No espresso this morning!!

[saoye]

Woke up this morning to my usual routine of turning on the Rocket Giotto. Got the green light, the usual "click" and the sound of the boiler filling. 30 minutes later did the usual grind, dose, tamp and went to lock in the grouphead but noticed no pressure!! Touched the grouphead and it was only warm (from the usual skin melting hot). Sigh! I made a pour-over instead, but now I'm thinking I'm up for the control board + loom upgrade...last I heard it's around the $500 if I bring it in. I'll do a diagnosis make sure it's not something. There are a few potentials that I'll need to investigate before buying parts. control board + loom will cost me about $300+.

I'll have to bring home the Lelit from work while I'm down a Giotto. Sigh!

[TC]

Hello Saoye,

Sorry to hear that. $500 sounds extremely steep to me. It's a 30 min job and the board is under $300. If you know an electronics wizard, it's probably repairable.

Cheers

Chris

[saoye]

Hello Saoye,

Sorry to hear that. $500 sounds extremely steep to me. It's a 30 min job and the board is under $300. If you know an electronics wizard, it's probably repairable.

Cheers

Chris

Thanks Chris. hopefully something simple if not I'll just see it as an upgrade since if I'm not mistaken the new wiring configuration allows for a low water warning? That's always been my gripe not knowing when I'm out of water (until it stops flowing midway through a shot!).

[TC]

Low water warning is just a flash of the neon so it doesn't allow for completion of the shot.

Cheers

Chris

[saoye]

So you mean it will flash once it's out, so it's not really a warning only a confirmation that the issue is no water...well that's not that great.

Low water warning is just a flash of the neon so it doesn't allow for completion of the shot.

Cheers

Chris

[TC]

So you mean it will flash once it's out, so it's not really a warning only a confirmation that the issue is no water...well that's not that great.

That's the one.. The only machine I know of which gives a fill me up soon warning is the Vesuvius. I'm sure there must be others.

[Vinitasse]

That's the one.. The only machine I know of which gives a fill me up soon warning is the Vesuvius. I'm sure there must be others.

FYI... the La San Marco Flexa 85 E also gives a low water warning

[artman]

The Faema A1 I had did have a water in tank getting low warning. Very handy. my current bezzera starts pulsing the pump during a brew to let you know it's about to turn off, which sort of ruins the shot anyway. Not sure why more machines don't have a warning system for water getting low, can't be hard to do.

Cheers

[saoye]

Took the covers off and did a general push and pull of connections and clean out. Here are the photos.


Everything looked reasonably clean


thermostat overload button still in place


Here's where I turned the machine on. There was a fair amount of white particles at the base of the element which I brushed away. scale?


Sound of kettle coming to a boil and "pop" the lovely sight of the vacuum breaker valve working.


She's alive!!

[TC]

Glad to hear you're running. Do have the rewire done though as without it, you will kill almost certainly the board eventually.

[Bames]

Saoye, is that a Rocket control box in there? Does that mean the original was replaced and so this would be the second one to go?

[TC]

Probably an original. We use Proelind boards these days. Regardless, without a rewire, it's a matter of when, not if.

[saoye]

Probably an original. We use Proelind boards these days. Regardless, without a rewire, it's a matter of when, not if.

It's got Rocket at the top and Proelind on the side with the wiring diagram.



I suspect the water reservoir is not sitting/docking correctly as this morning same thing happened. Took it apart and couldn't see anything. It works with the casing off...Other than removing the metal casing for the reservoir and docking directly on there's nothing different, unless by remounting the control board it's loosening a connection somewhere. The control board does give a hum (light buzz) but then again I never listened out for that. For this morning I will be making my coffee with the covers off. Going to make myself a shot now.

[saoye]

no definitely something about remounting the control board makes it not work. loose connection? If I lay it flat it's working.

[saoye]

Latest update machine gets to temp, cycles a couple of times between 1.1 and 1.2bar where it should then on the third time when it drops to 1.1 I hear the control click as normal but element does not kick in and pressure slowly falls. I can re-engage the element by turning the machine off and on again. It will get to pressure, do the right thing keeping temp but on the third or so time element fails to turn on...will changing the loom (costs $30) do anything? I've just done a normal descale but that hasn't helped.