Henry, I'm glad to hear that. Since there is a bit of play on my lever (in the raised position), I thought the missing tube may have been designed to keep the disc level as it rolls down the piston chamber.

Turns out there already is a ground in the power cord but the Italian two-pin plug doesn't connect it to my outlet.
Original cable with yellow ground wire connected to a screw on the chassis :

New power cord :

So now what do I do with these new gloves and boots ?

peacecup wrote:I'm glad there is a ground option on yours. My came with a 3-prong Italian plug - probably a later model.

I think the 3-prong plug is in reference to older antiquated electrical norms in Italy...From what I am just reckoning on by Italian ebay observations.....

peacecup wrote:Can any Caravel or other open-boiler users weigh in? Is light boiling in the kettle too hot, or too cold? I always thought bitter was too hot - does this sound correct?

Hey Jack, this is what I usually do-

Let the water come to a rolling boil, turn off the heat, prepare the basket, flush about .5oz through the PF into my cup, then pull the shot.

The water hits the puck between 30" and one minute after turning off the heat... this gets me temps in about the middle of the brewing temp range.

It is a very casual procedure, but as long as my coffee and preparation is good then the results are good enough for me!

Generally speaking, I think that for the Caravel a light boil in the kettle can work, but it really depends how much heat has transferred to the piston-cylinder... which mostly depends on-

1. How long it has been boiling

2. Whether or not (and how much) you flush

A casual way to determine how much cooler the brew water will be from the water in the kettle is to touch the lower surface of the piston-cylinder. If you can touch it for more then a moment then it is safe to say the water will cool quite a bit, and in my experience even a rolling boil in the kettle will produce an acceptable brew water temp.

How does the RB taste on the Caravel compared to your other machines?

Henry

peacecup,


http://www.mcmaster.com/ (in the search box type "o-ring")

http://www.oringsusa.com/html/size_chart.html

These are links to a couple of U.S. suppliers of o-rings. The latter is a size chart similar to the old Parker O-Ring Catalog that was the standard reference for many engineers over the years. It gives both nominal and actual dimensions with their tolerances and these are also translated into metric which is probably what the Caravel uses.

If you can measure the old o-ring and/or the space where it fits you may be able to find a direct replacement. If not get one that is close and one above and below the size that you think it should be and use the best fitting one.

Other parameters that will effect your selection are: The material of the o-ring, its maximum operating temperature, and durometer. Durometer is squishiness of the material and a good explanation and comparison with real life items can be found at the same Mc Master-Carr site, just type in "durometer" in the search window and then click on "About Rubber Durometer Hardness". Above this chart is another one showing the different common o-ring materials, with their temperature, oil resistance characteristics etc. BTW I have found that McM-C will give samples if you ask nicely!

I hope this helps
Geoffrey

peacecup wrote:snip
Can any Caravel or other open-boiler users weigh in? Is light boiling in the kettle too hot, or too cold? I always thought bitter was too hot - does this sound correct? snip..
PC

FWW at 900 ft above sea level here, my Peppina does a rolicking boil at 204°F. Full boil at 209°F so with little bubbles where you are, that should be about 200°F. I found that a cheap thermometer from the Kitchen Dept. of a store~$20 with an extension probe I could really get my shots right on with the Peppina. YMMV as the unit checks every few seconds.
Photo:

Cheers
Richard /espressme
PS there was a thread on temp of boiling a while ago:
theories-wanted-boiling-water-thermometer-readings-really-low-t4361.html#48245

Greetings Jack- I am glad to hear that you are still discovering new ground with the Caravel! Those thermometers are great Richard,, they have come down in price since a few years ago- I see them at the grocery for about $14-$16