The S1 Cafe - Helping Your Espresso Dreams Become Reality

goodboyr

I've attached a high res pic of the board and the spec sheet for the MCU used.

goodboyr

Looks like there's a Dream replacement. Seems like the same mechanical specs with a new improved user interface and display.

https://youtu.be/clhDt-a0sLE

goodboyr

New firmware allows the dream to work with a smart plug.

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goodboyr

Agreed

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goodboyr

https://www.chriscoffee.com/products/sp ... ital-timer

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goodboyr

It looks like if it's on, and the machine loses power, when power is restored the machine starts up. With it off, the machine reverts to standby when power is restored.

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goodboyr

Chas. It's the second last item in the menu.

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goodboyr

http://s1cafe.com/viewtopic.php?f=57&t= ... 266#p24266

Check this discussion and yes that's the right diagram. If you've soaked it it's probably clean enough since it's a loose fit in the valve.

goodboyr

Take a look at page 11, part 7407 on this diagram. It's the non return valve that Chas is talking about. If it passes, it will allow water to drain back out of the pump back into the tank. It appears to be the only non return valve in the line all the way to the boiler. https://shopify-er.s3.amazona...

goodboyr

Oh, man...........pressure profiling!

goodboyr

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/topic? ... source=app

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goodboyr

The rubber gaskets harden over time and need replacing. If you can find the silicone rubber replacement versions they last much longer.

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goodboyr

I agree that the machine is now dated compared to modern features, and also that the promised firmware updates are vaporware. However, my Dream continues to be my daily driver, and its been great now that all the quirks and issues have been sorted. Also, I'd rather not have a new model to drool over...

goodboyr

Make sure you check the main power connections. Since you have eliminated the fuse as the source, these connections at the back of the machine on mine showed signs of oxidation and overheating as well.

goodboyr

More likely its a deterioration of either the fuse holder or the main power connections. La Spaz uses pretty cheap plastic fuse holders and the connections sometimes oxidize, heat up and increase resistance and current draw. Same for the main power connections. So, if you are comfortable doing elect...

goodboyr

The tubing La Spaz uses in the dream is 4mm OD by 2.5 mm ID if you are searching. Of course Chris Coffee has it, but that's certainly not local to you.

https://www.chriscoffee.com/products/te ... 4853789732

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goodboyr

And in case you are looking for the 1.24 file:

https://www.s1cafe.com/viewtopic.php?p=25517#p25517

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goodboyr

There is probably debris inside at the rubber seat of this valve that is causing the leak. You will need to take it apart and clean it. Here is the link on the instructions:

https://www.s1cafe.com/s1v2/VII_Expansion.php

goodboyr

Try this.

[The extension bin has been deactivated and can no longer be displayed.]

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goodboyr

It's not just the pressure, it's the size of the line. So at static conditions the pressure might be ok , but if the line is too long or 1/4 instead of 3/8, there might be too much restriction when the pump is running. As well, that pressure during pre infusion means that you have a pressure regulat...

goodboyr

Are you sure it's fully plugged in? I've found it's a bit finicky and if it you don't get it straight on it might be partially inserted into the plug. As well, you might want to try power cycling the machine with the card reader plugged in.

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goodboyr

Good point, Chas. Thxs.

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goodboyr

On the Chris coffee site on the dream page there is a resources tab with the manuals. I think the interface manual has the details on the read/write file setup on the card. The card itself is a 256mb formated to FAT with no name. It has the .bin firmware file in the root directory. Here's a pic of t...

goodboyr

What size and pressure is the water line that the dream is connected to? A small or restricted long line or low pressure ( less than 2 bar) might be the cause.

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goodboyr

Cool idea, only one comment. If the connections and holder are of a good quality, there really is no reason why the fuse would blow. So at the end of the day, if you replace the holder and make sure all connections at the tab and beyond are good, then you won't have any issues. On the other hand, if...

goodboyr

Certainly in my experience with the Dream, it's the latter. Very cheap fuse holders and connections. I bought much better fuse holders at a local electronics store that were full rated for the 20 amps and replaced mine

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goodboyr

Available for download as usual on the CCS site. Looks like they added a much requested feature to use a smart plug to remotely turn the machine on. Here is the change description: Improvements and Fixes: Latest Version 1.24 The update introduces the new "SMART POWER ON" function, which al...

goodboyr

I've used espresso planet for some early service before I decided to do my own and they known la spaz machines quite well.

