Ponte Vecchio Lusso 2 group and food grade silicone sheet

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sprint jinx
Posts: 220
Joined: 13 years ago

#1: Post by sprint jinx »

I bought a Lusso 2 group machine from another enthusiast and managed to cure it of its ailments.
What I found might be worth sharing. I turned to mcmaster to try to create my own custom gaskets. I bought food grade silicone sheet, at 1/8th inch thickness, 12 inches square, it was about $25.
http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/122/3588/=13c7jct

I then removed the hard PFTE group gaskets on the lusso and replicated them. The silicone is easy to trim from there, once the two metal parts are joined. Its great for high heat, it has a nice squish factor, being more pliable than pfte. No more leaks! I'll have to keep an eye on it to see if it withstands the test of time, but I can't see why it would deteriorate. I have plenty leftover for more gaskets in the future.

I removed the mater pressure stat and inserted a thermocouple in its place, ran that into a PID, and through a SSR device for power control. This creates a system that is dialed in to the temperature of the boiler, while the pressure gauge is still in tact. The PID allows for push button whole degree control of idle temperature. I have been running this setup at my work for over a year on an identical Lusso, without a glitch.

The lusso is now resurrected and it is delivering the great shots I have come to rely upon. So happy to see it working again, I just had to share.

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spressomon
Posts: 1904
Joined: 12 years ago

#2: Post by spressomon »

Nice! I and maybe others are curious about the PID components and/or how to! I'd like to do similar to my PV Export.
No Espresso = Depresso

sprint jinx (original poster)
Posts: 220
Joined: 13 years ago

#3: Post by sprint jinx (original poster) »

The pid and ssr are pretty straightforward. Most of the connections are even labeled to help you. I bought the hardware from Auberins.com. What would help you the most is a diagram of the system, as there are loops for the thermocouple and loops for power. The probe is simple, and comes in different diameter plugs for your machine, with different lengths for wiring. The PID teaches itself the amount and duration of the power necessary to heat the system to a setpoint. From there, it idles, and it can be tweaked to minimize the amount of time needed for a full recovery after a shot, or buffered to keep from overshooting the target. The SSR is a switch that applies power to the element when the PID asks for it. Again, a diagram explains it better. I could shoot you an image of the one I drew up prior to the rewiring.

OldNuc
Posts: 2973
Joined: 10 years ago

#4: Post by OldNuc »

Parts list would probably be the item most needed.

sprint jinx (original poster)
Posts: 220
Joined: 13 years ago

#5: Post by sprint jinx (original poster) »

ok - here's the needed parts from auberins...

Universal 1/32 DIN PID Temperature Controller
Item #: SYL-1512A
Display color option - Red
$35.06

1 ea. 25A SSR
Item #: MGR-1D4825
9.95

1 ea. Liquid tight K type, 2 in probe, 1/4" NPT Thread
Item #: TC-K50MMNPT $21.95

Adding to that list is a collection of parts that I tend to keep on hand...
high heat silicone insulated electrical wiring - to deliver the power to the components
good crimp connectors, with heavy heat shrink tubing to insulate them
glass fiber insulation wadding and sheet material - for wrapping and insulating the boiler

Basically, the job is to remove the mater pressurestat and replace that with the K thermo probe. The wires from that go to the PID, they are colored for polarity. Power is fed from the SSR to the PID in two wires in low energy. High power is split off from the machine's main switch and fed to the SSR's high power side. Turning on the machine puts power through the PID, then the SSR, then on to the element. The other safety features evident in the machine remain in tact. The brain in the Lusso is very primitive, and one does not necessarily have to use it in order to get it to work. The element light now blinks, as the PID uses timed pulses to deliver the needed heat to the water.

What I do to accomplish the above is to label all of the wires with letters on tape. I draw a paper diagram of the existing wiring setup and components, and then duplicate it with the changes that include the extra components. Every connection gets a description of the letter of the wire that hooks to it, just to make it fail safe and replaceable.

does that help?

OldNuc
Posts: 2973
Joined: 10 years ago

#6: Post by OldNuc »

Should be a simple project for anyone who wants to install it now. Thanks!