ddr wrote:Thanks Jim, can you post the part number on yours (if it is visible; don't bother removing it if it is mounted).

PXR3-RCY1-4V0A1

Same as your's, I think?

Jim

JimG wrote:PXR3-RCY1-4V0A1

Same as your's, I think?

Yes, same. That is good news, if I happen across an RTD at a good price and fast delivery then I can use that. The Type T part I am thinking of ordering from Omega is not a stocked item, so it has a week or two delay.

My PXR3 arrived today; it is calling to me from the other room, but I have a deadline to meet. I will post some details as I get it set up.

Now I understand! I was able to borrow a friend's test PID platform. I used a simple K-Probe for my play today. Here is a down and dirty picture on one of my work benches. I pulled 3 shots. It is a bit late for me to get too wired! The last shot I had the temp set at 199 and pulled a full bodied awesome flavor sweet and lingering double shot! The first shot was at 204 and a bit over extracted. I dropped to 202 and it was much better. I am still getting some nice after flavor and I downed that shot over a half hour ago! I am for sure going to add a nice clean clean PID setup to this machine. When I figure out with my techno friend all of the details of the setup I am going to use, I will post it. About the only thing I know about the test bed is that it has a Fuji PID and a K probe in the tank.

Les

First, thanks everyone for your advice. Things are working fine!

Here is my shopping list:

• Fuji PXR3 from Ebay (specifically part number PXR3-RCY1-4VOA1)
• SSR from Ebay (specifically Crydom D2425)
• PT100 RTD from Auberins (same as Bluecold's I think): http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15&products_id=46
• Heatsink from Auberins: http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=45
• An unknown Goodwill doohickey box which happened to have a 110VAC cord and socket on the back panel
• A Voltage Convertor Adapter from LKG Industries (just converts a European two round pin plug to a US two flat blade plug)
• A 12 foot extension cord
• A SERPAC S-Series Enclosure from Fry's (4.5" wide x 6.5" deep x 2.25" high)
• A 2500W toggle switch

I bought the RTD because I liked the size, and it was readily in stock. The sheath is only 50mm (a couple of inches) and this makes placement inside the kettle simple. I just have it hanging in there now, but will come up with a way to hold it in place just above the screen as suggested earlier.

Since this system is to provide 110VAC to the La Peppina it is wired differently than many of the examples you might see for espresso machines in which a thermostat is replaced. An SSR is an electrically activated relay, so connecting the output side of the SSR to a socket and plugging in the La Peppina is not going to do anything for you (sorry if this is obvious, I was scratching my head when looking at wiring diagrams where there was obviously no 110VAC source for the controlled device).

I have been testing today with using the 220VAC 700W La Peppina plugged into 110VAC. With water starting out at 65 degrees F it takes 45 minutes to get to 199 degrees F. This is fine for me as I do not generally rush around, and if I need a faster warm up I can always heat water in my 1500W electric kettle.



At this point I would say that this has been a fun project and I will surely learn quite a bit about making espresso. Regarding cost: It was slightly cheaper to build than purchasing ready made, and building forced me to learn a little more than I would have.

Time for a shot (of decaf),

Here is a picture of the back of my enclosure. To mount the heatsink I cut a vertical channel about 1/4" wide to accommodate the heatsink's vertical column. The screws which attach the SSR to the heatsink butt up to the inside of the enclosure to add stability. The input and output AC cords are a 12' outdoor extension cord cut in half. Later on I need to add rubber grommets around the AC cords and a jack for the RTD.

I just got my SSR in today and wired it up with a T thermocouple into this PID. The enclosure is temporary until I can get something my Wife can live with on the counter, but it works great. I'm thinking it would look good in the box that Ross used for his pre-infusion pump delay project here.

I choked the machine switching coffees and updosing, but this was more of a temp control test. Now my problem is that I'm running out of roasted coffee so I need to get to roasting.

You can use the PID'd La Peppina kettle for sous vide cooking. Eggs are the easiest and give the best egg you've ever had. Temp to 71C for half an hour. Just put the egg in a small plastic bag, makes it easy to take the egg out and makes sure no tiny pieces of chicken sh** end up in your espresso.

Vacuum packed meat also works. It sure feels strange to cram a piece of duckbreast in La Peppina's kettle, but the results were pretty good for a first try and ridiculously good considering how easy it is.

This is a good read for an intro:
http://gizmodo.com/5461100/sousvide-sup...inside-out
A PID'd kettle basically does the same thing as the SousVide Supreme, but without the timer.
You'd be seriously missing out if you not at least put an egg in it and try it.

This also works with any other PID'd kettle, but i've only tried it with La Peppina's.

I ran across references to Sous Vide cooking when I was researching my PID... some day I may play with this with my PID and a rice cooker, as described in this Practical Guide to Sous Vide Cooking (www.colorado.edu). I build my PID with an outlet that I plug the La Peppina power cord into so I can just plug in a rice cooker... should be able to also plug in my electric meat smoker to it too.

Eventually, I was even thinking of using the PID for roast profiles.