Pasquini Livia 90S with dead control module (Fixed) - Page 2

Equipment doesn't work? Troubleshooting? If you're handy, members can help.
austinado16 (original poster)
Posts: 387
Joined: 1 year ago

#11: Post by austinado16 (original poster) »

Ground connections are always what I go to first, so I started with those on this machine. But...if they were connected to the wrong locations on the controller, along with other wires being connected incorrectly, of course nothing will work. Thanks for the tip on the deox. I'm a fan of dielectric grease and carbon paste when connections are put back together.

austinado16 (original poster)
Posts: 387
Joined: 1 year ago

#12: Post by austinado16 (original poster) »

Giemme controller wiring connections:

Moving from left to right across the top row:
Neutral...120v AC input...Output to the 2-way valve (Livello=L/A on the wiring diagram)...Output to pump...Output to pstat

Moving left to right across the bottom row:
Water tank level sensor....Boiler high level.......Boiler low level........ground to frame of machine


A view of the controller in a 90S:

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Coffcarl
Posts: 260
Joined: 6 years ago

#13: Post by Coffcarl »

Salvatore has a great reputation for handbuilt espresso machines. His style is not to everyone's taste, but practically no one builds their own grinder. They are all rebadges

austinado16 (original poster)
Posts: 387
Joined: 1 year ago

#14: Post by austinado16 (original poster) »

Yes. It's a nice little grinder, and now that it's cleaned, it works great.

austinado16 (original poster)
Posts: 387
Joined: 1 year ago

#15: Post by austinado16 (original poster) »

Cheers to Pat at Boyt Enterprises. He received my controller today, it's repaired, and on it's way back. $133, including $8 for return shipping. He found a dead transformer, power supply capacitor, and 5 other capacitors.

I'm extremely happy with the service he's provided and can't wait to get this back into the machine.

There's a rigid piece of pressed board that sets loosely between the boiler area and the controller/power supply relay area. I'm going to do something more protective, in hopes of keeping these 2 electrical components from being slowly cooked.

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hankbates
Posts: 446
Joined: 13 years ago

#16: Post by hankbates »

I have two pieces of aluminum in addition to the pressed board between the electronics and the boiler on mine.
Also, when I built this machine from two, one of which had caught fire (when in hands of the PO, who plugged them in and let them run until they quit, then bought another) and burnt a hole in the middle of the plastic bottom cover below the boiler, I elected to leave the "vent" hole in place.
Pat saves another control box!
Some people rescue dogs and cats, I like to rescue Livias…

austinado16 (original poster)
Posts: 387
Joined: 1 year ago

#17: Post by austinado16 (original poster) »

That's a good idea on the sandwich around the pressed board, and also about leaving that bottom cover off. When I initially took this one apart, my first thought was, "How's this get any sort of cooling air flow to the interior. Does it literally just sit here at slightly below nuclear melt down temps?" And literally, yes it did for the previous owners, as the pstat failed, and they kept letting it ramp up into the red zone.

I'm stoked to be getting the controller back from Pat, and can't wait to plug everything back in and fire it up. He sent me a photo of the side of a controller like mine, that still had the wiring connection diagram on it (I added it to this thread) so yesterday I went through my wiring and the way it was connected to the controller was correct. I'll be replacing the boiler water level wires because the ends of those are just absolutely fried from the boiler being hot. The plastic spade covers broke apart as soon as I touched them, and the wiring jacket (the green material) is melted off for about 1/4" above the spade connectors. They still ohm just fine, but I'm not happy with their condition. It's an easy fix, especially at this level of tear down.

A nice photo looking down inside the machine that I found online. There's our friend, that skinny piece of press board!

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austinado16 (original poster)
Posts: 387
Joined: 1 year ago

#18: Post by austinado16 (original poster) »

Update: It's alive!

I received and installed the repaired Giemme controller. I had previously confirmed that all wiring from the controller was correct. Installed and filled the water tank and turned the machine on. The pump ran for a few seconds, filling the boiler, the orange boiler heater "on" light was on, and soon I heard the boiler heating up. The green light has failed (I'd previously tested it and ordered a replacement 2 days ago), so all it does is flicker very dimly.

