The S1 Cafe - Helping Your Espresso Dreams Become Reality

chas

You have the unique experience of being the first one in 15 years to require a new controller board.

chas

I've never owned a Mini nor heard of anyone with your specific issue. Before you replace or work on the control board, you should talk to some Mini owners to see if there are any Mini specific issues that might cause this problem. There was one other guy on this Forum who had a control board issue t...

chas

There's ribbon cable that goes between the front panel and the control board. Be sure it is plugged in well on both ends.

chas

3) Press the ON / OFF (27) and button and keep it pressed for about 3 seconds, the green On/STBY light (22) changes from flashing to steady indicating the machine is ON. At the same time the lights from (14) to (21) turn on steadily for about a second (indicating power on test mode). Did you try the...

chas

You may want to check out the top two photos here: https://www.s1cafe.com/s1v2/S1vsVII.php

chas

Sakurama: Welcome back! Since you posted your complaint message OK, I assume you actually can post now. https://www.s1cafe.com/viewtopic.php?t=138 The membership rules are posted here. The reason your original account disappeared is in Note in the last sentence. You probably could not post because y...

chas

I forgot to ask where the leak seems to be coming from in your machine. Is it the wand itself that is leaking or is it from the control faucet? When mine leaked it was the gasket up at the ball joint so the leak was coming from the wand itself. It sounds like your leak is coming from the faucet mech...

chas

The good news is that the parts you can't get apart are in the hot water assembly. Only the parts in the top assembly are for the steam wand.

chas

You should contact Chris Coffee Service to see what they will charge you to update the firmware.

chas

I am not sure why I answered as if you had a Mini when your post is clearly about a plumbed in VII. Ignore my previous post. Did you mean that you are seeing 2-3 bar rather than 2-3 PSI. 2-3 bars is OK as you should see the water line pressure when the pump in not running. As for whether the pump ha...

chas

The excerpt I've attached from the on-line Users Manual seems to be the closest match. Sounds like it you might still be having a boiler refill issue.

chas

How long does the pump stay on when refilling the steam boiler?

chas

From the User's Manual found on this site: 5.3 Steam Boiler Temperature Detection System Failure (only with the boiler turned on) This is a blocking alarm and occurs when the temperature probe of the boiler is in short circuit (temperature >145°C) or it is in open circuit (disconnected) condition (t...

chas

Were you able to fit the problem?

chas

chas

I show the water flow inside the Mini in the diagram below. I labelled a part "expansion valve" in this diagram but that is because that is what the same part is used for in the plumbed-in version. However, in the Mini, it is used to adjust group pressure. You're not the first one to post ...

chas

It's a thermal breaker that trips when the boiler gets too hot. Thermal breakers are available from many vendors. However, this one sits on a threaded part that screws down into the top of the boiler and conducts heat up to the breaker. The red tipped cap is part of the reset button. Normally, one o...

chas

No need to bleed the air. Just run it.

chas

Is the Solenoid Valve working for sure?

chas

Hopefully you have heard from MMG by now. I agree that the way that messages work is not right, but that's the way it is. However, as far as I know, the recipient does receive the message.

chas

The only thing I can think of is that the boiler's heater element is shot and is perhaps touching the fill probe inside the boiler (or the heater element is energizing the water inside the boiler exiting via the fill probe). In any case, if that higher voltage has gotten on to that probe you likely ...

chas

First of all, the Plumbed S1 is not designed to pull water out of a jug without using a Flojet so you may just be lucky so far. What kind of water are you using in the jug? The S1 design requires a certain amount of mineral content the water so that you get some conduction to the grounded tank betwe...

chas

In case you haven't searched the site for "Ribbon Cable", I did find the following info: Buttons: 1. On/Off - Pin 1(GND) and Pin 11 (5V) 2. Single Shot - Pin 2 and Pin 5 3. Double Shot - Pin 2 and Pin 7 4. Steam Boiler - Pin 2 and Pin 9 5. Watter - Pin 1 and Pin3 Lights: 1. On/STBY LED - P...

chas

Short of contacting Chris Coffee Services in order to purchase the exactly correct cable for the machine, you can check Walmart on-line, Google ribbon cables, or buy some ribbon cable and connectors and make your own. Since I have a Dream I can't check for you since my machine design is different. B...

chas

Any luck getting your machine working? If so, what ended up being the real issue?

chas

You may need a new front panel assembly or else you may have some broken wires in the cable that connects between the controller board and the front panel. By all means check the cable first since it is easier and cheaper to replace, if that's where the problem is. BTW: Did you press the Boiler butt...

chas

Don't replace it yet. You mentioned something important that you didn't say originally - "No Click". That could mean a bad solenoid or a blockage in the 3-way solenoid. You may want to completely remove that solenoid and connect it to a 110V source. If that doesn't make it click, then the ...

