Flow meter problem; can't pull shots

Did you have a bad "out-of-box" experience with your Mini? Describe it here and report back with the final resolution.
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Bru

Flow meter problem; can't pull shots

Post by Bru »

I got my VII a couple of days ago. Everything seems to work except that I can't pull shots. The pump draws water from the reservoir, the boilers & group heat up; the lights all do the appropriate thing. Once it's heated up & ready, hot water comes out OK, steam is OK, but when I try to pull a shot I get the "damaged flow meter" warning lights (91, 92, 93 flash once for a single shot, 94, 95, 96 for a double). The pump does not operate. Then it goes back to "I'm ready" mode. I called Caffe Tech in Edmonton, my supplier, and so far they have been helpful, but we haven't found a solution. They advised me to take apart the flow meter & check for debris & also to check that the connectors were secure. This I did, but found everything in order. I then took off the back & side panels to inspect the innards for loose wiring or anything else that looked wrong. It all seems to be ship-shape. So I've called Caffe Tech again, & Joe, the manager is going to make a few calls, consult with his techies & get back to me. I'm happy so far with the support from Caffe Tech, but I'm not sure how much more work I want to do on this machine. (Though at least I've learned how to take off all the panels.)
My problem seems identical to the one reported by maxspivak with his plumbed-in VII phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=329 . The solution there was a new flow sensor sending unit & impeller from Chris Coffee.
Bru

Problem solved :D

Post by Bru »

Dave, a technician at Caffe Tech, called & after discussion of some different possibilities, he said he would check some stuff out & call back, which he did in about an hour.
Dave: Have you taken the cup warmer off?
Me: Yes.
Dave: It's off now?
Me: Yes.
Dave: Look down on the right hand side; there's a black box with two switches..
Me: Yes.
Dave: There's one switch marked ON/OFF
Me: Yes
Dave: What is it switched to?
Me: "ON".
Dave: Switch it to "OFF".
Me: NO!
Dave: YES!
Me: NO!!!!
So, this little switch tells the control board whether a timer is installed: ON for yes, OFF for no. I have no timer; so it should have been OFF. If the timer is installed, the group head functions are disabled unless the timer tells it to be on.
I turned the switch to OFF & still nothing happened. So I rebooted the VII, and this time, when pressed one of the coffee buttons, the pump sprang into action & water started coming out of the group head. :D
Go figure. I'm a little chagrined at how much of my time has been taken for something so simple. But I'm relieved that the problem is solved, & I'm on my way to making coffee. First I'm gonna flush a tankful or two of water through the system to get rid of any new machine odour.
So, thanks again to Caffe Tech for their support. This problem would almost certainly not have arisen if I had let them test the VII before shipping it to me. I bought the machine in person in Edmonton & had intended to bring it with me on the flight home the next day; so I asked them to pack it for me to pick up later that day. Later I discovered that Air Canada's new regulations would require me to pay $145 in excess and overweight baggage fees; so I ended up phoning Caffe Tech & telling them to ship it to me anyway.
JohnB

Re: Flow meter problem; can't pull shots

Post by JohnB »

Glad you got it sorted. It seems that the Timer switch issue pops up every couple months on the forum.
MDL
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Re: Flow meter problem; can't pull shots

Post by MDL »

I'm glad that you got things sorted out, but to me this reflects poor understanding and preparation of the machine by the vendor. There is no excuse to sell/ship a machine that is configured so that it won't work. In addition, you would think that they would have a better understanding of what they are selling and could have helped you without all of the return calls and effort?
Mark
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chas
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Re: Flow meter problem; can't pull shots

Post by chas »

FYI, this known issue is documented on the VII FAQ page at: http://www.rimpo.org/s1v2/faqs.htm. You may not have thought to look there since you have a Mini VI but that's the only relevant Mini data we have. Unless you have an issue with the vibe pump or the water tank sensors, the remaining data on the VII website: http://www.rimpo.org/s1v2 should apply - in addition to info on this Forum of course.

BTW: When there is a "Damaged Flow Meter" alarm the sets of three lamps come on and stay on until you press the One Cup or Two Cup button again to shut off the pump. The pump will run in this situation. So what you saw was not this alarm. I guess we can call what you experienced an undocumented alarm that means the Timer switch in ON and you either don't have a Timer or your timer has failed.

I concur that the vendors should check for this before shipment. It is strange that a number of folks are seeing this. The only theory I can come up with is that the machines are tested with a timer to ensure that the timer mode works on all machines. Then whoever is testing them spaces out and doesn't change the switch back when they disconnect the test timer.
Chas
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