No pump for double shot

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TioTom
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No pump for double shot

Post by TioTom »

I bought a neglected S1 V2 for a very low price but I had to 'bite the bullet' and buy a new control box since someone ahead of me removed the original box. I got the box, cleaned the machine and hooked everything up and it worked great. Then, the other day when I pushed the double shot button I heard a loud buzzing which sounded like a relay that wasn't pulling in properly. I hit the double shot button again and everything went back to normal. When I tried the double button again with a good solid push things worked fine. Now today, when I hit the double button, I hear the the brew valve open to allow pre-infusion but when the set time passes everything shuts down, the pump does not activate. When I try the single shot button everything works great.

The only idea I have at this point involves the flowmeter. When I tried to program the buttons but nothing happened. Early on when I cleaned the flowmeter I noticed that the top plastic section that supports the wiring prongs was loose so I glued it. But it could be that the meter is shot and not sending any signal to the controller. If for some reason the double button thinks its dose is zero, that might shut everything down at the start. I have a couple of flowmeters that I have pulled from other machines and I was going to try one. I am assuming that they are all pretty much the same with regard to their function. If it is not the meter, then I need some help. I sure hope that the board is ok. Thanks for any help that you might offer.
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chas
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Re: No pump for double shot

Post by chas »

Tell me more about not being able to program volumetric dosing, especially when programming the one-cup button. What are your exact steps? Where in that process does it fail? And what is the specific failure?

You can get a replacement Gicar flowmeter lid from EspressoParts.com for $44 or the whole enchilada on eBay for $55. What makes the price difference less than $11 is the fact that they also recommend spending a couple more bucks on a new lid gasket AND shipping is not included. For the eBay item shipping is included.

That said, unless you want to replace the lid or entire flowmeter because you don't trust your own glue job, I'd hold off and check a few other things first. The fact that the one-cup button works but not the two-cup button sounds to me like the flowmeter may not be the issue. Also, if there are no pulses received by the flowmeter, the group should continue to run until you get a flowmeter alarm. Volumetric dosing set to "zero" on the two-cup button would cause the symptoms you are seeing, but if it works right sometimes, that also doesn't sound like the dosing is set to zero. It doesn't spontaneously reset itself.
Chas
LM GS/3 & LaSpaziale Dream v 1.25 (US 120V)
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chas
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Re: No pump for double shot

Post by chas »

What you are describing only partially sounds like it could be this problem, but it's worth checking. The controller box has two switches on top. One controls whether the machine runs in 15A or 20A mode. The other tells the machine whether the optional timer box is installed. If the timer switch is set to the "On" position (meaning the optional timer is installed) and it is not actually installed, the pump won't come out.

That switch has a two connector ribbon cable that plugs into the controller board. The fact that the pump has come on previously likely indicates that the switch is in the correct position, but it is always possible that the plug on the controller board is not seated well since the problem is intermittent.

You could also have a contact issue with the two-cup button inside the front panel module. However, this wouldn't cause any issues with volumetric programming of the one-cup button. Some folks have had this problem and fixed it by opening up the front panel module and cleaning or repairing the metal traces behind that button. (After all this time, they are likely to be oxidized.) Others have purchased a whole new front panel, but mostly because the self-repair option was too daunting for them. (No one has ever mentioned on the Forum what a new front panel costs.)

Since you talked about using the pre-infusion, it sounds like you definitely have the new board set to V2 mode since it supports both V1 and V2. Did you have to change the mode after you installed it or does it default to V2 mode? BTW: Each time you switch modes the configuration is wiped out and you are running with factory defaults.

Also, for future consideration. If you have an V1 running in V2 mode then the temperature is shown in 5C increments whereas the machine is now displaying in 1C increments. You can order a replacement stick on label with the 1C increments. I don't know the cost of these either but I was led to believe that they are reasonably priced
Chas
LM GS/3 & LaSpaziale Dream v 1.25 (US 120V)
Mazzer Kony E, Customized Rocky
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TioTom
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Re: No pump for double shot

Post by TioTom »

Thank you Chas for your very detailed comments. You are putting the brain of a senior citizen to work big time. My machine is a Vivaldi II with a manufacturing date of 2007. I am very impressed with the construction and features of the machine and my plan is to get it into 'better than new' shape for regular use in the kitchen. It will take me a little time to get back to you with some well-thought-out answers, etc. Thanks again.
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Re: No pump for double shot

Post by TioTom »

OK. Everything is working great. Here's what I did:
1 - I read the manual [When all else fails, read the instructions] from Chris' Coffee and made sure that the machine was running in the VII mode.
2 - I followed the instructions to program the dose and everything worked great. The pump comes on in both the single and double shot modes and I am happy. I have used HX machines for a few years and like them, but the VII takes out the guesswork. It is EXTREMELY quiet and smooth.
3 - Although the machine was without its brain when I bought it, it did come with the timer! So again, I carefully read the instructions and now it is coming on in the AM before I get up and as for 'me and my household' we love that feature.
I do have a couple of remaining questions though;
1 - I tried setting the temperature offset but my temperatures [according to handheld digital thermometer] are still low. I cannot remember my results at this time, but I will post them later.
2 - Based on a previous experience [different machine] burning out a hi-temp sensor, I filled the brew boiler prior to starting the machine up by removing the small 'plug' on the top of the boiler. Although everything is working fine I have the in the back of my mind the question as to whether or not it is a problem to have the brew boiler completely full. I cannot figure how new machine would know if the brew boiler is full or not. No level control, etc.
That's it for now. Thanks again for your interest and comments.
Tom B.
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chas
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Re: No pump for double shot

Post by chas »

1-3 Reading between the lines, was the pump not coming on because you had the timer switch on the control box in the Off position? If so, does that mean that the pump still works when the single-cup button is pressed but not when the two-cup button is pressed. I was assuming both buttons would exhibit the same effect but perhaps that one-cup option was never tested.

The timer is great and worth the cost though the price has gone up a lot since I bought one. As you have probably noticed, the programming algorithm is a little bit weird but once you set it you will probably never touch it again.

2-1 You can't really get an accurate temperature reading with the method you described. The optimal method is to use a "Scace" device as shown in this document: https://www.worldcoffeeevents.org/wp-co ... ines-2.pdf

Unfortunately, this device is way over priced and harder to get for a 53mm pf than it used to be. However, a guy on this forum (sakurama) has one that he rents for a reasonable fee. Check out this thread: viewtopic.php?f=57&t=1107
Chas
LM GS/3 & LaSpaziale Dream v 1.25 (US 120V)
Mazzer Kony E, Customized Rocky
Hottop P/B
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