Frequently Asked Questions

ADJUSTMENT (Micro/Macro)

You need to set the macro-adjust at 16 (or beyond)
Clean your grinder and check position of coneholder. Very important: Make sure it`s perfectly engaged / snapped in. Although some roasts do require high settings, most range from 3 to 8.

Please adhere to the recommended settings (3-12). Failure to follow our recommendations can give rise to faster wear, overheating and/or inconsistencies.  Very fine settings (1-3) - depending on roast and cone used - may cause the Circuit Breaker to trigger (blockade). Very coarse settings (16 and beyond) may result in clogging and/or  defects of the micro-/macro-Adjustment. When reassembling the Adjustment after cleaning, position it at the marked spot, move it slighlty until it engages and turn it right towards FINE (without using force). Make sure not to damage the microswitch when reassembling the Adjustment. 

The Macro cannot be turned to 1 (or from coarser to finer setting)
After having cleaned the grinder and returned to your settings, slowly turn the Macro Ring with the grinder empty but running to  Click 1 and back to your setting. Thus remaining coffee powder caught in between will be released and fall off. This should be part of the cleaning routine (daily if in commercial use). Please also check out our Video Tutorials and read our Manual!

Switch to the metal-coneholder (available since April 2021) w/ integrated cleaning funtion.

Slower/longer flow rate (due to change in fineness) despite same setting
Disassemble coneholder and thourougly clean grinding chamber and cone. When reassembling coneholder, make sure for it to be perfectly snapped in.

Faster/shorter flow rate (due to changed fineness) despite same setting
Check coneholder for signs of wear and replace against the metal version w/ integrated cleaning function. Optionally, you can also add one 0.2mm shim (delivery contents) underneath the cone. Watch the respecitive Video on our YouTube-channel (Adding shims). 

CIRCUIT BREAKER (Maschine Safety = ON/OFF Switch) - etzMAX only

The Maschine Safety Switch (Circuit Breaker) keeps triggering (DO NOT restart before having identified/eliminated the cause for the triggering)

• Proceed as described in 6.2.3. Clearing Blockades and make sure the burrs are not blocked (by foreign objects / remains of ground coffee)
• Select coarser / higher setting (also see 4.5. Adjustment)
• Do not exceed the maxmimum permissible operating cycle / activation time per grind (also see 4.4. Operating time)
• Keep the recommended breaks in between grinding operations
• Use the AP-cone for a slower intake of beans and finer grinding
• Replace coneholder (Wear Part - worn coneholders may cause damage to the system)
• Clean nozzle/outlet (Coffee exists in high speed - blocking/covering the outlet for even a split of a second may cause jamming and thus damage the system over the course of time)
  
  Blockades (caused by foreign objects, stiffened remains of coffee or extremely fine settings) and lack of proper cleaning may damage the system. Make sure to identify the cause for the blockade before restarting your grinder. Thorougly clean your grinder  according to our instructions and videos, check/clean nozzle/outlet regularly and replace coneholder if worn (metal coneholder). If grinding at settings 1-3, choose a coarser setting or switch to the AP-(former LIGHT)cone.
  

CONE (Burrs) and CONEHOLDER - etzMAX only

Your etzMAX (m/plus) keeps shutting down when using hard/light beans or Blends
Use the AP-cone as the HP (High-Cone) is optimized for medium-dark roasts. Watch the respective Video (on our You-Tube-channel) "Replacing coneholder"!

Please make sure to replace coneholder when/if worn! Worn plastic coneholders can cause damage to the system. Since April 2021, all grinders ship with metal coneholders. In the following cases, coneholders should be replaced: Commercial use, issues with the drive unit (etzJET), grinding of lighter roasts at fine settings on a regular basis, you`ve reached a setting finer than 3.


MOTOR - etzMAX only

Motor does not work, Display works and keeps counting down time

Microswitch might have been broken: Click here for Video

Motor does not start or keeps humming without grinding (Display is on and shows time/weight at zero)

• Proceed as described in 6.2.3. Clearing Blockades to exclude blockades due to foreign objects or jammed coffee powder (ensure to regularly clean your ginder to prevent ground coffee powder from stiffening)
• Adjustment not properly assembled: Check position of Adjustment (also see 5.1.4. Adjustment)
• Hopper not fully secured: Remove and replace Hopper 
• Motor has overheated: Wait for the motor to cool down (also see 4.4. Operating time)
• Selet coarser setting 
• Ensure for coneholder to be perfectly snapped in / replace if worn
• Use LIGHT/AP-cone (please note that since Fall 2021, all grinders ship with LIGHT=AP-cone only) that has reduced intake of beans thus generating less heat and allowing for more fineness.
• Check the time- / weight-settings: minimum 5g (weight-based) or 0.2 sec (time-based)
• Replace etzJET (Lifespan motor: around 1000kg)

OPERATION MODE - etzMAX only

All LEDs (PRESET-buttons) on your weight-based etzMAX are lit with the Display showing 0.0
Your are in manual weighing mode. Press and hold STOP for at least 5 seconds to switch back to time- or weight-based mode (also see 4.6.4. Additional Features).

When pressing STOP for 5 seconds, your weight-based etzMAX switches from manual-weighing mode to time-based mode
The system returns to the mode it was in before switching. Once you are back in time-based mode, press and hold STOP and 1 simultaneously (for 5 seconds) to switch to weight-based mode.

The grinding operation may be paused by pressing STOP but cannot be continued by pressing START
To pause during grinding, press START (not STOP), to continue press START again.

