Optotriac with a SCR (built that, works neatly; possibly use the one with zero-crossing detection for lower EMI, for resistive load). SSR. Conventional relay. If you can light up an optocoupler, you can control a megawatt of load.
Cellphone charger for Arduino/Raspi. Whatever gives enough power for the motors. Power can be possibly tapped from the original power supply circuit.
Not that big. Maybe even could fit into the coffee maker itself, or piggybacked on its back plate from the outside.
Commodity parts. The same ones used in multiple devices so they can be salvaged from something less important if needed. Or stock up from China; a hundred of those common little transistors can be got for $2-5. (Or just packrat all electronic scrap and harvest parts as needed. Which inevitably ends up with having everything except that one part you need.)
âŠgiven the cost of spare parts and the frequency in which electronics fails, why isnât there a set of generic raspi-based cores for things from coffee makers to dishwashers to washing machines? They are usually just some rudimentary PLCs anywayâŠ
Iâd definitely stick with a non-super-auto type of machine (i.e. double boiler or heat exchanger plus quality burr grinder) for a number of reasons:
Durability/reliability; machines like the Pasquini Livia 90 or any of the QuickMill machines are heavy, built for 24/7 operation for years. When there are parts to replace, youâre good for another 5 years at a shot, in my opinion. Iâve had a machine running for 15 years with like $200 of service on it.
Should anything go wrong with either the grinder or espresso machine, you can replace just that unit.
Despite the âpush buttonâ simplicity, itâs obvious from the video (the color of the shot, the odd layering of milk-then-espresso) that the resulting drink will never get close to the quality youâd be able to pull from a more manual setup and a little practice.
And my biggest concern with machines like that: coffee (and milk) can both be pretty variable/finicky, and definitely need a hands-on approach while making the drink to ensure the grind matches the bean for example, or stopping the milk-texturing when you see/feel that it is just right.
I hope I donât come across as a coffee snob, but I get steamed (pun) about these high-ish price machines at places like Williams Sonoma and others that promise much but canât shake a stick at setups that are more manual, might cost slightly more initially, but can last forever and make infinitely better drinks.
Engineers take coffee seriously. We have a Jura Impressa J9 at work, and itâs a lovely thing. It costs about 3.5 times what this one does.
We havenât used our awful Bunn pourover machine since we got it, and sales have declined a bit at the Starbucks downstairs. (Unfortunately we still have a Keurig for the one decaf-drinking infidel who works here.)
I wouldnât say you are a coffee snob, but you definitely have stronger feelings about coffee quality than I do.
Most of the reasons you list really donât resonate with me. Like most people that buy a super-auto, Iâm willing to trade some quality and reliability for convenience. I do keep my gear super-clean though and thatâs pretty much the only thing holding me back at this point. I want to decide soon because the tubing inside my 5 year old machine is hardening I donât want to deal with a huge mess and subsequent downtime when something splits.
Like I said, a $2000 setup that lasts 5 years works out to around $1 / day and thatâs good enough for me.
Welcome to BoingBoing, @Krapmeister. Youâve contributed greatly to our community with your post, and we sincerely hope that you will continue to be a source of insight.
My old office used to have an espresso machine - I think it might actually have been a Jura. It was referred to as âThe Princessâ because it was always making demands.
Refill the Water
Refill the coffee beans
run a cleaning cycle
it was actually remarkably sturdy for how much use it got, and it was unambiguously the best automatic machine coffee Iâve ever had
[quote=âChesterfield, post:20, topic:72492, full:trueâ]
Thereâs no way parts like that could last that long and I think I want to replace my machine before it dies a messy death.[/quote]
Well, it wasnât 13 years without regular maintenance. Gaskets and o-rings have been replaced, as well as the occasional solenoid.
