Cafelat Robot User Experience - Page 416

#4151: Post by **ojaw** » March 3rd, 2022, 9:58 pm

Interested to see if your results will be different than before.

#4152: Post by **jpender** » March 4th, 2022, 1:27 am

Ken5 wrote:The old gasket was at least 3/8 inch wider than the new one when off the piston, but wonder how much wider it would be when stretched over piston. Whatever it was, the new gasket does not seem to touch the basket when being raised as it is obviously only touching the basket when flaring out when being pressed down. Maybe my gasket was damaged in some other way.

I'll bet you mean 3/16 inch.

I replaced mine a few days ago. It's my fourth one in nearly three years. I've measured each one. It's difficult to accurately measure squishy rubber but I believe that the seals get a little bit smaller top-to-bottom and larger in all the horizontal dimensions. I tried measuring them installed and I think the old ones were wider then too. That kind of makes sense given how they are harder to lock in. But you'd also expect that if they were wider they'd seal better, not leak sometimes. However, with mine the shape of the flare changed subtly; the old ones have a kind rounded edge, like a Roman nose. And there is some discoloration there as well which might indicate loss of elasticity.

Whatever. It's a $6 piece of rubber. Why not replace it if it's hard to use or leaks water into the cup? Mine was acting up a bit in November but I kept using it because, well, I guess because I wanted to get my money's worth. And you can't buy them for $6 right now. Prima Coffee seems to be permanently out of stock and shipping from Hong Kong is something like $30.

#4153: Post by **Jonk** » March 4th, 2022, 5:34 am

ojaw wrote:Lifting was easier? I'd've thought there would be more resistance, not less. Hm.
Two years in now, not changed anything including gaskets as yet.

I had the same experience after finally changing mine after more than 3 years. Smoother piston and portafilter action.

ojaw wrote:Interested to see if your results will be different than before.

In the cup? Not that I can tell. I haven't really had issues with leakage with either, more than a few drops.

It is a bit curious that with my new seal, grounds will sometimes bypass both the aeropress filter and shower screen I use and end up on top. No idea why or when this happens, but I'm guessing after the shot.

#4154: Post by **jpender** » March 4th, 2022, 8:20 am

I'll bet it's because it is sealing better when you raise the arms. Just like Ken noticed it feels like my seal isn't even touching the basket when I raise the arms after the shot, it's so smooth. But at the same time I see the shot end more abruptly. Before I changed the seal I was stopping the shot a lot further ahead of the target weight because of what I assumed was scale response lag. But with the new seal I don't need to anticipate as much. The scale hasn't changed; I think the vacuum has.

#4155: Post by **Ken5** » March 4th, 2022, 10:31 am

jpender wrote:I'll bet you mean 3/16 inch.

Yes... you are correct.

I will definitely replace the gasket more often than I did.

Ken

#4156: Post by **rajbangsa** » March 6th, 2022, 9:46 am

Almost 3 years now with the robot with no issue (stock barista version with original screen)

Any recommends on, add-on, mods, even 3dprints items that's help improve workflow/QOL evermore?

I already got 3dprint tamper insert & Wdt Tool

TIA

March 6th, 2022, 9:55 am

I use this tamp level checker on a daily basis. Though more to do the actual tamping - I put the shower screen in, then use this to push down to the right level.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4786009

#4158: Post by **Glen** » March 7th, 2022, 2:15 am

To level the tamper, I prefer the disk I created, which also serves to keep the tamper from falling over when standing upside down, and allows the tamper and disk to be stored together in the Robot's hand:

https://www.tinkercad.com/things/fkHRsg83nVP

This is the underside:

#4159: Post by **mborkow** » March 7th, 2022, 10:43 am

Another piston gasket change over the weekend: I noticed that as I was pulling the first shot of the AM that a little of the water in the basket escaped over the edge of the portafilter. I thought it was just me being sloppy but when it happened on the 2nd and 3rd shots I realized it wasn't me. Fortunately the solution was just putting a new seal on the piston...the old one looked ok but when i took it off I could feel that it had lost a lot of it's rigidity and elasticity. I do notice now how much easier the portafilter locks into place...with the old gasket it took a couple tries usually. With the fresh one in place it slides right in. The only real problem is that the gasket I just used was my replacement and it doesn't look like I can source a new replacement (for whenever it is needed) in the US...I can order from HK but seems silly to spend $6 on a gasket and $18 to ship it!

#4160: Post by **harris** » March 7th, 2022, 11:28 am

mborkow wrote:The only real problem is that the gasket I just used was my replacement and it doesn't look like I can source a new replacement (for whenever it is needed) in the US...I can order from HK but seems silly to spend $6 on a gasket and $18 to ship it!

Maybe this?

https://espressoforge.com/product/silicone-gasket/