New to the KN-8828P-2 is the addition of a knob on the back of the machine, below the main ventilation fan. In emergency situations, such as a power outage or a failure of the electrical ejection mechanism, the user can pull this knob and manually eject the beans.

      The KN-8828P-2 is a fully programmable roaster. With its roots firmly established in the dependability and solid design of the original KN-8828 factory programmed model, and its predecessor the KN-8828D digital-display model, the "KN-8828P-2 Programmable" will allow the user to modify the roast program to suit their needs, satisfy their personal taste, best match their preferred coffee origin and brewing method, while allowing nearly hands-free roasting.

     Users can update older roasters to KN-8828P functionality, but upgrading to KN-8828P-2's manual eject function would require major disassembly of the roaster. Owners of a KN-8828 or KN-8828D Hottop coffee roaster can upgrade their roasters to the "KN-8828P" model by replacing the control panel and the main board, both of which will are available for purchase as an upgrade "kit." Owners of a KN-8828B can upgrade to KN-8828P functionality by just rpelacing the control panel. Owners of a KN-8828B-2 can upgrade to KN-8828P-2 functionality by just replacing the control panel. Complete instructions for the replacement procedure are available in PDF format HERE on the Hottop USA website.

      The "P" control panel features an advanced LCD display which serves as the programming interface as well as giving the user full telemetry readout during the roasting process. For those just learning about roasting coffee there is an "Auto" mode that roasts the coffee much like early models, but the KN-8828P-2 also adds up to ten roasting profiles. The first is pre-programmed by the factory. The remaining 9 profiles can be programmed by the user and saved for use at a future time in the non-volatile memory.

      Program "0" is set from the factory and cannot be changed, but the consumer can program up to nine of their own profiles offering the ability to create coffee just the way they like it as never before. Each of the nine programs can have up to 8 roasting segments, and each of those segments can be individually programmed for time and temperature as well as fan speed. Additionally, the user can modify any single portion of a program they have already created without having to re-enter the entire profile or segment.

      With the ability to create that many custom roasting profiles, the KN-8828P-2 can be set up to cover just about any roasting need. Use program 1 for espresso, program 2 for the Colombian that Mom loves so much, program 3 for that dark roast for Dad, and six more to make the machine work just the way you want. It is also easy to keep track of the various profiles because the user can add their own three-character, alpha-numeric designation.

To further assist the user, animations have been added to the control panel. In the lower left-hand corner (4 in the display image shown above), various animations remind the user of tasks that need to be completed. Prompts include emptying the chaff tray (shown here) adding beans, or eject and cool-down mode is in progress. When an alarm goes off a quick glance at the display lets the user know what to do.       Among various safety features is the fact that the chaff tray needs to be removed from the machine for emptying or the next roast cannot begin, even if the machine has been unplugged. There are also three additional temperature safety points in the program to help protect the roaster. If the KN-8828P-2 displays a temperature of 374 F (190 C), the unit will alert you with warning beeps. If you do not press the “Enter” button within 30 seconds, the beans will be automatically ejected. When a temperature of 410 F (210 C) is displayed, the roaster will again alert you with warning beeps. If you do not press the “Enter” button within 30 seconds, the beans will be automatically ejected. When the KN-8828P displays a temperature of 431 F (222 C), the beans will be immediately ejected.

Screen animation on LCD reminds user that chaff tray needs to be emptied before roast can begin.

Besides the animations on the message center, the lighting on the LCD screen changes depending on which mode or function is in use to alert the user.

      Another safety feature helps keep the user from ruining a roast. When bean temperature reaches 414 F, the machine will signal the user by beeping for thirty seconds. This warns the user that the beans are approaching the point where they may be burnt or even ignite. During this thirty-second warning period the user MUST press the "Enter" button. If the button is not pressed the machine will automatically eject the beans into the cooling tray.

1 - Countdown timer to show total amount of time left in the current roasting process.
2 - Current roasting chamber temperature.
3 - Fan state and relative speed (fan is off in this picture)
4 - Current state (Roasting, Plus Time, Cooling, etc.).
5 - Eight programmable roasting segments will be available to be programmed. These bars show the portion of the programmed temperature which has been achieved for the programmed temperature for that segment.
6 - In the same way the vertical bar shows temperature progress, these four squares show how the programmed time for the current segment is progressing. Each one indicates 25% of the time for that particular segment. Here you see that this segment is at about 50% of the programmed time.
7 - This time display shows the amount of time left for the active segment.
8 - This bar represents the user's programmed temperature for that segment.