chas

In that case the first thing I would do would be to remove the three screws that hold on the lid to the flowmeter (accessible just behind the front panel). Then check that the white plastic impeller wheel is intact and spins easily. If not, order a new one. If that is OK, then remove the water lines...

chas

I assume you pressed the two-cup button? If so, then either the flow meter is not working correctly or else your coffee grind is too fine. You can easily check for the latter issue by trying to pull a shot with an empty portafilter. If there is no error when you try that, then your grind is too fine...

chas

All those boiler pipes normally have a lock nut on top. However, you can do without it so long as the fitting doesn't leak.

chas

BTW: The best option is to upload all files to the S1Cafe forum. That way they will always be available on the forum. However, should you ever delete or move the file or delete your GDrive account, the file will no longer be viewable here and a future viewer of your post will just see an X where the...

chas

Teflon tape is the usual answer on most of the fittings.

chas

What worked?

chas

Since I transferred the S1Cafe Forum to a new Admin and a new webhost, a few people have signed up but no one has posted. So this is a test to be sure that function is working.

Chas - Former Admin
Still Around

chas

The fill sensor is just a metal rod so there is not much to fail. It should have a teflon sleeve between it and the body of the steam boiler to insulate it from the steam boiler so that any/all conduction is just through the water. What you are seeing now would occur if that sleeve is not in place a...

chas

Next you should unscrew the cover from the back of the steam boiler fill solenoid so you can access the wires. Pull them off, if necessary, so you can put an AC voltmeter across the contacts. See if you are getting 110VAC or whatever your line voltage is across the leads when the boiler should be fi...

chas

Easy Check #2: Did you follow this procedure from the User's Manual? 4.4 Filling the Water Tank 1) Remove the drip tray (1) 2) Remove the water tank (4) and fill with soft water to ensure against mineral buildup in your boilers 3) Replace the water tank (4) and the drip tray (1) 4) Insert the plug i...

chas

Easiest thing first. Did you inadvertently hit the Boiler button and turn it Off? It's not hard to do since the Boiler button is right next to the On/Off button. The red Boiler lamp should flash while heating or stay lit steadily when it is up to temp.

chas

From what I have read, Prague uses 220VAC. The S1 Fan is only needed in 110VAC countries. This is because at 110VAC, twice as much current flows through the triac compared to 220VAC systems. Triac boards don't get hot enough at 220VAC to need a fan. In both machine types, the steam boiler draws 1440...

chas

Newer S1's and V2's use the same controller board which can be set in either S1 or V2 mode. Not all S1's have this controller board. Your first step should be to check whether you have the correct controller board. You can tell by unplugging the machine, then plugging it back in. If you have a dual ...

chas

This fault can have three different potential causes: 1) Temperature >145C when initially turned on. Probe or circuit shorted. 2) Temperature <60C (Probe or Circuit Open.) 3. Temperature does not exceed 60C within 5 minutes. Error 1 is most likely the probe though it could also be the result of a sh...

chas

You may need to replace the heat element but first pull out the water level sensor and be sure it is clean. If so, or once cleaned, replace it, then empty the boiler by removing the brass bolt on the bottom of the boiler over the sink. Once empty and the bolt is replaced, try it again. This will tel...

chas

It sounds like your previous repairs did NOT require you to either loosen or remove that expansion valve so it is probably the rubber seal. It may have just chosen that moment to crack. That valve fitting should be tightened via screwing it in until the valve just starts to drip when the group boile...

chas

This is a test,

chas

The boiler initially fills and remains full, when the pump is not running via the normal water line pressure. It seems that this is not happening for you and, instead the boiler is partially emptying. I am at a loss as to what might make this happen. Is any water dripping into your drip tray from ei...

chas

Quick Question: When you saw nothing coming out during pre-infusion, was the with an empty PF or a full one?

chas

I'll wait and see if anyone from Europe responds about a parts source closer to Turkey. (Or is it now Türkiye?) I am only aware of part sources in the US. I don't know which, if any, will ship to Turkey or what they might charge. If you need part numbers for anything, you can get them in this docume...

chas

BTW: The bolt next to the one holding your ground wires appears to be loose. You may want to tighten it down carefully while you're fixing the ground wire issue.

