Out of sheer curiosity; are the connexion 4, 5, 6 of the PID connected to the Gicar? The connection between 5 and 6 starts the chrono function but I would be curious to know if on the profitec 700 it cuts the pump too or not as there's a simple group switch.

Yes, I thought about trying to re-solder the pins to the transformer, but one of pins of the connector is cracked in half and then I'd probably have to rewire, etc. I just felt that I'd be living on borrowed time if I did that, and I also wasn't sure if the transformer was actually working. That said, I got the new transformer and put it in, and the machine is still dead, so the transformer was probably OK...The new power supply should arrive tomorrow and that will be the moment of truth. As I stated last time, if that doesn't work, I guess I'll be going downstairs to the Dunkin' Donuts for the foreseeable future...

Thanks again for help and suggestions and we'll see what happens tomorrow...

Sorry to hear that.
One of the component is faulty. It's interesting to see that there are only 4 component on theses boards.

Don't throw the board away. It is probably still good if someone with a good soldering hand puts a new connector on it. It may be useful to you or another HB member in your neck of the woods.

So the latest update. It looks like I'll be enjoying 7-11 coffee for the time being. I replaced both boards (transformer and power supply) and turned the machine on. The PID powered on as it normally would! I had about 4 seconds to celebrate my success before it tripped the circuit breaker on the power strip (and no, nothing else is plugged into it)...I unplugged the machine immediately hoping everything new didn't get fried...

That said, something else is wrong. I have no idea where to look now. Could a stuck motor or other pump problem cause that? Could it be a heating element or other boiler problem?

If anyone has any ideas let me know. This is getting to be a bigger project than I needed...

Thanks! Eric

Further update- I decided to take the pump off (traveling into unchartered territory). The motor spindle spins freely, and seems fine. The pump on the other hand is really hard to turn- not sure how it's supposed to feel, but this doesn't seem right. In retrospect, I did descale the machine not long before this all happened, and was wondering if things got gunked up, and if so, how should I try to clean it?

The saga continues, but eventually I will prevail (maybe)...in the meantime it's the old French Press....

Here's a video of the ordeal.

Eric

Does it feel "crunchy" when you turn it with thumb and forefinger like that, or just even-friction throughout the rotation?
I believe that the pump is probably ok... If you can turn it with your thumb and forefinger, that motor can turn it.

Try disconnecting both connections to the brew-boiler element, safely wrap the connectors if their insulation is bad. See if it still trips the breaker without the heavy load of the element.

The pump is smooth, just pretty tight when trying to turn it.

So I disconnected the brew boiler and 'walla!' the machine turns on and doesn't trip the breaker- this seems promising, but not sure what the next steps should be-

Thanks!

(In the meantime I'm drinking something akin to mud from the french press (got to get that grind setting dialed in)

Also, I just reconnected the pump and put in the water reservoir (it's usually plumbed). I activated the brew lever and everything seems to be flowing like the 'good old days' except that it will be cold espresso with no heating element- perhaps good for the summer?

Even more info:
The resistance across the heating element leads is showing 14 ohms...this doesn't sound like enough, but I don't really know what it should be- should I replace the element?

Thanks!