I wrote this earlier this year with another venue in mind, but I think it fits well here. Enjoy!



When my wife and I first went to Italy, we fell in love with espresso. After coming back to our rural Pennsylvania home, we enjoyed an occasional espresso as a treat. Though when we returned to Italy a few years later, and tasting the good stuff again, we became hopeless espresso fanatics. Even the smallest of cafes in remote towns had truly excellent espresso, the quality of which could only be matched in large cities in the USA. We decided to get a grinder and espresso machine that were capable of making excellent espresso so we could enjoy it at home. We got a VBM Domobar Junior and a good espresso grinder. That was surely one of the great decisions we've made as a couple. Of course, a new problem arose when we went on vacation, frequently to rural destinations. We could not get good espresso, and we couldn't lug our 70 pound machine around. The search for a small capable machine that we could take with us was on.

To our dismay, after extensive online research and forum browsing through the postings of supreme fanatics far beyond our level, the smallest machine that could make espresso and steam milk like the big boys was still quite expensive - the Rancilio Silvia. However, the same machine could be obtained for hundreds less on eBay, used and beat-up, of course. A (not so) simple solution, then, became the restoration and customization of a lightly used, but fairly well beat-up, Silvia. This project also afforded the opportunity to get the kids involved in learning about pressure, temperature, AC and DC electronics, soldering, wiring, and a little about industrial design. A project of this size needed a plan of action, but it wasn't quite clear what needed to be done before getting the machine and tearing it down. We also needed an appropriate portable case to put it in for travel.

Getting the machine was the easy part. To optimize flavor, we had become accustomed to monitoring pressure during the brewing process so we needed a pressure gauge, and the temperature control on the Silvia was rather crude, so we decided to add a PID temperature control system. For durability, industrial strength toggle switches and indicator lights for all the functions of the machine were needed. We also decided to replace the beat-up metal casing panels with plexiglas so we could easily mount the switches and have the added advantage of see-through operation. Also from eBay, we repurposed a faucet handle for the steam control. But the details of all these modifications had to wait until the machine was in-hand.

Phase one: getting the machine and tear-down.
The machine turned out to be more beat-up than expected from the eBay pics, but that's a risk you take with eBay, and it didn't really matter for the rebuild. The Silvia is fairly simple to disassemble and the stainless steel covers were soon removed. It was then apparent what parts we were going to need for the rebuild. We bent everything back as best we could (with a little help from a friend at a body shop). Then, using my trusty Dremel, we cut out most of the metal from the covers, leaving only a frame of stainless to hold the plexi panels by bolting them to copper stripping.

Phase two: selecting the parts.
Interestingly, our decisions as Makers often present unplanned "opportunities" for further problem solving. I generally try to look at this as part of the fun. We had the chance to get the perfect super-duty Viking case on eBay, but the auction would be over before the machine arrived posing a measurement accuracy dilemma. All posted measurements of both the Silvia and the case showed that there would be enough space in the case, so I bidded on it and won! Once both the case and machine arrived, actual measurements revealed that Rancilio didn't include the protrusion of their controls from the machine in their measurements. It turned out that the toggle switches we wanted were going to stick out far enough from the machine that they wouldn't fit properly inside the case. The solution was to recess the front panel on the machine far enough so that the switches would not be in danger of breakage. That, of course, reduced the available space inside the machine, which would make things pretty darn tight - but we would deal with that when the time came.

The toggle switches, connectors, and heat-shrink tubing we got from All-Electronics were perfect. We found some fantastic large LEDs for the indicator lights on Alibaba. The PID was from Auber Electronics, and was by far, the most expensive part. High temperature wire was from Radio Shack.

Getting the correct pressure gauge was quite a saga. It turns out that the vibratory pump used in the Silvia cycles from 0 to up to 15 bar several times per second. This fluctuation would require an oil-filled gauge to prevent wild rattling movement of the needle during operation. However, an oil-filled gauge would not be appropriate for portability since the oil would leak out once the machine was tilted. Multiple options were explored including using special choke connectors to dampen the pressure fluctuation before reaching the gauge, none of which were appropriate. After weeks of exploration, we finally took a lesson from our VBM. I noticed there was no oil it its pressure gauge and after a partial tear-down, noticed it could probably work in the Silvia. As luck would have it, the part was fairly inexpensive and it did work with a little plumbing modification with inexpensive fittings and the extremely generous help from Erez of PIDsilvia.com from whom we also got a nice pre-cut insulation kit for temperature stability. Other fittings and pressure tubing were obtained at espressoparts.com.

We got custom laser cut and etched plexi (surprisingly inexpensive) with all the holes and icons for the parts from Pololu.com. We designed cooling holes with fun espresso shapes of coffee beans and tampers. The kids drew the icons for brewing, steaming, hot water dispensing, and for the boiler "on" light. We scanned them in, and designed everything together in my old copy of Adobe Illustrator on our old Mac. We also ordered AC strip light to light the plexi from the side so the etched icons would light up nicely.

Copper stripping to finish it all off was very inexpensive from KingCopper on Etsy who will custom cut to any size. Of course, we also needed very tiny nuts and bolts to attach the copper through the stainless frame, which we found at microfasteners.com.

Phase three: the rebuild.
Once we had the plexiglas panels, we were ready to begin putting things all together. First, we had to drill no less than 108 holes in the copper stripping and stainless frame to install the plexi panels. Fortunately, the plexi panels acted as perfect jigs to line everything up. Once the panels were in, it was easy to simply install the switches, gauge, and PID system. The kids participated and learned about electricity, soldering, and connectors. The steam handle was fastened to the steam control with adjustable collars from the local hardware store. All connections were soldered and/or quick-connected as required. And the side lighting was put in place.

