As I recall there wasn't a lot of wasted space in the cabinet -- at least not in areas conducive to mounting that relay. Since I plumb the machine in, I originally had ambitions of removing the built in reservoir (and mounting the relay with a proper heat-sink in that space).

That would have necessitated effort, and I ultimately decided I had better things to do with my time.

I fastened mine to the bottom "pan" of the machine directly underneath the reservoir suspension. There was no room for a 5kg block of wood, so I just used the sheet metal.

So under the assumption that housed outboard installation (e.g. underneath or behind) is impractical, you can hunt around the inside of the cabinet (whilst compromising the size of your heat-sink if necessary) for a suitable spot or remove the reservoir and use that space.

There is one other avenue of exploration that I can think of -- if you've done business with Chris' Coffee, they may have some ideas for you since it's possible they have done one or more of these conversions.

A heatsink inside the machine maybe marginal. The machine interior can be +50°C.

The machine bottom is a better option as long it's flat and not bowed.

Cover the terminals, if possible, so any stray water is kept away.

How are SSRs mounted on machines that have them factory installed? Is heat an issue on those as far as longevity?

In general, from anecdotal evidence, they fail more often than they should. Admittedly, inside an espresso machine is a hostile environment, but properly mounted devices should last decades.

mike01 wrote:How are SSRs mounted on machines that have them factory installed? Is heat an issue on those as far as longevity?

It doesn't seem to be. On the Duetto I, Izzo mounted the brew boiler SSR directly above the brew boiler attached to a fairly thin sheet of what appears to be stainless steel; as can be seen in this PIC (note: some parts removed for clarity! )



The Duetto has been out for over three years now and I haven't heard of any of the SSRs failing. Mine is still working fine.

George

I found a 'great' location for the SSR, real toasty and warm. The heat sink/mount plate I made is probably adding MORE heat to the SSR than it removes! Maybe I'll move it downstairs to the cooler zone before it cooks to death.

from http://coffeegeek.com/forums/espresso/m...327#405327

This is enginerring?
Did it contribute to the fried connector?


Izzo didn't do such a hot job with their initial relay design.
See Izzo Alex has gone cold...slowly!

A conservative design life is 30 years.

Wow Ian, you have a great eye for details (and a good memory, too)!

Even though it looks fatal, the connectors and wiring weren't actually fried, just toasty brown and brittle insulators. But it sure speaks well for NOT putting the replacement SSR where the original mechanical relay resided.

George

Even though it looks fatal, the connectors and wiring weren't actually fried, just toasty brown and brittle

Talk about under-engineered. When I converted a 7-year old Silvia to PID last year, the plastic connector sheaths shattered at a touch. Clearly heat-related: the worst ones were over the boiler, as you can see. Don't know whether my heat-shrink insulation (black) held up any better. I didn't want to go without, since those boiler-top terminals are a fraction of an inch below the steel top plate.