a slight delay but are expected to arrive early next week. Below is a picture of the samples sent by the supplier before they shipped.

I’m still behind on emails so I appreciate everyone’s patience.

Large shop shelves have been installed and started organizing production parts that have arrived.

The first pass at packaging graphics has been completed and samples will be ordered from 3 suppliers to compare quality.

I’m working with a technical writer on the User Manual that will ship the the units. This is intended to get people started off while more extensive content and videos will exist online.

The supplier manufacturing our bottomless portafilters have mentioned that they need more time and pushed the shipping date back to April 14th. Some more delays and schedule slip are inevitable so I will do my best to keep everyone updated as best as I can.

Double Spouted Portafilter samples

Software

The Skale 2 has been integrated to the app.

We just heard from Hiroia and are trying to get them to agree to work with us for getting their Jimmy scale on the Argos app. If you own or are interested in Hiroia compatibility, you could help us out by sending them a message on social media mentioning that you would like their scale on our app.

Thanks,

Ross Ainsworth

Argos Update: March 24, 2022

A little late on this update so I’ll keep it short. Large shop shelves have been purchased and will be assembled this weekend.

Hardware

Ash wood photos have been taken and are on the site. Please keep in mind these are samples that were made locally to give a general idea of what the ash will look like. Final fit and finish will still be refined.

Next priority is Powder Coating parts.

Double spouted portafilter samples have shipped and should arrive next week.

All orders can still be modified as new photos of parts and product configurations are released. Any additional items should be purchased on a new order which will be combined when orders are assembled. No additional shipping will be charged. Other order changes should be resolved over email where we can enter notes into the system.

I am a bit behind on responding to emails so if you haven’t heard from me, I will be going through all of them and responding before assembly begins.

Side by side with Walnut on the left and Ash on the right.

Software

Updates are still being made to the app based on customer feedback.

We’ll be purchasing one of each of the Acaia scales to ensure compatibility across the board.

Thanks,

Ross Ainsworth

Argos Update: March 15th, 2022

Continued progress on the shop, design details, ordering, and testing. Built a packaging station and shelving at the shop this weekend. We are starting a small shop build “vlog” consisting of some short video clips as things get built and placed around the shop. These may turn out horrible but William has offered to edit the videos together as long as I capture some content to give everyone a bit more behind the scenes insight as things come to fruition.

Hardware

Continued testing on 8 bar spring option.

Sourcing more small parts to sell

Patent paperwork has been filed. The spring issue resulted from a common obscurity with lever machines. As the piston rises, the brew chamber is filled with air which must be replaced with water. Some of this air escapes through the fine grounds of coffee but the rest of it forms an air pocket between the water and the piston. Since air is compressible, when the lever is released, the first half of it’s distance traveled is spent compressing air.

The force applied by the compressed spring on the column of water is determined by Hooke’s Law: F=kx where F is the force, k is a spring constant, and x is the piston displacement. If the first half of the piston displacement is spent compressing air, then we only get the second half generating force for extraction.

To alleviate this, I designed in a simple bleed/ check valve into the piston as shown below. In this design, a small stainless steel ball sits on a spring in the middle of a passage. This allows air to flow in the nominal position as the ball is not blocking the hole. As the chamber fills with fluid, the higher density of the water entering the small passage causes a pressure increase which pushes the ball up against the o-ring, sealing the chamber off. This design has been validated in testing and will be implemented in all Argos units.

I will be working on getting the Ash wood components finished up with the hopes for some new photos later this week.

Diagram of our patent pending integrated bleed valve.

Software

William has received the scale and transducer and has continued to implement feedback from beta testers using the app.

We have heard back from Atomax who has provided the necessary documentation and resources for implementing the Skale smart espresso scale to our app.

If there is a scale that you use that we do not currently support, you may help us out by emailing the following prompt to the company in hopes that we hear back from them:

“Hi, I'm an owner of INSERT SCALE and I have also ordered an Odyssey Espresso Argos lever espresso machine. https://www.odysseyespresso.com/shop/argos-lever-espresso-machine. They have a companion app for their machine that plots pressure and scale weight and I would like to be able to use INSERT SCALE with their app. Can you reach out to them at info@odysseyespresso.com to coordinate an integration?”

