The Acaia Orbit is a sophisticated coffee grinder designed for both home and light commercial use, offering a blend of convenience, versatility, and advanced technology to optimize the coffee grinding experience. At its core, the Orbit is a 64 mm flat burr grinder, engineered from the ground up with Acaia's proprietary technology, including a custom motor driver and a companion app for comprehensive control.
Function Description:
The primary function of the Acaia Orbit is to grind roasted whole coffee beans with precision and consistency. It supports single-dosing workflows, aiming to minimize grind retention through an automatic reverse cleaning process and a built-in knocker. The grinder is capable of producing a wide range of grind sizes, from espresso to filter coffee, thanks to its stepless grind size adjustment dial. A key innovation is its RPM profiling feature, which allows users to experiment with different burr rotation speeds (600-1500 RPM) to influence particle size distribution and, consequently, the flavor of their brews.
The Orbit integrates seamlessly with the Acaia Lunar scale, enabling a highly precise grind-by-weight mode. In this mode, the grinder automatically stops once a target weight is reached, leveraging Acaia Sense Technology with a dynamically adjusted predictive offset for accurate and repeatable dosing.
Usage Features:
The Orbit offers an intuitive and user-friendly experience, enhanced by its companion app.
- Grind Size Adjustment: A stepless grind size adjustment dial with a 0.75 mm thread pitch allows for smooth and continuous adjustments across the full spectrum of grind sizes, providing ample room for fine-tuning. Users are advised to avoid setting the dial beyond the burr touching point to prevent damage.
- Start/Stop Grinding: A simple click of the Orbit button initiates or halts a grinding session.
- Adjustable Grinding Speed (RPM Profiles): The Orbit features three default RPM profiles (Preset A: 600 RPM, Preset B: 1000 RPM, Preset C: 1500 RPM), which can be cycled through by pressing and holding the Orbit button. These profiles are indicated by different LED colors (White, Blue, Cyan). The Orbit app provides advanced RPM profiling capabilities, allowing users to design custom 2-stage RPM profiles with adjustable speeds and durations.
- Hot Start / Cold Start: Users can choose to add beans before starting the grinder (cold start) or while it's already running (hot start), noting that this may subtly affect particle distribution.
- Knocker: Located behind the spout, the knocker can be used 2-3 times to dislodge retained grounds, further minimizing retention. Its orientation can be adjusted for left or right-handed users.
- Auto-stop: The grinder automatically stops after 3 seconds when the bean chamber is empty during a grinding session. If turned on without beans, it stops after 15 seconds. This feature can be toggled off via the Orbit app for continuous grinding.
- Auto-purge: To reduce retention, the Orbit automatically performs a purging sequence (fast reverse spin followed by a forward spin) after each grind, indicated by a yellow light. This can also be manually triggered by a triple click of the Orbit button and can be disabled in the app.
- Stall Prevention: In case of burr stalling, the motor automatically stops, flashes a red light, and attempts to restart. After five consecutive stalls, the grinder will stop completely, requiring user intervention (e.g., adjusting grind coarser, clearing debris).
- Advanced Control with Orbit App: The dedicated Orbit app offers extensive customization:
- Button Actions: Personalize the behavior of double-click, triple-click, and press-and-hold (10 seconds) actions for functions like Pulse, Purge, and Power Off. The single click action (power on, start, stop) is fixed.
- RPM Profiling: Design and save custom 2-stage RPM profiles for Presets A, B, and C, with adjustable initial and ending RPMs and phase durations. This feature is active only when connected to the app.
- Time-based Grinding: Set a desired grinding time, and the grinder will automatically stop when the target time is reached. This is particularly useful when RPM profiling is enabled, as initial and ending phase times can limit the grinding duration.
- Manual Grinding Mode: Control the RPM in real-time by dragging a slider in the app, allowing for dynamic adjustment during a grinding session. The grinder displays a magenta light in this mode, and RPM profiling is disabled.
- Auto Start Grinding: When paired with the Lunar, the Orbit can automatically start grinding once a cup weighing over 5 grams is placed on the scale.
- Auto Off: The grinder can be set to automatically enter standby mode after 15 minutes of inactivity.
- Grind-by-Weight Workflow with Acaia Lunar:
- Pairing: The Orbit pairs with one Acaia Lunar scale at a time. Pairing involves placing the Lunar on the Orbit while both devices are updated to the latest firmware, then confirming the pairing via the Lunar's display.
- Target Weight and RPM Adjustment: In grind-by-weight mode, users can adjust the target weight and RPM directly on the Lunar's display using its buttons. The grinder will automatically stop once the target weight is achieved.
- Hands-free Operation: With auto-start and auto-stop enabled, simply placing a cup on the Lunar initiates grinding, which then stops automatically at the target weight.
- Pulse Function: After a grinding session, the Orbit button can be clicked to pulse a small amount of coffee if needed.
- Reset Session: Double-tapping the 'T' button on the Lunar resets the current grind-by-weight session.
Maintenance Features:
Regular maintenance ensures optimal performance and longevity of the Orbit.
- Cleaning the Spout: To maintain low retention, the spout should be cleaned regularly. This involves removing the spout extender, using the knocker multiple times, then unscrewing and removing the spout from the burr housing. The spout can then be cleaned with a brush, and a purge sequence can be activated by triple-clicking the Orbit button.
- Reassembly: After cleaning, the spout is reassembled by fastening it with two screws (thumb screws are an optional alternative for easier removal). The spout extender is then reattached.
- General Cleaning: The device should not be immersed in water. A soft cloth with warm water is recommended for cleaning the product; detergents or other chemicals should be avoided as they can cause damage.
- Burr Maintenance: While the manual outlines steps for cleaning, it strongly advises against performing burr cleaning or replacement without proper knowledge or technique, stating that Acaia is not responsible for realignment or reassembly issues if the grinder is disassembled by the user.
- Troubleshooting: The manual provides a troubleshooting guide for common issues like inability to connect to Lunar, no coffee grounds produced, shifted burr touch point after deep cleaning, or unexpected shutdowns. These often involve adjusting grind settings, cleaning, or restarting the grinder.
- Reset to Default: The Orbit can be reset to factory default settings by pressing and holding the Orbit button for 10 seconds while in standby mode (indicated by a green light), or through the Orbit app. This resets all RPM profiles, button actions, and pairing information.
- Firmware Updates: The device supports firmware updates, which can be accessed by pressing and holding the Orbit button for 15 seconds while in standby mode (transitioning from green to red light). Users are encouraged to keep both the Orbit and Lunar updated via the Acaia Updater App for optimal functionality.
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