ECM Synchronika owners - Page 12

#111: Post by **Paris92** » September 16th, 2022, 9:40 pm

Paris92 wrote:Update: Bought a 19mm wrench as noted in the repair video (I did not have a 19mm... figured it would be a good investment anyway), in order to loosen and spin out the lower half of the FC device after removing it from the group. Not happening. I have attempted to do this several times, using great force; and even a few attempts with my wife holding one wrench, and me holding the other. It will not budge loose.

I have also scratched the top of the unit I think, even with using several layers of electrical tape on the wrench and on the unit. It is hard to tell because all of the pressure applied left some of the tape glue residue on the chrome part. I will need to use goo-gone or similar to clean that off to check for scratches and any damage.

I assume that this particular part was assembled and tightened way too tight at the factory or at WLL, and thus is probably contributing to the original issue I had with the FC range of motion.

Trying to keep a positive outlook, but my brand new and never used multi-thousand $ machine is DOA at the moment.

Update: A new replacement FC device has been shipped to me; will arrive on Sunday. There were also a few minor scratches on the top of the original unit from trying to loosen the pieces with the wrenches.

#112: Post by **Davi-L** » September 18th, 2022, 11:15 am

When turning shiny espresso nuts I find 6 point wrenches do the least damage. I position them a few degrees apart. Hold both and push together. Extra hands can help better that way. Wear gloves to protect your knuckles. Tape over any areas which might get scratches.
D.

September 18th, 2022, 12:24 pm

another reason i like the service wrenches is their heads are angled for tight locations and the jaws are smooth.

#114: Post by **Paris92** » September 19th, 2022, 1:33 pm

Davi-L wrote:When turning shiny espresso nuts I find 6 point wrenches do the least damage. I position them a few degrees apart. Hold both and push together. Extra hands can help better that way. Wear gloves to protect your knuckles. Tape over any areas which might get scratches.
D.

I had used several layers of electrical tape, per the recommendation of WLL. Made sense to me. The force exerted though, even stretched and pierced through the tape, causing minor scratches. I am thinking about getting a set of the German Knipex pliers-wrenches that have the protective caps on them. The replacement FC unit I received yesterday is a bit different than the original; the knob detailing is different. I will post some photos when I get a chance. I will have to find some time early this week to install the new unit. I received the original shipment on 8/17, over a month ago now.

#115: Post by **Paris92** » September 19th, 2022, 1:34 pm

slybarman wrote:i invested in a set of metric service wrenches from harbor freight and recommend them. they will pay for themselves over the life of the machine and greatly reduce the chance of accidentally scratching the nice stainless finish.

Thanks for the tip. I will look into these as well.

September 19th, 2022, 1:39 pm

https://www.harborfreight.com/15-piece- ... 93668.html

these were originally recommended to me by Eric svendson - the gentleman that sold the thermometer kits for E61 machines.

September 23rd, 2022, 11:22 am

I am getting little to no coffee flavor out of my shots, they look beautiful and the time is good. At first I was using some coffee Whole Latte Love sent me, and I figured it was probably just old. I used that up and went back to my home roasted stuff, and it has hardly any flavor either. I have tried updosing and that helped a little. I am using my old basket and bottomless portafilter. I tried letting the machine warm up for a whole hour this morning and that didn't help either. Any other ideas?

September 23rd, 2022, 12:14 pm

If you are getting a pretty normal extraction in terms of shot time and output, etc, then hard to imagine it is anything other than the coffee or the water. What water are you using? Does it have some mineral content?

September 23rd, 2022, 2:41 pm

Reverse osmosis with a re-mineralization cartridge. I can check on when we replaced it last, it seems like just a few months ago but I can check to see if it needs replacing. I was just thinking maybe I should try adjusting the temperature, I have left it at the default 199-200. Maybe I should increase it a couple of degrees?

#120: Post by **JRising** » September 23rd, 2022, 2:58 pm

It wouldn't hurt to try changing the temperature, just to get a feel for what difference it will make. You can change back if the change is not for the better. If you're finding the coffee weak because it doesn't have enough of the "bitter" in it, brewing a little hotter might make a world of improvement.