Ask the Experts: What's the Lowdown on PIDs?

Wondering what a PID is or what machines it can be installed on? While Gail doesn't get into the nitty gritty about installing these, she does talk to us about what they are, what they do, when you can install them and why you'd want to.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• PID
• installation
• how-to
• tips
• single boiler
• double boiler
• espresso machine

[JmanEspresso]

PID:

Compares your setpoint(desired) temp, to your actual temp.  It reads the temp inside the boiler a couple times a second. The PID always wants the temp to be the SetPoint. If it senses the actual temp is not your setpoint, it corrects itself. But unlike stock T-Stats, there is no large swings in temp. the PID pulses the heater on/off really quick, so you dont overshoot your SetPoint, or fall below it.

For the serious enthusiast, a PID offers very tight control and manipulation of temps

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

Thank you! Great explanation - Kat

[nlmaxx]

i would guess a -programmable indicator display-, thats just wrong too dude's :)

can you put a PID also on the low-tech automatics, say a seaco odea go ?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

Our tech says you could do this but that the board interface in superautos have better temp regulation than you find on other models, so while you could snip the wires on the temp sensor of the board and then connect them to a pid, you probably wouldn't have much of a performance difference. - Kat

[nlmaxx]

OK, thanks.

well why i wanna put it on, its just like gails says, 2 control temp & doing different blends. and its a coolfactor :)

but your right 2, on an odea, with no bypassdose its not much of a performance difference, so i'am mabye gonna try it on a nespresso, now that i know what a pid is :)

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

Ha - okay. Well let me know how it goes! I'd love to hear how it all comes out. - Kat

[JmanEspresso]

Hey guys:

PID.- what it stands for:

P- Proportional

I- Integral

D- Derivative

Its actually pretty simple how they work, once put into laymans terms, but it cant get real techy, real quick once you dive into it.

in a nutshell... Youve got your "setpoint", or the temp which you WANT to have. Then, you have the ACTUAL temp of the boiler. Then you have the allowable difference between those two points, which is usually 1F, but can be as tight as 0.1F.

The PID(continued)

[HomeDistiller]

@JmanEspresso almost right.. it also reads the heat losses and compensates, say your heater will add 10° a minute and your boiler loses 5° a minute. it will turn on the heater for 30 seconds a minute to keep it constant (although it measures much faster, so it would be more like 7.5 sec every 15 seconds)

[nlmaxx]

'Oh Romeo Romeo Wherefore are thou Romeo' famous offcourse by siemens romeo, ahum...

its seems nespresso has allready solved my quest for the perfect temp control, not excactly PID, but just as good.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

Of course! Hope it hit the mark for you. Let me know if you have any other questions on this topic. - Kat