: 2022-02-03_11-34-23.png (462.18 KiB) Viewed 1921 times

chas

The broken or breaking wire is a ground wire since it connects directly to the boiler. The copper pipe that you highlighted in the bottom photo is the 3-way valve which drains into the "drip tray". If the water is missing the drip tray you can always bend the copper pipe a bit toward the f...

chas

Any updates on your S1 situation?

chas

First check out the photos on this page: Steam Boiler Photos The hole closer to the middle of the top of your boiler is where the temperature probe should be. You won't get far without it. The wire that connects it to the controller board should be somewhere nearby. Also, there should be a thermal b...

chas

BTW: Can you tell for sure where the hiss is coming from? My original S1 developed a hiss. Turns out that the seal on the steam boier lid had dried out and shrunk with age and steam was escaping around the edge of the lid. I tightened all the lid bolts by no more than 1/8 of a turn and the hissing s...

chas

I don't think it's a Rossini or a Vivaldi. I think it's just an S1.

chas

BTW: I see that the images on your original post were on your comcast.net server and are no longer there. Do you still have them? If so edit that post and upload the images directly to the S1Cafe, if you please. That will help to improve our old records. http://home.comcast.net/~lrumanes/DSCN0001.jp...

chas

Are you sure this is an S1 Vivaldi and not an S1 Rossini? I don't think the S1 Rossini has ever had a gauge. Not that it matters for your issue. The triac usually fails either open or shorted. If it failed open, the boiler would never warm up and you would get an alarm instead of the safety valve po...

chas

Wow. I don't remember any S1 having no pressure guage. I had a very early S1 and it had a steam boiler pressure gauge.

If the pressure valve is opening right at startup and not after enough time has passed for the boiler to get up to temperature, it must be the valve.

chas

On my first S1, I had a mineral deposit on the gicleur itself, which restricted the water flow to the steam boiler. After 60 seconds, the power will go off to the entire machine due to the machine throwing a refill alarm. If this happens, you have to unplug the machine for a few seconds, then plug i...

chas

Bumping up this post to top of forum

chas

20211107_155813.jpgHello. Just bought a used vivaldi and i have 2 issues with it. First when i turn it the grouphead never gets warn, just boiler and set temp starts to blink. If i press boiler the grouphead gets warm but no preassure and im not sure the boiler even fills with water. The Boiler but...

chas

RussellF:

It looks like you are going to be the trailblazer with this new feature. We look forward to you telling us how it works!

BTW: Do you have a link for this information on the LaSpaziale website? I couldn't find it.

chas

I also discovered that the "n" in nRF stands for Nordic Semiconductor.

chas

I found this app on the Google Play store:
nRF Connect for Mobile

chas

I wonder if the reference to Bluetooth is an error. As far as I can tell there is nothing Bluetooth or Wi-Fi about the timer replacement module in the VII. Mostly it ensures that when powered up the VII is in the ON mode rather than in standby. Then you separately buy a Wifi Power Module that plugs ...

chas

Weird that they added Bluetooth rather than Wi-Fi. With Bluetooth you have to be close enough to the machine to use it that it buys you little additional functionality over just using the front panel.

chas

The fill probe should prevent overfilling if it is operating properly. The probe itself is just a metal rod so it can't actual fail. However, there are still several things that can go wrong. Easiest: There is a nut that goes through the top of the boiler.Inside that nut is a plastic sleeve. Then th...

chas

Check this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=57&t=2406&p=25053&hilit ... ill#p25053

chas

I normally use a LaMarzocco GS/3, but it was down for a couple of weeks while I awaited a replacement part, so I switched over to the LaSpaziale Dream. I took advantage of using the Dream to update the firmware from version 1.23 to 1.24. One of the key new features of 1.24 states that it has 'A &quo...

chas

Check out the description of this function in the following manual at the bottom of page 4 / ntop of page 5: http://s1cafe.com/s1dream/docs/S1%20Dream%20Graphical%20User%20Interface.pdf According to this write-up and the fact that your machine is new, the setting is supposed to be "A", but...

chas

His machine had no internal meter for the group

chas

What temperature is the group set to? If the temperature is OK, you may need to reset the group pressure. Since you don't have a built-in group pressure gauge you should either buy or make one. The portafilter is the highest cost item. My machine came with two so you could use one with a single spou...

chas

Unless new or European models have added a switch that older, US models don't have, there is no volumetric doser switch. The only switch I am aware of in newer models is the one on top of the plastic box holding the controller board. This is set to off when you do NOT have the optional timer switch ...

chas

Did you accidentally knock one of the wires off the volumetric doser while replacing the pump? A doser error is what you are getting. If the wires still seem to be correctly attached, unscrew the doser lid, remove the plastic rotating water vane, and check inside the body for debris that might be bl...

chas

I think I have fixed it though I have no idea why it stopped working.

chas

Does the front panel temperature display indicate that the group boiler is up to temperature? If yes, then the most likely failure is the temperature probe itself. As I recall, the V2 Mini uses a different style temperature probe on each boiler so you won't be able to easily swap them to see if that...

chas

The gauge is secured to the chassis by a single bolt at the top, center. It appears that a rough ride during delivery has caused the gauge to rotate slightly. It should be easily fixable by removing the panel that surrounds the gauge (2 screws), rotating the gauge slightly counter-clockwise, then re...

