Installation manual

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Digital Thermometer & Adaptor for E-61 Groupheads

November 20, 2007

Introduction:

The purpose of this adaptor and digital thermometer is to facilitate the measurement of

brew water temperature about 1.25" away from the puck during a brew cycle. In

addition, and EQUALLY IMPORTANT, it measures the temperature of the grouphead

at the indicated location under idle conditions. It requires no drilling, tapping, soldering,

brazing, cutting, teflon tape, or epoxy but is ONLY capable of fitment to E61 group-

heads that are fully exposed. The difference between the temperature that you will be

measuring using this adaptor and measured temperature of the water hitting the puck is

approximately 3-5 degrees F but may vary with different machines and different brew

conditions and most certainly, varies over the course of a typical 23-27 second shot.

Indicated temperatures will be higher than those presented to the puck when using the

flush-n-wait technique whereas indicated temperatures will be lower than those

presented to the puck when using the flush-n-go technique.

There have been several successful adventures in measuring brew water temperature

in espresso machines. The best example would be the Scace Thermofilter available

from this espresso supply house: http://www.espressoparts.com/

It is a well-engineered device, designed to measure brew temperature during an

accurately simulated double-shot brewing process. Instructions for the use of this

device and a professional review of it can be found here:

http://www.home-barista.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=453

Summary of content (21 pages)