Tasks for this week

Continue ordering shop tools and equipment

Get powder coating parts out

Getting more parts sourced and on our site including Spare Seal Kit, Puck Screen, and Espresso Glasses.

Thanks,

Ross Ainsworth

Argos Update: March 9, 2022

The shop is coming together! I’ve started assembling tables, tool chests, and shelves in preparation for hiring to build. I’ll continue posting progress photos each week so you all can watch the progress.

Hardware

Continued testing of the new spring solution as noted last week.

Steam wands, gaskets, and shower screens have all arrived in the shop. Continued communication with suppliers about the status of shipments.

Patent paperwork has been reviewed, sent back, and about to be filed. Whew! That was a difficult 20 pages of technical documentation to sift through but glad it’s finished. Detailed info on the spring solution will be discussed in next week’s email after the paperwork is filed.

Met with packaging design engineer and really pleased with the packaging design. We’ve looped in my awesome designer to start working on packaging graphics so we can get some package samples ordered in the next 2 weeks to confirm quality.

Below is a quick look at the packaging concept. The engineer and I opted to go with a simple and eco-friendly approach that avoids plastic and Styrofoam. I personally hate dealing with the mess of foam when unpacking products and custom molded carboard inserts are expensive. Sam, the engineer, came up with some really clever ways to fold cardboard sheets and use those to store other items while securing the Argos in place.

Newly arrived parts as noted above.

Software

Transducer, spare test phone, and scale sent over to William the developer to make all the beta testing feedback incorporation much more efficient. Updates will continue to be made over the next few weeks.

I’m back on thermal testing with the Scace 2 thermometer device and fine tuning the algorithm for optimal thermal performance.

Tasks for this week

Continue ordering shop tools and equipment

Get powder coating parts out

Finish incorporating Ash wood components for more product photos. An initial look below!

Thanks,

Ross Ainsworth

Argos Update: February 23, 2002

Just a quick update with more of the same tasks being whittled away at. Been planning and ordering more equipment to fill the shop while shipments arrive.

Hardware

Continued work on Steam Valve and potentiometer attachment brackets

Figured out spring issues and have tested part of the solution. Continuing to test and make improvements on that

Ash sample parts have arrived. Need to made adjustments and get them on sample unit for photos

Shop internet installed

Software

Incorporating Beta tester feedback.

Tasks for this week

Meet with the packaging design engineer to do more testing and finalize layout

Continue ordering shop tools and equipment

Wrap up patent review

Get powder coating parts out

Thanks,

Ross Ainsworth

Argos Update: February 15, 2022

Production is moving along. More parts are working their way through customs and arriving all throughout this week. I’ve ordered an auto wire crimper to make electrical connector crimping an easier process for the techs. I’m also getting the necessary tools and shop basics on order to start filling the space.

A supporter has reached out and offered to help with powder coating. I need to set aside the time to mask off parts and get them shipped over but the ball is finally rolling on that.

I’m continuously working with the Patent Agent to get the provisional written, a financial advisor to prep for US tax filing, and the insurance broker to make sure we’ve got sufficient product liability and workers comp in place.

Pic of the new (used) auto wire crimping machine.

Hardware

Continued work on Steam Valve and potentiometer attachment brackets

Sorting out discrepancies between spring design and testing

Software

Android and iOS apps sent out to beta testers with SEP and Decent/ Acaia Scales. We’re working on getting some more scales added to the list as well as incorporating user feedback.

Tasks for this week

Onboard designer for Steam cap and Boiler fill cap design

Meet with the packaging design engineer to do more testing and finalize layout

Meet with Unum-Collab on shop layout and design

Get shop internet installed

Thanks,

Ross Ainsworth

Argos Update: February 8, 2022

Busy times in the Odyssey world. I apologize for missing last weeks update. I was at a conference the week prior and attempting to catch up on everything. With the lease started on the new space, we’re working on filling the shop with the necessary equipment to get started on early assembly steps. It’ll likely take several weeks to get everything purchased and moved in before we can officially start hiring assembly technicians.

In case you missed it, there was a lovely article and interview posted on Coffee Geek the other week which you can find below. We’re always grateful for all the support around this new product!

