# Question for the Minima owners/experts out there



## biggow (Apr 8, 2019)

Hi all,

I've received my Minima today, and have just plugged it in and started the initial start up procedure, and have immediately run into a problem.

The user guide says:

3. Switch the brew switch to the brew position (up)

4. Now move the power switch to the UP position

5. Press and hold the right hand display button for a few seconds until OFF shows in the display...

However, having run through this a couple of times, all I get on the display is NEU, followed by 10.4, followed by Pr-5, and then nothing.

Any ideas?

Thanks.


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## Nicknak (Aug 10, 2018)

@Hasi is the only person I know who has one who is logged on ....


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## ashcroc (Oct 28, 2016)

@DavecUK may also be able to help.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

You have to wait until the controller has booted, if it is still showing the software revision, you will have reset it to factory settings! I am not sure the factory settings are my recommended ones.

So to switch heating elements off, switch on and wait.....then press an hold the right hand button, the display will then show "off".

if you want to go into advanced settings...switch off, press both PID buttons and then switch on, keep them held in until you see F1 in the display. After which you can go through the advanced settings and check they are as they should be.

P.S. Good thing to do before you actually put the advanced settings back to what they should be...follow the first procedure to fill the brew and service boilers with the heating elements off....then go and do the advanced settings.


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## Iris (Oct 29, 2018)

Phone Bella Barista in the morning, its a brand new machine you shouldn't be having faults with it. Hope you get sorted.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Iris said:


> Phone Bella Barista in the morning, its a brand new machine you shouldn't be having faults with it. Hope you get sorted.


It's not a fault, did you even read what I posted? However I should update the user guide in case people press the right hand button in the first few seconds while it's booting.


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## biggow (Apr 8, 2019)

Ok, so I've put the brew switch to the up position, moved the power switch to the up position, the PID starts up with the letters NEU, then the shot clock starts. Once the shot clock has started I've then tried pressing and holding the right button on the PID, but nothing happens i.e. the shot clock just keeps counting up, and water comes out of the brew head.


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## poolfan (May 9, 2014)

biggow said:


> Ok, so I've put the brew switch to the up position, moved the power switch to the up position, the PID starts up with the letters NEU, then the shot clock starts. Once the shot clock has started I've then tried pressing and holding the right button on the PID, but nothing happens i.e. the shot clock just keeps counting up, and water comes out of the brew head.


press the power switch to on (e.g. up position to turn on brew boiler). Wait till the NEU clears on PID screen, changes to temperature of boilers (numbers). Then press and hold right hand button on PID. OFF will appear. No need to switch on the pump.

I have made same mistake and got the PR5 code when tryin to switch boilers off too quickly, so good to know that this has reset my settings, as wasn't sure what that was related to.


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## biggow (Apr 8, 2019)

Thanks poolfan. That took a couple of goes, as you have to wait a few seconds after the NEU message has turned off.

I've now got OFF on the PID display, but what then, as the next instruction says 'When water flows from the E61 group for 5 seconds move the brew switch to OFF' but of course it's already off in this scenario. Do I switch the brew switch on and run water for 5 seconds?


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Yes. Having a dying cat while I wrote that it's a tad out of order. Just use common sense, your trying to make sure the boilers are full before allowing the heaters to come on. On twin boiler machines the brew boilers have no way of knowing if they are full or not, the manufacturer's assume they are...but it's better to be sure.


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## biggow (Apr 8, 2019)

OK, so if I leave brew switch on for 5 seconds, and run water through the head, once it's switched off the pump doesn't continue to run at all, and water tank level doesn't continue to drop. Do I therefore just assume the boilers are full?


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Leave brew switch on until water flows from group for 5s, then you know brew boiler must be full. When you turn brew switch off pump will stop and water will stop coming from group.

If pump continues to run it will just be the service boiler autofilling a Nd that will stop when correct level is reached


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

OK I'm double checking the manual again now that I can think straight. I am quite annoyed (with myself) that I got that so wrong. Excerpt from the revised manual below and will be available for download soon.

