The flashing light alarm isn't one that is in the manuals I have.

The machine warms up, with the lights flashing and the two boiler lights on. Then with all else the same, the three dose lights flash at the 2 hz rate. That is, the two boiler lights are on, the hot water and the steam lights are blinking at the 0.5 hz rate, but the three cup lights are blinking fast. And there is nothing on this in the book.

One other thing. The portafilter receptacle is hot. And normally I hear the boiler(s) getting hot, and I am not hearing that. But that last part could just be normal. So it is getting hot.

And I really wanted espresso tonight.


Update- Oops. Now both the steam and hot water lights are flashing fast with the others. AND the boiler light is off. If I recall, that IS in the manual. Oh dear. I may be without espresso a while. I knew I should have kept my old lever machine.

Hi,

According to my manual, which is the PDF version of September 2004, the three coffee LEDs blinking rapidly means that the brew boiler probe is indicating an over-temperature condition, i.e., greater than 120 °C. You should shut the machine off. Once it's cooled down, you might open it up and make sure you don't see water where you ought not to. If it's clean, you could then try turning it on while holding down the second and third coffee switches, the ones with two cups and a circular arrow. That will turn the machine on without activating the heaters, and you can see if it's behaving normally. If it is, you can try turning it off and on again, but if the condition persists, then it's time to call the service department at Boyd's, unless you're comfortable taking it apart yourself. Sorry for your troubles.

Best,
David

I made a mistake. Thanks for replying David. I realized I had the hz wrong.

According to my pdf manual this indicates a faulty filling solenoid. So I've been through the manual, and there isn't a solenoid by that name.

I've already pulled the sides off. And I can see where three of the four solenoids go. One of them seems to just sit on top of the boilers, and has no line.

So I'm confused. My manual is 10/2004, so I don't see why we'd have two different diagnoses. I suppose I should give your advise a try. There is no water leaking. This machine is essentially new.

OK, I turned it on in "safe mode" and the pump will pump. But the water is not hot. And the tipoff is that when I turn the machine on it doesn't run the pump to fill the boilers. That should happen. So something is screwy.

This could mean caffeine withdrawals. Oh no!

Just for my own record, I pulled the filling solenoid and ohmed it. It showed approximately 250 ohms, which isn't the 900 ohms the book specs, but seems like a working solenoid resistance. I wonder if I'm wrong.

Also, the water coming out of the machine is orange. I descaled a few months ago, but orange?

Other than some special circuit chips, it's a pretty simple machine. So I wonder what's wrong...


Just ohmed the temp probes. They're both good. About 50k ohms. And rising. This is kind of fun. But I still want my espresso. I'm pouring concrete foundation footings in the morning, and I will want coffee!!!

Hi,

Orange water is definitely not normal. The boilers are copper and the top plate is brass, but nothing in there should color the water at all. A couple of things you might try come to mind. With the power off, loosen the fill switch wire; it's the rearmost spade lug on the top plate, and connects the wire to a piece of stainless rod that goes through a white plastic insulator into the steam boiler. Turn the machine on in safe mode and remove the wire from the spade lug. The boiler fill should start. Don't let it run too long, since it doesn't really have anywhere to go except through the safety valve on the top plate (the thing with the ring on it).

Try using a multi-meter an measuring the resistance from the element contacts, which are under a pair of access plates on the bottom of the machine, to the boilers themselves. If the resistance reads anything besides infinite, you have a bad element. While you're there, drain the boilers using the drain valves you'll see on the bottom and see what comes out.

Best of luck. And get some drip for the morning.
David

Boyd Coffee is the king!

They were more than happy to work with me in vivo with a multimeter and screwdriver in my hands. Of course took the opposite course I should have taken. My first thought was to check the obvious, and of course it ended up being just that.

The error code isn't in the Reneka book. That made things a little more difficult. But once the engineer at Boyd saw that there was no voltage at the boiler element but yet the boiler light was on, he had me back up to the fuse. And that was all it took. A simple 15 amp fuse.

Orange water is from the temporary water line I have while the new water line is being installed to the build site. For those who may have seen my first Techno post, I've been in a trailer for nearly two years while planning to build a house and shop. Until last week I've been on a generator. So I flushed the remainder of the orange juice, and will again be enjoying the Ecco cafe amazing beans.

I do love this Techno. And the support is just stunning. Thanks you guys. And thanks to Boyd coffee.

Now to go pull form boards and get ready for a retaining wall form construction.

While I'm happy for you, fuses don't generally just go bad, so for safety reasons if nothing else, I would try to find out why it blew.

Best,
David

I was thinking the same thing.

My best guess is that being on a generator there may have been some swings in voltage. I've just checked voltage at the duplex, and it's 121 volts. Who knows?...

Meanwhile, I've exercised my long disused diagnostic mentality. And realized how much I depend on good coffee. Fortunately, the bakery in Mendocino does a very good espresso. It's just 4 miles from my kitchen.


Edit- Aha, I think I know what happened. One of my previous generator hookups had a neutral wire come loose, and voltages went nuts. So that might end the Techno fuse saga. We now return you to your regularly scheduled Home-Barista forum fun.