Editing Bibliomansion/EspressoMachine


The Extraordinary Least Squares household hosts a souped-up Rancilio Silvia Espresso Machine, which was handed down from a nearby friend. This particular model is quite popular with home espresso aficionados and modders.

== What We've Got ==

We have a "Rancillio Silvia V1" with a "Fuji Electric PXR3" PID (aka,
"temperature controller") installed. Our Silvia also has copper tubing around
the boiler to allow pre-heating of water. We also have a fancy Rancillio
espresso grinder.

The PID device has a simple interface but fancy features: fuzzy auto-tuning, an
RS-485 serial interface for grabbing data, external switch connections for
changing modes, etc.


== Resources ==

* [http://static.bnewbold.net/tmp/rancilio-silvia-v3-user-manual.pdf Rancillio Silva V3 Manual] (V1 and V3 seem similar?)
* [http://www.americas.fujielectric.com/sites/default/files/ECNO1125s%20Micro%20Controller%20X%20PXR.pdf Fuji Electric PXR3 datasheet] ([http://static.bnewbold.net/tmp/pid_controller_datasheet.pdf mirror])
* Data and PID tuning from somebody with the same setup as us (from ~2016;  awesome gnuplot charts): [http://www.vogie.com/coffee/ vogie.com]
* Silva modding overview website (good background) [http://www.schneordesign.com/Avi/SilviaMegaMod/Silvia_intro.htm schneordesign.com]
* Here is a visual HOWTO make a whole latte with a Silvia: [https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/learn/coffee-101/how-to-guides/rancilio-silvia-steam-brew seattlecoffeegear.com]

Here are some diagrams that make it easier to understand how the machine works;
see also the Blue Bottle coffee book's espresso section.

<gallery heights="200px" perrow="6">
File:Silvia_water_scheme.jpg
File:Rancilio-silvia-pumbing-diagram.png
File:Rancilio-silvia-case-diagram.jpg
</gallery>

== July 2016 Status and Notes ==

Finally got things wired back up and successfully pulled some shots. Bryan
detached the copper tubing and external european high-pressure pump and
reconnected the original ("vibrator") pump, which seems to provide plenty of
pressure. If we want more pressure we could get a compatible upgrade like this
one on amazon: [https://www.amazon.com/Ulka-EX5-Vibratory-Pump-Dramatically/dp/B00B8KBVZE Ulka-EX5]

The Silvia casing still hasn't been re-attached, so the machine isn't super
safe to use. It would be good to add electrical tape in a couple places before
re-assembling, but otherwise it seems to be working well enough that we don't
need internal access any more.

The steam wand knob was stuck, but after turning the machine on it got
un-stuck; maybe the metal needed to heat up?

The PID settings (tuning, etc) were left as-is, except the set value (target
temperature) was changed to 223 F (from 225 F). The steam button does set the
set-point to 300 F, but the PID doesn't keep the boiler current on above 260 F
or so... not sure if B wasn't following the directions correctly, or maybe
there is a safety mode enabled in the PID controller? Note that the PID isn't
perfect, it seems to way over-shoot when re-heating after shots, but works well
enough. You can flush water through the system to cool it; not sure what effect
this has on the actual temperature of water coming out the spout.

Didn't check what the current PID mode or parameters are... if we wanted to
start from scratch we could start with these values from
[http://www.vogie.com/coffee/tuning-log.html vogie.com]:

    Set duty cycle back to 1 second (from 10 seconds)
    Set P=3.7%
    Set Ar=7.50%
    Set P=3.7% I=85.8S, D=16.5S, AR=7.50%)

The current screen (aka, where the portafilter attaches) has a big old nut in
it. Others have complained about this and modded the screen to accept a more
flush screw, but this might require a lathe.

Had trouble adjusting the grinder fine-ness. Eventually took the grinder apart
partially to clean it out, which greatly helped, and let us go from "as fine as
possible" (when spinning by hand could feel the burrs hitting each other) and
step back a quarter-dial or so.

Had lots of trouble getting the portafilter in the machine when we filled the
basket to the drop and then tamped (leaving the grinds about 2mm below the
lip). Maybe because of the screen screw, the portafilter won't even engage or
start locking with this much coffee. Needed to only fill up to about the indent
line in the basket and then press, which maybe isn't enough coffee. Need a
deeper (double) basket?

It's hard to add a fixed about of coffee to the grinder and get it all out. If
you don't let the grinder run a long time, it won't finish grinding (slower
grinding the finer the grind). A lot of grinds get stuck in the little gap
between the burrs the and cylindrical holding ("dosing"?) area. Might be worth
reading the manual to see what it says about that.

== Operation ==

'''DANGER''': the boiler and copper (basically anything copper or brass in the
machine), and also the silver head that the portafilter attaches to (and you
might be tempted to grab on to when screwing the portafilter in), all get very
hot when the machine is on. Careful! Hitting any of the buttons or opening the
steam wand at any time can also obviously result in hot water or steam
splurting out. Careful! Most of the electrical wiring is 120 V wall mains, and
the whole machine is metal and grounded, and there is water around. Careful of
electrocution! Don't use metal tools when the machine is plugged in!

'''IMPORTANT''': don't let the motor run for more than 60 seconds, and let it rest
for 60 seconds in between long runs ("1 min on / 1 min off"). It's easy for the
pump to burn out! When there is a vibrating noise, the pump is on. It's up to
you to listen and make sure it isn't running too long.

For the most part, read the Silvia V3 manual for instructions on how to turn
the machine on and off, cleaning, and the basic steps for pulling a shot. This
describes all the switches and machine-specific stuff. Read the Blue Bottle
coffee book's "how to pull a shot" section for basic instructions on how to
grind, tamp, what all the terms mean, etc.

Beyond those directions, here are some tips:

* PID will turn on when the machine is plugged in; the power switch doesn't   effect it. The boiler won't run when the main power switch is off though, so the PID doesn't do anything in this state (it's just a thermometer)
* both tubes (one plastic, one rubber) go in the water tank. the plastic one is  the over-pressure steam release valve
* it takes at least 10 minutes to warm up from cold
* the water/spill tray isn't very big: fills up fast, needs to be emptied, and   is metal so hot if full of hot water. you can use a cup when flushing to reduce the about of water that goes in it.
* leave the portafilter in the machine to keep it warm. this is especially  important when the machine is first warming up
* a good temperature is about 223 F. the PID will overshoot to about 250 F and   then slowly cool to about that temperature. If you are impatient you can try   to cool by running some water through with an empty portafilter (cup button), but then it might react and overshoot again
* with the bottom-less portafilter, you can watch and learn from how the coffee   comes out, but it might splurt around a bit so use a bigger cup
* after pulling a shot, don't forget to pull out the portafilter and flush some