Filling the Minima for the first time

*There are a few precautions when first commissioning any dual boiler and it is important to follow these procedures to avoid unnecessary stress or damage to the machine,** power on the Minima at step 3 and not before.*


Fill the water tank with clean water suitable for coffee machines (not high in lime scale forming minerals).

Place a container under the E61 group (no portafilter should be loaded at this time)


*Now move the Power Switch to the UP position *(coffee brew boiler only). Wait until the software revision has finished showing and the machine is fully booted up (about 5 seconds).

Press and hold the right hand display button for a few seconds until OFF shows in the display (this ensures the heating elements are off).

Switch the Brew Switch to the brew position (up),

Once water flows from the E61 group for 5 seconds *move the Brew Switch to the OFF position (down). Water will stop flowing from the group*

The pump may continue to run as it completes the fill of the service boiler.

Make sure the water tank water level is dropping and topped up as required.

Once the pump has stopped running, press the right hand display button once and Minima will now start heating the brew boiler.


*Move the Power Switch to the down position*, wait for both service and brew boiler to heat.

Set the service boiler and steam boiler temperatures.

Press the left hand button once T1 (Coffee Boiler) will show in the display, quickly press the right hand button and a temperature in C will show. Press the right (up) and left (down buttons) until you get 93C.

Wait a moment and then T1 will show in the display, press the down button and T2 (Service boiler) will display, quickly press the right hand button and a temperature in C will show. Press the right (up) and left (down buttons) until you get 125C

Wait until T2 shows, continue waiting and Minima automatically exits temperature setting mode.

To go straight to the T2 setting, just press the left button twice.


If at any time you wish to exit temperature setting mode, simply wait for about 3 or 4 seconds

The above sequence helps protect the heating elements, brew boilers in ALL dual boiler machines do not have level sensors and it is why you need to see water flow for 5 seconds from the E61 group. If the machine comes from a retailer, testing prior to shipping could mean, water flows immediately from the group and the pump may only run for a few seconds longer to fill the service boiler. *The above procedure assumes a machine with empty boilers.*

It is possible an A7 error will pop up once or twice during commissioning with empty boilers, if it does simply switch the machine off (wait 10 seconds) and switch on again.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

The revised userguide for Minima

https://1drv.ms/b/s!Asx_Hxo4gvfknxKtgjJbHTgwHIhO


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## Hasi (Dec 27, 2017)

Thanks Dave!

I doubt I would've been of any help in this regard. Only went through the procedure once, obviously, and obviously forgot about it long ago.

Sorry to hear about the cat, though.


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## biggow (Apr 8, 2019)

Thanks for all your help with this Dave. I'll do the flushing procedure when I get home tonight, then it's straight in with some Rocko Mountain from Foundry.

And I too am sorry to hear about your cat. Mine's been with me 15 years, and I'll no doubt me a mess when she goes.


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## Nicknak (Aug 10, 2018)

Hasi said:


> Thanks Dave!
> 
> I doubt I would've been of any help in this regard. Only went through the procedure once, obviously, and obviously forgot about it long ago.
> 
> Sorry to hear about the cat, though.


Hasi you were logged on and DaveC wasn't at the time . Then you weren't and Dave was ... Magic


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## Hasi (Dec 27, 2017)

Nicknak said:


> Hasi you were logged on and DaveC wasn't at the time . Then you weren't and Dave was ... Magic


oh well, and I've already speculated maybe Nikko and Dave to be the same person


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Hasi said:


> oh well, and I've already speculated maybe Nikko and Dave to be the same person


Me trolling meself


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## Nicknak (Aug 10, 2018)

DavecUK said:


> Me trolling meself


No you can't do that ... it's impossible .... where is the evidence


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Nicknak said:


> No you can't do that ... it's impossible .... where is the evidence


You're right, I won't believe it until I see evidence I can trust. I cannot possibly expect myself to take my own word for it.


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## Apatche64 (Jun 24, 2017)

I think this system would be aided by an initial startup button and preprogramming of recommended setting etc.

