DIY Dipper Lever - Page 3

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espressme
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#21: Post by espressme »

Very nice combination of parts you have going!
For your fill on demand, You can buy a decent external pump. For instance:
http://www.espressoplanet.com/coffee-an ... w4000.html
Or, you may find a cheap vibro pump from a Goodwill espresso machine which would do the job if mounted low by the undercounter bottle and primed.
Or, You could mount the vibro pump in the case and use the water pressure from your plumbing which would turn on and off with the pump. Be very careful of your plumbing though!
I have used the FloJet with a bottle for the Conti Prestina I had. My well water is so hard a squirt gun is considered a lethal weapon.
Many solutions and from cheap to OMG!
Thank you for pulling off something I have wanted to do!
~Richard
richard penney LMWDP #090,

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pizzaman383 (original poster)
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#22: Post by pizzaman383 (original poster) »

espressme wrote:Very nice combination of parts you have going!
For your fill on demand, You can buy a decent external pump.
[snip]
Thank you for pulling off something I have wanted to do!
~Richard
Thanks for the kind words and the suggestions.

Once I got the thermocouple in the right location and started properly controlling the boiler temperature to the proper range for espresso I found that the line pressure is enough to fill the boiler just by switching on the solenoid. I don't think I need a pump at all.

I'm going for the blissfully silent lever experience! :wink:
Curtis
LMWDP #551
“Taste every shot before adding milk!”

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espressme
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#23: Post by espressme »

Wonderful!
~Richard
richard penney LMWDP #090,

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#24: Post by EspressoForge »

pizzaman383 wrote: I also need to by another sight glass since I broke the Pavoni spare when I tried to shorten it by 1/4 inch so that it would fit. Does anybody know where I can buy cut-to-length glass tubing?
Check here at least for comparison:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#glass-tubing/=wisfqm

I would also agree with tightening your grind until you get little to no drips. Also getting or chopping your PF would be something I'd think about for diagnostics to see exactly what's going on with your extraction. More or less, looks like your machine is now performing very well, and all that's left is dialing in your grinder!

Congrats, great DIY project here.

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pizzaman383 (original poster)
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#25: Post by pizzaman383 (original poster) »

I finished the final wiring and buttoned it all up. Now, I'm just waiting on a sight glass.

Here are some more pics:




Curtis
LMWDP #551
“Taste every shot before adding milk!”

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#26: Post by pizzaman383 (original poster) »

I've now used the machine enough that I've figured out how to pull consistent shots.


The location where I'm measuring the group head temperature works quite well. I used thermal grease between the thermocouple end and the group and I also put a piece of 1/8" teflon between the thermocouple end and the hose clamp. The thermocouple reads the temperature of the group very close to the point where the water reaches the sleeve. This gives a very consistent temperature reading very much like having erics thermometer installed in an E61 group.

I'm running the boiler water temperature at 242 degrees F and the group head temperature sits around 195-197 degrees F at idle. When I put a filled basked into the group and raise the lever all the way the group head temperature goes up a degree every couple of seconds as the water flows in to fill the cylinder until I push the lever up to start the shot. I can choose the starting temperature of the shot based on when I push up the lever. I've been starting the shot when the group head temperature hits 206. The group temperature slowly drops through the shot from 206 to 201. After the shot the temperature continues to slowly drop back to the 195-197 degree range within 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. This is about the time it takes me to weigh, grind, prepare, and tamp the next shot so I can typically just pull the shot.

When I start my espresso routine I pull a simulated shot that flows water that's fairly close to a normal espresso shot. This brings the entire group up to temperature much like a "sink shot" would but I don't waste any coffee. After a couple of shots the idle temperature stays at 197 for a little longer. The difference in starting group head temperature doesn't cause any problem because I can choosing to end the preinfusion at a specific temperature rather than after a set amount of time.

It's interesting that I can taste a difference in the shots even with a one-degree difference in the starting temperature. I chose these group head temperatures because they are very close to the temperatures I run my E61 group head. That's resulted in consistently good shots that are as good as my Vibiemme produces.

All in all I'm quite pleased with the results. The shots are more consistent and more importantly taste better than the shots I got from La Graziella's Pavoni-style group head. I'll be using the lever as my daily driver for the next couple of weeks. I think I might actually prefer the shots to those from my Vibiemme but time will tell.

I don't have a data logger to show the temperature behavior so I'll post a video at some point.
Curtis
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“Taste every shot before adding milk!”

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espressme
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#27: Post by espressme »

Thank you! I am enjoying your workmanship and the photos of it!
~Richard
richard penney LMWDP #090,

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#28: Post by pizzaman383 (original poster) »

My goal with this machine design was to gain more flexibility in temperature settings than most lever machine designs and to facilitate very high consistency between shots. In particular I wanted to be able to allow variation in the boiler water temperature while knowing that the water at the puck would be the proper temperature for espresso. I think I have succeeded.

I have been pulling shots with boiler temperatures between 240 to 255 degrees F (115 to 124 C) along with associated group head idle temperatures between 197 to 190 F (92 to 88 C). I set the boiler temperature first then set the group head setting such that after preinfusion the group temp is around 204 F. Since I can see the group temperature during the shot I can make small changes to the group idle temperature or preinfusion time to make precise changes to brew temperature.

So, how does it work in the cup? Well, I can say that this group is very forgiving. As long as I keep the group from being too cold so the espresso is not sour then the shots are good. The shots made with different boiler water temperatures taste slightly different. I haven't decided which ones I like best. I am sure there are some here who would be able to describe the differences but I can't. I think all the shots taste slightly less bitter than shots from my Vibiemme but I need to do more comparisons to be sure. So many questions to answer and so little time!

All in all I am pretty pleased with the results.
Curtis
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“Taste every shot before adding milk!”

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#29: Post by pizzaman383 (original poster) »

The adventure is over and I'm back to my daily routine. The only change is I retired my Vibiemme DoubleDomo and I'm using my lever because I prefer the espresso. It seems a little smoother and less bitter than the espresso made with the same beans in my E61.


I made the final cosmetic changes by adding some side panels to make it look more finished.


When I told my wife I preferred the lever and wanted to keep it as my one primary espresso machine she said "that's great". So, it seems to have passed the wife acceptance test, too. Woohoo!
Curtis
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“Taste every shot before adding milk!”

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FotonDrv
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#30: Post by FotonDrv »

A true Lever convert :D Congratulations on the good job!!!!
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