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goodboyr

That's a push in fitting. If you push that thin collar towards the fitting, while pulling in the tube it will pull out. But by the looks of that fitting I would replace it. It is screwed into the boiler. Chris coffee has them ( I know because I replaced mine and got the new ones there ). Sent from m...

goodboyr

Ok. As suspected it's a small Teflon tube connection. The brass connection has a thin collar. Depower and shut off water to machine. If you push the collar back towards the fitting, while pulling on the tube, you can pull the tube out. Inspect the end of the tube for a clean, perpendicular cut. If t...

goodboyr

It looks like it's coming from one of the small Teflon lines going into brew boiler. Remove the top panel and look down from top. This is a quick connect push in fitting that depends on a clean end cut on the Teflon and a fully pushed in connection. It's also easy to nick these lines causing a leak....

goodboyr

If I'm not mistaken, your old machine (Saeco aroma) has a pressurized portafilter. This creates a "fake crema" since the coffee is forced through a tiny orifice in the pf. Your new machine has a proper pf and thus won't make a real crema without good fresh beans. So you've been fooled all ...

goodboyr

See my message earlier in this thread.... My dream has been on 20 since the beginning too. Recently the fuse blew, and that's when I discovered the cheap plastic fuse holders had a 15 amp rating. (Some melting of the plastic occurred when the fuse blew). They are quite flimsy and the internal contac...

goodboyr

I had trouble finding the insulated right angle ones, so i used the uninsulated kind with high temp heat shrink.

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goodboyr

Saynor electronics on woodbine in Markham has stock of fuses if you need.

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goodboyr

I removed the fuse holder to clean the connection. Its marked on the side "2 to 15 amps".

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goodboyr

See my note below in a other thread. There are electrical components that are only rated for 15 amps.

viewtopic.php?t=2366

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goodboyr

+1000. Great product.

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goodboyr

Yesterday my 4 year old dream powered down. Checked the outlet ( it's a 20 amp) and it was fine. So I checked the main 20 amp fuse at the base of the machine (there are two there, the 20 amp main power and a 2 amp control fuse). Main fuse was blown. Put in a new one (fyi they are readily available a...

goodboyr

If water is coming out of opv as soon as water is connected then maybe boiler inlet valve is passing. Easy to pull and clean seat which usually has debris that keeps it from completely closing. With it passing, water main is directly connected to boiler and fills it up. Sent from my SM-G950W using T...

goodboyr

I don't think that's what this fix is saying. To me it says that it delays display of the "Refill Water Tank" message on the Dream T while a shot is being pulled. That's different than refilling the steam boiler. Could be, but I definitely can say it is a very rare occurrence now, whereas...

goodboyr

Strange. I thought the latest firmware instituted a delay in the boiler refill to reduce this from happening. It used to happen a lot with mine, but with the latest firmware hasn't happened. It's a 25 second delay in boiler refill when the group is running. The specific quote from the revision note ...

goodboyr

Yup. Here's mine......upside down....
[IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201711 ... 50013b.jpg[/IMG]

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goodboyr

Can you not just unthread that conical piece back to hold against the adjustment nut ?
Btw, my dream does not look like that. It's got a conventional adjustment lock nut.

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goodboyr

Just as an update to this long saga. As some of you know, my Dream suffered from successive failures of the brew boiler temperature sensor. I typically could get no more than 6 months out of a sensor before the machine showed erratic temp readings, culminating in the dreaded "Failed Brew Sensor...

goodboyr

[emoji106][emoji106][emoji106]

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goodboyr

Lol. Cool, but just make sure your pf handle is well insulated......

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goodboyr

chas wrote:RTD PT1000 Type 501

PT1000 RTD Temp Sensor Chart.jpg

I think the "Type 501" designation is a particular manufacturers model number that was used as an example in this Wikipedia table. I do that think that applies to the la Spaz rtd's.

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goodboyr

My answer applies to the dream version and the newer sensors for the Vivaldi's. In any case, I am somewhat of an expert on the dream sensors, given my bad experiences with them in the early days of the dream. You can search on my user name to read those threads. I've only used sensors from ccs howev...

goodboyr

Pt1000 rtd

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goodboyr

Cc sells the o rings too. They are 4 inch diameter.

