CTG Kicks Off Gearhead Event Program in St. Louis, MO

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By Jason Fox

The Coffee Technicians Guild kicked off its Gearhead program with the first official event held a Kaldi's gorgeous headquarters that encompasses their roasting operation - including an amazing cupping room equipped with an one-of-a-kind 1937 Vintage 75-kilo Probat roaster, coffee lab, tea room, training kitchen and bar, brand new cold brew room, and of course their in-house technical service workshop. 

Members from all over the Midwest including technicians from Heartland Tech, Service Call, and Kaldi's joined the presenting sponsor FRANKE's Micah Teeters and Mark Weesner for an in-depth discussion about the use of multi-meters in the field was well as electrical math that is essential in diagnosing electrical problems on both super-automatic and traditional espresso machines. 

Weesner, one of FRANKE's most experienced technical trainers, ran the crew through using Ohm's Law to calculate different electrical values using basic electric principles including voltage, resistance, ohms, watts, and amps. After a short classroom stint we played around on the FRANKE A800. The group experimented with calculating amp draw on heating elements in sequence if the meters we use on a daily basis don't include amp clips. 

The Gearhead event was a phenomenal experience for members to trade tips and tricks as well as build a network which is hard to cultivate when most of the time we've got our heads and hands stuck in espresso machines. FRANKE and Kaldi's did an excellent job navigating us through uncharted territory and we can't wait for the next one!

Gearhead Events are Member Driven Events (MDE) geared toward fostering community and interaction with fellow coffee technicians. Want to host your own Gearhead event? Fill out the MDE form.