It it would be extremely easy to code.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Apatche64 said:


> I think this system would be aided by an initial startup button and preprogramming of recommended setting etc.
> 
> It it would be extremely easy to code.


That's good, you knock yourself out and good luck with coding on Gicars autofill controller....they control that quit tightly and charge royally for their coding work!


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## Apatche64 (Jun 24, 2017)

DavecUK said:


> That's good, you knock yourself out and good luck with coding on Gicars autofill controller....they control that quit tightly and charge royally for their coding work!


Ow dear , really simple to code things like this, and won't be that complex in the first place.

Why cant it be preprogrammed with recommended settings , surely it is not too troublesome for them?


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

It would be extremely easy to code but expensive and requires them to invent an entirely new controller with an extra button and provide unique preprogrammed settings for the different machines it's used in...this kind of thing will be expensive and not fitting for the Minima at all....and entirely pointless for any machine when you can just set it yourself quite easily at no additional cost.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

The smallest change is thousands of euro!


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## biggow (Apr 8, 2019)

OK, so update after trying the first shots.

First proper shot (after recalibrating the Niche, which it turns out was WAY out), I ground 18g of Foundry Rocko Mountain, at 18 on the Niche, and got 45g out in about 50 seconds. However, the pressure was hitting 12bar for most of the shot, which I'm assuming is not good, as it should be 9 bar. Is that right?

Thanks.


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## Hasi (Dec 27, 2017)

biggow said:


> OK, so update after trying the first shots.
> 
> First proper shot (after recalibrating the Niche, which it turns out was WAY out), I ground 18g of Foundry Rocko Mountain, at 18 on the Niche, and got 45g out in about 50 seconds. However, the pressure was hitting 12bar for most of the shot, which I'm assuming is not good, as it should be 9 bar. Is that right?
> 
> Thanks.


What's the gauge reading with a blind basket?

In case you need to fiddle with the OPV: it sits above the group underneath top cover. If it's the same as on beta units you want to loosen/undo the hose leading back into tank, then twist OPV a bit with two wrenches. Put hose back on and try out what it changed. You might need to go forth and back a couple times until setting is right... that's how I calibrated mine at least


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## biggow (Apr 8, 2019)

With a blank basket it's still reading 12.


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## Vollbart (Jan 27, 2019)

Yeah the expansion valve thing is set to 12 out of the box. But it's very easy to adjust to whatever you want, even I managed it. You just need the appropriate hex key and spanner. Dave has a good video of it on YouTube.

Not sure if it was just my unit, but I didn't have the cable tie that Dave had to rearrange. That or it wasn't positioned in a way that impeded the adjustment.


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## Hasi (Dec 27, 2017)

biggow said:


> With a blank basket it's still reading 12.


good, well, you should set OPV to 9bar to begin with.

Warm up machine, unplug mains and undo screws around top cover perimeter to take a look inside.

Locate OPV (brass cylinder with two hex heads, and overflow hose leading loosely into tank) and adjust by twisting the two parts against each other using two spanners. Counter-clockwise will result in a bigger opening, therefore less system pressure. But don't overreact, it's quite sensitive. Best remember how much you've turned it

Plug in and check reading. And so forth


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## biggow (Apr 8, 2019)

Thanks for your help everyone, but to be honest, if I've spent £1200 on an electrical item I expect it to work properly out of the box. If I've got to to go and buy hex keys to open it up and then take a spanner to the inside, then I'm out. I think I'll be emailing Bella Barista in the morning to arrange a return.


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## Hasi (Dec 27, 2017)

biggow said:


> Thanks for your help everyone, but to be honest, if I've spent £1200 on an electrical item I expect it to work properly out of the box. If I've got to to go and buy hex keys to open it up and then take a spanner to the inside, then I'm out. I think I'll be emailing Bella Barista in the morning to arrange a return.


It's a shame they didn't set it up correctly, true.

But if you want to adjust an OPV at any point you have to sneak inside on most machines.

I'd rather arrange for proper setup than a return tbh, because once this is resolved the Minima will blow you away!