As per normal, the vacuum valve sputtered closed, and then the boiler pressure gauge began to register. As the pressure gauge needle approached the red zone, I waited for the pstat (which was new) to cut power, and it didn't. I turned the adjustment screw "looser"(counter-clockwise), so that the pstat would click off sooner, and it took a couple rotations of that screw to get the pstat to disconnect power. I waited for the gauge to drop and turn on the heater, and then fine tuned the pstat. The machine now functions normally after a backflush with Cafiza.

A few additional things:
- The shower screen was beyond ridiculous. There was a solid, brick hard layer of coffee on it. I chiseled it clean after soaking in hot water and Calfiza, and then scrubbed it with Bar Keeper's Friend. I did the same to the brass diffuser above it, which was equally packed with coffee buildup. Surprisingly, both turned out really nice.

- I ordered ceramic wool to wrap the boiler, in order to protect the controller and power supply relay, and it just arrived today. So once I wrap the boiler, I can re-assemble the machine.

- Replace the green light and the steam/hot water knobs. (on order from Pasquini)

This is my first "real" espresso machine, and my eyes lit up with some childish joy when it came alive and started doing all it's little automatic things. It was really a lot of fun. It's far enough along that I can put the panels back on it, and consider it done.

Thanks for everyone's help, and thanks for Pat at Boyt_Ent. for doing such a nice job on the controller and getting it back to me so fast!


austinado16 (original poster)
Posts: 387
Joined: 1 year ago

#19: Post by austinado16 (original poster) »

Update: A new issue

The new (original style) group head gasket leaks badly.

At first I thought it was due to the completely clogged shower screen. I spent a ton of time cleaning that, and the leak continued, literally water runs out over the sides of the portafilter, and also down the handle. It leaked badly during back flushing and rinsing, and so bad during a test shot with the single basket, that I thought I must have ground too fine, and the coffee was actually blocking water flow. During the test shot, the PF even started to unscrew itself from the machine.

This morning I removed the entire group to inspect and was just a little bit crushed to find the group housing is destroyed, and so is the portafilter. This machine must have made 100,000 shots in it's lifetime. First of all, whom ever removed one of it's old petrified PF gaskets used a hammer and screw driver, and pick, and just beat the heck out of the metal. There are deep gouges and long deep scratches, and round dents, punched into it, everywhere. Secondly, the rear "ramp" for the PF is just ground down and so is that tab on the PF, so that there's no way the PF is held centered on the gasket, or given any sort of locked-in-position by the shape of the ramp. There was also a few areas of thin, old hardened gasket, still stuck up in the housing. Hadn't seen those when I just reached up under the group with my fingers, and pushed the new gasket on. Even with those scrubbed out, and the entire housing cleaned with Calfiza, Zap, and Bar Keepers Friend, there's no way it's not going to leak, do to the wear on the housing ramp and the PF tab.

I'll be ordering a new group and PF next week. :(

austinado16 (original poster)
Posts: 387
Joined: 1 year ago

#20: Post by austinado16 (original poster) »

Pulled a double with it today, just to test whether the group gasket would still leak after yesterday's clean up and re-install. The leak was much improved, and actually stopped about half way through the pour, but it's still a leak, just the same. Bums me out. The new group that's available is for the later machines, and so requires a bronze spacer between the group, and the big bronze mounting flange that extends from the boiler. The Pasquini website shows the new groups at $107, but the spacer is NLA. :oops: I guess I can machine off the raised lip from the new group, so that it matches the style of the original group, but what a PIA. I think for the time being, I'll order a silicone 8.5mm gasket, in hopes that the silicone version is softer and crushes around the lip of the PF basket nicer, for a better seal, and I'll order a new PF, so that I have 2 good mounting ears/tabs. I'm not going to be pulling a ton of shots on this, so if that's good enough for a shot every few days, then I'll call that good.