Article: https://www.coffeegeek.com/new-products/modern-lever-espresso-that-wont-break-the-bank-the-argos/

Interview: https://www.coffeegeek.com/opinions/ross-ainsworth-of-odyssey-espresso/

Some lovely latte art steamed by the Argos.

Hardware

Steam valve and tube bracket design and final hardware specs.

White Ash and additional Walnut side panels and handles made for display units.

Pulled shots with local professionals for generic feedback.

Working with the customs broker to get several production parts through US customs and over to our new shop.

Software

We continue to iterate and improve PID control logic through real world testing.

iOS app approved and both Android and iOS apps ready for beta testing.

Tasks for this week

Get pressure plots for 6 and 8 bar springs

Get parts out to a powder coating supplier

Continue working on patent application with agent

Steam cap and Boiler fill cap design finalized

Meet with the packaging design engineer to do more testing and finalize layout

Thanks,

Ross Ainsworth

Argos Update: January 27, 2022

Shop space secured! We’ve just signed the lease on a small industrial space for assembly, testing, and packaging in the Denver area. We’ll spend the next month preparing for more shipments to arrive and slowly kicking off the assembly process with small tasks like wire crimping.

Look out for a new coffee news article being published this weekend on the Argos containing some photos of it’s current (still not production) form and finish.

Hardware

Pressure transducer and gauge adapter designs have been finalized and ordered for testing.

Final fitting mounts are still being iterated for cover integration.

Bushing and pin design updates finalized.

Software

We continue to iterate and improve PID control logic through real world testing.

Tasks for this week

Get pressure plots for 6 and 8 bar springs

Get parts out to a powder coating supplier

Continue working on patent application with agent

Thanks,

Ross Ainsworth

Argos Update: January 18, 2022

Hello all! Progress continues to be made on small design updates, testing, ordering, and business growth.

Hardware

The new larger fill tube has been installed on a second prototype unit along with the new fittings. This simple switch has improved my initial dissatisfaction of slow brew chamber fill at low boiler pressure. This switch will also improve manufacturability and assembly time.

The stepped temperature knob has been swapped in on the machine and I’m pleased with the feel and functionality.

Cover design and pressure transducer/ gauge adapters continue to be iterated. Designs will be locked in and samples ordered this week for testing and display.

I have explored electrophoretic coating as an alternative to powder coating. I’m continuing to search for an appropriate supplier to have samples colored.

A chamfer has been added to the upper inner edge of the group head. This acts as a funnel to compressing the o-rings while installing the piston assembly thus making installation simpler.

Design has been updated for bushings to keep linkages centered, reduce wear, and incorporate barrel bolts (Chicago screws) to eliminate the need for retaining clips.

Software

The Acaia Lunar has been tested with the app in actual use and works beautifully. Very smooth plotting and the ability to change units, tare, ect are all in the app.

We continue to iterate and improve PID control logic through real world testing.

The larger fill tube shows improvement with intra-shot temperature testing with the Scace 2. More data will be posted as testing continues and controls are refined.

Tasks for this week

Place orders for sample transducer/ gauge adapters

Get parts out to a powder coating supplier

Place orders for tampers, milk pitcher, machine lights, and other small components

Develop hiring plan for assembly workers

Continue working on patent application with agent

Updated photos to come!!!

Thanks,

Ross Ainsworth

Argos Update: January 11, 2022

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. My goal for 2022 is weekly updates. So much goes on every day and while it’s not all the most exciting news it’s still progress that should be shared.

Hardware

The prototype machine has been working great over the past month and I’m absolutely loving the shots that are pulled. While the machine is great, there are still a few small improvements that I’ve been working on.

The step-less temperature knob is being swapped for a stepped knob. Primary reason being that I would hate to have someone dial in their perfect temperature then inadvertently brush the knob and it move. The stepped knob has an extremely nice feel when it snaps into place.

The second significant change is the water fill line. I’ve been doing a lot of testing with fittings, sealing, tube size, and routing to achieve the best combination of complexity, appearance, and fill. I’m not 100% happy with the time it takes to fill the brew chamber at lower boiler pressures. These changes will not only decrease chamber fill time but also reduce manufacturing and assembly complexities.

