S1's Go Fanless

[chas]

Chris tells me that there is a redesign starting with the latest batch of S1's that gets rid of the fan required to cool the steam boiler triac. The triacs are now gone, replaced by solid state relays which don't require fans. Also, there is a level of redundancy designed into the SSRs such that they can partly fail and the S1 will still work.

This is not a retrofit. It is just part of the design for new machines. As of now nothing else new is coming down the pike though there was some discussion about getting Chris to try to convince LaSpaz to change the boiler design in the Minis to have a removable top like the boiler in the V2 so that the steam boiler elements are replaceable without replacing the entire boiler. No promises though as to whether this will happen or when.

Here's an update from Jason at Chris Coffee:

I spoke with La Spaziale and the new dual relay is not going to be on the batch of machines we have coming in. They are still in the testing phase to make sure that it proves to be reliable. The upgrade should be compatible with the old machines by purchasing the relay and wiring harness, it will work with the existing control board. Once I have more information I will pass it on. Have a great weekend.

Regards,

Jason Verenini
Chris' Coffee

[Endo]

... there was some discussion about getting Chris to try to convince LaSpaz to change the boiler design in the Minis to have a removable top like the boiler in the V2 so that the steam boiler elements are replaceable without replacing the entire boiler. No promises though as to whether this will happen or when.

Oh that would be so awesome!

I guess I can live with the sealed boiler. I can see how it makes sense to keep the cost low. And I guess if the replacement price for the whole unit stays at $170 or so, it's not too bad.

Still, I'm sure in a few more years, with my currrent sealed unit, I'll be looking for a way to get that junk out of there.

[caf4brains]

I'd be very interested to see the difference in price between the sealed and non-sealed boiler. Would the non-sealed boiler include a drain valve?

[chas]

The currently shipping Mini VII units have a drain plug on the sealed boilers. I doubt they'd take it away if they change the design so that the top is removable.

Jason indicated that for a while when they'd get new Mini's in, some would have boilers with drain plugs and some wouldn't. However, it now appears that LaSpaz has wiped out their inventory of boilers w/o drain plugs and all the new ones have them.

[Endo]

Guess that makes my "no drain" boiler a collector's item.

Not too bad actually. The "syphon drain method" I'm using for descaling has proven to work very well.

Actually, I'd much prefer having a boiler I could open to remove scale than a drain.

[Louis]

Chas,

Any news on when the new version should be available?

Thank you.

[Endo]

Yeah. It's been several months now. Was the reliability testing of the dual relay successful?

Sounds like a great upgrade for the home environment, to make it totally silent when idle.

[chas]

I'll check in sometime this week and ask. I haven't heard anything. Once testing was complete, then they have to wait until an order from Chris comes in (hard to tell how many he already has in stock), then they build the order, ship it via boat to NYC, wait to get through customs, truck them to Chris Coffee, retest, ship to customers. So there is quite a delay built into that cycle.

[Endo]

That's for the new machines.

But, I'd be happy to volunteer as a "beta-tester" for the retro kit.

[Louis]

I'll check in sometime this week and ask. I haven't heard anything. Once testing was complete, then they have to wait until an order from Chris comes in (hard to tell how many he already has in stock), then they build the order, ship it via boat to NYC, wait to get through customs, truck them to Chris Coffee, retest, ship to customers. So there is quite a delay built into that cycle.

Any news? I'm trying to figure out if I should buy in 1-2 months as I plan to or wait an additionnal ____ weeks...

[Louis]

The new fanless SSR version of the Vivaldi II has arrived. It is the only change that has been made, although I expect the steam boiler to be bare brass (not nickel plated).

The Canadian vendor I am buying from will receive a very small quantity from Chris Coffee next week (one will be mine few days after).

I will probably try to post pics to show the difference between the new one and the former TRIAC+fan version.

[Endo]

Cool. I wonder if it will be retro-fit-able like they said? Wonder how much too?

[GDK]

I do not see a reason to rush and "upgrade" the board - a faint fan noise vs. audible clicks, not a big deal. If the fan breaks on mine at some point (triac will last long time), then there may be no choice but to go with the newer board.

A practical approach to prolong the life of either circuit and reduce the noise a bit (and energy) is to isolate the boiler. After isolating mine, it cycles to on every 2.5 minutes for about 5-6 sec. The cycle used to be around 1.5 min before.

There may be other differences with the new board I guess, we shall see.

[Endo]

True. The fan noise alone is not enough reason to swap.

If you have the regular S1 with the big steam boiler and leave your machine on 24/7, Insulating the steam boiler seems like a very good idea. But I own the Mini and only turn on my steam boiler "on demand", which means about 10 minutes a day. In this case, insulating is pointless.

[Garrett]

Well happy to confirm that the machine I received two days ago and latest batch from CCS is indeed fanless. Also the plexiguard is gone as well. I'll have to try and get a few shots once I disassemble her again after I've calmed down from the excitement of getting it The machine now is pretty much dead silent with only a slight click on occasion and the boiler kick'in in.

[Louis]

The new version has arrived: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1543

[chas]

This thread title was changed to reflect the fact that S1's have been shipping with the new fanless design since April 2011

[chas]

This is a test,