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## Apatche64 (Jun 24, 2017)

biggow said:


> Thanks for your help everyone, but to be honest, if I've spent £1200 on an electrical item I expect it to work properly out of the box. If I've got to to go and buy hex keys to open it up and then take a spanner to the inside, then I'm out. I think I'll be emailing Bella Barista in the morning to arrange a return.


i agree with this, it should be easier to adjust.

Shame as it should be set to recommended out of the box , only if you want out of the norm should you have to adjust.


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## Apatche64 (Jun 24, 2017)

Rob1 said:


> It would be extremely easy to code but expensive and requires them to invent an entirely new controller with an extra button and provide unique preprogrammed settings for the different machines it's used in...this kind of thing will be expensive and not fitting for the Minima at all....and entirely pointless for any machine when you can just set it yourself quite easily at no additional cost.


Making an item user friendly and smart is not pointless.

Also anyone with any coding experience would be able to setup something easily for this machine because it's just a process command. The controller could be a raspberry pye or something .

I accept its it's not as easy as I'm making out but worthwhile to the end user.


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## Hasi (Dec 27, 2017)

Apatche64 said:


> i agree with this, it should be easier to adjust.
> 
> Shame as it should be set to recommended out of the box , only if you want out of the norm should you have to adjust.


it all boils down to cost saving factors.

When I modded my Quickmill 0835 to feature an OPV I browsed through tens of catalogues in search of one cheap valve that could be adjusted from outside without undoing anything. Turned out it costed forking five times as much as a regular valve that required the fiddling.

After all it's a one timer, once set you'll most probably never gonna touch it again.


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

Apatche64 said:


> Making an item user friendly and smart is not pointless.
> 
> Also anyone with any coding experience would be able to setup something easily for this machine because it's just a process command. The controller could be a raspberry pye or something .
> 
> I accept its it's not as easy as I'm making out but worthwhile to the end user.


If you buy the machine from a retailer it's fair to say it's something you expect them to have done. I don't think it's realistic to expect a manufacturer to pay gicar to code into the controller the settings when it's something that can easily be set by the end user or retailer, and it's something that would add to the cost of the machine for a function the majority of people wouldn't want to pay for. Bearing in mind especially that the Minima was designed to deliver an excellent dual boiler at a cost that competes with HXs (as in "minimal" price).

They would either have to pay Gicar or employ a coder, neither make sense. But sure when you pay a premium to buy from a retailer you should expect them to have set it up.


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

biggow said:


> Thanks for your help everyone, but to be honest, if I've spent £1200 on an electrical item I expect it to work properly out of the box. If I've got to to go and buy hex keys to open it up and then take a spanner to the inside, then I'm out. I think I'll be emailing Bella Barista in the morning to arrange a return.


Not really sure you can return it at their expense as it isn't faulty. The only thing I see on their page is that it has a vibration pump, nothing about it being limited by an expansion valve to 9 bar or even what pressure it can deliver. You'd reasonably expect them to have set it up though, not sure why they haven't.

You're better off heading to wilkinsons and spending £5 on what you need than messing around returning a 20odd kilo coffee machine (that's the best value for money).


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

It's not faulty, most prosumer machines come with the brew pressure too high, often up to 12-14 bar. There is a Video, linked to in the user guide for how to adjust brew pressure. it's an easy simple process. I think your getting yourself a bit bent out of shape on a common thing that most people on here have had to do on their machines as not everyone wants 9 bar, some like 8, others like 7 etc.. you need a hex head screwdriver bit, 6 screws and a spanner (10mm I think) or adjustable spanner.

[video=youtube;2vERaUy-1Qo]






Oh unless your expecting to pay to have it shipped back and forth for servicing by a company each year, then you will need the hex head screwdrivers to do a basic visual check over the machine once per year to keep it in good order and check everything is still OK.


