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EM7000 Broken thermoblock fitting

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  • EM7000 Broken thermoblock fitting

    Hi,
    I have a EM7000 Sunbeam that started to leak water and not build any pressure at the group head. Upon investigation l found that the relief fitting from the thermoblock had broken.
    I removed the broken piece and olive but the fitting is too short to re attach the brass fitting.
    Is there a fix for this or do l need a new thermoblock?

    Thank Matt

  • #2
    So i decided to trim down one of the mounting points for the thermoblock to reattach the brass fitting which seems to work but still no pressure.
    When the fitting first broke off the machine tripped the house circuit breaker. At first i thought it must have got water on something and shorted.
    Now I'm thinking there's two issues.
    The pump doe not sound how it usually does and there no steam.

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    • #3
      Ok so the relief solenoid that drains water into the drip tray seems to be switching on and off quickly when operating. Also there is no heating going on.
      There was signs of water and cockroaches on the PCB. Checked the resistance of the heating element 47 ohms, power to the element and resistance across the fuses is good.
      Could i have an issue with a relay?
      Going to remove the PCB and visually inspect for damage, how do i check if a relay has gone bad

      Thanks Matt

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      • #4
        Thanks for keeping us up-to-date with your progress. It does sound as if the water (and Cocky!) has caused tracking on the control board - hopefully it has not damaged too many other components. Glad to hear you managed to re-fit the olive. I have successfully fixed several 6910 boilers this way and the 7000 one is probably the same. To test a relay it is probably best to remove it from the board and apply 12v to the coil terminals whilst checking the relay contacts with a meter. Good Luck!

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        • #5
          Here is a picture of the PCB Click image for larger version

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          • #6
            It appears there is some corrosion on the board, hard to tell from the picture but thinking my best option might be a new PCB

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            • #7
              Hmm, no help here and I’m no electronics man but that does look iffy…..

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              • #8
                Electronics is not my strong point but my son had a laptop that had water damage and this looks similar.
                Not sure whether to take a punt and get a new PCB or invest the money into a new machine.
                Anyone who has a EM7000 would you fix it or buy something else and what would you buy?

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                • #9
                  Used a 12 volt feed to switch the relays while still in the board and confirmed all switched and work fine.
                  Checked the resistance of the thermal fuses, good. Checked the resistance of the heating element, 67 ohms. It seems like the cool for the relief is switching on and off quickly or could it be not shutting off correctly and keeps trying close but can’t?
                  still no heating thou? What else can I check, thermal sensors

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                  • #10
                    The relay coils are driven by the control board, if they stay on properly when given an outside power source it's the control board that's the problem. noidle22 might know what part or if it can be fixed / is worth fixing

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                    • #11
                      You could try cleaning up the board with a pc board cleaning spray or IPA (isopropyl alcohol) but not WD40 or similar sprays. Even scrubbing it with an old toothbrush may be necessary. Just make sure it is thoroughly dry before powering it up again - either leave it in a warm car for several hours or use a hair dryer on it.

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                      • #12
                        Thanks level3ninja for the reply, l assume the control board is part of the PCB?
                        Just seems odd that there is no heating or pressure, l suspected to find a blown fuse but everything checks out with my limited knowledge of electronics.
                        Xanthine l will give the board a clean with Contact cleaner and scrub with a toothbrush. Will let in dry out in the sun, thanks

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                        • level3ninja
                          level3ninja commented
                          Editing a comment
                          Yes control board / PCB, same thing. If the coil for the relay isn't staying on and the contacts aren't closing that'll be why you don't have any heat.

                      • #13
                        Tried the PCB after a clean, still the same. Everything seems to be pointing to a replacement board. Tried listening and feeling the relays for the heating elements to operate but there’s nothing. Not sure if you could hear them in normal operation or not.

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                        • #14
                          Ok, so no relays clicking so checked board voltage and getting 23 volts. The PCB transformer is a 230v to 9v.
                          possibly a faulty transformer? Would this give me the issues I’m seeing causing no heating.
                          also where is the recommended supplier to source a new PCB.
                          Thanks
                          Last edited by frankenyota; 18 October 2021, 11:32 AM.

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                          • #15
                            Please be extremely careful touching anything on the control board as it carries a both mains and low voltage. Personally I would not get my hands anywhere near the insides of a 'live' machine. As to voltages, 23v seems most unusual as the output of the transformer would be rectified and then regulated to 5vdc. The transformer could be outputting as much as 12vac under no load. If the 23v you are measuring is AC this could be leakage from the mains supply. It certainly seems as if the board is kaput. I think a replacement could be fairly expensive and would only be worthwhile if the rest of the machine is in very good condition. You could possibly look for a non-working machine going cheap online and build up a good one from the parts. Usually they get sold off cheaply when the steam thermoblock scales up and blocks, or one of the solenoids fails. The advantage of buying a 'broken' machine for parts is that you can also score a spare portafilter to 'go naked'.

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