Hello All,

I am in no way an expert on espresso, even though I have had my Mini Vivaldi II for about 11 years now. I purchased from Chris Coffee and have generally been very happy with it. I am the original owner, and the machine has only been used once per day to make one or two cappuccinos. I have been very careful to back flush w/water everyday, then about once per month w/Cafiza, and also soak accessories in the Cafiza. It has been serviced twice over the years, and some parts have been replaced, I believe the pump and something else (sorry can't remember what).

Anyway, now the machine will not turn on at all, the "on/standby" green light blinks but when I press it to turn on the machine nothing happens no matter how long I press it for. Also, it has started tripping the GFCI outlet.

I have no idea if this is a simple repair, or something more complicated, but I have decided to purchase a new machine, and I am wondering if there is advice out there on what the problem might be? If I sell it, what it might be worth for someone who knows how to tinker/fix such issues?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

It's very likely the contact portion of the power/standby button. It could be as simple as cleaning the dust out. There are also tricks for making these 'rubber' buttons that touch contact points work again for a short time and/or for testing. You can use a pencil to scribble the back of the button and refresh its carbon, you can clean then really lightly sand the contact point to make it more sensitive, more to prove where the problem lies than to actually fix it. It probably won't last long, but once proven you can be certain about needing to replace the part.

The black circular portion on the back of the button contains enough carbon that when it touches the gold/copper coloured pad on the board it completes the circuit. You can clean the board with isopropyl alcohol, or even just the soft-pink eraser end of a pencil (not a joke). You can temporarily "rejuvenate" the carbon content of the black rubber circle by scribbling on it with a pencil (it will leave some graphite behind).



If this temporarily fixes it, you probably just need a new strip of rubber buttons Part # 7395
https://www.chriscoffee.com/products/la ... di-buttons

Thank you so much for the reply and info. It sounds like a simple and not very expensive fix, but I am absolutely not handy in any way. I have been researching machines for a couple of months and just this morning have decided to treat myself to the Lucca M58 (my first E61 and PID). Your help will certainly be good information to pass on to a buyer. I am thinking of asking $950 for it, does that sound reasonable or too expensive? Thanks again!

I wouldn't ask more than $400 for an old mini vivaldi which I can't prove is working. But maybe you'll find someone who loves to gamble and will pay $950, certain they can fix it. Parts alone even if the main board is fried are worth more than $800, used, to the person willing to separate, clean and sell them. (And I'm thinking Canadian money).

I think the same: if you want to sell it that price, I would at least send it for diagnostic so you can have an idea about the issue and repair cost and give the estimation to the buyer (or pay for the repair and sell it as a working unit). I would not buy such a machine at such a price without knowing it is working perfectly. But it is me and maybe somebody will gamble.

Again, thanks for the advice!