Breville 870XL Solenoid Indicator Lights and New Pump Test
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- Опубликовано: 18 сен 2024
- Hooking up a pair of indicator lights to monitor the operation of the two solenoid valves and a first test of the new water pump/valve.
I used some terminal splitters on the solenoid terminals to allow attaching the indicator light wires to:
www.mcmaster.c...
Lights fit in between the ribbing on the top cover. There's no polarity on the lights or the solenoids, just hook the light wires to the terminals on the solenoid below it.
Interesting that the LEDs glow faintly with the machine turned off (still plugged in). So be sure to unplug the machine prior to removing the top/back panels as there is live power inside at all times. This is due to the small AC leakage current through the Triac devices on the main circuit board (PCB) that control the solenoids.
This technique is also helpful in diagnosing issues with that main circuit board. If you find one of the indicator lights not lighting when it should, this would indicate that either the solenoid coil is shorted to ground or that the Triac driving it on the main PCB has failed. If you don't want to install the lights, you could use the terminal splitters to connect to a volt mater to measure the voltage at the solenoid coils under load.
Photo album with machine details:
photos.app.goo...
Looks like the new pump and valve are functional. Also, the indicator lights confirm my understanding of the operation of the solenoid valves. Sure, I could have learned this with a volt meter probing around inside the machine, but I like the blinking lights atop the machine! Also, I learned that there is voltage present on the solenoid coils any time the machine is plugged into power. I see a faint glow on the indicator LEDs at night due to small leakage current through the Triac devices that control each solenoid. That's why you need to be careful poking around inside the back of the machine if it's plugged in, such as if you're looking for water leaks or where water is flowing.
120V/8mm indicator lights:
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ULKA Pump Model EFP5 ~120v 60hz 2/1 minutes, 52W, for Breville Espresso
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More to come, checking for leaks and fixing them...
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These indicator lights make a great way to troubleshoot electrical issues with the machine's operation. If you have a machine that doesn't produce enough pressure or sends lots of water to the drip tray, it's likely an issue with the solenoid valves. The indicator lights will tell you if the coils on the valves are getting power at the proper time.
For example, the light on the left is for the 3/2 way valve and it should be powered any time there's a brew cycle running. If that light doesn't turn on, then there's no power to the valve and of course it won't open. Then it's a matter if finding out why there's no power to the coil on the valve.
If there's power to the coil, then it's likely the coil part of the valve that's the issue. Maybe the coil is burned out (an ohm meter resistance test will confirm that). You could swap coils with the 2-way valve and see if anything changes. Or maybe the connections to the coil are the issue. If all that's OK, then it's likely the mechanical portion of the valve that's the problem. Try a deep cleaning of the valve parts and if that doesn't help, then replace the valve.
Another interesting application of these indicator lights is to work around an always-on solenoid. Sometimes, a driver (Triac) on the main PCB will fail in the on state and send AC power to the solenoid all the time. If you're skilled, you can replace the failed Triac on the PCB or you can replace the PCB. Or, you can add an in-line toggle or push button switch between the main PCB and the solenoid. Just pick one of the power wires to the solenoid, run it to the switch instead and then run a wire from the switch to the solenoid coil. Now you can use that switch to manually turn the 3/2 way solenoid on an off. Off for hot water or steam. For espresso, initiate a 1-cup or 2-cup cycle and then flip the switch on. At the end of the cycle, the machine will turn on the 2-way solenoid, lighting that indicator, and that's your cue to turn the manual switch off.
More information in the photo album below, be sure to enable the Info. side bar:
photos.app.goo.gl/bN1ugnLPYwvyDcr59
Very helpful thanks for making
Glad it was helpful!
Hi Mr Brown, I thought I had fixed my BES870 as the coil on the 3/2 way was corroded and slightly swollen. Water just started going into drip tray one day all of a sudden. I don’t remember hearing any rattling noise or any change in pressure. I have the metal based solenoids and assumed it was blocked so cleaned it as you showed. Did this at the same time but the coil change doesn’t appear to have fixed the flow issue. Hot water gets in drip tray so I’m guessing the problem is still with the 3/2 side… I have listened to the machine and that clear click of the initial brew is not happening. I double checked the solenoid was clean and works smoothly when apart… magnets don’t move it when it’s together like it does on the 2 way solenoid. Seals seem good…
I was wondering if you thing it might be that the power supply isn’t getting to the coil and how I might establish this? I have an amp meter but not sure what to look for… it’s a 240v unit as I’m in Australia. If you have some time to share your thoughts, I would be grateful.
@@outdooradamklan You could test for power on the solenoid with a volt meter or with an indicator light like I installed in this video. You will likely see some voltage across the coil with the machine powered on but not running, but it should go up close to your normal line voltage during a brew cycle:
photos.app.goo.gl/bN1ugnLPYwvyDcr59
@@The4Crawler will keep trying. I looked at the comment by the guy you referred to about a triac but I’m not seeing any burnt out components. Might swap coils to see if it still works.
@@outdooradamklan Yes, try swapping coils, that's a good place to start.
Excellent video ...Well done.
Glad you liked it!
