Congrats for this awesome thread with tons of information!
I have the MP version and (at least for now ) I'm happy with the manual control, but I'm looking for some advice how to best wake/sleep the machine remotely. This thread brought me much closer to it and I hope I'm not taking it too far OT. I would like to improve the wake/heating schedule by hooking up the machine to my home automation system. I plan to use the ESP8266 and simulate the keypad button press on CN2/4 but I'm unsure how to exactly wire it to the 3d5 and how to simulate the simultaneous button press for the sleep state. Assaf, you mentioned in your first post that using "GND instead of Button's Common does not reliably wake up the 3d5 from sleep" which makes me wonder if this is the right approach for my intention. I'm familiar with how to integrate the ESP into the home automation system, but not so much with how to control the 3d5/buttons.
Is this plan feasible or should I rather look into controlling the ON/OFF relay directly. Any comment is appreciated.
Thanks and greetings from Switzerland
Nic

I think the reason it isn't ground is that I think the keyboards are wired in parallel (remember the 3d5 stands for 3 Gruppo 5 Functions) and the common is the scanned selector so that the AVR knows which of the button panels were pushed.

So a better way would be to short that button on the button board. Turning it off is more problematic as one would need to press the FN button first. Yet another issue is figuring out if the machine is off or on prior to toggling the power.

rka wrote:I'd be highly interested in your modded Linea Mini as I'm now planning on modding my new Linea Mini as well.

Hi, I posted some first pictures of the LMLM Mod based on the Chimera mod:
La Marzocco Linea Mini - Chiara Mod
Cheers,
Tobias

Awesome thread, I just got a brand new gs3 mp, and I'm already considering outboarding the pump to reduce the vibration. (Mine just came brand new from Italy but still found the noise to be quite a bit louder than I'd like). Mine has the conical valve already, so I'm not sure if I'll gain any benefits to switching to a gear pump besides saving water.

chnic wrote:Congrats for this awesome thread with tons of information!
I'm familiar with how to integrate the ESP into the home automation system, but not so much with how to control the 3d5/buttons.
Is this plan feasible or should I rather look into controlling the ON/OFF relay directly. Any comment is appreciated.
Thanks and greetings from Switzerland
Nic

While not really elegant, I simply plugged my GS3 into a wifi-enabled power switch. This has the benefit of letting me control the on/off times in a better app than I care to build and also via siri

takethingsapart wrote:Awesome thread, I just got a brand new gs3 mp, and I'm already considering outboarding the pump to reduce the vibration. (Mine just came brand new from Italy but still found the noise to be quite a bit louder than I'd like). Mine has the conical valve already, so I'm not sure if I'll gain any benefits to switching to a gear pump besides saving water.

One option which doesn't require you to take the machine apart is to purchase a spare pump and install it externally. You'll need to rewire to the new pump (using an extension cable) and get stainless braided tubing from the new pump to the mixer valve. But at least it saves you taking the chassis apart and having to realign it (not hard to do - but scary to do for a new machine). The pump is wedged inside between the boilers and cannot be removed without loosening the chassis and most fittings.

While not really elegant, I simply plugged my GS3 into a wifi-enabled power switch. This has the benefit of letting me control the on/off times in a better app than I care to build and also via siri

There are more than a few threads here where these caught fire. Apparently the manufacturers are liberal in the specs but thrifty in their use of copper. Especially at 110V the currents are rather high and small relays / thin gauge conductors heat up and disintegrate over time. Consider wiring these to operate a real contactor or relay (made by real UL listing companies - like Crouzet. Telemechanique, Square D, Finder, etc - the ones that have stamps all over them). Obviously the contacts of the contactor should go directly to the socket and not the Wifi power switch.

AssafL wrote:One option which doesn't require you to take the machine apart is to purchase a spare pump and install it externally. You'll need to rewire to the new pump (using an extension cable) and get stainless braided tubing from the new pump to the mixer valve.

No, don't buy a spare pump. Buy a spare motor.

The stock pump is easily disconnected from the motor and removed from the machine. It's the motor that's really hard to get out. Better to leave it in place. An aftermarket motor that's the same as the GS/3 motor costs $169. I think this one will work, but you should ask Chris Coffee. If it's not the same RPM and torque as the GS/3 motor, I'm sure they have one that is for a similar price. You can remove the pump from the GS/3 easily and put it on the outboarded spare motor.

For the pump-to-machine connection, I used this 5-foot stainless braided plumb-in hose for a La Spaziale Vivaldi. It has the correct fittings to connect the GS/3 pump output to the cold water input inside the machine.

Peppersass wrote:No, don't buy a spare pump. Buy a spare motor.

The stock pump is easily disconnected from the motor and removed from the machine. It's the motor that's really hard to get out. Better to leave it in place.

Duh!

Sorry - I meant the pump motor (sans the pump).

Thanks for correcting me.

Thanks for the help! I will outboard the pump in my next big project.

Since my LMLM is meanwhile my primary machine - let's start with some new ideas about the GS3 and Chimera mod to get it back in operation!

I thought about 3 things:

1) As I love the paddle of the LMLM close to the brewhead - would like to get it for the GS3 as well: How about using a similar one, the mechanical paddle GS3 MP version has - but make it fully electronic: I experimented a bit with hall sensors. And I think this is the best solution compared to slider potentiometers. First it should be heat resistant (so no cooling needed like LM does on the Strada EP) at it seems to work at least with a 3D printed sample quite good.

2) As more and more electronic is replaced anyway - I thought about getting rid of the Gicar board and taking over entire control of the temperature setting and new display.

3) This would mean, the entire chimera external box with display and paddle would go back into the GS3...

Some more ideas - as the ESP32 was the past months for other project the best solution I would go for that (Similar like the chiara mod). Maybe for the temperature control I would spend another MC (to have this separately steered) and as this is more life critical (not to overeat the boilers) it's maybe better to have this separated..

Let me know if you think this goes in the right direction...