The S1 Cafe - Helping Your Espresso Dreams Become Reality

Shipping went very smooth with no loose screws, dislodged gauges, water spots, water puddles, etc. Very nice packing job!

Trying to make sense of the LEDs on the first go-around was a bit disorienting. But it all makes sense with a little reading and observation.

My "reservoir low" warning LED was lit even though the reservoir was full. I called Chris's technical and after confirming I had the reservoir and drip tray correctly seated, I was told to try gently bending the magnetic sensor forward a tad. The sensor detects a magnetic float in the reservoir and needs to be flush with the back end of the reservoir. That worked like a charm.

Other than the usual learning curve when starting with a new machine, I had a relatively painless day 1.

....and yes I do RTFM!

Had some more erroneous "reservoir low" LED warnings. I was a little hesitant to bend the sensor plate any more, so this time I loosened the bolt that secures the sensor housing to the bottom of the Vivaldi base and moved the housing forward. I had to turn the machine on its back to get access to the bottom.

It

Do you have any pics of this? :P
I'd love to see them.

These are just the sort of issues those of us early adapters of the S1 had when it was first introduced. Chris was all over anything that needed a design change to fix and made sure all the early purchasers were taken care of.

Be sure Chris is aware of the issues and their scope/frequency. I know he checks this forum occasionally, but I'd be sure he heard it directly via phone or e-mail as well.

I had the same low reservoir error.

But once I fixed that (made adjustment recommended above), my machine heats up and makes steam, but when I press the cup buttons, no water comes out. I opened the top and noticed that there are two black plugs loose and wonder whether they should be plugged in. I have the 15 amp model. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

You're the 2nd one to report that problem in as many weeks. It had never happened before. Must have been too much Christmas cheer at Chris Coffee!

You will need to plug them in. I think there is also a screw that holds them on.

Does this look familiar?

wforum/viewtopic.php?t=614&highlight=loose+plug

Chas,

Thanks, you were right on. I called Tim at Chris Coffee and we walked through the start up this morning.

This bboard is a great resource.

Have a great weekend.

Chris Coffee bench tests every machine. If they came this way from the factory they would catch it.

HOWEVER, before they box the machines back up, they drain the water from the boilers and use compressed air to blow as much remaining water out of the valves as possible. I am betting they have to remove those wires to gain access to some of the areas they need to blow out and then they spaced out putting the wires back on.

[quote="calmaniac"]Had some more erroneous "reservoir low" LED warnings. I was a little hesitant to bend the sensor plate any more, so this time I loosened the bolt that secures the sensor housing to the bottom of the Vivaldi base and moved the housing forward. I had to turn the machine on its back to get access to the bottom.

It

A few days after I got my Mini, I came down one morning to find the boiler hadn't heated. I called Chris' who had me bend the little sensor behind the reservoir so it made better contact. Everythings been OK since. I'm guessing it jiggled during shipping. Michael

I just got my new Mini II from Chris' Coffee.
Everything came as promised and on time.
No delivery issues or equipment issues so far.
My hands are shaking as I type, having just enjoyed a couple of very good pours after some seasoning.
Thanks to this site for all the previous and future advice.
It made my choice easier.
Looking forward to sharing the experience.
:D

Welcome to the forum! Glad your first day is going well. I remember several severely over caffeinated days when I was trying to dial in my S1 V2 & new grinder.

Yes!
Welcome to the S1 Cafe.

...and I do remember John's over-caffeinated first few days

Thank you both for your welcome.
Also thanks for the great data so far.

On my first day with the machine, I bruise my left palm when I was pressing in the double dose filter basket to the double spout PF, I bruise my right palm when I was pressing in the single filter basket to the single spout PF. They are almost healed now. I had to run to Home Depot to request the guys there to thread the spout to the PF for me. What a day, huh. I love the machine. It's producing a lot of lighter color unlike the Silvia. I hope this is not blonding.

Aracel wrote:On my first day with the machine, I bruise my left palm when I was pressing in the double dose filter basket to the double spout PF, I bruise my right palm when I was pressing in the single filter basket to the single spout PF. They are almost healed now. I had to run to Home Depot to request the guys there to thread the spout to the PF for me. What a day, huh. I love the machine. It's producing a lot of lighter color unlike the Silvia. I hope this is not blonding.

This thread should help with the basket issues:
wforum/viewtopic.php?t=51 They plated over the spout/pf threads so they are a bear. A screwdriver & a vise come in handy if you use the spouts. I put one on the p/f I use for back flushing but pull my shots in a bottomless p/f. The bottomless p/f is nice for viewing the pour but its real purpose is so you never have to remove the stuck basket or screw on the G/D spout!

[quote]A screwdriver & a vise come in handy if you use the spouts. I put one on the p/f I use for back flushing but pull my shots in a bottomless p/f. The bottomless p/f is nice for viewing the pour but its real purpose is so you never have to remove the stuck basket or screw on the G/D spout![quote]

Thanks JohnB. When I had the spouts screwed to the top of the PF, the guys at Home Depot said that they didn't want to use the vise coz they might break it since the spout is not made of solid metal. Anyway, they were able to screw it but not all the way to the last thread coz I want the spout to stay outside. It's easier to place the cappuccino cups underneath as I could see them. Besides, my cappa cups are 3" high that I have to tip them a little bit to go underneath the spout. I ordered cappa cups that are 2-3/8" high. Didn't get them yet. BTW, I got the bottomless PF but still learning how to tamp that I don't see the channeling. Sometimes, I get it right but most of the time, I see a lot of channeling or sometimes splashing of coffee. I use the table knife to pop out the filter basket but kind of hard work. The knife got bent.

I just removed the retaining spring and bent it a little with a pair of needle nose pliers (into more of an "c" shape). Now I can remove the basket by hand without any problems.

I would suggest bending the spring a little at a time. Bend it, put the spring back in, replace the basket, and see how hard it is to remove. Keep doing this process until you are happy.