Thanks for the explanation.
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FAEMA E98 S1 - Friend or Foe?
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FAEMA E98 S1 - Friend or Foe?
Yeah that’s a great effort! reminded me of this article where the vibrations were measured to calculate/tune what’s required (different application but same principles). Might be worth a go to refine, although the pipes are probable now your main transmitters? You could always try coiling the pipes?Originally posted by Dimal View PostLooks decidedly un-bodgy like to me Steve and quite scientific in application.
Especially with the Mass Damper in place...
Mal.
http://www.autospeed.com.au/cms/A_112904/article.html
Cheers
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Originally posted by artman View PostYeah that’s a great effort! reminded me of this article where the vibrations were measured to calculate/tune what’s required (different application but same principles). Might be worth a go to refine, although the pipes are probable now your main transmitters? You could always try coiling the pipes?
AutoSpeed - Mounting big driving lights, Part 2
Cheers
Julian Edgar is awesome guy! Such a wide knowledge base
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Hi Guys,
Well, now you have me thinking. Who would have thunk an iPhone could be used for that! I'm afraid my approach was less professional than Edgar's, and other than applying the basics principles, most of the design was based on what I had in the workshop on the day. (It's known as scrap-box engineering - the design evolves based on you have readily available.)
Today's job was addressing the heat issue by wrapping the boiler in some 5mm silicone foam. I was running short, but may have just enough to do the plain end of the boiler tomorrow.
Cheers, Steve
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First crack or nothing
- Nov 13
- 3438
- Sydney (West)
- Filter or long black: clean with crisp acidity
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Steve where do you get silicone foam from? Leroy was asking around a little while ago because he couldn't find anything in small enough amounts to be economical
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Well, I finally moved the E98 into the house, and have started using it on a regular basis. Having never had a HX machine before, the change from my old Rancilio Audrey single boiler (+PID) has been a bit of a learning curve, with temperature management being the biggest issue. To ease the transition, I took the same basket I was using in Audrey, (Pullman 876 18g ridgeless), and used the same beans, grind, dose and tamp. This seemed a reasonable start, as the first shot was quite respectable.
As noted by other members, the E98 needs a variety of cooling flushes to manage the brew temperature. I've been letting the machine warm up for an hour until the group temperature stabilises at about 92 degrees, and flushing to aim for a shot around 95 degrees. At the beginning of the shot there is still an initial spike in temperature, but it quickly settles down to 94.5, then slowly dropping down to 93. [At this stage, I'm not convinced that the displayed temperature is the actual temperature of the water hitting the puck, but it must be somewhere between the measures temperature and the idling temperature of the group head.]
With the above process, it's hard to get a bad shot, but then again, I haven't had a spectacular shot either. Obviously I need to improve my technique and get more practice. I'm currently playing around with different water depths in the main steam boiler, (and corresponding depth of emersion of the HX unit in the water/steam), to see what effect it has on the shot and temperature stability. So far, there is no noticeable trend. Once I iron out a few little flushing issues, I will have fiddle with the boiler pressure/temperature next week to see what that does.
While I miss Audrey's PID control of the brew temperature, the ability to steam milk at any time is a luxury. With Audrey, I never really bothered, as I couldn't be figged waiting for the temperate to climb. In comparison, the E98 is a milk-steaming dream, or if you blink twice, a milk-burning weapon.
Overall, I'm quite please with the E98, and look forward to finessing the shots in the future.
Cheers, Steve.
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Am keeping an eye on this thread as I've been refurbing a lightly-used but heavily-abused E98 S1 (also based in Sydney). I've had the whole thing apart, powder coated, descaled and then back together - just a few more bits to go before I'm calling it "done". I think I'm going to copy your vibe pump setup!
I've adjusted my OPV to 9(ish) bars, but am really curious to know how you are finding the brew-pressure gauge mod? It's something I'm toying with doing, and was interested to know your observations and how useful you are finding it. Mine would need to go somewhere in the OPV-brewhead line, as I've not got access to a mill!
Also, did you look into having a remote probe for the temp sensor - or were you always just going to use the unit you've got? Maybe a bit of a lost-cause for such a lump, but I'm trying to improve it's "bench appeal"!
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Hi guys, Sorry for the late replies, it looks like I've got notifications off for this thread.