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goodboyr

+1000

Triple basket is the way to go. With 16.5 gm coffee load, there's plenty of headroom.

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goodboyr

I don't think the bubbles are the issue.

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goodboyr

I was the op on that thread. Turned out to be the pressure regulator. I changed it to the brass Watts model. I think the cheaper ones do not relieve pressure back the other way and bottle up the system. Also, if your brew temperature sensor begins to fail, typically they start to read low, causing t...

goodboyr

dream inlet valve.JPG The amount of debris that could cause this is almost microscopic. I went through a series of this, where it would stay ok for about 6 weeks and then I would have to clean again. Finally, instead of just removing the plunger and cleaning under the seat (I used a magnifying glas...

goodboyr

Control of the temperature controls the pressure. So if your temp transmitter is drifting low, it will cause the boiler to overheat and cause the pressure to go high. Your indicated temperature it will appear normal since it is being read by the bad temp sensor. These machines have a history of temp...

goodboyr

I've had this issue when a tiny bit of debris was caught under fill solenoid seat. This causes a constant leakage into boiler on my plumbed in dream.

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goodboyr

Meant to say "came up to 195 at end of pull".

goodboyr

Just did a pull. Machine fully warmed up. Two warming flushes. Setpoint is 198f. 30 second pull. 16 gram load. Temp went down to 192 then came up to by end of pull.

goodboyr

That sounds about normal. And remember that this does not in any way represent the actual temperature that is at the pf. Tests using scace (you can search for these in this forum) show very good temperature stability for the dream assuming you've done a couple of warm-up flushes if you are starting ...

goodboyr

No. That's a minor boiler level sensor issue that applies to most machines, not just la spaz. The temp sensor issue can be found by searching these forums. Some dreams have had high failure rates of the coffee boiler sensor. This doesn't apply to all dreams, just some. Reasons are not fully understo...

goodboyr

I've been very happy with my dream. (I'm on three years now). All issues have been resolved other than temperature sensor reliability however I have very high confidence that is about to be solved too. So....bottom line, I would not hesitate in getting one. A solid, very consistent machine.

goodboyr

I believe la spaz now recognizes there's an issue with the existing design and is working on a fix.

goodboyr

BTW. PH is slightly above neutral after the filters and softener. But note that pH changes dramatically with temperature.

goodboyr

It's an interesting issue. I'm in Toronto, and the water here is "average". Nothing out of the ordinary, and I'm sure I would have heard, given the huge number of espresso enthusiasts here. I have been talking to CCS who are aware of this problem. On their request I've sent failed sensors ...

goodboyr

Makes sense. Sounds like the old design was superior. I just wish they would deal with this.

goodboyr

Well, the ammonia experiment failed. And heres a pic of the latest failed sensor. Clearly electrochemical corrosion happening. Brand new CCS softener and filter and my water tests fine. So another email to Tim at CCS to see if there's news from LA spaz.

: uploadfromtaptalk1459381347616.jpg (30.44 KiB) Viewed 75807 times

goodboyr

Just noticed this out there. Nice to see where our money goes.......

https://youtu.be/9nk0UGiZ-qA

goodboyr

Leak 1. That's a push fit connection. When there's no pressure in the line, push in metal ring while pulling the tube to release it.

goodboyr

All good, except for frequent temp sensor failures for some of us.

goodboyr

Some of us have all the luck......[emoji4] [emoji6]

goodboyr

Chas: One question for you. If you remember, occasionally the steam boiler level control will trigger a top up. If that happens during a pull, the pressure will drop to about 6 bar. So, does the new tweak that delays refill for 25 seconds fix this issue on Dream machines as well?

goodboyr

I'm still on my first ( about one year) and have not experienced the rotating issue.

goodboyr

I've ordered a couple of sensors as spares for the inevitable failures. I'm going to experiment with one. If we assume they are brass, I will attempt to intentionally create an oxide layer to protect it from corrosion. Going to use ammonia to do this. The idea is that if it has a uniform oxide layer...

goodboyr

I've had both kinds fail on me.
But I'm still going with the galvanic corrosion theory. My most recent one had a small spot with deposits on it and underneath the deposits the metal was shiny. All the rest of the probe was a uniform thin black deposit.

