I have a Bric Volante direct connect. Currently the power light is on but the pump doesn't engage and the heating element isn't working. Half an hour before the machine was working when I backflushed repeatedly because I was cleaning with Cafiza. I soaked the dispersion screen and came back to find the machine in a coma. Power light is on, but nobody is home.

I opened the machine and nothing is obviously out of place. The label on the GICAR brain is a little burned, but it has been for a while. It is about two years old, so I suppose it could have just died. Any suggestions?

Is the side of the Gicar controller hot?

Just a thought....
Turn it off, remove the Gicar, then reinstall it.
Could be a bad contact; if the Gicar is connectorized, removing and reinserting it will wipe the contacts.

When you pull the Gicar, smell it. As the song goes: "Ooo OOoo that smell. The smell of death's around you." We all know that smell. If the transformer is on the burnt side, that would be another clue.

You're close to me. If you want to bring it by I'll pull out a meter and a scope if need be and see if the problem is easily fixable.

Ira

allon wrote:Is the side of the Gicar controller hot?

Just a thought....
Turn it off, remove the Gicar, then reinstall it.
Could be a bad contact; if the Gicar is connectorized, removing and reinserting it will wipe the contacts.

The side of the controller was not particularly hot right as the machine went out, nor is it hot when I turn it on for a few min now. I tried removing and re-installing it with no luck. It works often enough with my computers, just not my espresso machine.

Randy G. wrote:When you pull the Gicar, smell it. As the song goes: "Ooo OOoo that smell. The smell of death's around you." We all know that smell. If the transformer is on the burnt side, that would be another clue.

The unit does not have the classic burnt smell I associated with fried electronics when I had it out.

ira wrote:You're close to me. If you want to bring it by I'll pull out a meter and a scope if need be and see if the problem is easily fixable.

Ira

That is a very generous offer! Thank you. I have some vacuum sealed Redline in the deep freeze I can bring for refreshments. PM sent.

The discoloration on the Gicar nameplate is NORMAL - it is the adhesive discoloring. The "problem" is VERY LIKELY with the FINDER relay which turns the element on/off as a result of pstat control signal.

As I feared it was the GICAR. The good news is the Ira was able to repair it! He also cleaned up the inside of my machine with some new cable ties and heat resistant flex tubing. My machine is working again, and quieter than it has ever been.

I was surprised to find a nice big contactor in the corner of the machine that controls the heater so the commonly failing Finder relay only has to switch a few tens of miliamps.

Ira