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Digital Thermometer & Adaptor for E-61 Groupheads November 20, 2007 Introduction: The purpose of this adaptor and digital thermometer is to facilitate the measurement of brew water temperature about 1.25" away from the puck during a brew cycle. In addition, and EQUALLY IMPORTANT, it measures the temperature of the grouphead at the indicated location under idle conditions.
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Background: This adaptor is identical to the original thermocouple adaptor except that the “boredthrough” size of the fitting is 1/8” (0.125”) vice the original adaptor which has a bored through size of 1/16” (0.0625”) and the overall length is increased by about 3/16”. In addition, the width of the 7/16” hex on the main body has been shortened to enable installation in Vibiemme Domobar machines without adding any additional copper washers.
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they are simply a very light press fit and will pull out with ease and a slight alternating, twisting motion. Putting the probe in a vise makes the job very easy. And, by the way, I will now (4/17/07) start shipping the digital thermometer adaptor kits with the old probe housing loose as it can be used very effectively with the Weiss Distribution Technique (WDT) – See here: http://www.home-barista.com/weiss-distribution-technique.html This leaves you with this: All you need to do now is to apply about 2.
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Kit Contents: a. Stainless steel adaptor (Swagelok P/N SS-200-1-0221BT or equal) fitted with replaceable nylon ferrules and a modified Taylor Model 3516 digital thermometer or, optionally, a Taylor Model 9841 digital thermometer (°F / °C switchable). b. Two 6 mm copper sealing washers (one for installation, one as spare) c. Adaptor closure plug (should you want to temporarily suspend the temperature measuring adventure) d. One set of spare nylon ferrules (front and back) for adaptor e.
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Enhanced Kits: The primary purpose of the adaptor is to allow the use of the modified digital thermometer to assist in making your espresso better and more consistent. However, once the adaptor is installed, there are very inexpensive options available that would greatly enhance the utility of the adaptor. These enhanced kits are separately priced as shown on the Pricing_Inventory_Ordering pdf document available here: http://users.rcn.
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Checking the Accuracy of the Thermometer: The 3516 digital thermometer included in this kit is not capable of being calibrated but it is easy to check its accuracy and speed of response by suspending the tip into the steam portion of a pot of boiling water or a thermos jug/jug cap filled with a distilled water / ice slurpy mixture. Note your current altitude, e.g., Silver Spring, Maryland is about 300 feet above sea level; Denver, Colorado is slightly more. Note your current barometric pressure e.g. 29.
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Another method of “checking” YOUR digital thermometer kit is to immerse the thermometer tip in a covered short thermos jug filled with a mixture of crushed, distilled water ice and distilled water – think of a flavorless coarse slurpy. This method is nice because it is independent of altitude and barometric pressure but needs about 15 minutes or so to stabilize around the established freezing point of water (32.0 F). Each digital thermometer is shipped with a tag attached to the probe stem.
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The “D” dimension can be measured with a bent paper clip as shown above or with a thin coat hangar to which you can slide a piece of wire insulation or short section of appropriately sized shrink-wrap tubing to use as a “poor man’s depth gage.” Add 1/8” to the measured “D” dimension (to place the thermistor very close to spot X and subtract 0.283” (the effective length of the M6 threads).
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Vibiemme machines have a “D” dimension of 0.415 and thus the probe protrusion is set at 1/4" (actual is 0.257”). Temporary Installation of Thermometer in Adaptor (at determined probe depth): Slide the thermometer into the adaptor such that the sensing tip of the thermometer is protruding from the M6 threaded end of the adaptor at the previously determined dimension. Make a mark on the thermometer probe housing where it exits the other end of the adaptor.
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NOTE No part of the 7/16 hex should be touching any part of the grouphead. If this is NOT the case, stop all work and give me a call at 301-587-5033 or send email to me at erics@erols.com as soon as is practicable. Put a small mark on one corner of the 7/16" hex with a felt tip pen. Put a corresponding mark on the grouphead. See illustration above.
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Installing the Digital Thermometer: Now that the adaptor has demonstrated itself to be leak free, it is time to install the digital thermometer which you had set aside. Remove the closure plug and set aside. Insert the thermometer all the way into the adaptor fitting such that the mark you previously made is just visible and turn the 7/16” nut just finger tight. There should be ABOUT a 1/4” gap between the body of the thermometer and the adaptor nut.
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Remove the existing M6 x 8 mm allen-head capscrew using a 5 mm long-handle allen wrench. The existing copper or teflon sealing washer will likely come off semi-attached to the capscrew. If not, remove it from the machined recess in the grouphead and set aside as an emergency spare. Clean the recess and the seating surface for the new copper washer with a water-moistened Q-tip as necessary. A few swipes should do it. NOTE Do not use any type of thread sealant or teflon tape on the threads of the adaptor.
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Operation of the Espresso Machine with Digital Thermometer: An E-61 espresso machine having a heat exchanger (hx) can be operated in numerous ways. I will attempt to explain two methods that certainly achieve the same results but differ by 180 degrees (NOT temperature degrees) in their methodology. The first method I have termed “flush-n-wait”, the second method is termed “flush-n-go”, a term I believe was originated by Dan Kehn, webmaster at home-barista.com.
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b. Flush the machine until the thermometer reads 184 F +/- 1 degree. A higher pstat setting such as 1.15 to 1.20 bar would benefit from a flush to 183 F whereas a lower pstat setting, such as 1.05 to 1.10 bar would mate well with a flush to 185 F. The chart on the previous page is from an Anita that has a vibratory pump.
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machine as each machine is different although certainly the temperature RESPONSE TIMES of the Quickmill Anita, Andreja, and Vetrano would be very similar. However, all three would be different than, say, a Fiorenzato Bricoletta or Vibiemme Domobar. e. If you perform this little test a couple of times each day for a couple of days, you can get a pretty good idea of how your machine operates, i.e., how long it takes for the grouphead to recover from what seems like over flushing. f.
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G13-A and is also an alkaline battery. The exact “Energizer” replacement model number is A76; the exact “Duracell” replacement is PX76A. Radio Shack, Energizer, Duracell, and others have a model 389/390 that appears to be a better equivalent battery in that it is silver oxide vice alkaline as a G10-A replacement. Radio Shack, Energizer, Duracell, and others also have a model 386 that appears to be a better equivalent battery in that it is silver oxide vice alkaline as a G13-A replacement.
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Spare Parts: Nylon ferrule set 6 mm copper washer 7/16” Nut Plug Battery Swagelok P/N NY-200-SET Copper sealing washer, 6.2 x 9.9 mm Swagelok P/N SS-202-1 Swagelok P/N SS-200-P G10 – A (Taylor 3516) G13 – A or LR44 (Taylor 9841) Pricing and Stock Status: Complete ordering information and stock status can be found in the document entitled Pricing_Inventory_Ordering available for download on my FTP site: http://users.rcn.com/erics/ .
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For sure that depends on the beans you are using but I have found that a measured average temperature of 203 F at the passageway intersection (with Silvia) corresponds to 198 F water hitting the “puck”. 4. Should I use the plug that came with the kit? The plug allows you to remove the thermometer for in or out of warranty service/repair and operate your machine in a normal manner. Install the adaptor and plug as per the instructions and become intimate with your machine.
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When tightening the adaptor with a used copper washer, simply “snug it up” as it would require too much torque to deform it as in an original install. Spare washers are best obtained from the parts department of a German car dealership. 9. How about updates to this installation manual? The latest updates are always available at http://users.rcn.com/erics/ . You should always check for this prior to your installation.
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14. Do I need any special tools to install this device? The ONLY tools you need are a 5 mm allen head wrench to remove the existing screw in the grouphead and a 7/16” wrench or small crescent wrench to install the adaptor. You might also want to use a small 6” ruler to measure/check the probe protrusion. 15.
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FAQ 21