Hi All..anybody installed the above? What's the on/off temp settings? Thanks.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by the on/off settings. I have one installed and all you have to set is the target temp. The PID then attempts to keep the machine as close to that temp as possible. I found the factory setting (220F or so) was too high for my machine. I currently have mine set at 216F though I've pulled decent shots as high as 218.

Looks like the ideal temp. setting on the PID is bet. 216-217...any more input? Thks.

It might be slightly different on your specific machine/coffee/etc. but that's a good place to start.

blueface wrote:Looks like the ideal temp. setting on the PID is bet. 216-217...any more input? Thks.

I installed my Auber this week. Using a styrofoam cup measurement it seems that the difference in temp from the top of the boiler (where the PID measures) to the brewhead on my machine is 8 C (believe Suyi's papers say anywehere from 8 C to 10 C). The particular blend I am using at the moment calls for about 92.5 C (198.5 F) at brewhead. I have not finished adjusting it but have run some good shots at 101.5 C (~214.5 F).

This is lower then others have posted here but I think that this is due to how the Auber system works (and measures temp - location of sensor, type of sensor etc) compared to the system from PIDkits.

I haven't tried measuring at the brewhead. Did you just pull a blank shot into a cup and measure that temp?

I'm still experimenting (really does that ever end?) and pulled some shots today at 215F which were pretty darn good. I'm not sure why they set it so high at the factory. I thought in the documentation they even mentioned the factory setting is "lower than some recommend" but I need to go back and re-read it. My taste tests tell me that leads to nothing but really bitter shots.

This is what I did, please feel free to critique my technique as I may have made some incorrect assumptions.

First off I used my milk steaming thermometer and some styrofoam cups. I used an electric kettle to test the thermometer. Once the kettle was at a rolling boild (100 C) I poured the water into the cup with the thermomter. It quickly read 95 C. I repeated this several times. I then made my first assumption that I lose 5 C from the transfer and pour.

As I wanted to get 93.5 C from the brewhead and using my 5 C loss assumption, I was looking to get 88.5 C in the cup. I keep the thermometer in a cup of just off the boil water so that the gauge would be in the range as these quickly lose temp.

My first por was at 103 C on the auber PID. Cup temp was 90 C. I repeated a few times and the temp remained constant. I then dropped the PID to 101 and retested and got 88 C in the cup. Repeated a few times to confirm.

As I wanted 88.5 C in cup I moved PID to 101.5 C.

So this is what I have concluded/assumed:

1. Heat loss from brewhead to stryofoam cup of ~5C
2. For my machine difference of 8C from top of boiler to brewhead

The shots this morning of Epic at 101.5 C were quite good.

I'm still waiting for my PID to arrive..just thinking, will it get in the way during coffee brewing since it's installed bet. the group head and steam wand. Care to share? Thks.

Ok, see if this helps any

Coffee guy's oversimplified guide to setting your PID

blueface wrote:I'm still waiting for my PID to arrive..just thinking, will it get in the way during coffee brewing since it's installed bet. the group head and steam wand. Care to share? Thks.

It's not a problem for me during brewing. Where it may be a problem is if/when you want to remove your steam wand. There isn't much or enough clearance between the PID unit and the steam want nut.

thefly - That sounds reasonable. I would only say you probably aren't losing 5c from your pour into the cup. It's more likely your thermometer is off by 5c at boiling. Have you tried sticking your thermometer directly in boiling water to see if it registers 100c?

@JohnNewton - Sorry, I should have stated that too - my assumption is either I loss 5C or my temp gauge is slightly off - in any event I am able to use this to measure the grouphead temp as I know my margin of temp loss or "error" by testing against boiling water.

@cannonfodder - I think that is very useful in explaining how a PID works. Too bad I didn't see that a while back when I was first researching.

@blueface - As stated by JohnNewton, the Auber PID does not interfere with the grouphead at all. It does however limit the range of motion of the steam wand (which now stops at about a 90 degree angle to the face of the machine) and will interfere with removing the steam wand (should you need to). Solution is simply to pry off device from machine and when complete re-attach using new 3M tape.

EDIT @cannonfodder - was just going to recommend having a new thread added with your dummies guide to PID but see that you did it that way - it certainly makes understanding all 3 aspects much simpler.

Solution is simply to pry off device from machine and when complete re-attach using new 3M tape.

Or use two Velcro strips instead.

Need help urgently. Just installed the PID and doing a trial run...everything was going smoothly until now...the panel heater light is not ON & temp. keep on dropping (as shown in PID)...don't think the overheat protection thermostat is activated as when I pressed on the red button, no click sound at all (Right?). One thing to note is that the OUT (AT) button is not flashing at all..initially it used to be...I did not even do any settings..Pls. help !

You may have reversed your thermocouple leads to the PID or control wiring to the SSR. Go back and verify all of the wire connections.

Have you tried contancting Auber? They responded quickly when I had a question about the install instructions.

34acd wrote:You may have reversed your thermocouple leads to the PID or control wiring to the SSR. Go back and verify all of the wire connections.

I don't think so...initially was able to heat up and temp. hold for a few cycles...there's even a temp. value display....then temp. start to fall for no reasons..just installed everthing back to original and working perfectly...anybody have this problem before? Thks.

TheJohnNewton wrote:Have you tried contancting Auber? They responded quickly when I had a question about the install instructions.

Yup, they replied but unfortunately, send me a guide for self fault diagnose...I don't even have a meter on hand

How about describing what PID you purchased, what sensor is being used, what options, if any, and take some pics of your installation.

Try installing the PID again BUT this time simply use it as a temperature meter (temporarily). The PID should have power and the temperature sensor hooked up and that's it. Does all appear to work in this mode?

erics wrote:How about describing what PID you purchased, what sensor is being used, what options, if any, and take some pics of your installation.

Try installing the PID again BUT this time simply use it as a temperature meter (temporarily). The PID should have power and the temperature sensor hooked up and that's it. Does all appear to work in this mode?

Hi...Auber PID with steam control...piggyback the power from main power switch and with the RTD sensor installed, able to monitor temp. normally. Think the problem lies with SSR...initiallly was able to operate normally but not able to activate the heater after that (both LED on SSR & controller is ON but boiler light not ON)...what's wrong? Thks.

The steam control would throw me "for a loop". I do understand how to wire up the PID for simple boiler temp control and would SUGGEST that you try that.

I would presume that his instructions cover all options but differentiate between them so when you wire the PID up for boiler temp control only, all you need to do is make sure the polarity of the SSR control side is correct and that the load side of the SSR simply takes the place of the brew thermostat.