I have brought on 2 part time contract engineers to help finalize all of the small design details. As the saying goes “90 percent done, 90 percent left to go”. This has been a difficult reality to accept. While the machine has been operational and parts ordered, small details including PCB mounting, cover mounting, pressure transducer and gauge adapters, ect continue to be finalized.

Because of these small design delays I am sticking with the April 2022 shipping to line up with the portafilter arrival. The portafilters are slated to be complete March 31 and will be shipped via air for faster delivery.

A custom angled double spout for our spouted portafilter has been designed and ordered. Samples should arrive in early March with production spouted portafilters arriving several months later. These items will be shipped out separately with no additional cost to the customer.

The side panel magnetic attachment has proven to work great. The White Ash components are being made now and will be displayed on the next prototype unit.

Due to these small changes in in PCB mount, panel mounting, and manufacturing updates, a small set of production units is being manufactured/ shipped ahead of time to be more representative of final fit and finish. These units will be built up and sent out as the review units to be most representative of the final product. These will likely arrive early February and ship out soon after for reviews.

A video has recently be filmed and posted to the company YouTube displaying the general idea for the spring to direct configuration swap. Several changes are being made to optimize this operation and overall machine functionality including chamfered grouphead upper edge which will act as a funnel for inserting and compressing the piston seals, bushings for the lever pins to keep the lever centered in the top clevis, and alternate “Chicago Screws” to eliminate the need for retaining clips on the pins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dObk0PYYnig

Software

The Acaia scales have been integrated to our app and will be tested in the coming week. The app continues to be refined as I test the Argos with app, transducer, and scale each day. A video of app use will be posted to our company YouTube in the coming month.

PID Control logic has been significantly optimized to eliminate setpoint overshoot during initial warm up and maintain thermal stability in the boiler.

Initial back to back shot thermal testing has begun with a Scace 2 measurement device paired with the Fluke thermometer. Initial results look consistent but will continue to be refined.

Tasks for this week

Test larger fill tube and quick press fitting to confirm reduced group fill time and simplified fitting design.

Assemble magnetic side panels and new covers onto current functional prototype.

Finalize PCB mount design, wire routing, and cover mount designs.

Mailing list reminder

The mailing list is the best way to stay in the know on production updates. Subscribe here if you haven’t already.

https://www.odysseyespresso.com/production-updates

Pre-order your own Argos here if you haven’t already

https://www.odysseyespresso.com/shop/argos-lever-espresso-machine

Thanks,

Ross Ainsworth

Argos Update: November 29, 2021

We appreciate everyone’s support as orders continue to flow in. It is assumed that all items ordered with the Argos will ship in the same box as the machine.

Hardware

Issues with the new circuit board design have been identified and resolved. The board is up and running and we’ve been continuing testing and modifying control logic for the past few weeks.

Unfortunate news: A delay with Portafilters has been identified. The lead time has been pushed to April 2022 delivery due to global material shortages. We are working on finding an alternate supplier to get estimates on an additional batch of parts. Due to the nature of custom cast components, it may not be viable to get these any quicker. Another possible alternative we will be exploring is machined portafilters which will have a completely different look and may or may not be economically feasible.

I will keep everyone posted on the status of these parts but for any orders already placed I would anticipate an April ship date. All machines will be built, inspected, and packaged well before April but will not ship out without the portafilters. Off the shelf portafilters are not likely to fit this machine due to the compact nature of the design.

New wood side panels are made and ready for testing the magnetic attachment in the next few days.

Software

The Decent scale has been integrated with the app and works as expected. The Acaia scales are next.

Control logic is currently being worked on for optimal performance.

Tasks for this week

Document and complete build of second Argos prototype machine.

Thanks,

Ross Ainsworth

Argos Update: October 19, 2021

Hello All, progress has been slower than desired but still being made. We are working on brining in another engineer to help keep up with all of the small tasks that still need to be buttoned up for production.

