# Gaggia Classic - Auber PID - Settings?



## origmarm (Mar 7, 2012)

Hello all,

I've got an Auber PID fitted to my classic and of late I've been playing with the settings and tasting out. For now I've left it on the default and change things each time to try different temperatures. I presume other forum users have done this or similar given the ubiquity of the Classic and the type of person that frequents the forum...

Is there any consensus as to the ideal PID setting to achieve 'Schomer's temp' at the head? I haven't got round to building a temp gauge yet...

Do people have any preferred default setup or starting point for a new coffee that is remarkably different from the default?

Apologies if this is a repeat of information that's out there somewhere but I haven't found it despite repeated searches (this could be something to do with PID being too short a string to search on...)


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## santiago420 (Jul 10, 2012)

Anyone? I have ordered my PID from Auber, just waiting for it to arrive? Keen to hear people's experiences. I'll report back once mine is fitted and I;ve had a chance to experiment a bit.


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## RoloD (Oct 13, 2010)

To be honest, although the Auber PID is an excellent updgrade to the Classic, don't expect miracles.

I used mine at Auber's recommended settings and it worked fine but, remember, you are not measuring and controlling the temperature of the water as it passes through the coffee, nor even the temperature of the water in the boiler, but the temperature of the side wall of the boiler. I believe (and this is purely conjecture - I don't have the evidence to back it up) that the temperature of the group and portafilter, and whether the boiler is full of hot water cooling down or cold water heating up are all going to have a significant effect on the actual brew temperature. The temperature of a small single boiler/dual use machine like the Classic is never going to be as stable as the LED numbers suggest.

Certainly fitting a PID to a Classic does make it more stable, but if you think you are actually controlling the brew temperature to within a degree you may well be under the influence of the placebo effect.

IMHO.


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## fatboyslim (Sep 29, 2011)

I also used the recommended factory setting. I played around a bit but as RoloD said, its pretty pointless worrying about 1 degree when the error of any offset between boiler wall and group will likely be greater than that anyway.

Factory setting works just fine. Good luck with installation


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## origmarm (Mar 7, 2012)

I was wondering if there just wasn't that much experience with these out there, glad to see I'm not alone







.

I have left this at factory settings for now but have played 5+/- to see what I get. I tend to agree that it's an improvement in terms of stability but that the number is just a relative point, not an absolute i.e. 102 should be the same at the head each time (with x degrees) which makes the temp repeatable to a greater degree but I don't think it's going to be anything like 102 at the group. Overall I just don't think the machine (or me!) is consistent enough all round for small adjustments in target temp to make a big difference. Personally I think the biggest upside to the PID is the steam, in particular the fact that it basically keeps the boiler on the whole time during steaming and holds the temp up there.

Given the document Auber provide with the PID the studies seem to suggest that a setting of 102 will get you an average brew temp at the head of approx 93. In F the graph shows about 200. Given this initially I was thinking of raising the temp to 104 on mine as a starting point to try and achieve something more like the 95 (203.5) that is supposed to be the ideal per Schomer. That said I'm conscious that each machine is going to be different etc..etc.. so I'm thinking it's probably a waste of time. Especially as we know that all coffees etc... are going to be different...


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## santiago420 (Jul 10, 2012)

I've now installed my Auber PID and have been using it with the factory settings so far. I have changed the temp up +/- 2 degrees to test the temp at the group (using a bottomless pf, foam cup and insta-read thermometer) to see if it matches with Aubers own research and have found it to be pretty similar. I noted a definite bitter taste when going up to 105 degrees, which I didn't expect. The temp at the group appeared to peak at 97/98 degrees and settle at about 95/96. So I'm sticking with 102/103 for now, but will do some more tests over time.

Has anyone messed with the P,I or D values? I've read that they can improve stability or recovery time. I only generally make a couple of drinks a day so recovery isnt an issue for me.

Has anyone changed the steam temps. I've noticed that when I flick the steam switch, the boiler stays on until it reaches roughly 150 degrees, then cuts off. It doesnt turn on again until the temp drops to about 120. I'm not sure if this is right and will be looking into it over the next couple of days. What are your experiences?


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