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BFC/CBC Royal 2Group Machine Repair/Resto

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  • BFC/CBC Royal 2Group Machine Repair/Resto

    Ive noticed that DIY and practical threads are of short supply around here, so ill post this up on the off chance someone finds it useful



    I picked up for very very little money, a two group CBC Royal espresso machine, which is the same company as BFC. I basically knew that everything that could possibly be broken was broken, but I figured it wasnt a significant enough amount of money to cry over if i couldnt fix it all.

    So the symptoms were, no heat, no pump, no touchpads, no boiler fill, basically nothing worked.

    So the first step was to see if the element was working. To do this, take your multimeter and measure the resistance across each part of the element. If you dont have a multimeter you can pick a cheapie up for less than $20. Depending on the power of your machine, and the amount of element prongs it has, the resistance should be somewhere between 10 and 50 ohms.



    You can figure out exactly how much resistance each prong on your element should have from these simple fomulas:

    (p=power i=current v=volts r=resistance)
    p=iv
    i=p/v  (1)

    v=ir
    r=v/i   (2)

    subbing (1) into (2)

    r=v^2 /p

    Make p your elements total power divided by the number of prongs.

    So anyway my element turned out to have the correct resistance and therefore was put into the "parts working" list

    From there I just followed the electrical path, testing voltages as i went. Power was going into the machine, through the switch, through the pressurestat, but not reaching the element. Therefore the problem lay with the safety thermostat (between the pressurestat and the element). It had been tripped. Once reset, the element was now getting power.

    On to the pump... The motor was getting power, as was the start capacitor, but it was not turning. I could hear the capacitor try to start the motor, and i could hear the motor humming, but no movement. This pointed to a stuck pump. Unhook the pump by undoing the clamp holding it to the motor and sliding it off. The pump was indeed stuck.

    To free up a stuck pump, try soaking it in citric acid (it dissolves limescale) and then gently wiggling the shaft with a spanner to try and free it up. If no luck, soak for a few more hours and try again. If all else fails, give the shaft of the pump a few taps with a hammer, and try wiggling and soaking again. If the pump is still stuck after this, then its time for a new one. Happily, mine became unstuck eventually

    After re-installing the pump, the machine now pumped water into the groups correctly, however only with the manual switch and not the touchpads. One touchpad not working could mean the touchpad was just broken, however both touchpads not working, as well as autofill not working as well means that it was almost certainly the control board that was the issue. So i took the thing out to examine it. After checking that there were no visual breakages on the printed circuit board, i decided to replace the two most likely things to fail; the capacitor and the transformer. the transformer on mine also had a bulge in it that i suspected was due to it imploding somehow.

    $20 later from a place called element14 (i assume its okay to post this supplier since no sponsor, current or future, is likely to stock these circuit board parts) i had a new capacitor and transformer (myrra 44159).



    To remove the old components from the board, i found that heating up the solders on one side of the component, while gently prying it upwards with your thumb, was the easiest way to go. Go from side to side until the component is completely removed. Once the component is removed, clean up the old solder with something called desolder braid. To use it, put the braided material on the old solder, and heat up the old solder through the braid with a soldering iron. When the solder turns liquid, the braid will soak it up, leaving your circuitboard solder free.

    (my beautiful (not) soldering job)


    install the new component by resoldering the connections and youre ready to go. Make sure you mount the capacitor with the right polarity (ie: positive on the capacitor to positive on the board).

    Once re-installed, the machine works almost perfectly! i was lucky that the transformer was the only thing broken on the board. The only thing to do now is descale the rest of the pipes, because i think there is a blockage in one of the heat exchangers, since one group heats up much quicker than the other.

    Hope this will be helpful to someone! Dont be afraid to give repairing your own machine a go. Dont forget: 240v can kill you so make sure to unplug at the wall when youre not testing voltages.

  • #2
    Re: BFC/CBC Royal 2Group Machine Repair/Resto

    Excellent post Mischa, Im sure that will help many tinkering CSrs


    Originally posted by 52766C7C777E1F0 link=1304321983/0#0 date=1304321983
    Dont forget: 240v can kill
    That bit is important to remember too!

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: BFC/CBC Royal 2Group Machine Repair/Resto

      I agree.... [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

      An excellent How-To Guide Mischa - Top Stuff.... [smiley=tekst-toppie.gif]

      Mal.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: BFC/CBC Royal 2Group Machine Repair/Resto

        So Ive now done a full strip and re-build of the CBC. Its amazing how much scale builds up in these things, especially in the group parts. This is a very easy machine to work on, all the pipes are easy to access to get on and off. When youre re-installing copper pipes, remember that they dont need too much torque. copper is very soft and tends to self-seal without too much torque.

        I soaked all the pipes, the groups and the boiler in citric acid solution all weekend long, and had a free moment yesterday so put them all back in the machine. All is working great, its basically a new machine now, and the coffee tastes great. Total cost of restoration = $11 for the transformer and $5 for citric acid from woolies

        Before:




        mmm nice pink copper:








        After:


        And a picture of the daily driver (BFC Classica & Compak K6 Silent):

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: BFC/CBC Royal 2Group Machine Repair/Resto

          Shes a beauty mate! Im starting to enjoy tinkering with old machines myself.

          http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1315802010/0#0

          Its seriously one of the most enjoyable things to do. Just working out the way it all works!

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: BFC/CBC Royal 2Group Machine Repair/Resto

            That sticker on the machine looks familiar! I might have even had my hands in that machine at some stage...

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: BFC/CBC Royal 2Group Machine Repair/Resto

              Originally posted by 7654495C5A557C6F3B0 link=1304321983/5#5 date=1315826730
              That sticker on the machine looks familiar! I might have even had my hands in that machine at some stage...
              It came from a restaurant in Melbourne. I guess its always possible!

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: BFC/CBC Royal 2Group Machine Repair/Resto

                Nice work

                Comment


                • #9
                  I know this thread is a few years old now but was hoping someone might be able to help me.

                  I am currently restoring the same machine (would you believe that it was dumped roadside for a council kerb side hard waste pickup).

                  Everything on the machine works, (well the pump was seized but I freed it up with a nice bath in citric acid).

                  I want to soak the boiler and all the copper pipes in a bath of citric acid to return the colour but was wondering if you leave the heating elements installed for full submersion or take them out?

                  I also was wondering what the best way is to remove a bit of light surface rusting from the stainless, it is light but across the whole front panel?

                  Thanks for your help.

                  Cheers,

                  Matt

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Hi and welcome.

                    is it possilbe I could convince you not to fix it if it aint broke?

                    A good brand commercial work horse.

                    Even if you clean it up its just going to return to the tarnished colour soon enough, and it has nothing to do with the proper functioning of the machine. Additionally, every time you disassemble and put the copper parts in some kind of "bath" to clean them up, you are weakening the material and making it brittle, running the risk of damage on reassembly.

                    I would rather see you check that the machine is in proper working order and if so, onloy do the kinds of "running" maintenance that are equired from time t tme to keep it functioning wel.

                    The stainless steel? If its already a satin finish, a *light* rub with steel wool if you really have to go there... Also automtotive polishy with a cutting compound.

                    I expect you will need a new water pump soon enough but again, only when it "breaks", which will be when it starts squealing to a point you cant stand or starts leaking.

                    Hope that helps.

                    Comment

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