chas

Are you on firmware version 1.24 or later? I think smart mode was added in 1.24. My Dream is not on 1.24 yet so I don't know what turning on that mode entails. I have never had problems with the LEDs on mine. I assume you probably need to replace the entire front panel. Since the controller board is...

chas

Oh well it looks like the superscript function doesn't work worth a crap on this forum. Those should be 2's that are chopped off on top; i.e. squared.

chas

17 Ohms is correct for that heater element since R = V² / P = 117²/ 800 = 17 Ohms.

Also, since it only takes 5uA of leakage current to trip a GFCI you won't see any change in resistance when using an ohmmeter with the cord unplugged.

chas

If that's the problem, it is an easy fix. I would just be sure to put two wraps of teflon tape around the threads first before screwing in the new part. One last thing before doing that. You should be able to take off the warming tray with just the one screw that is at the front, center of the tray....

chas

What Clive is calling a Safety Switch, LaSpaziale calls a Safety Thermostat. It's actually a heat thermostat. If the boiler gets too hot it trips and removes the voltage from the boiler heater element. There is one on each boiler. So, "No", the boiler won't work when you disconnect this wi...

chas

Water or condensation does tend to get inside the heater element over time. Usually it just trips the GFCI breaker on the circuit. This is a first I've heard that it interfered with the fill sensor, though I can see how it would. Do you have a GFCI on that circuit?

chas

The large O ring for the boiler lid should be obvious from its size. I assume the rest of the O Rings are much smaller. Most of these probably go in the steam arm, the steam arm valve assembly, and the hot water arm. I wouldn't take anything apart to check them out unless one is already leaking. The...

chas

You might try the button cleaning method mentioned in this thread:
Button Cleaning

chas

There was a post abut 6 months ago from someone with the same issue. His problem was on the controller board but he was able to repair it. Turns out that the end of the water level probe wire connects to a resistor on the board and the resistor had gone bad - very rare. I am pretty sure that his pos...

chas

That errant resistor circled in your photo definitely doesn't belong there. You should get it off ASAP. Is it just sitting there or is it soldered down? Then you have to ask yourself whether there is another spot that the resistor belongs and it got misplaced or did it just get on the board by accid...

chas

The other drip tray filling up post on this page is from a plumbed in model and the mini does NOT have the part that was dripping for this owner. However, if you look at the photo of the expansion valve that was dripping in this machine you will see a copper pipe to the rear, left of this valve. You...

chas

The triac on the steam boiler triac board is shorted. You can either replace the triac or buy a new board. It fits all your symptoms. That may have been what took out your steam boiler element to begin with.

chas

Interesting. I've either never noticed the 2A fuse on my Dream or else they added it after mine was manufactured. Given the purpose of the 2A fuse, it sounds like the motor has either gone bad or else the pump has mechanical issues that are loading down the motor.

chas

If I were you, I'd definitely ship it back and get something else. BTW: Is that fuse really 2A? It should be 20A, but that's not the only thing going on.

chas

BTW: The manual I attached was from 2008. This was after the VII has been on the market for a short while, then a major controller board upgrade came available. Existing VII users were offered this upgrade for free but they had to remove the board and send it in for reprogramming. While the new Viva...

chas

Here is a document that describes R&R of the Controller Board:

Instructions to remove the V2 Controller Board.pdf: (1.92 MiB) Downloaded 702 times

chas

While you have the cable disconnected from the 3-way valve solenoid, check the power across the leads. Since you are in Germany that will be 230V AC. There should never be voltage on those leads when you just plug the unit in. Even when you turn on the machine there shouldn't be voltage there until ...

chas

Just remember that if you want to monitor the signal at the solenoid you have to be able to detect the presence or absence of 115VAC.

chas

Neither of your images show up for me.

chas

I forgot to ask if this has happened intermittently since you got the machine or if it has just started recently.

chas

The controller board sends the signals to start the pump and to engage the solenoid based on the state of the water level sensor. So normally this indicates a problem with the water level sensor. However, it can be anything from the sensor to the microcontroller input on the controller board. Most f...

chas

A 1.8 bar replacement sounds fine. If the original valve really pops off at 1.5bar, that's pretty marginal since the normal boiler pressure is about 1.3bar.

chas

I've attached a PDF file that contains plots I made of several back-to-back shots using the Scace device and a recording Digital Thermometer. As you can see you still need to start with a couple of warming shots to get past the "cold nose" effect. After that, the shot temperature is pretty...

chas

How are you testing? The boiler temp isn't a good indicator of the temp of the water at the top of the puck. I used a Scace device for my testing.

chas

Great news. Glad to hear it. Now you can enjoy your Holiday with a Cap (or several!) BTW: I used the Search function at the upper left and found another machine photo on the S1Cafe Forum that used the original SSR. It had the control wires in the same order as in your photo, so my final conclusion w...

Search found 3026 matches