ECM Synchronika

[michael1975]

I received my machine recently and noticed the drip tray is uneven, i.e. I can press the back left of it and it moves down a few mm.

Is this normal and happens to everyone's machine here too?

[Mono]

Hmm, can only speak from my experience but mine sits flat on the guides and without any up/down movement.
I would suggest try ywith something confirmed flat like a piece of glass or MDF as it may be the stainless guides and not the tray or the chassis itself, I would be speaking with my retailer…. Also speaking from my experience courier companies don’t treat our machines like we do….

[michael1975]

Thanks Mono! It's good to know it's not normal. I've tried a flat board on the guides and it seems pretty stable. I'll get in touch with the retailer.

[Mono]

Excellent that is the easy fix....... a replacement tray, you may even try to twist it back flat but by hand I don’t hold much hope. Let’s see what your retailer has to say…

[FilthySudo]

Does anyone happen to have an ecm bottomless straight handled portafilter they would like to swap my angled bottomless or sell to me? Hoping to just keep my set matching with the handles otherwise I’ll look at aftermarket options

[skiman]

G'day barista's

Im getting close to pulling the trigger on a Synchronika and notice that they're now up to V3. Have been procrastinating on this decision for years and recently re-channeled my savings into a better grinder (flat bur Compak which im reasonably happy with apart from the mess I seem to make with it).

• Any complaints from those of you who have owned a Synchronika one for awhile?
• Any issues with descaling?
• Any gripes with the V3?

I've had a Breville dual boiler for several years and whilst it's poured some great coffee, I'm over their lifecycle. Want a quality machine that is going to last for awhile.

I was reading a review on Jet Black Espresso's site about pump issues and the dual boilers not working independently on a 10A power socket. I'm an Aussie, so that review is relevent - https://www.jetblackespresso.com.au/...m-synchronika/ Any comments regarding this?

Cheers 🙏

[FilthySudo]

I queried what the difference from v2 to v3 was and Michael at dipacci told me it was a new safety valve and the pricing a went up when they came out too, so not much difference.

No real complaints, only issue I’d say would be that the steam boiler can run out of water mid steaming as it doesn’t refill every single time but rather runs out instead and drops pressure.

Descaling, you shouldn’t need to descale the boilers for a few years if you’re using filtered water and it’s not too hard, otherwise it’s recommended that it’s done by authorised service places, chemical backflushing on the other hand is simple and can be done at home and I do every 2 months.

I’ve owned since oct last year and love my machine. The machines have been switched off in the software so the boilers will not come to temp at the same time, rather steam gets to temp and then brew boiler gets to temp

[Magic_Matt]

I've had a V1 Synchronika since 2016 or so. I'm not entirely sure what the reviewer is getting at - they just want the machine to heat both boilers simultaneously? I guess that would be nice, but it also isn't something that has ever been a problem for me - a timer switch will provide equal convenience in at least 90% of use cases and doesn't require an sparky call-out every time you move house or relocate the machine (or rule out renting or selling the machine to someone who does). I've never experienced the other issue someone mentioned of the steam boiler refilling while steaming; it seems unlikely that this would happen often given the small amount of water used while steaming. When it was running off the tank, I set up my wifi switch to power the machine on for 15 minutes each evening just to avoid it priming the boilers when it powered on early the next morning, which might explain why I never had a problem with either issue I guess.

Scale sits firmly in the prevention-is-better-than-cure camp - use good quality water and be prepared to have the machine serviced at least every 12-24 months. No different to any other boiler machine imo.

I ultimately upgraded partly just because I wanted a lever, and partly due to slight frustration with the compromises inherent to the E-61 group. If you want an E-61 machine, I think it's hard to look past ECM.

[simonko]

I recall thinking it was a waste that the Sync couldn't be configured for a 15A supply and have both boilers heating simulataneously, but never found it an issue in practice. Heating was so quick it didn't have to be simultaneous.

v3 also had an upgraded PID, that allowed the steam boiler to have a higher max pressure.

[Mono]

I’m with FS on this, mine is about 14 months young. Had an issue with the initial start up but other than that it has been all good. I would prefer to be able to change boiler element priority and as FS said the steam boiler can refill while you are steaming and the pressure drops away rapidly, but my previous Rocket was worse. I would also add that the stock 2hole steam tip is…blah. I use a 4 hole tip and turn the pid down when steaming a smaller jug, now if I could drill out the 2hole tip I would ………

[skiman]

Thank you for the advice and the replies.

Magic Matt - how do you check the quality of your water? Im on east coast major city and the water hardness seems ok. Even though we have a filter on our tap, im using regular water to avoid adding calcium and minerals.

Mono - good suggestion about the steam tip. My current breville has a 3 hole tip and I struggle to get the latte right with small jugs :-)

[FilthySudo]

Anyone happen to have the straight handled bottomless portafilter they would like to sell or swap for? I have the angled version, but I’m chasing a straight, before I decide to purchase an aftermarket version

[r_usty]

I use my La Marzocco one and it is just fine... I think it is actually much better than the ECMs anyway ;-)

[mathiar]

I just got my ECM Synch here in Adelaide. Was all excited to get it set up and running but I just realized there is no plug in the drip tray, it just has a hole. I searched through every square cm of the packaging and nothing.
The retailer I got it from is closed on weekends and I have work tomorrow so can’t even go there

Does anyone know a quick fix? Can I pickup an interim solution at Bunnings for the weekend??

help! I’ve been waiting for weeks and I really want to get her going!!

[FilthySudo]

You could just tape it up a lot if you really need, or put a small container under the drip tray hole. I forgot the size of the bolt that slots in and screws into a nut on the other side. You could take to a nut and bolt shop and they might be able to help find the right size for it

[Magic_Matt]

Blutack works well as an interim solution - so well that I never got around to arranging anything more permanent and it held up for over 18 months without leaking a drop after I moved house and had to revert to using the drip tray.