While this update is short, here’s a fun article posted about us by Daily Coffee News!

https://dailycoffeenews.com/2021/10/14/odyssey-espresso-begins-its-journey-with-the-argos-manual-lever-machine/

Hardware

The new circuit boards that arrived a few weeks ago have been giving me some issues. I have been working with a local Electrical Engineer to do some diagnostic testing but haven’t confirmed the actual root cause yet. We believe it may be a software issue with the new thermocouple chip used on the boards to replace the previously used discontinued chip.

The new addition to our team will be helping with a lot of the small tasks that have been slipping like sheet metal covers, pressure gauge adapters, electronics mounts, ect.

We have started getting our first shipments of production parts!!! Pressure transducers are in and heating elements and drip trays will be shipping in the next two weeks.

Software

Once the new circuit boards are functioning, we will be back to testing out scale functionality in the app.

Tasks for next week

Get circuit boards functioning properly

New sheet metal covers for the updated wood panel design

Thanks,

Ross Ainsworth

Argos Bi Weekly Update: September 21, 2021

Hello all, I’m changing these updates to be bi-weekly and will keep up with them the best I can so that everyone is informed on production and testing progress.

Hardware

The new lever linkage design hardware arrived 2 weeks ago and works exactly as expected. Will get an initial video up of the swap from spring to direct as soon as I get some free time.

New circuit boards arrived this week. I need to add a few more components to the PCBA as the manufacturer with the fastest turnaround didn’t have everything in stock. I hope to have one of these boards installed by the weekend for testing.

Wood Panels, Knobs, Handles, ect are currently being made for the other 4 test units. I have 2 sets of white Ash parts being made to display what that will look like.

Next week I plan on sourcing a supplier for powder coating 2 units. This may take a few weeks to complete.

More vendor orders have been placed. Most lead times are 15 days (3 weeks). I have seen some news lately about container ships backed up off the coast of California which worries me so I’ll be keeping tabs on that to try and minimize delays for hardware arriving in Denver for assembly.

Software

We’re still working on scale integration with the app which will take some time to work through several manufacturers out there. Auto start/ stop has been added to the pressure plotting based on a 0.2 bar threshold.

Several people have asked about making the app open source. Unfortunately we have signed several NDAs to get the necessary information for Bluetooth integration so this will not be possible anytime soon. We actively read and follow all of the forums that discuss the Argos and will take all suggestions into consideration.

Tasks for next week

Powder Coating kickoff

Test new circuit boards

Continue working on Decent/Acaia scale integration with app

New sheet metal covers for the updated wood panel design

Thanks,

Ross Ainsworth

Argos Weekly Update: September 7th, 2021

One week after launch we hit our 200 order minimum required to begin manufacturing. Thank you to all the early adopters who made this happen!

Hardware

Design changes. As the first pre-production machine has been tested over the past few months, a few small design changes are being made to perfect the final design.

1. Wood Panel screws on the sides are being replaced with hidden magnets to clean up the look as seen in the renders.

2. Electronics board updates; including replacing the mechanical heating element relay with a solid state relay for faster response and prolonged life and hardware filters to clean up the thermocouple readings used in the PID control.

3. Lever linkage redesign. The original design required two separate length linkages that would be included and required for swapping from direct to spring lever configurations. This design has been updated to make the swap possible with a single linkage to work with both configurations.

New parts, boards, and panels are expected to arrive by the end of the week or early next week and will allow us to build up the other 4 units for reviews, continued testing, and color/wood configuration display.

With these new parts I will be able to include video on the swap from spring to direct as well as finish dialing in machine controls with the reduced error in sensor readings.

Portafilters and steam wands are the long lead item parts but also the ones that do not require design changes. This order is being placed this week to get the ball rolling on those and some other major components that are not going to change. Once linkages, circuit boards, and covers/ panels are all tested and validated, those orders will be placed likely in 3 weeks.

Software

We're continuing to make great progress with the Odyssey Espresso App. We recently got connected to the Bluetooth transducer and started plotting data as well as to the native Argos sensors. We're currently working on scale integrations with the first two being Decent and Acaia.

Tasks for next week

1. Test new linkage design

2. Begin building other 4 pre-production machines

3. Test new circuit boards

4. Continue working on Decent/Acaia scale integration with app

5. Investigate auto start/stop brew plotting based on pressure threshold

Thanks,

Ross Ainsworth