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## np123 (Dec 15, 2014)

biggow said:


> Thanks for your help everyone, but to be honest, if I've spent £1200 on an electrical item I expect it to work properly out of the box. If I've got to to go and buy hex keys to open it up and then take a spanner to the inside, then I'm out. I think I'll be emailing Bella Barista in the morning to arrange a return.


I actually think BB have been pretty poor when it comes to the minima. I asked them to do mine before they sent it and they didn't.

But then I did it in no more than 5-10 minutes. It is literally the easiest of adjustments to make and a good chance to take a look under the lid. It's 6 or so hex bolts and a spanner. The video Dave made is great. And it's completely worth it.

I took it as an opportunity to familiarise myself with my machine and it means I now know how easy it is to get inside the case if ever I need to, which will be annually to have a look around.


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## Jony (Sep 8, 2017)

biggow said:


> Thanks for your help everyone, but to be honest, if I've spent £1200 on an electrical item I expect it to work properly out of the box. If I've got to to go and buy hex keys to open it up and then take a spanner to the inside, then I'm out. I think I'll be emailing Bella Barista in the morning to arrange a return.


Come on now pull your socks up, once you been settled for a week and got down to 9 bar you will be fine.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Jony said:


> Come on now pull your socks up, once you been settled for a week and got down to 9 bar you will be fine.


I think he has/is returning it...pity.


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## pgarrish (May 20, 2017)

I'd be a bit non-plussed if the first thing I had to do to my brand new £1200 machine was to open it up and fiddle with the innards. It may be very very straight forward but not everyone is comfortable doing that kind of thing, people who regularly do it have no idea how scary the prospect can be for newbies - does it invalidate the warranty? If BB don't want the hassle of doing it for every machine, why not give purchasers the option of having it set up for them - I'm sure they check the machines over before shipping so it shouldn't be a big hassle for them either for the few that ask for it?


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

pgarrish said:


> I'd be a bit non-plussed if the first thing I had to do to my brand new £1200 machine was to open it up and fiddle with the innards. It may be very very straight forward but not everyone is comfortable doing that kind of thing, people who regularly do it have no idea how scary the prospect can be for newbies - does it invalidate the warranty? If BB don't want the hassle of doing it for every machine, why not give purchasers the option of having it set up for them - I'm sure they check the machines over before shipping so it shouldn't be a big hassle for them either for the few that ask for it?


I'm not disagreeing that BB should be adjusting the brew pressure as part of the service they offer. Over the decades I have been reviewing pretty much 95% of machines come with an incorrect brew pressure. usually 10.5 bar, sometimes 11 or even 12+. The factories can sometimes set the pressure against coffee (which is wrong), others think 12 bar is good, others don't care. Ultimately though the prosumer machines are best owned by customers who are prepared to make adjustments to fine tune the machine for the absolute best performance. hence why I did a video for nrew pressure adjustment. The factory in Italy actually adjusts machines to 9-9.5 bar against coffee....I just found out and told them this is NOT the way. They will argue a bit and then probably move to setting brew pressure my way and it will give me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. Afteer which all machines should come set to 9-9.5 bar from the factory against a blind filter and with the heating element off when they do it.

Sometimes they go the other way and set the brew pressure too low as happened with the first Bianca prototype I got...where that ideally should be set to 10.5 or even 11 bar...because it's a pressure profiler. I informed Lelit of this it's in the review. Has it been done and my recommendations followed....I have no idea, I hope so but I don't know? I don't care because I have made videos for the BB user guide that clearly show how to get the best out of the machine and all the adjustments for the recommended settings...my job is done.

So ultimately you buy from a quality retailer for a reason, they support the warranty, ideally they should check the machine and make sure it's working OK and set as recommended. It's why I don't recommend buying from box shifters such as Crappy Italia. People do have to be careful though, prices are going through the roof for prosumer machines and they need to be careful what they wish for..It's one of the reasons I am gradually getting out of the reviewing/testing game. Too many people have no inclination to gain any knowledge about these machines and simply suck up what's fed to them by marketing. It's been an increasing source of frustration for me. I hoped Minima would hark back to the old days and push the price vs performance barrier. Once the base machine was built, then the enhancements (all retrofittable) could have been introduced. Cleverer Gicar programming, pressure profiling, bloom phases etc..all for very little extra money and for some things, no extra cost, even the warm up could have been made faster with an Idea I had 7 years ago..It's why I have a flash programmer, so I can upload and check the changes into the test machine I have.

