Crew Review: Rancilio Silvia with Auber PID

[knowOMR]

Question regarding temperature setting. Where are you measuring the brew temp? In some of the comments you say to set the PID temp 20 degrees above the desired brew temp, but then you also say you're seeing 185 degrees in the cup. Just to clarify, are you measuring at the brew head/group when seeing the approx. 20 degree temp difference, or only taking the temp of water in the cup?

Thanks

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@knowOMR Measuring at the head, which will lose some temp between the boiler and the brew head, then even more as it hits the cup. Espresso is not a flat temperature brew preparation; it will fluctuate throughout the extraction. - Kat

[tdragon64]

I have an older Silvia, bought in 2001. Will this PID work with an older model? And the older steam wands dont articulate like the new ones. Will the PID be in the way of swinging the wand back under the machine , over the drip tray? Thanks.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@tdragon64 I believe it does not work with the older models, but you'd need to contact Auber to know for sure. The older wand styles would definitely be inhibited by the location of the interface - Kat

[MrKorszun]

Hi kat, hi Gail. Love your videos! I'm pretty much decided on buying a PID kit for my Silvia. She's almost 2 years old so I think the warranty is about to expire anyway. I like the look of the kit you guys sell and the video makes me feel so much more comfortable about doing such a mod - you guys are trustworthy. I do have a problem though, I live in the UK, do you ship international?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@MrKorszun We do, but only accessory items and not parts right now (which is how this is classified). If you go to our site, there is a section called 'International Customers' which lists all the stuff we can ship outside of the US right now. At the bottom is a request form; fill that out and our product manager will put it in the queue to look into whether or not we can ship them outside of the US - Kat

[WaksON]

I want to pid my Silvia. I just got it and the store gave me a 2 years warranty. I think I will run the risk anyway and put in a Auber PID in coming months.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@WaksON It's a great addition! Let me know how it goes - Kat

[WaksON]

@SeattleCoffeeGear Will let you know. I just ordered the same as what you have but with blue display :)

[WaksON]

@SeattleCoffeeGear Installed my Auber PID yesterday. It's awesome it really makes things a lot easier.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@WaksON great to hear!! :) - kat

[agoodmanjazz]

I have this exact set up, but my PID is stabilizing the temperature before the SV value. I've put in 218, but my boiler light was flashing and the temperature was staying at around 205. Is this a problem you've encountered before? If so is there a fix that you are aware of? Thanks!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@agoodmanjazz since it's measuring the outside of the boiler, we always have ours set about 20 degrees higher than what we are looking for at the brew head. I'm not sure if this is a problem, per se, or just a known quirk around this retrofit. We had this also with the other PIDs we used. But maybe I'm not understanding your quandary...? - Kat

[agoodmanjazz]

@SeattleCoffeeGear - My issue is actually that although I set the temperature for 218, it is only reaching 205 before stabilizing and halting further temperature increase (the water is closer to 185 near the brewhead). I doubt this is related, but mine also doesn't initiate the countdown mode and immediately starts shooting water when turning on the silvia brew button. Is there a way to program the PID to act like yours in the video & withhold brewing until the sideways arrow is pushed? Thanks!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@agoodmanjazz Hmmm, yeah, I'd have to suggest you contact Auber about it at this point -- can't really troubleshoot it via YouTube. - Kat

[agoodmanjazz]

@SeattleCoffeeGear , absolutely, thanks anyway! Just thought I'd check to see if it was a problem you had regularly encountered before

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@agoodmanjazz Sorry I couldn't be more help! Let us know what you find out -- would love to have more info in case we run across it, too. Thank you!! - Kat

[WaksON]

@agoodmanjazz Possibly a faulty thermocouple temperature sensor ?

[WaksON]

@agoodmanjazz Did you install it yourself ? If so check that the thermocouple temp sensor is still sitting nicely in its bracket.

[coolcattune]

ive installed mine but could not get it flush, its hanging out a bit because of the steam wand nut does this differ from machine to machine

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@coolcattune Could be; we have been able to get all of ours fairly flush; what model do you have? - Kat

[coolcattune]

is it 217 Fahrenheit or Celsius?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@coolcattune Fahrenheit - Kat

[allpointhd]

Wondered if the Auber PID is available in the blue readout from Seattle Coffee as well (Auber makes blue as well with all the same features). I think the blue looks a little nicer.

Also, how come Kat does not star in any videos????

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@allpointhd We just got the red, sorry. - Kat

[Warrenff5]

love the thumbnail for this vid!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@Warrenff5 Hahahah :)

[katemari]

Is it already available?

I want to buy a machine, I saw your Rancilio Silvia and Grinder Package and was thinking about getting it with the Baratza Preciso. It would be great if I could get it and have the PID installed. Is that possible?

So, my questions are:

- are you guys already installing the PID?

- how much ($) does it add to the package?

- will the Baratza Preciso grind fine enough for the Rancilio?

- can the Baratza Preciso grind fine enough for Turkish coffee?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@katemari We are adding this PID to the package today; should be live by the end of the day with available pricing, etc. The Preciso does go fine enough for the Silvia, but does not do Turkish. - Kat

[katemari]

@SeattleCoffeeGear

Yeah, I got it!!!

