# Home making a brew light for Gaggia Classic



## jjstorgaard (Jan 19, 2019)

I recently purchased a second hand pre 2015 Gaggia Classic, unfortunately with a non-working brew light. It seems that the only way to replace it is to replace the whole switch panel for around 40 quid, so instead of spending that much money, I was thinking of simply adding a light that is on when the boiler is on. As far as I can see, this should be a reasonably simple solution. I'm not too bothered about the aesthetics, so I'd probably just put the light wherever I could find space.

Any advice on things to be aware of would be hugely appreciated.


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## ashcroc (Oct 28, 2016)

jjstorgaard said:


> I recently purchased a second hand pre 2015 Gaggia Classic, unfortunately with a non-working brew light. It seems that the only way to replace it is to replace the whole switch panel for around 40 quid, so instead of spending that much money, I was thinking of simply adding a light that is on when the boiler is on. As far as I can see, this should be a reasonably simple solution. I'm not too bothered about the aesthetics, so I'd probably just put the light wherever I could find space.
> 
> Any advice on things to be aware of would be hugely appreciated.


I'd have thought it should just be a simple case of replacing the bulb in the switch if you can find out what size it is. It may even be possible to convwrt to LED.


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## L&R (Mar 8, 2018)

Very nice video if you have the skills


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## jjstorgaard (Jan 19, 2019)

That's interesting, I don't know why everywhere else I could find says that it's not replaceable. Would anyone happen to know what kind of bulb I'd have to get or where to find out?


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## L&R (Mar 8, 2018)

It is in the clip comments

https://www.conrad.com/ce/en/product/724980/Glow-lamp----230-V----025-W----Wire-ends----Red----000823R0


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## jjstorgaard (Jan 19, 2019)

Oh sorry, I didn't see that. A bulb of that model has been ordered off eBay, thanks for the help!


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## catpuccino (Jan 5, 2019)

My power light has gone the same way, though sometimes works sometimes doesn't depending on the switch position. Power is always supplied, so it's not the end of the world but good to know with some DIY it can be done without replacing the whole unit.


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## jjstorgaard (Jan 19, 2019)

So I installed the new bulb without much difficulty. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. I have tried swapping the cables for the power and the brew buttons, so the brew button is the power button and vice versa. That has verified for me that the newly installed bulb doesn't work, since it doesn't light up when I turn on the machine. I know that the light in the button that is now the brew button does work, but it doesn't show when it's ready to brew. It does, however, light up when I press it to start brewing.

Is it normal behaviour for the brew light to be on when the button is pressed? I'll try changing the thermostats, but I am pretty sure that they work.


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## jjstorgaard (Jan 19, 2019)

I hope it is not against the rules to revive and old thread like this.

I just wanted to say that I did in the end succeed in getting the new bulb to work and now have a fully working brew light. The video posted above is very helpful, even though the text is in Polish. It turned out that it wasn't actually the bulb, but the resistor (the tiny resistor seen in the video) that was broken. The bulb linked to in the video description comes with a resistor, so I replaced the old resistor with a tiny metal rod, like in the video. I don't know if it would be possible to find a tiny metal rod like that to buy, I got my father in law to ask a work colleague to produce one with the old resistor as guidance for the dimensions.

If you can read German (or use Google Translate) the article linked in the comments (for convenience, the link is here) is very helpful and was what helped me realise that it was actually the resistor that was broken. Due to it not having the usual markings (I am no expert on electronics), I didn't even realise that it was a resistor and have no idea how I would find a similar one.

A couple of tips to anyone looking to carry out the same repair:

Putting tape around the switch panel like in the video posted above is highly recommended, it keeps everything from springing open when taking out the long rod that holds down all the buttons.

When taking off a button, be careful with the spring behind it. I wasn't, and the spring sprang off and disappeared. Sourcing a new one was fairly easy on eBay, however.

In the end, I learned a lot about my Gaggia Classic from doing this fairly simple repair and feel ready to take on a more complicated project.

JJ


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