I had this same problem on 8/10/2023…I just now have time to begin troubleshooting. My A-01 also happened at the cooldown after the 2nd roast. I removed the chaff collector, made sure no blockages, then momentarily put the roaster back into roast mode to see if the fan impeller was spinning…it was spinning until the error code/beep began, and then the fan stopped. I repeated this two more times, and then went back to cooldown, using an external fan to aid cooling.
I contacted Sweet Maria’s and they recommended cleaning the mesh filter and the exhaust fan, which I just did yesterday. I should roast again soon and I should know if that fixes the issue.
Thanks for update. Hope that works. I last cleaned the fan, basket, and everything else 12 roasts ago.
Here’s what I just did today:
recalibrated the Fan (with the chaff collector off)
Once completed several minutes later, reinstalled the chaff collector
then ran a mock roast using the PRS button to skip over pre-heat, and then set roast heat to P0.
opened the Info window and checked the Blower speed reading as I changed to each F setting, and recorded them
all of the speeds were within +/-10% of the speeds shown in the online manual (all were close to 10% faster than that shown).
Next step is to try roasting back to back and see what happens.
I had this problem in July 2021 after 242 roasts, and bought a new blower fan (my Bullet is out of warranty) but the problem cleared on its own, so still have that fan motor as a back-up.
In case this matters, in my case I always roast back to back a 454g batch and this only happens when ending the second roast. Would this happen if I only did 1 roast? I’m not sure. Is this due to the size of the batch? I don’t know.
95+% of my roasts have been 454 grams, never to 2nd crack (but close sometimes) except for the seasoning roasts.
I clean out the chaff collector after every session, and sometimes after each roast if heavy chaff. I usually do two BAC roasts, sometimes 3, and infrequently 4.
So, I don’t think I’m a heavy user, but do understand that roaster parts may get buggy or wear out.
I may not get a chance to do my next “test” roasts until Tuesday.
Just thought I’d post an update on my A-01…after recalibrating the fan last Sunday, I had my first chance to test a roast today…did 3 back to back roasts with no problem.
I had constant A-01 alarms. Did everything thinkable, fan calibration, cleaning , checked nothing was blocked, etc. After some back and forth emails with Aillio, they said they did not know why I was having an issue. They suggested I use Stable V605 firmware (I was using beta). I have done numerous roasts and have not had any issues. Hope this helps.
No luck for me yet. I cleaned the impeller and the chaff collector and did a back to back with 454g each and had no issues. I just tried the same today and the A-01 error hit right as the 2nd batch started. Even worse the exhaust fan would totally stop. It would only start up if I adjusted fan speed and then it would beep and stop again after 10 seconds. I had to quit the roast because it was clearly getting too hot and not blowing enough. I did not know about checking RPMs so I might try that next. But since everything is clean I’m not sure what else to do.
When i can find other error codes and their description? Because I have got A-02, and don’t know how to avoid that error or change the settings of warnings.
Thanks!
A-02 is the “deadman alarm”. To silence that alarm and keep the Bullet running you must momentarily press a button on the control panel within 20 sec. I routinely use the button at the upper left of the panel. If you fail to hit a button in time (20 sec) the Bullet will set power to P=0.
The ‘deadman’ routine is required for the Bullet to meet EU safety certification.
First thing that could be the culprit is the chaff filter in the chaff collector. Clean it thoroughly. If you haven’t soaked it for a while there could be a lot of coffee oil buildup. I soak mine in near boiling water adding some baking soda, but I do this often. If you leave it be for a while it can cause airflow issues even if it seems clean. If you use Cafiza or other similar products, do a short soak, as they can damage the filter.
Second is the exhaust which you can clean with various things found in this thread.
R1 V1.5
Had my 4th (or 5th) occasion of the A-01 Error today. Each time recalibrating the fan has fixed it. Then tested the Blower speeds and they all look good.
But I noticed a trend today when I entered this into my roast log…seems like it happens about every 100 roasts…the last 3 were at Roast #455, 557, 650.
Just wondered if anyone else sees this error that often? …and whether I should order a replacement fan as back up?
R1 v1.5
Had the A-01 occur again yesterday after the 3rd back-to-back roast of the day…much earlier than the normal pattern of about every 100 roasts…this time was after only 15 roasts.
Checked my log and this was apparently the 6th time in the last 5 years …all others corrected by a fan recalibration. I’ll try that again, but I’m wondering 2 things:
1.) could my old Firmware load of Beta 602 be contributing?..I believe I read here that it was not necessary to constantly upgrade firmware if it didn’t fix anything, so my load is still stable from October 26, 2021 when I last upgraded.
2.) is the more likely culprit a slowly dying fan motor? Should I contact Sweet Maria’s for tech support on this?
You’re probably right that there is something changing in your roaster and an aging fan motor might well be it. Might be worth a try to re-calibrate the fan motor. I assume you’ve done the regular maintenance and that the duct from bean chute to the chaff collector is clear… ?? I occasionally see a couple beans collect in there plus the usual roasting-smoke residue.
Just to add to what bab said. A warning though, I don’t think you can downgrade your firmware once you upgrade it. I could not find the list of changes from firmware to firmware, but I think F1 during PH was introduced on 605. That might help but, as I’ve said, keep in mind you can’t go back.
You could also try cleaning under the roaster. I haven’t found much, if anything, but I’m a bit of a maintenance maniac, so that might be me. Maybe you’ll find something that, once cleaned, will give some results.
I had a chance to do 3 straight roasts today and did not encounter the error.
This was after doing a thorough cleaning (was about 10 roasts early, but wanted to eliminate that as a problem), and then doing another FAN CALIBRATION, even though my display said it was already calibrated.
So, this seems to be my new normal, and since it is not hard or lengthy, I don’t mind. I still have the replacement fan motor I ordered a couple of years ago as a backup.