So there's a lot of people buying Minimas on here at the moment and a few experienced users so I thought a thread dedicated to the Minima with questions / information on the machine would be useful to myself and the others who have recently purchased and are about to take the plunge (and to prevent myself from hijacking other people's threads). One question I have to kick us off is about the brew boiler and PID. For some reason my Minima does not seem to like bring set at 93 degrees. Despite me having it set at 93, the display shows it settling at 94. I'm not sure if this is indicative of an issue or standard behaviour. It occasionally will drop to 93 but then goes up to 94 again

Edit…I've just found the PID Values Explained section at the back of the manual where it explains this is normal.

Mine does the same and I confirmed with other Minima users when I bought the machine.

> @"dutchy101"#p6482 Edit…I’ve just found the PID Values Explained section atvthe back of the manual where it explains this is normal. Very good manual that one…, online version available as well. https://sway.office.com/xofz72xFBgYyiWqi?ref=Link

@"dutchy101"#56 @"HVL87"#57 How have you found the stock filter baskets? I'm already thinking of upgrading, but won't do unecessarily quickly - although that is also partly tamper dependent.

@"PortafilterProcrastinator"#p6679 they are fine. Easier to pull a nice looking bottomless shot - in my opinion that doesn’t mean much. I moved on to a 18g VST to optimise my shots as much as possible.

It's been a bit of a transition for me this week as I've changed from Sage 54mm baskets and didn't have a 58mm tamper until a few days after the machine arrived. I got a new distributor yesterday which has also helped so still finding my feet a bit with the stock baskets, but pretty happy with them so far

Thanks both, if they're a similar ID then I can get a tamper (thinking bravo ATM) first and upgrade the basket later when looking for refinement, rather than just trying to make something palatable!

Yeah - I've got a Nomcore 58.5mm tamper on order and coming this week so will get a better handle on things once that has arrived

@"dutchy101"#p6686 I'd be really interested and grateful to hear how you get on. How are you finding the Minima overall?

Absolutely loving it - so glad I went with it I'm really enjoying using it. How about you? Made my wife a tea using water from the service boiler to drain some water this morning and she commented how much better it looked and tasted (using the zero and remineralised water I've been making up).

The General ACS Minima Thread

simonc

DavecUK ok didn’t feel like there was enough slack to get it to do the 90 degree bend or that the elbow would move. Will do that now , but now need a replacement hose. Is that a standard part from Bella or needed from ACS?

DavecUK

simonc Will do that now , but now need a replacement hose. Is that a standard part from Bella or needed from ACS?

Why?

The hose should self flare in the fitting when it’s tightened?

Put up a photo of the disassembled high pressure fitting. I suspect you might be misunderstanding how this stuff works and creating problems for yourself

simonc

DavecUK as I said. I cut the hose to fit the bare end into the lelit fitting thinking their elbow didn’t come off.

MediumRoastSteam

simonc - in that case… the lelit pump is a push fit fitting. If the tube is the correct diameter, just push it into the fitting and it will remain there.

simonc

MediumRoastSteam that’s my point. The hose is too big. 🙁

MediumRoastSteam

simonc damn! - is the fitting one that you can just unscrew from the hose sort of thing and you can re-install? Or is the fitting glued/welded to the hose?

simonc

MediumRoastSteam that’s an idea

DavecUK

The minima fitting is not glued, it works in a similar way to putting a brass end on a hosepipe. Please do what I asked.

simonc

DavecUK thanks. ok I’ll try tomorrow.

simonc

DavecUK

The metal end of the minima hose is female. Taking off the metal elbow on the lelit pump gives me a female end on the white plastic. Nothing to screw together. Still confused. Will post a picture in a bit.

Cuprajake

Pics say a thousand words

simonc

simonc I’m being stupid, I’m assuming I can move the elbow from the old pump. The problem needing to problem solve when you haven’t had caffeine because the problem is with your espresso machine 🤣

Cuprajake

Im not sure. We’re working blind pal,

Can’t help if you don’t provide what’s being asked.

simonc

I’ll pop this in a new thread when done but this is the key step. Green pump is new lelit, blue is old. The brass elbow on the lelit needs removing and replacing with the one from the original minima pump. The lelit uses a washer but the minima connection doesn’t so needs some pfte tape to seal and get it at the right angle.

You also need to swap the rubber legs over too.

Still now worked out how to get it back in though!

Norvin

simonc

Couldn’t you just cut off the flared end from the tube and then just push it into the Lelit fitting? If you loosen the two screws on the Lelit pump you should be able to turn the fitting to get the right angle, once set tighten up the screws.

Cuprajake

Does the old pipe to just push into the new one?

simonc

Pipe diameter is wrong for the lelit push fitting.

By swapping parts it’s easiest solution but getting the pump back in is a fiddle

DavecUK

simonc just make sure the high pressure metal fitting is tight enough, you won’t find it easy to tighten when pump in place.

Not teaching you how to suck eggs but you need to hold both metal parts to tighten it on tube. Don’t try and do it against pump fitting…. ideally do it before screwing pump onto fitting.

simonc

Thanks. Think it’s ok. I took the other end off so I could get more slack on the pipe and more room to do it.

Issue now got 2 screws of 4 of the pump fitting in and lost the other 2 in behind the front panel and cant find them.

DavecUK

simonc Time for the mirror on a stick!

MediumRoastSteam

simonc Issue now got 2 screws of 4 of the pump fitting in and lost the other 2 in behind the front panel and cant find them.

This is going really well… 🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️😬😉👍

CoyoteOldMan

simonc Fishing line/dental floss and a magnet-with-a-hole? (Assuming the Minima’s front panel is of the same 304 steel as the Evo - it’s virtually non-magnetic, but screws are usually mild steel)

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