Have you had any thoughts about a way to clean the solenoid internals with a vinegar and water cleaning or some other chemical?
This is what I tried and it seemed to work:
ruclips.net/video/eljHS_BRJXk/видео.html
I would like to hook up at least 2- 3 indicator lights that would turn on when I push the on power button and go off when the machine turns off. How could I wire them in? I want one to see the grinder port and the other one in the area of the portafilter to cup area. I have no problem installing the lights but I don't do electrical. Thanks for the videos.
I could see 2 options, one is to tap off the light for the Power button (it's likely low voltage) or you'll need to see if you can find a place to get switched power from off the machine, circuit board diagrams and some links to additional info. below:
photos.app.goo.gl/bN1ugnLPYwvyDcr59
Thanks. I will look at tapping into the power button light. @@The4Crawler
Hi, thanks for all your great videos. I have the same machine and had an initial problem of no water through group head. In opening the machine the 3 port solenoid was leaking and some rust was gathering. So I replaced the solenoid, descaled and put back together. The machine pulls the perfect shot, however now when I use steam or water it comes through the group head. If I disconnect the solenoid the steam works perfectly. Any ideas of what might be wrong? It is as if the solenoid is not turning off when steam is selected ( which I understand is what is meant to happen?) any and all help would be great. Thanks
It does sounds like the 3-port solenoid is being energized when it shouldn't. Might be the switches on the hot water / steam valve are not working right or it may be a fault in the main control board that's not reading those switch inputs correctly or is erroneously energizing the 3-port solenoid when it shouldn't. Maybe Breville support can provide some additional troubleshooting assistance.
👍👍
Nice videos! You’ve replaced the pressure gauge, solenoids and the pump. Which was causing the low pressure, and how do you test fir adequate pressure?
Never touched the gauge on my machine. Replacing the sticking solenoid let the machine work again, but the pressure seemed to be a bit low. Replacing the pump and over pressure valve restored the original pressure. Not sure if the pump or the valve was the main cause, need to look into that more.
Thanks! I just picked up a used Infuser - same machine sans grinder - and pressure is poor. I cleaned the small filter screen (no improvement) and ordered a pump. I’m hoping to repair the machine without randomly throwing parts at it, if possible.
@@marshallgoldberg8376 Pump is a good start. Solenoids will usually make a loud buzzing noise if they are the issue.
Greetings. I like the Barista Express but there is an important missing feature I am trying to add on my own. That is the ability to turn it on in the morning so that it is hot and ready when I show up to brew my cup. Any ideas?
Yes, this machine could use some sort of timer or smart interface for sure. You could rig up something with a home automation system and a remote controlled dry contact output. Wire that normally open contact in parallel with the power button and then have the contact close momentarily to turn the machine on. Then set up a timer/schedule in the home automation controller to turn the machine on at a given time. There's an automatic standby feature that will power the machine down after some time of inactivity.
The simplest way I was able to find involves an actual mechanical switch that you adhere to the machine and has a small arm that activates the switch on demand via wifi. It is called switchbot. I'll try that first. Cheers.
That sounds like it should work. Just make sure to set it up to only be a short duration button press, not sure of the exact on time needed.
Will do. I'll keep you updated. Thanks for the good advise.
Will be interested to know how that works.
Thanks so much for this! It helped me identify that the issue on my machine is that the voltage between the orange and the blue wire of the three-way solenoid stays at near-zero when I turn on the brew cycle, so the switch that is supposed allow the water to flow to the group head is never opened, and all the water goes out through the top of the solenoid instead of to the group head. I bought a new solenoid assembly, so the problem is with the voltage control across the solenoid. How would you go about identifying what causes this problem with the voltage control?
That solenoid is controlled via the main circuit board and typically via a Triac device. Check out a comment by a viewer Mike Henderson (on Feb 7 of this year) in this video:
ruclips.net/video/9lMw6ooiqPI/видео.html
Might also try unplugging and reconnecting the wires on the circuit that control that solenoid, they may have a bad connection.
@@The4Crawler Yes, from what I can tell Mike Henderson's issues may be exactly the same as mine. (I also stupidly ordered a new solenoid assembly instead if thoroughly investigating whether the old one was actually defective;) I'm going to try his solution of removing the control board and looking for a burnt-out part. Maybe I am lucky and the defective part is the same TRIAC as his. Thanks again for the videos and the pointer to Mike Henderson. This is fun!
@@The4Crawler I found a burnt-out resistor on the main circuit board (see www.dropbox.com/s/9b87pind5v3gamj/BES840XL-R37-burnt-out.jpg?dl=0). Unfortunately, it is so badly burnt that you can only see one of the color rings. Do you happen to have a picture of the control board that shows the resistor? (R37).
@@bbeckwin I not yet had my circuit board out to take a photo. Looking at your picture, it seems like those 3 resistors may all be the same, at least given that 2 of them are identical. Maybe if you can follow the traces to where those 3 resistors connect to and if they all connect to similar devices (like Triacs or transistors) then they all may have the same function and may be identical resistance.
@@bbeckwin did you replace the burnt resistor? I have my machine apart and could send a pic of my resistors if it’s still in your ‘to do’ list of repairs… I see it was 2 years ago…