Unless people are prepared to support things and do a little themselves though, the machines like this will never happen and people will pay increasingly more for less. I won't care because I have 4 dual boiler machines and will have left the discussions far behind, enjoying my coffee and my roasting.


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## Eyedee (Sep 13, 2010)

Am I correct in thinking that :

(a) the machine will perform perfectly well with the pressure set at 12 bars as supplied from BB,

(b) the pressure reduction is a little bit of advice from Dave, which in his opinion will improve the overall taste of the coffee.

Ian


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Eyedee said:


> Am I correct in thinking that :
> 
> (a) the machine will perform perfectly well with the pressure set at 12 bars as supplied from BB,
> 
> ...


Yes


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## evanr (May 23, 2019)

Hi all, thanks for the thread with great advice. Just received my Minima today and I have an issue with the flushing procedure.



> Step 7: Refill water tank then switch machine back on. Power switch UP for Brew boiler heating only (just in case) and allow service boiler to refill (approximately 2 minutes), but after 1-minute power switch to Middle for 60 seconds to rest pump, then return to UP position again. Ensure service boiler is filling and water level in storage tank drops


 Everything was gangbusters until the end of this step. The service (steam) boiler does not fill. The brew boiler has been filling throughout the flushing process from earlier steps. What can I check or what am I doing wrong?

Thanks again


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## 9719 (Mar 29, 2015)

@DavecUK

Mr ***


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

You might be doing nothing wrong..if Bella Barista wet tested the machine before despatch, the service boiler might already be full!

If so then it won't fill as if it was completely empty. Switch on the service boiler and see if it heats.


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## evanr (May 23, 2019)

It will heat, but no steam comes out. Steam and hot water worked exactly once, as per step 4 and 6. Now when I turn both boilers on, when brew reaches temp, the service boiler heats to 145C instead of the 125C I set during setup. That also indicates to me that it is empty. I'll only keep the brew boiler on for right now, for safety


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Somehow the service boiler must think the autofill probe is grounded....odd that it worked OK and now does not work. Or did it never fill for you and was perhaps only filled when BB tested it? You didn't mention that you had steam and hot water working once and because I replied on my phone, I didn't have the user guide to hand. If wish you had said this before as, I wouldn't have suggested turning the service boiler on. I don't usually reply when the information is sketchy for this very reason.

*Remove top plate of machine 6 screws and take photograph....I am unwilling to suggest anything else until I can see the top of the service boiler. I'm wondering if the autofill wire has come off the spade connector and is grounded preventing it filling.*

Oh I suspect your not using the latest version of the user guide (I checked the text you wrote and the number and it's not the same)....it's on version 1.6, grab a copy here and there is a smartphone version in sway as well.

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/vesuvius/owners-manual-acs-minima-t258.html

P.S. The more information you give, the better I can help, if you noticed anything, sounds, something not looking right, whether the service boiler *ever* filled etc..


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## evanr (May 23, 2019)

DavecUK said:


> Somehow the service boiler must think the autofill﻿ probe﻿﻿ ﻿is grounded﻿﻿﻿﻿....


 I did take the top cover, as well as the surrounding metal cover off due to seeing a lot of moisture coming from the inside of the machine upon arrival. I suppose it could have been wet with condensation because they shipped it full of water... that was a surprise to me! And quite concerning as this is my first espresso machine.

As you know, when you remove the side cover, the power plug needs to be disconnected from the leads, so I did. I remember only the blue and black cables connected, but I figured I may have unplugged the green one (connected to external ground) as I moved the cover away. Anyway, after drying out the inside, I reconnected all three wires to the power plug. Is that the autofill probe and should I have left it unplugged? Seems unlikely to me. Is there a repair manual available?