So excited to receive it at home, can't wait!!!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@katemari Rad! :) - Kat

[katemari]

@SeattleCoffeeGear okay... I have a question. :-)

My lovely baby arrived today. I read all the manuals, watched all your videos (lol) and I want to be sure of one thing: should I dismiss the big yellow warning note that comes with the Silvia (to open he steam tap, etc, and draw four cups of water through the coffee outlet)? Because I tried to do it, and it doesn't work at all. I would assume that because it has the PID already, I don't have to prime the machine (or you guys already did it.

[katemari]

@SeattleCoffeeGear So what should I do? There are no instructions for "priming with a PID on it".

:-)

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@katemari Sorry, didn't see this sooner -- are you all set? If not, please call in and they'll walk you through. - Kat

[tareqby]

how set reset default

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@natelv1 Jury's still out on whether or not we'll carry it -- we are going to try it on the Via Venezia instead to see if it has a better fit. - Kat

[danse82]

Why Auber and not PIDKits from MLG?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@danse82 We wanted something more integrated into the machine and haven't liked the PIDKits versions. - Kat

[TheEvilCookie01]

Are you guys doing a video on the PID for the saeco machines?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@TheEvilCookie01 If we decide to carry it, we will. - Kat

[spyrmak]

very difficult to use ,,, it should have a usb port and connect to a computer and configure all this with an application ,,,

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@spyrmak Ha -- not that difficult once you initially program it, it's set and done and you just press a button. - Kat

[WarmProp]

I wish my local stores offered something like this

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@WarmProp You should suggest it to them! After all, you guys drink the most coffee in the world, per capita, right? ;) - Kat

[Warrenff5]

Can I put a PID on my Aroma?

[renix]

@Warrenff5 didn't they show that in the video?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@Warrenff5 We're testing one, not sure how it will shake out. As we showed the one we have right now, it's a bit big and the implementation isn't great, so we're not sure if we'd recommend it/sell it ourselves as an install. But if you're technically savvy enough, you could pick one up and do it yourself. - Kat

[craigdamico1]

very cool

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@craigdamico1 Thanks!

[faustas308]

I already have a Silvia at home (purchased for about 6 months). If I purchase the PID and have you SCG install it, would I still keep the warranty of the Silvia?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@faustas308 If you purchased it from us, then yes, since we support the warranty. If you purchased it from somewhere else, I'd ask the seller as they support the warranty (or will refer you to someone who does). We are a Rancilio certified distributor/warranty center so you could let them know that. - Kat

[lewys258]

What does PID stand for? I have no idea :D

[renix]

@lewys258 Proportional-Integral-Derivati­ve

[jedfa987]

@lewys258 proportional integral derivative, it doesn't matter though. Just like what radar and laser mean doesn't matter when using the words.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@lewys258 We have a video explaining PIDs, too, so you can check that one out if you want more info on how they work. - Kat

[ray5961]

Hey Kat - when you guys run your PID at 218, what's the temperature of the water coming out of the group head? I have an Auber PID on my La Pavoni lever machine and have been running it at 230, which results in about 190 degree water exiting the group head (into a measuring cup). I'd be curious to know what temp you are seeing if you flush water into a cup under the group head. My PID has an pt100 RTD sensor directly into the boiler though, so it's in direct water contact.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@ray5961 I just tested it at around 185F in the cup. - Kat

[ray5961]

@SeattleCoffeeGear - okay thanks very much! I was running 230 in my boiler on the La Pavoni and seeing about 190 in the cup. I'm thinking I may back the target temp down a bit and see how things work (although pressure in the boiler started to become a problem under 230 degrees). Thanks again!

[caffe1nated]

Oneeeeeeee more question. Why not use the steam function of the PID? Wouldn't it be better because it would always keep the steam going because it would activate the boiler as soon as the temp would go down? Actually another question: how is the PID attached under the machine?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@caffe1nated It's maintaining the temp to the desired shot temp, which is where you want it sitting at. If you increase the steam temp, you run the risk of overheating the machine, which is why she said not to change the programming there -- the set point is fine. The PID is attached via screws. - Kat

[caffe1nated]

Also, a question: If I have the $, is the PID with the pre-infusion really worth it compared to just the one with brew+steam control? Also a request :-) a cupping of "Redline Espresso" and the other coffees from that company

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@caffe1nated It's kind of your call on the pre-infusion; I think you can get better results with some coffees, but not all of them like the extra attention. As far as your request -- we haven't started cupping coffees that we don't carry, but may do so in the future. I'll put this on the list in the event that we do. - Kat

[caffe1nated]

You guys promised it :-) but I was thinking "hey, I can just order machine+grinder now then I can add the auber later" and I did! I just got the grinder today from you guys and the rest of the stuff will be here tomorrow! I love you guys!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@caffe1nated Awesome! Yeah, the PIDs should be on the site within the next few weeks. :) - Kat

[ktFoxtail]

Very worthy upgrade. Ive had the Auber for almost a year and cannot go back! I have the model with preinfusion and it can be turned off by setting the time to 0.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@ktFoxtail Great to hear that you are still digging the upgrade! :) - Kat

[csgyuricza]

When will the PID be available for purchase on the SCG website?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@csgyuricza Within the next couple of weeks; just waiting on delivery, then they'll be up for individual sale and as an add-on with the Silvia. - Kat