Well Saeco, if I follow a consistent preheat/flushing routine, I can manage to get a relatively consistent brew temperature. The idling temperature after an hour preheat is now about 97 degrees. The brew temperature can be fudged between 95 to 98.5 degrees by altering the length of the little cooling flushes between shots. After two to three shots, the temperature during the majority of a 25 - 30 seconds shot becomes quite stable, varying by less than 0.5 of a degree. (A few times I've seen the temperature vary by as little as 0.2 degrees, but it's hard to duplicate - it's just dumb luck.) There is always an annoying initial short temperature spike at the start of each shot of about 101 - 102 degrees, which I haven't been able to fix. I've tried increasing flush time between shots to remove the spike, but it reduces the temperature of the shot.
The other thing I've noticed is that if when you vary the dose or grind chasing a certain extraction, and it causes a slower start to the shot, this can have an effect on the temperature of the first quarter of the shot - causing it to drop a few degrees after the spike, before again rising to the desired shot temperature. It's a real balancing act, and you need to be paying attention all the time. But once you "dial it in" you can get some very nice consistent shots out of it, (and a nod of approval from the wife.) At this stage I haven't noticed any difference relating to boiler water depth, and I've decided not to vary the boiler pressure/temperature until I feel that I have a better handle on the machine. Maybe in a year or so?
So Batfink, congratulations on getting an old-school "lump" of a E98, they are great to work on, and I think you will enjoy it once it's up and running. I find the brew pressure gauge a bit like an oil pressure gauge in a car - useful for an initial OPV setup, but after a few months, you only look at it now and then to see that everything is working as it should. It is however, pleasing to watch the slow climb of the pressure at the start of the shot, and a slight drop in pressure during the shot, as the flow increases through the puck. Overall, I've found that the temperature gauge has been of more use to me than the pressure gauge, as it has allowed me to make sense of what is going on with the machine. (A bit like a bottomless portafilter is used to continuously monitor and fine tune your dossing technique.) Last year when I was trawling the net looking for suitable temperature gauges, I did see a few sensors which you could use with a remote display, but got the basic little direct mounting one. My only gripe with it is that there is no backlight on the display, and it can be difficult to see from some angles.
Anyway, I'm beginning to treat the E98 as a real friend.
Cheers, Steve.
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I went looking and found this thread after seeing an ad for one of these. Read through everything above, now, I am a carpenter, have an Assoc. Diploma in Mech Eng, a degree in Civil Eng. so I am a well trained monkey, but this one looks like a curly beast where I seriously wouldn't know where to start...! Add that the fact that I no longer have access to a workshop, or work space and equipment and I think I will pass over the machine for sale....
(What is the text book that one should read, in order to get inroads into the mechanics of such machines...?)
Stuart.
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Hi Stuart,
Funny enough, I'm an ex tradie with a Assoc' Diploma in Mech Engineering as well, but my trade was fitting and machining, which is sort of handy for pulling things apart and fixing them. The electrics side of coffee machines was initially new to me, but I've picked up the basics from my two brothers, who are electrical and electronics tradesmen. With the later machines with electronic displays and controls, well, I'm still lost there, so I've stuck to the old-school machines with no 'smarts' in them.
I've never seen a text book specifically for espresso machines, but there is a wealth on information on them out there in these sort of forums, and many people who are happy to assist if you post a question seeking there advice. Likewise, there is a lot of information out there on the internet on useful things like - threads and fasteners, gaskets and sealants, pipework and threaded/compression fittings, vane and piston pumps, thermostats and gauges etc.
There's some value in getting old unserviceable or damaged machines for free or very cheap, and just pulling them completely apart to see how they work. You don't necessarily have to make them work again, just gain some relative experience. Along the way to run into the usual problems of corroded parts, siezed fasteners and fittings, leaking gaskets, jammed or worn valves, etc. Initially, you are likely to cause more damage yourself or break parts trying to get them apart, (I've done that too), but it's all valuable experience which you can't get from a text book. And it doesn't matter if you just throw all the bits in the bin later - it didn't cost you anything. Hell, you can even do it with washing machines, cars, anything which takes your fancy.
Then when you get a nice machine you want to work on and keep, you a likely to make a good job of it.
Cheers, Steve.
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My wife was fixing one of our son's toys the other day, and got to a certain point and didn't want to go any further for fear of breaking it. She got me to have a look at it and I told her which sections of it could be safely disassembled further and which sections would likely not go back together again. Sure said something about it being lucky I knew what I was doing. I corrected her on two counts, firstly I don't know what I'm doing, secondly I only look like I do to her because I've broken more things by pulling them apart than she has.
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