Anyone knows of a timer module that could be connected to the brew switch so that when I press it I have a countdown without having to fiddle with my little kitchen timer? If have looked up on google, but what I find is outrageously expensive. There must be something relatively cheap that could do the trick.

Steve

sounds like an excuse to get a GS/3

I tried this excuse with the SO, and she laughed at me. Pimpin' my Elektra is the only option, I am afraid

I've been looking for something similar. Of course it would be great to find something that could also be programmed to stop brewing after given time.

I suggest a old darkroom clock, from the analog photographic era. Nice little devices that can switch on, count down from, say, 60 seconds or less, and then switch off any electric device. 230 volt here in Europe, or 115 volt in the US.
I got one for free to time my grinder, you can find one on Ebay for almost the same price, I presume.

But switching the brewing process demands two steps: starting the pump and activating the 3-way solenoid, at the same time. It's not rocket science, but it means fiddling with some wires and a relays. Nice project.

[EDIT] On this one, there are two outlets. That means no relays, just two cables to the brew switch. It can also measure the amount of light. I'm still working on how to use that.

About the darkroom clock, does it start counting down when powered up and stops when powered down? This guy seems that have done something along those lines:



link: Post a pic of your home espresso setup...

However, these darkroom clock are quite big. What I had in mind was more of a little digital timer the size of a pid.

I just saw the pictures you added to your post. This is more like what I had in mind. Could you tell me the brand of that clock?

The darkroom clocks I know are about 4 by 4 inch or more. They are all from before the digital age, so they are big, sort of. I really don't understand why it can't be smaller and cheap at the same time. My digital kitchen timer was perfect and cost me only 5 euro!

The timer is a Philips, quite common over here, Dutch brand. Look here, it's a Dutch marketsite, it gives an impression about the different models.

If you want to go in a completely different direction, and maybe add either electronic boiler control or just a temperature readout, the Watlow 935 PID controller has a digital countdown timer, standard equipment. These can frequently be purchased on eBay for $40 or less (some may need a little TLC and rehab, though).

Some 935 models have a mechanical relay on output 2, some have a DC voltage pulse output intended to control an SSR. I'm guessing that the on-board relay could handle switching a low wattage pump directly, but this would need to be confirmed. If not, the other configuration (DC voltage output) would certainly work if you added an SSR, too.

Jim

Too bad I just installed a Auber Pid on my Elektra. The Watlow 935 would have allowed me to kill two birds with one stone. I read the Watlow's user manual and I am unclear if I could use the 935 strictly as a timer, i.e., no input via thermocouple and no connection via output.