I was just sent this by my GF, who knows how enthused I have been about espresso and related machinery/technology of late.


http://arduino.cc/blog/2012/09/14/an-ar ... -espresso/

Anyone here doing stuff like this?

It's just a data logger, from the info they posted.

They almost lost me at sofisticated.
But this is only using the arduino for data collection.
PID is an algorithm, which you can implement on an arduino, but that isn't what these guys are doing.

Yeah, it's cute, but it's just bling. Taste and reproducibility are probably not affected.

Use the arduino to drive the temp/pressure, and you might have something. The ATMega chips are a little slow and the arduino is a little pricey for what it is.

The best thing about the arduino is its accessibility.

So it logs the parameters of the extraction ie, temp, pressure, time etc. Then it prints out a personal label for each drink? Wonder if you could program it to put warnings on the label if the shot parameters are way off? "Warning this will taste like burnt swill!"

Here is an Arduino-based PID system installed on a Silvia.

Although I received a little credit from Nicolas in his blog post, I actually had little to do with the project beyond supplying some hardware and cheerleading.

Jim

Jim, that Silvia control app is cool!

The ZPM Espresso guys were originally going with Arduino. Given its open nature, I think they somehow got the idea that people were looking forward to programming their espresso machine. They ended up going with another microcontroller once the backers voted and made it clear they just wanted good espresso and not another programming job.

You can't talk about programmable devices used with espresso machines and NOT talk about the (still in progress) ZPM Nocturn. Their original plan was to use an Arduino, but for logistical reasons (read: their manufacturer can't follow instructions) they've ended up using the LPC1788 (ARM based processor) which we will still be able to program ourselves should we choose.

Of course, one could always use the Arduino based TC4C to PID your espresso machine.

Edit: looks like Alex beat me to the punch.

We won't know for some time yet, since all the Breville DB's (and guessing the CC1's as well), out there are still under warranty, but I foresee a future where modders begin to have their way with these things. Now, Breville, being a big company surely has plenty of lawyers and product liability folks who would insist on the controller using proprietary source code, (of if they didn't, they really dropped the ball), that may be difficult or impossible to reverse-engineer. It may be that the way to "crack" the Breville DB will be to replace the control board altogether with an Arduino or the like. Phil McKnight has already mentioned that Breville has a patent (or an application for such), for their ability to vary the pressure output of the Ulka pump with precision, something that has met with poor results in the analog world. Further, from other threads, we know that the BDB can produce dead-flat intrashot and intershot temperatures repeatedly. I see no reason that kind of temperature control could not be put to a highly repeatable profile as well. Could microcontroller-based pressure and temp profiling be in the cards for this machine? I doubt Breville will be on board with it, but the modding community? As with its durability, time will tell.

The CC1, being the product of a much smaller operation (one man?), might not use proprietary source code, and might then be eminently hackable. To be honest, I don't actually know enough about it to know if it even uses a central microcontroller, but for some reason, I had the impression that it does.

-Peter

The CC1 does have a microcontroller and uses a similar chip to the arduino Uno but the pinouts are a bit different. You might be able to hack something in there if you are clever. It does not have a FTDI chip so you cannot program through a USB cable. The display is a custom LCD so it may be hard to interface to.

Bill

Great responses. I titled this post this way more for dramatic effect than accuracy.

I really like that Silvia PID system that JimG and UltramaticOrange posted. Is there anything on the market that will include one's espresso machine in home automation, or are there any stand-alone apps like the one captioned above? I get up 30-45 minutes before I would otherwise like to, just to turn my machine on... I would love to have that extra uninterrupted half hour of sleep!

Keeping in mind that my Rocket's instruction manual suggested not touching the power source (i.e. no outlet timers), what solutions have Home-Barista.commers employed?