Happy New Year

It looks like the Gaggia Carezza has been sold, it is nice that it will get used again. Of course this means that as I have been using the dispersion screen from the Carezza - I have to revert the FF! X3 for a little while until I get a replacement screen for the ground coffee adaptor. So, I decided to remove the adaptor now, and compare results. The only difference over the original FF! X3 is that I used the dispersion screen from the tecnosystem machine as this has finer holes like a proper screen (same as the Gaggia screen - just much smaller) - the FF! X3 screen has large holes.

In any case it has been a while since I have published a movie - so this is the latest pour, without the grinds adaptor. Now one point is that the adaptor was intended to improve the crema...

Yep. Just as good as ever, if not a slightly better colour. Slight bias in the pour and a second or two quick, but perfectly reasonable. I am not sure that the adaptor achieves anything other than a dry puck - and to be honest it does that at the expense of being able to vary the dose. I think I will leave it off for a while and see how I go. Crema on a cappuccino before adding milk.

I also swapped the steam arm on the FF! X3 with the one off the Tecnosystem, just because I happened to have the X3 open. I was getting pretty good microfoam with the standard arm - looks like I will have to learn all over again - I am useless with the new arm. Below is the FF! X3 arm...

The FF! X3 fitted with the Tecnosystem arm. The angle is a bit odd.

So, what else have I been up to? I made a mark 2 pressure tester using the steam valve from the Napolitana to 'correct' the pressure readings. I still need to solve the notched portafilter problem. I tried wrapping the basket in lots of teflon tape, but it would only withstand about 7 bar. I'll see if I can find a slim o-ring today. Mk2 below.

So, as for the FF! X1 boiler replacement. Photo below, as you can see the Tecnosystem boiler is pretty much the same, identical casting, with some differences in component layout to the FF! X3. One thing I hadn't noticed earlier, the FF! X3 has a resetable thermal breaker - great news, much better than a thermal fuse!

Also, the FF! X3 has NO over pressure valve! It has the primer/air release on the Ulka pump, but that is it. The Napolitana had one (sort of adjustable), on the hot side of the boiler, the Gaggia Carezza has one (not adjustable), on the cold side of the boiler, and the Tecnosystem also has one on the hot side of the boiler - in fact integral to the steam valve!

It is a properly adjustable one with a o-ring to seal when adjusting. Similar, but better design to the Napolitana. Now I have to work out how to adapt it for use it on the X1, and how to fit it on the cold side.

Last bit of news. The FF! X1 temperature gauge does not work. Sad. I thought it worked when I dismantled it, but when I tested it yesterday it was no go. Seems they are a common fault. Dang. I am thinking about putting an alternative gauge in there, but as this isn't a HX machine, it really is all just eye candy.