Diffuser Mods?

[Endo]

Anybody tried making a custom diffuser and screen setup for the Vivaldi? (Seems like an easy project for someone with a lathe).

The reason I ask is that I've seen other machines that use a less direct path. The Vivaldi uses a one-piece "showerhead" type diffuser but I've seen others that use a two piece diffuser where the water goes through the center and is then redirected radially before passing downward through the screens. At the same time, I wouldn't mind trying a single screen with a countersunk screw rather than a bolt.

Does anyone know what the Dalla Corte Mini diffuser looks like or if it is posible to swap it onto the Vivlaldi (even though the basket is 54mm)?

Does anyone know how the GS/3 diffuser works?

[chas]

Does anyone know how the GS/3 diffuser works?

I might know a thing or two about how the GS/3 works. I've heard that this is the standard way that LMs work. The diffuser equivalent is a solid disk of stainless steel. The screw that attaches the shower screen is hollow. Water flows down the threaded hole in the center of the diffuser, through the screw, and out four holes in the sides of the screw that are just above the shower screen.

The shower screen itself is truly more like a screen. Given that it looks damageable if you screw up and the fact that the screw is much more than a screw and, if lost you are out of luck, I think I need to have a spare set on hand.

[Endo]

The Silvia uses a dispersion device called a "jet breaker" with 8 holes in it to send the flow out radially (see photo). I'm pretty sure I don't want to go back to the Silvia flavor but the idea of breaking up the jets better (like on the GS/3) appeals to me.

Seems like an easy thing to do to block the Vivaldi holes and cut out a hole in the center to add a dispersion device. I'd also remove the coarse outer screen and countersink the bolt to make everything flush (more headspace too).

I wonder what difference it would make? Would it make a better shower pattern?

Silvia Jet Breaker

SilviaScreen.gif (3.41 KiB) Viewed 17653 times

[Endo]

Here are some more examples of dispersion screws used on other machines:

E-61:

e-61 dispersion screw

e61.jpg (94.78 KiB) Viewed 17641 times

Astoria:

Astoria Dispersion Screw

astoria.jpg (7.51 KiB) Viewed 17644 times

Silvia:

Silvia Dispersion

silvia11.jpg (47.96 KiB) Viewed 17644 times

Now here's some that look like the showerhead style Vivaldi (no dispersion).......but they're all for PODs!

Nuova Simonelli Pod kit:

NS Appia Pod Kit

pod.jpg (21.11 KiB) Viewed 17644 times

Rancilio Silvia Pod kit:

Silvia Pod kit

Silvia_Pod_Kit.jpg (8.1 KiB) Viewed 17645 times

[Endo]

Here's a little video of the water dispersion pattern on my Mini Vivaldi.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZiidADiPt0

It seems like the water pattern follows the hole pattern on the diffuser exactly. I imagine this is why some of us get divots in the puck?

Does anyone have a video from a regular Vivaldi so I can see what effect the pump has?

[michael]

what does the water look like coming from the GS/3

[chas]

Here's a little video of the water dispersion pattern on my Mini Vivaldi.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZiidADiPt0

It seems like the water pattern follows the hole pattern on the diffuser exactly. I imagine this is why some of us get divots in the puck?

Does anyone have a video from a regular Vivaldi so I can see what effect the pump has?

Do this experiment. Remove and clean the two screens. Then put them together w/o the diffuser and hold up to a light. Rotate one screen relative to the other and watch the light pattern change. Do you think the orientation of the screens might impact the water flow?

[chas]

what does the water look like coming from the GS/3

It looks like a nice pour from a bottomless PF. Water flows fairly uniformly from the screen but then forms a single stream in the middle.

[oton]

what does the water look like coming from the GS/3

It looks like a nice pour from a bottomless PF. Water flows fairly uniformly from the screen but then forms a single stream in the middle.

(or video)

[JohnB]

Endo - I'd suggest playing with the screen orientation as Chas suggests. As my screens are currently set up I'm getting a much more even water distribution with twice as many much smaller streams as compared to what I see in your video. With the bottomless p/f I'm seeing pretty much what Chas describes.

As to the constant cry for videos & graphs I have to wonder if an entire generation was born without an imagination.

[oton]

As to the constant cry for videos & graphs I have to wonder if an entire generation was born without an imagination.

I usually make music, photo retouching and creative cooking, and used to build silent-PC's with custom mods; so please, speak for yourself.

[Endo]

Endo - I'd suggest playing with the screen orientation as Chas suggests. As my screens are currently set up I'm getting a much more even water distribution with twice as many much smaller streams as compared to what I see in your video. With the bottomless p/f I'm seeing pretty much what Chas describes.

As to the constant cry for videos & graphs I have to wonder if an entire generation was born without an imagination.

For us unimaginative types , here's a video of a rotary Vivaldi (Niko's I think?).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhKZ2-yU_as&feature=related

Not much different than mine.

Here's a E-61 for comparison:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM6Gx2nJwIU

I'll try indexing the screens as you suggested. I'll also try my thinner mk2 (Chris Coffee) diffuser with the non-offset holes to see if the pattern is any better.

[Endo]

OK.....very weird.

I just tried switching diffusers from the thick to the newer thin model. At the same time, I switched to my spare set of screens as well.

MUCH better!!

So I'm thinking it's the diffuser so I switch back just to be sure but keep the same screens. It is ALSO much better!

So it seems to be the screens that are making the difference. I suspect I just hadn't cleaned them well so I give them both a good cleaning. Same result. One set of screens gives a much better distribution than the other set. The holes in the outer screen look the same when held up to the light but under closer inspection, you see a difference:

different outer screens

screen.jpg (85.77 KiB) Viewed 17450 times

The good one (on left) has more holes, especially near the edge (see 7 holes in a row on the edge compared to 4 on the right).

And the funny thing is, both screen sets came new with my machine (ahhhh.... good ole LaSpaz quality again).

I'll try again tomorrow after soaking everything in Cafiza overnight.

[JohnB]

I looked at my spare & it looks like the one on the left. I'd check the other but I don't want to mess up my LM like pour.