Giampiero wrote:Hi Ira, the problem seems the core of the solenoid valve, ( even if seems ok maybe the strength of the springs are not well) try to switch the core of the other 3 way valve.

Both cores would be faulty then since both are making the noise. That is what confuses me and makes me hesitant to start replacing pieces at the grouphead. I feel that it may be something further back in the electrical system. I checked continuity of the plug to the coil and that was good. Maybe I need to keep going backwards. I'm learning a lot about the multimeter and will start testing things while they are on when I am comfortable.

"A good solenoid coil should have a reading of 0.7-0.8kOhms." Says Paul Pratt.

My Coils are all reading between .922 and .955. Is this too high? Does that mean that all 3 of them could be bad?

My Coils are all reading between .922 and .955. Is this too high? Does that mean that all 3 of them could be bad?

You are reading your multimeter incorrectly. The likely reading you are getting is ~ 900 ohms which is in line with the quote from Paul Pratt (for a 220-240 VAC coil).

In an earlier post you said that you "talked" to an electrician. It may be time for you to have a licensed electrician actually look at your work. It would be extremely unlikely that all three coils are bad. Something tells me that you are accidently feeding this machine 120 VAC vice the 240 VAC it wants. An electrician would find that out in a heartbeat.

In addition, this manual (although for a different machine) provides some good electrical diagrams: /downloads/ ... Manual.pdf . See page 48.

Yes, I spoke to an electrician with an electrical engineering degree (my friend). I checked the voltage at the outlet and it is putting out 240v from the outlet.

I am not saying that the electricity from the cord to machine is correct. I will check that when I get home. I am also beginning to think that it is possible the part that seals the plunger (the little purple pieces on the previous page) may be split. Again, I am having a hard time believe that is the problem but I will check it anyways.


I will not claim to know I am doing anything right just yet haha. This is what I figured to do from the videos I have watched. Just testing resistance here


all of the coils are between .900 and .970 k (according to the multimeter)

And your meter is reading 0.951 kilo-ohms = 951 ohms. That is a valid resistance.

erics wrote: It may be time for you to have a licensed electrician actually look at your work.

Absolutely. Since you measured 240V at the outlet it appears you have the two phase wires in the right places. But a poorly done connection at that outlet might measure 240V with a voltmeter but not deliver that when under a load. The electrician should check the outlet connections and also make sure everything else is good (breaker, GFCI, etc) on that circuit, then maybe look into how your machine is connected to those three power cord wires.

DucaiMann wrote: I'm learning a lot about the multimeter and will start testing things while they are on when I am comfortable.

I would not advise anyone other than an electrical expert to try troubleshooting an energized machine. It can be very dangerous, and even for experts is a last resort - for example see Paul Pratt's advice about that:

Quoting Paul Pratt, from http://www.espresso-restorations.com/Liability.html

" . . . The only time I leave the power on is when testing for current with an AMP CLAMP - THAT IS IT.
However the best advice about electrical wiring is...
If you have to ask about wiring or safety issues on alt.coffee or coffeegeek then you are not qualified. It is as
simple as that, call in the technicians. Please."

Erics and Homeburreo,

I really REALLY appreciate you helping me through this and after talking to my co-worker, I called an electrician and they met me at my place.

I did wire the outlet correctly (surprisingly) But not the new plug...

Long story short, I SCREWED UP! I put the ground in the wrong place on the plug that I picked up for the machine.

Thanks for putting up with someone like me.

In hindsight, I am really glad I finally had enough motivation to learn about how electricity works and using a Multimeter. This experience will be invaluable.

TIME FOR COFFEE!

PS. I am feeling a lot more confident about potentially customizing the machine a bit. I will start a new post and put up my progress when I get to it! I would really like to learn how to use raspberry pi and arduino to create a custom circuit board and electronics. I have my 15 year old brother to help with that...

Cheers to all!

For reference, most plugs and outlets have wire attaching screws screws that are one of three colors, brass, silver and green. And in general colored wires except green go to brass screws, white wires go to silver screws and green wires go to green screws.

So, since you didn't say, may be assume it's working now?

Ira

Ira,

All I had time for was to test the group and it worked! I am extremely excited to get home and heat her up for testing. After that, I will be stripping her down bare and cleaning piece by piece. I also need to find a home for her. That is going to be the tough part.

Cheers for the advice!