DIY paddle assembly for E61 grouphead?

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matteo411
Posts: 47
Joined: 10 years ago

#1: Post by matteo411 »

I've done a lot of mods to my E61 HX machine and it has resulted in a somewhat ugly mess of things. Among other things, I've replaced the factory vibe pump with a FoT 9mm gear set pump which I use a slider potentiometer (yellow in the picture) slapped onto the side of the machine with strong double sided tape. I would love to transition to a thumbwheel pot mounted to a more traditional looking paddle that I could put near or ideally, on top of the group head. Has anyone here attempted anything like that?



Currently my thought process is to get a hold of a 3-d object file of the group head (if possible) and use it as a reference to 3-d print or have something CNC-ed that would attach to the top of the group head. Some challenges with that include the high heat of the group head when the machine is on rules out a lot of 3d printed materials. Also, the Omega thermocouple sticking out imposes geometric constraints and I'm not sure if I can manipulate or bend the thermocouple without harming it.

Please let me know your thoughts, HB-ers!

Best,
Matt

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stuartmac
Posts: 272
Joined: 13 years ago

#2: Post by stuartmac »

do you have a link to the pump you used? i cant find a price for them online anywhere, not the FOT ones anyway.

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contraflow88
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#3: Post by contraflow88 »

Is the gear pump compatible out of the box with the board that came with the machine?

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pizzaman383
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#4: Post by pizzaman383 »

The original Faema E61 machines had a linkage with a lever on it that actuated the group rather than a lever directly attached to the linkage. You might take a look at that and see if you can do something similar.
http://arcocoffee.com/images/Faema%20E6 ... %20007.jpg
Curtis
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matteo411 (original poster)
Posts: 47
Joined: 10 years ago

#5: Post by matteo411 (original poster) »

stuart and contra:

The MGFR FG204 9mm gear pump is not cheap. You have to call FoT directly and it's about $500 shipped. No the board isn't compatible with this pump. The stock vibe pumps take 120VAC directly to be fully on or off. These FoT gear pumps take 24VDC and a 0-5V control line. I was able to fit the power supply inside the machine by removing the water supply tank since I'm plumbing the water in. More details here

Seeking advice! Swapping Vibe Pump for Gear Pump (Fluid-o-Tech MGFR)