# Pidding a Silvia



## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Does anyone have any instructions on how to do this. A bit like the series of Dummies books.....I am quite happy to have a go at following instructions but am generally a diy nightmare! Also, where would you buy the kit from?


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Auber if you want to easiest to install but it's more $$$


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

and the benefit of a pid on a single boiler is that each shot when pulling more than one, will be at the right temp?


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Will certainly remove the thermostat 'dead band' and provide brew temp accuracy. If you were to consider a PID would certainly be a good idea to include pre-infusion functionality as this will certainly improve the coffee.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Be happy to fit the PID for you David - especially if you go for the Auberins.


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

dfk41 said:


> and the benefit of a pid on a single boiler is that each shot when pulling more than one, will be at the right temp?


You'll get to see when the boiler is at temp rather than having to guess or do a raindance


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Patrick, you know I cannot refuse an offer like that.....LOL. Next i will be asking you for a link to the kit......


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Why are u pudding a silvia ...what's happened to the the veloce


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

I am going to stick a sixpence in for xmas day and let whoever finds it, without burning themselves keep it bootsie


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Has bean dead stock bargains ...


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

oh, sorry, i have just re read your comment and i think you mean kidding not pudding

I bought one from hasten. I have always admired the Silvia and want to see if I could wean myself off the levers with a machine of this quality......hence the pud


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

dfk41 said:


> Patrick, you know I cannot refuse an offer like that.....LOL. Next i will be asking you for a link to the kit......


The Auberins kit isn't cheap but if you want to include pre-infusion as well, don't know another PID kit that offers this - anyone got info on that??


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## Olliehulla (Feb 26, 2013)

you could try (if you haven't already) http://www.pidsilvia.com/index.htm

not sure how the pricing compares to the Auber kits available through ebay though


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## Milanski (Oct 10, 2013)

If it's any help I have preinfusion on my pidded Silvia and I've never managed to make it work any better than without, so I use without.

Heard others say the same thing...


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## 7877 (Aug 14, 2014)

Just watch out for import taxes and admin fees if you order from Auber or Pidsilvia

I went for the more expensive Auber kit with pre-infusion and steam control, for someone who was less than confident of fitting I think it was worth it because the Auber instructions are really easy to follow with lots of pictures....the only thing that caused a problem was my sausage fingers!..so in my opinion with that kit in particular you don't need anyone to help you fit it, just take your time and follow what they say to the letter.

I am not sure what the prices look like now with current exchange rate but for me it worked out at about £150 delivered and I was fortunate enough not to get caught by customs....I can't remember if Auber devalued it on the customs sticker or labeled it as something ambiguous though to be honest.


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## 7877 (Aug 14, 2014)

Milanski said:


> If it's any help I have preinfusion on my pidded Silvia and I've never managed to make it work any better than without, so I use without.
> 
> Heard others say the same thing...


With the Auber kit I would say pre-infusion was a useful addition but I was more interested in the steam temp control to be honest. I do believe I noticed a difference with it as I did try it totally switched off for a period.

You do have to remember that the pre-infusion is not at a reduced pressure, however you can vary the time to whatever suits you. The Auber kit is set to defaults they deem suitable for the Silvia and they do work fine out of the box, but when you get your head around the settings most likely you will end up tweaking them.


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## Milanski (Oct 10, 2013)

Sibling Chris said:


> With the Auber kit I would say pre-infusion was a useful Addison but I was more interested in the steam temp control to be honest. I do believe I noticed a difference with it as I did try it totally switched off for a period.
> 
> You do have to remember that the pre-infusion is not at a reduced pressure, however you can vary the time to whatever suits you. The Auber kit is set to defaults they deem suitable for the Silvia and they do work fine out of the box, but when you get your head around the settings most likely you will end up tweaking them.


Do you use the pre-infusion?

If the steam temp is only available on the pre infusion version then def worth having if you drink milk. I rarely do.


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## gingerneil (Aug 21, 2014)

I've recently PIDd a Classic and it was very easy. Can you study the circuit diagrams from that, and make changes for the Silvia? It would be waaay less than half the cost of a kit.


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## 7877 (Aug 14, 2014)

Yes I used the preinfusion all the time. I did try it off as well. Is it a pre-requisite to getting a decent shot? Maybe no, maybe yes -there are too many variables you are trying to tame the Silvia to say definitively imho. However, personally I would say it improved the extraction overall and therefore the flavours in the cup.

In terms of features with the Auber PID it's actually the other way around. You've got three options

1) basic PID kit controlling brew temp

2) 1 + steam control

3) 2 + pre-infusion

Considering the price differential in dollars and the fact I couldn't add pre-infusion later without swapping the whole kit I went with the third option.

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6

The pidsilvia bloke has an interesting page about pre-infusion and the pros and cons.


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## 7877 (Aug 14, 2014)

gingerneil said:


> I've recently PIDd a Classic and it was very easy. Can you study the circuit diagrams from that, and make changes for the Silvia? It would be waaay less than half the cost of a kit.


I am sure a lot of people have done this, but the kit has essentially done a lot of the thinking for you so you've got some support to some extent if you slip up. So I guess it depends on your level of expertise....I preferred the "one stop shop" that the kit gave me as I had no experience about the internal workings of the machine or the electronics side of things.


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## aaroncornish (Nov 7, 2012)

I went for the Auber Kit for my classic. The instructions were pretty good, and it included everything you need in one package.

All of the cables were terminated with the right connectors and cut to the right lengths.

Granted, they are quite a lot more expensive than the DIY approaches, but I didn't fancy my chances going about it on my own.

It has made a huge difference to my shots. I have pretty much ruled out bad shots based on temperature, never any sour or overly bitter shots.

The improvement in steam is phenomenal, if you make milk drinks it is very much worth it.

Aaron


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## Adder (Sep 29, 2016)

Milanski said:


> If it's any help I have preinfusion on my pidded Silvia and I've never managed to make it work any better than without, so I use without.
> 
> Heard others say the same thing...


Totally agree


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