DavecUK said:


> odd﻿ that it worked﻿ OK﻿ and now﻿ does﻿ not work﻿﻿


 To be clear, the one time it worked: I was referring to steam out and hot water out. I suspect the water I got out came from the factory. Step 7 refilling the service boiler hasn't worked. The water level did not change, and steam and hot water now do not work.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

you were right to reconnect the earth lead.

See that metal probe in the top of the boiler on the left, the one with a 90 degree bend in it and the black wire connected to it. that's the autofill probe. the wire is held on by a screw and nut affair to prevent it falling off. If you unplug the machine disconnect that wire then switch the machine on, the service boiler should start filling. If it does, switch the machine off straight away and reconnect it.

Do that first and then report what happens.

P.S, that black wire insulation should be intact and not touching any metal all the way back to the control box.


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## evanr (May 23, 2019)

When I



Disconnect power


Disconnect autofill probe


Connect power


Turn on machine


Nothing happens, it does not start filling the service boiler.

I also have a multimeter handy if you have suggestions what to probe.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Nope, I'm out of suggestions, sounds as if that autofill has either never worked, or a fault developed during shipping. If disconnecting that wire didn't make it fill, then there is a fault that you are unlikely to be able to fix easily. Sorry about that. If you can hang on until tomorrow, I sent a message to the designer, but I am pretty sure he isn't going to come up with anything that you could do yourself.

Sorry to say the obvious, but the internal tank is full of water isn't it, you would be shocked at how people have surprised me before?


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## evanr (May 23, 2019)

DavecUK thanks a ton for your help. I bet it's a shipping issue, since they evidently got it full of water at some point.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

If water got in the control box, it might have caused the problem, even though they are fairly well sealed, that's against water ingress in normal use/failures...not during shipping if it was full of water in the tank. If I hear from ACS, I'll let you know if they have any sensible ideas tomorrow.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Just a quick question, I know it's obvious, but again perhaps not. When you say the boiler doesn't fill, I am assuming the pump is not running....is the pump running to fill the boiler and it's not filling, or is the pump not running and that's why it's not filling?

Really unless you have a faulty brain box (doubtful) and there is not damage to the insulation grounding the wire somewhere, when you disconnected it from the probe, the pump should have run.


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## evanr (May 23, 2019)

Well I went further and took out the water tank guard, and loosened out the computer so I could re-seat that black autofill wire. Evidently that was the end not entirely connected. Thanks for saving me that customer service hassle! Everything seems to be in working order.

Now to try a latte tomorrow morning


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## Jony (Sep 8, 2017)

Glad all is well, after messing around. I would email BB and tell them. Really I think all machines should be checked simple. If people don't like it don't buy, would ease the stress of a new person.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Glad it's sorted, little bit of hassle, but now you will be able to enjoy the machine and really see what it is capable of....especially the steaming  Plus the more you use the Minima, the more you will like it...it sort of grows on you.


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

Jony said:


> Glad all is well, after messing around. I would email BB and tell them. Really I think all machines should be checked simple. If people don't like it don't buy, would ease the stress of a new person.


That's interesting. BB claims (or used to) they bench test every machine. I pretty much doubt they do to be honest, otherwise issues like this one would've been spotted.

I once bought a machine from them and I returned in the end for a very minor thing. If it was bench tested, however, they could've sorted it out and have avoided the whole issue.

Regardless, BB is my go to place if they have what I need. Their pre, during, and after sales is legendary and second to none.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

MediumRoastSteam said:


> That's interesting. BB claims (or used to) they bench test every machine. I pretty much doubt they do to be honest, otherwise issues like this one would've been spotted.


 It could easily have disconnected in transit. Though they haven't been adjusting the expansion valves down to 9 bar (at least in some cases) as you'd expect them to if they were bench testing really.


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## evanr (May 23, 2019)

I actually bought through espressocoffeeshop.com not BB, as it was the best price for me in the US. I do believe they bench tested it, since the steam boiler was full of water on arrival. It must have been disconnected/jostled during transit


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