goodboyr

Yup. It's good that you are talking to CCS. They are aware of this issue and have communicated to LA spaz in Italy. I have sent them a bunch of my failed sensors. All of my previous theories are just that....theories. Bottom line is that these eventually fail. LA spaz has no answers yet.

goodboyr

Just as a note, latest firmware is 1.21.

goodboyr

OK. I downloaded from the CCS site and installed. It adds a bunch of screensavers and fixes the filter alarm bug. Change log is on the CCS site. Please note that the firmware file on the CCS site needs to be renamed to load properly. You need to delete the word "firmware" from the file nam...

goodboyr

Just noticed that there is a firmware update for the dream to version 1.21 on the CCS site.

goodboyr

Dream has membrane buttons, not a touchscreen. Although initially had teething pains, the newer versions of the dream have addressed all issues except the occasionally brew boiler temp sensor failures. I've sent some of my failed sensors to CCS and they said LA spaz in Italy is looking at them, so I...

goodboyr

Actually, the double is programmed to just fill a 2 oz measure. But that includes crema. Once crema subsides, it probably is more like 1.5 or so.

goodboyr

I'm not too much fixated on numbers. I use about 16-17, and adjust grind till I hit 25 - 35 seconds. And that makes me a tasty shot!

goodboyr

I didn't program the single so its at factory default. Double is programmed to just fill a 2/oz measure during an actual pull. You should program with a coffee load in the pf, not an empty pf.

goodboyr

You are welcome. Could I ask how old your Dream is?

goodboyr

Yup. I know this well. Your brew boiler temperature sensor has died. Mine have been doing this at approx 6 month intervals. Please get in touch with Tim at CCS. He will get you fixed up. As well, its important that they know this is happening to people other than me! :-)

goodboyr

I've had mine apart a few times (dream instead of dream t), and it takes a bit of work to get the side panels aligned and tight. There are alignment channels the the back metal panel goes into, and if they are not done right you get the symptom you are describing. So bottom line is that they probabl...

goodboyr

And then quickly get it back in before the 3 way exhausts.........:-)

goodboyr

Me too.

goodboyr

My offset is 0 with 1.19. It was +8 before that version. Perhaps you might try to reinstall 1.19 while waiting for the scace.

goodboyr

Many of you have read about all the troubles I've had with my Dream's (I had the original version, and my retailer replaced it with the newer 2.0 Dream). I continued to experience periodic failures of the brew temperature sensor. This tended to occur about every 6 months of use. As well, I have repo...

goodboyr

Isn't this when the auto fill for the steam boiler comes on at the same time as a shot? The pump thus has two discharge paths. Are you making milk based drinks? Try steaming after the shot instead of during or before.

goodboyr

Thanks for that...

BTW, I believe I have found the root cause of my issues, including why my Dream experience is different than most. But I want to wait a bit to make sure I've got it solved before I report back.

goodboyr

chas wrote:BTW John, we need to give you the coveted "First Person Award" for being the first out of thousands of owners that have had this part fail.

I will gladly relinquish my award to John!

goodboyr

Yes. You program while doing an actual shot. Measure the shot glass level with water so you know where the level is corresponding to the volume you want. Then actually prepare a shot and set the volumetric programming while doing the shot.

goodboyr

Yup. Those silicon gaskets are awesome!

goodboyr

Just think of me as a forum resource for absolutely anything that can go wrong with the Dream series..
After all that, I still love that machine.

goodboyr

Me too!

goodboyr

Well, just had another weird one with my Dream. Found it completely dead. Not even flashing red power light. Checked plug and circuit all OK. So, figured maybe a fuse blew. Turned it upside down and checked both fuses. All good. So I reinstalled them, plugged it back in and it powered up fine. So ma...

goodboyr

Thanks. I did note that the gicleur is different on the Dream. There is no adjustment or nut. Instead, the rubber seat mates against a raised spot with a tiny hole in the valve body. The water inlet enters the valve body through a larger hole at the periphery, and when the solenoid operates the plun...

goodboyr

Just had a classic steam boiler overfill problem on my Dream.....but with a twist. Symptoms: Water coming out of vacuum breaker at top of boiler, pressure going way over setpoint, mix of steam and water slugs from steam nozzle. I could draw off lots of water through the water tap before the refill p...

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