Guys,
I thought as a bloke, I would automatically have good spatial conceptional skills. Maybe not air traffic controller grade, but at least enough to fit stuff into spaces without having to think too hard. Then I met the brass and copper jungle known as the back of an E98. There's tube, fittings, rounded boiler bottoms, slants under the water tank, wiring looms, and they are all in the wrong place. In the end I had to make up a cardboard template, and scribble all over it just to get my head around it all.

The plan was to mount the parts on a base, which would then be mounted on the four gel anti-vibration mounts. It didn't matter where I put the bits, something fouled, or didn't line up, or got in the way of the mounting holes. Eventually I sussed it out, and this morning I made a base out of 10mm aluminium. It has four counterbored holes for the vibration mounts, and 4mm deep recess where the pump motor sits. It is as compact as I can get it, while still allowing easy access to the mounts to install it in the machine. Phew!

I've got a bit slack lately, and I've started using those push-lock fittings for the 6mm teflon pipe. I'm also plan to take the easy way out and glue the pump and brass manifold to the base with 3M VHB tape - I have no shame.
So far, so good, Stavros
PS. I jury-rigged the pump up to one of my old Rancilio Audreys the other day, and made a few test shots. Compared with a vibe' pump, it was just bizarre. To pull a shot, I threw the Audrey pump switch, which now only actuates the solenoid valve to connect the brew head to the boiler. To get flow to the group head, I had to separately increase the speed of the gear pump and wait for a visible flow from the portafilter.
At a slow pump speed, it takes forever to get even a dribble from the portafilter, and you have to wind up the speed to get what looks like a normal shot. As Audrey doesn't have a pressure gauge, so I was playing it by ear, and by watching for a flow from the OPV to know when I got to nine bar. In the end I got a couple of decent shots out of it, but when you introduce another variable like pump speed/pressure you start to doubt whether you have right grind setting.
One thing that struck me was that when the solenoid valve to connect the brew head to the boiler, (without the pump on), there is probably one bar of pressure in the boiler pushing water into the coffee grounds, like a poor man's pre-infusion. However, that wasn't enough pressure to get the water through the grounds and into the cup - go figure.
I thought as a bloke, I would automatically have good spatial conceptional skills. Maybe not air traffic controller grade, but at least enough to fit stuff into spaces without having to think too hard. Then I met the brass and copper jungle known as the back of an E98. There's tube, fittings, rounded boiler bottoms, slants under the water tank, wiring looms, and they are all in the wrong place. In the end I had to make up a cardboard template, and scribble all over it just to get my head around it all.
The plan was to mount the parts on a base, which would then be mounted on the four gel anti-vibration mounts. It didn't matter where I put the bits, something fouled, or didn't line up, or got in the way of the mounting holes. Eventually I sussed it out, and this morning I made a base out of 10mm aluminium. It has four counterbored holes for the vibration mounts, and 4mm deep recess where the pump motor sits. It is as compact as I can get it, while still allowing easy access to the mounts to install it in the machine. Phew!
I've got a bit slack lately, and I've started using those push-lock fittings for the 6mm teflon pipe. I'm also plan to take the easy way out and glue the pump and brass manifold to the base with 3M VHB tape - I have no shame.

So far, so good, Stavros
PS. I jury-rigged the pump up to one of my old Rancilio Audreys the other day, and made a few test shots. Compared with a vibe' pump, it was just bizarre. To pull a shot, I threw the Audrey pump switch, which now only actuates the solenoid valve to connect the brew head to the boiler. To get flow to the group head, I had to separately increase the speed of the gear pump and wait for a visible flow from the portafilter.
At a slow pump speed, it takes forever to get even a dribble from the portafilter, and you have to wind up the speed to get what looks like a normal shot. As Audrey doesn't have a pressure gauge, so I was playing it by ear, and by watching for a flow from the OPV to know when I got to nine bar. In the end I got a couple of decent shots out of it, but when you introduce another variable like pump speed/pressure you start to doubt whether you have right grind setting.

One thing that struck me was that when the solenoid valve to connect the brew head to the boiler, (without the pump on), there is probably one bar of pressure in the boiler pushing water into the coffee grounds, like a poor man's pre-infusion. However, that wasn't enough pressure to get the water through the grounds and into the cup - go figure.


morning coffee! ... Oh my Stav I wish you the best.
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