HyperSprite wrote:That is a great idea mhoy any recommendations for a good timer?

I've been happy with a digital Intermatic DT27 good for 15 Amp from the local OSH store.

Mark

Chris,

If you look HERE, the first timer you'll see is the Intermatic DT17C -- the timer that I use on my 15-amp La Valentina in the office -- and if you scroll down, you'll see the DT27C that Mark uses (5th from the top) on the Elektra T1 he modified to run on 15 amps. OSH, Home Depot and any "serious" hardware store should have at least one if not both of these.

My problem is that my "stock" Elektra T1 at home runs on 20 amps, and so I "hid" the timer in the laundry room (right next to the circuit panel), because it is A.B.O.U.T. (A Big, Old, Ugly Thing)!

Cheers,
Jason

Thanks, both of you, I'll head on over to OSH on the way home today and see what they have.

Sound and Noise: (updated on 2009-04-09)
This machine is not as loud as my old Capresso and is quieter than my grinder but is does make its fair share of sounds. One thing I noticed was that the water cover and cup warmer tray both rattled while the pump is running. I added some tiny self adhesive cork feet to the bottom of the water cover and the machine sides where the warming tray sits, this eliminated the rattle noises. All the real noise seems to come from the pump and this makes more noise when it is filling the boiler or running with no load than when it is pumping a shot.

I'll dig out my db meter and get some measurements one of these days. Anyone know if there is a standard for this, like 1 meter distance, or is this not commonly done?

Osh was a bust, all they had was old analog timers with the little clips.

At Home Depot I found a Intermatic DT620CH that looked good, I especialy like the battery backup so power outages wont require resetting. I would not call it intuitive but once done, it works great.

Thanks for the tip, my morning drive is much improved

HyperSprite wrote:Thanks, both of you, I'll head on over to OSH on the way home today and see what they have.

Sound and Noise: (updated on 2009-04-09)
This machine is not as loud as my old Capresso and is quieter than my grinder but is does make its fair share of sounds. One thing I noticed was that the water cover and cup warmer tray both rattled while the pump is running. I added some tiny self adhesive cork feet to the bottom of the water cover and the machine sides where the warming tray sits, this eliminated the rattle noises. All the real noise seems to come from the pump and this makes more noise when it is filling the boiler or running with no load than when it is pumping a shot.

I'll dig out my db meter and get some measurements one of these days. Anyone know if there is a standard for this, like 1 meter distance, or is this not commonly done?

hold the SPL meter at ear level at the location where your head usually is while operating your machine...this will give you your most representative noise exposure level.

For comparison, I'll try to remember to measure mine this week...

Warm up time:
The group is hot enough to burn me and the boiler is up to normal pressure in under 15 minutes. The whole machine is not fully stabilized for about 30 minutes or so. At this point everything is as hot as it is going to get throughout.

Water usage:
It seems frugal with the water overall, as I end up with only a little in the drip tray but I just can't keep water in this thing, granted I am making shots like a fiend, so most of it is probably in my cup . Because of the tubes going into it from the top, pulling the tank out is not practical so I am using a funnel and pouring over to fill it up. I can see why someone would want to direct plumb or remote reservoir a machine if they are making more than one or two a day.

More on the Electronic Dose Control:
This might have been a waste of money for me. It works perfectly, no problem there but I had dreams of steaming milk and pulling shots simultaneously, like I do at work, and making it easier for my wife to make her own. Sadly, I am so mesmerized watching the bottomless extraction that I am not doing anything else while it is running. Never mind that I have made every coffee and hot chocolate for my wife since it arrived even though she has been fully trained on the process

Any updates on the durability or shot quality of your 07 after 1/2 a year? I understand Jim is working on a review of the BZ07, which would be great as english reviews on this unit are few and far between even now. In the meantime, any updates you have for those of us still looking at this compact HX unit would be great.

Thanks,
Mike

I am still enjoying this machine quite a bit and have no regrets.
The wife and I are both doing triples almost exclusively now and with the coffee coming from MoonBeans, a local roaster, ground with a Baratza Vario, and the timer, consistency is great.

Revisiting the steam and water levers, they still work very well for me and I have no problem controlling the pressure and this is critical when I steam directly into cappuccino cups because without control it would be a lame bounty paper towel commercial. Frankly, I find the "instant off" better than the knob on the machine at work.

The only issue my machine has had is with the pressure gauge, it works fine but has filled up with condensation. This might have been better had they mounted it higher as I suggested in my original postings but who knows.

One thing I am mildly concerned about for the long run is metal fatigue from attaching the portafilter. In the past month or so it seems as though the whole body twists just a bit. I don't remember this happening when it was new and will probably open her up and look to see if anything has gotten loose although I don't see how.

Someone had asked about total height and could they take the legs off. I measure 15 1/4" off the counter including the reservoir cover. The legs are 1 13/16" tall but there is a 1" protrusion that comes out of the bottom of the machine, for the boiler, so the legs can't just come off without doing something else.

Hope this helps, let me know if there is anything specific you would like to know and post it here as email typically gets lost.

Hey, long time lurker here, just wanted to post up and thank you for the very helpful information. I too am waiting for the review and in the mean time your post has been the most useful thing on the machine i've found.