SCALE - etzMAX only

Your weight-based etzMAX shows a different reading for a given output compared to what an auxiliary scale says

Make sure for both scales to be calibrated frequently (and/or after having been exposed to external interferences) as otherwise neither can be assumed as correct (also see 4.6.4. Additional Features: Scale Calibration).

Your weight-based etzMAX seems to be inconsistent in dosing or requires more than 2 seconds for taring

If your etzMAX-W is constantly off more than +/- 0.2g or if the motor powers off after grinding only a fraction of the required dose or if taring takes very long (Display is showing -/--), please ensure the grinder is placed on a stable, sturdy surface and sits firmly with all four feet on the counter during grinding. The scale can be very sensitive to vibration and rocking motions, even when slight. When changing any parameter (roast/setting) or after cleaning, it will take a few grinding operations for the system to adapt accordingly.

• Ensure not to touch grinder or portafilter during grinding.
• The etzMAX is optimized for use with portafilters (too heavy/too light a receptacle may lead to inaccuracies)
• Other reasons for inconsistencies in dosing: statically charged beans, coffee powder remaining on portafilter and/or portafilter holder, water dropping from wet portafilters, exceeding the maximum operation cycle, change of roast/setting. 
  
• Clean your Hopper regularly as oily remains may have an impact on the flow of beans.
• etzMAX-filter and etzMAX-filterLW: Ensure for the Dosing Cup not to touch the housing during grinding!

Your weight-based etzMAX is in Update-Mode (Display shows UP1 or UP2) 

Unplug grinder and after a short moment reconnect to power supply. 

Note: Updates will be published on our Website.  As there hasn`t been any Updates  yet, it is neither recommended nor necessary to update your etzMAX .

Your weight-based etzMAX may only be operated in time-based-mode (you cannot switch back to weight- or manual-weighing-mode)
The Loadcell might be damaged. Please contact your Dealer to have the Loadcell replaced!
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SHIMS

When to add (how many) shims and why?
In order to reduce the distance between cone and ring burr, the cone burr may be shimmed. Adding a shim unter the cone moves the grind range back thus compensating wear over the course of time (which might be sooner in case of very fine grinding). Shimming depends on use, coffee and preferences. 

We recommend to add as many shims as necessary but as few as possible. Coarse grinding in conjunction with too many shims may lead to jamming. AP-cones (usually) require a minimum of 0.2mm shims (already installed by manufacturer when adjusting grinders before packing). After shimming, slowly and while running, turn the macro-ring of your empty and cleaned grinder to 1 - if the movement is being slowed down (with a squealing) before reaching 1, too many shims have been added. 

ELECTRO-STATICAL CHARGE (DISPERSION): Our etzMAX has a built-in antistatic jig to minimize dispersion based on electro-statical charge. Still, this depends on many different factors like season (worse in Winter), humidity, roast and roast-level, age of beans,.. some roasts may be affected more than others. By adding a few drops of water to the beans (RDT - please watch the dose), the electro-statical charge may be further minimized. Another possibility is to add shims. Please beware though that by adding shims, you`ll also have to adjust the grind size. 

Video: How to add shims (click HERE)

UPDATES - etzMAX only

Does the etzMAX-Updater APP work with Android?
Although it would, at this point, we do not offer Updates via Android based on the fact that updating firmware via Android is challenging to the point of delivering negative user experiences.


OTHER

You encounter inconsistencies in flow rate (at the same amount of ground coffee)

• Oily residues at the exit of the hopper may disturb the flow of beans. Make sure to clean your Hopper on a regular basis.
• Small or mixed sized beans may hamper their steady intake around the safety-cone at the bottom of the Hopper thus causing distinctions in fineness. 

If you want firmer pucks, change your dose (higher) and adjust your setting accordingly for the flow rate to remain the same!

Your grinder has clogged/stalled
As our grinders are designed for on-demand Espresso/Filter grinding (not bulk), we recommend not to grind too much coffee at once but to keep to recommended doses and settings. 
Other causes for clogging:

• flavored coffee, frozen or refrigerated beans, oily roasts (moisture)
• very coarse settings (from 16 upwards)
• grinding ground coffee again (our grinders are designed to grind whole coffee beans)
• lack of cleaning (especially before/after a longer period of non-use)
• damaged parts

If your grinder is clogged, it needs to be cleaned out (according to instructions, watch the respective Video). Please make sure, the coneholder is perfectly snapped in and the micro-/macro Adjustment has not been damaged (adjust your settings according to our recommendations). 


GENERAL

CLEANING of our etzMAX/etzMAN is quickly and easily done - it needs to be carried out frequently (daily or after every 1000-1500g depending on roast) especially if used with light or oily roasts and/or in humid surroundings and/or before longer periods of non-use. Remaining powder might stiffen or get sticky and thus can cause blockades/jamming or even damage. Make sure to regularly clean your grinder and check outlet/nozzle as well as coneholder (Wear Part)! After cleaning and reassembling, slowly and with the grinder running, turn the macro-ring to 1 and then back to your previous settings. Thus any remaining coffee powder caught in between detents will be removed which is why this should be done daily if used commercially (switch to the metal coneholder). Make sure to reassemble the Adjustment correctly not to damage the microswitch.

Please note that our technology is NEW and requires flexibility in terms of recipes that are based on other grinders/flat burrs!


If you have problems operating the etzMAX/etzMAN and cannot find the answer to your question neither in the above list nor the operating manual, please contact us via support@etzinger-ag.com!