Long time lurker, first time poster. These boards have taken me through machine and grinder purchases, shot technique, total replacement of seals and sight glass, rust removal, and any other basic maintenance a person can do to a machine. So, thank you.

Very basic question, exposing my own ignorance: What wire and terminals/connectors should I be purchasing to rewire my machine? I haven't found a clear answer on gage, temperature rating, etc..

Essentially, I know nothing about electrical, so assume you're talking to a 10 year old, which isn't far off the truth. My apologies if any of my terminology is unclear.

The background: My Euripiccola stopped powering on a few weeks ago. I can get a light to come on the switch (white body double switch) if the power switch is on, and the temperature control switch is half way between the settings. (very similar to the problem detailed in this post here: La Pavoni Europiccola 2-element wiring diagrams, or this post here La Pavoni wire shorted out). Not sure if the element is heating when the light is on, because I don't want to leave it in the middle, if there are potential issues.

This leads me to believe that the thermofuse needs to be replaced. I have the old thermofuse that's trapped under a bar on the boiler, and I'll probably order the replacement from OE today.

However, there is significant fraying where a few of the wires are crimped to the ring terminals, and two of the female quick disconnects that attach the wires to the switch have broken clamps. As long as I'm replacing the thermofuse, I figure I may as well replace all of these potential issues.

Do you guys advise heat shrink as well? Am I fine only crimping, or do I need to solder as well? Do you advise replacing the power cord as well? My reasoning is that since the light can come on, that the power cord is functioning.

I don't have a multimeter, and my thinking was all the wiring and fuse will be just as cheap as getting one. If full replacement doesn't work, I'll have to take it to a repair shop anyway.

I realize electrical work is never advised when you don't know what the hell you're doing, but I always like to take on new problems, and the job seems so simple.

I went ahead and attached two pictures so that you know what switch/machine I'm working with, and the level of fraying on wires.

Thanks for any help!

HonorarySir wrote: What wire and terminals/connectors should I be purchasing to rewire my machine? I haven't found a clear answer on gage, temperature rating, etc..

16 AWG should do the job, with 16-14 1/4" quick disconnects - will be blue if you get the insulated type. You'll need a quality crimping tool. Stefano (http://www.espressocare.com) sells wire and also insulating sleeve by the foot. His wire is rated to 221F, and the insulating sleeve to ~400F - not sure you need the insulation, you could just re-use your old sleeves. He also sells uninsulated spade terminals with separate insulators like you see in the newer Pavonis.

HonorarySir wrote:I can get a light to come on the switch (white body double switch) if the power switch is on, and the temperature control switch is half way between the settings. (very similar to the problem detailed in this post here: La Pavoni Europiccola 2-element wiring diagrams, or this post here La Pavoni wire shorted out). [...] This leads me to believe that the thermofuse needs to be replaced.

That certainly seems to be a common diagnostic for a bad thermofuse. I must say that it makes no sense at all to me when I look at the wiring diagram. Does anyone have an explanation for how/why a machine with a bad thermofuse would light the switch lamp only when the white switch is in the middle, between the I/II settings?

HonorarySir wrote:I have the old thermofuse that's trapped under a bar on the boiler, and I'll probably order the replacement from OE today.

Good idea - already soldered and tested. I assume you know from the other posts that you can buy a 128C thermofuse at Radio Shack that can be soldered in, reusing your old wires and red sleeve. To solder one in, you need to hold the thermofuse with a needlenose near the fuse (as a heat sink) and be very quick with the soldering work.

I just noticed that the thermofuse like yours is in the OE closeouts at a great price. Need to order soon though ( Last Call! )

P.S.
I see in your pic that your worst connectors are not 1/4" quick-disconnects but rather are simple ring connectors on the element terminals. Even easier to find those. Here's a how-to on crimping them: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/wo ... -connector

Thanks for all the info. I don't know how I missed the wire on espresso care. I probably could have safely assumed it was correct. I've ordered the wire, and new insulation as well, because why not?

I've ordered the thermofuse--I realize the radio shack fuse is cheaper, but I prefer to avoid introducing potential error with my own shoddy work, and don't mind spending a few extra bucks for guaranteed component quality and to support OE and espressocare.

Lastly I picked up quick disconnects and ring terminals off amazon. Any opinion on whether I need high temp rated ring terminals? I didn't bother because they seemed rare, there was no mention of their necessity on any repair sites, and most pictures of rewires on HB have what appear to be standard insulated ring terminals.

Anyway, thanks for the help! With some luck, I'll be back to enjoying espresso next week.

No need for special terminals. Also while you have all the wiring out, you might want to take care of that rust in the base and ensure that your element isn't leaking at all. You may want to replace the element to boiler seal for good measure, especially if it hasn't been changed before.

Anyways, good luck on the repairs.

Took me awhile to get around to doing the work, which was silly, because it took about 15 minutes, and was a breeze.

I'm happily enjoying espresso again, and everyone here was a great help -- thanks to all.

For anyone who's exploring basic wiring of the La Pavoni as I was - Here are some resources I found helpful:

La Pavoni introductory wiring video part 1 from OrphanEspresso - I found the basic wiring diagram around 8:30 very helpful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsYRSjayTeM

La Pavoni introductory wiring video part 2 from OrphanEspresso - The 2 switch wiring guide around 5:30 was useful, and while I didn't bother doing it, the guide to testing circuits with a multimeter that opens the video would have been helpful to me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3EtP2MXY2c

Good all around guide to trouble shooting Pavoni Electrical:
http://coffee.gurus.net/pavoni/diagnostics/

Those links, along with the linked threads and advice provided above, was more than enough to take someone with no knowledge of electrical work through a basic electrical repair.