Phase four: the testing.
Once the machine was plugged in, we sent it though its first test run - electronics only. It was mostly successful. All the switches worked, all the LEDs were great, the PID turned on, and so on. The biggest problem was that the AC strip lighting was not bright enough to light the icons from the side. After researching the available brightness levels of strip small enough to fit in the machine, it was obvious that AC lighting was not going to work and we'd have to move to a super bright DC LED system. That would require installation of an AC-DC transformer small enough to fit inside away from heat and water. I ordered some LED strips from superbrightleds.com and went down to our local electronics store to get the smallest transformer I could hack. There was a hidden benefit in the addition of a lesson on DC electricity and wiring for the kids. Once everything was together, the DC LEDs were bright enough. We then moved on to fill the boiler with water to test the hacked plumbing and pressure gauge system - which performed flawlessly!

Phase five: the case.
All downhill from there, or so we thought (see phase six). We tore out all the old foam from the case we got on eBay, and cut up a couple of yoga mats to fit nice new closed-cell foam to pad our new machine. It fit nicely.

Phase six: the enemy of good.
So, being a bit of a perfectionist (in case you couldn't tell) I noticed that we had forgotten to put the gasket around the PID module that would hold it tight against the plexi panel. It might rattle during operation. So, I decided to pop the PID module out and put the gasket in. I pried and pried but couldn't get it out. Rather than give up, I tried harder. Of course, it didn't occur to me that the plexi might crack under such abuse - which it did. Having gone so incredibly smoothly the whole time, I supposed it was fair that such a disaster was acceptable, though what a pain! I had to take it all back apart myself (I wasn't going to subject the kids to repairing my mistake) including unscrewing 40 micro-bolts and micro-nuts that already had dry Loctite on them, and replace the front panel with a new one re-cut by Pololu.

Phase seven: usage.
So, technically, it's portable. The machine fits nicely in the case. The case has an extendable handle and wheels just like fancy luggage. Though, it turns out that the case is really heavy, and together with the machine inside, it weighs almost as much as our big machine, or at least feels like it! Anyway, I'm currently at a temporary job away from home, and it's been working great every day. And, any time I want, I can pack it up and toss it in the back of my car and go. The only thing is, though it works great, I don't really use the milk steaming feature.

What I learned (and relearned).
Collaboration is at the heart of every project.
No one is alone, in fact, collaboration is what makes everything possible. This project was a collaboration between many people sharing their knowledge, many companies supplying parts, and many hours of questions and answers between myself and my kids.

Precision is not always necessary.
The PID was a gamble. Many postings in the espresso guru haunts touted that a PID was necessary for a better shot of espresso from the Silvia. I'm not convinced. Perhaps not a fair comparison, the Silvia does an ever so slightly less than perfect shot most of the time, and rarely hits it right on the button like our VBM. Though that may be my lack of skill. Having never needed to temperature surf since the VBM uses a heat exchanger, I may have had less desirable results without the PID.

Let good be good.
Oh how my heart sank when I cracked the plexiglas! And for what? To make what was already really good, just a little bit better. Not worth it!

Laugh at yourself.
It's really pretty funny. Though it's nice to have truly good espresso on vacation, I found I don't think it's really worth it to lug around our Silvia. Though we did end up with a really cool machine that is fun to use and does a great job, it still ends up being pretty heavy, and I don't think it would make it through any security check with all the electronics and switches, etc. Unless the security guard is familiar with espresso machines!

A good idea has many solutions.
So, right about the time we finished our portable machine, the minipresso from Hong Kong became available in the United States. A friend of mine got one and loves it. It doesn't steam milk, of course, nor does the handpresso. I found out about the handpresso just in time to conveniently receive one on Christmas Day. It does a pretty darn good job, but nowhere near as fun as our chopped Silvia - which is still the coolest portable machine that can make a shot and steam milk like the big ones.


Here you can see the icons my kids drew better than the image above. Each icon has a giant blue LED behind it that lights up when the switch below it is turned on. The green LED is the power on indicator, and the red LED with the happy little flame indicates when the boiler heating element is on.

I haven't even read all that, but you should win some kind of HB trophy. I love seeing peoples' ingenuity and creativity on here.

That belongs in MOMA! I'm working on a hot rod Hamilton Beach a la Mesa Boogie (i.e. shoving serious pro components into the case from a tiny consumer device), and you've inspired me to new heights. Beautiful work!!! I hope I can come close. Here's the starting point........

TomC wrote:I haven't even read all that, but you should win some kind of HB trophy. I love seeing peoples' ingenuity and creativity on here.

Completely agree! Winner, winner, brisket dinner!

Hey bluesman! That looks like a great start. Please let me know if you need any help with sources for parts, problem-solving, or other ideas!

This machine is really enchanting. Building it with the kids should have been one marvellous and gratifying experience, my compliments for the outstanding results. I happened to stumble over this thread by chance while searching HB for effects of different pressures on espresso brewing, glad I did as it was really fun to read. My compliments again.

great steampunk look!

Hey satre! This is looking nifty!

I'm wondering, what size are those tiny screws? I'm looking to do something similar and like the scale but it's hard to tell what size they are!

Welp, here it is! Not quite complete as I burnt my raspberry pi for the PID, but the body is looking nice. The missing switch in the picture has now been installed and controls the 3-way valve separately from the pump so that pre-infusion is a possibility.



Thanks for the inspiration!

Cool!
I can forsee a pimp my machine thread coming

Randy