Espresso Machine Down -- ((( Vibes )) for IL Primo...

So from what I can figure,  it's the switch that's "On the Fritz"  after so many thousand cycles.  Highlighted below :::

The blackish circle at upper left is not part of the appliance,  just a graphic to indicate the switch mechanism.

It's a simple,  yet brilliant design.  Three settings.  You flip it to "Steam" and the water inside heats up,  and then steam comes out of the metal tube on the right.  So you can  froth or steam your dairy or Almond milk.

The middle is 'Off".

The other setting is "Espresso".  You can let the heated water flow through the filter basket full of ground coffee powder,  which makes the Magical Elixir that Humanity desires.

I tried to zoom in a little there.  The icon nearest the top is a little cup;  the one below ( 0 ) is "off"  and the bottom one represents a tiny Steam Cloud.

The red thing is a tiny lamp which goes on when the switch is activating the heater circuit  (that heats the Water).

So the lamp glows when you are in "Steam"  or "Espresso"  position.

So the fault is in the electrical contacts of the switch.  After 3800 - 4200 cycles or so,  the "brushes"  or  "stators"  or whatever the Germans call them are On the Fritz / Kaput.

I did manage to barely actuate the 'Steam' setting,  lil' red light went on,  but not enough pressure remained to pull a decent Espresso shot.

Maybe I'll try taking it apart and see if I can actually get in there,  but it looks pretty Grim.  Seems like there's no seam and the pressure tank / switch assembly are molded in to the ABS plastic housing.

So thank goodness I had a backup Krups or two.

I don't really liek that one as much,  but it worked OK.  Kinda dingey after sitting on some dusty shelf for ages.  Maybe it's the Model 993 ??

Same basic internals as IL Primo,  model 972.  The wedge shape is nice,  I guess.

It's  sitting in a little wooden slab / box which is how I like to work on  Krap that has parts and screws that fall out;  that way you can find them.

I managed to take apart IL Primo  and it was not all that difficult,  once the Holy Elixir found its way out of the backup machine.

Looking around the IL Primo,  I spotted several "Phillips Head Screws" and started there --  I started at the bottom,  which is the only option.

That's what it looks like when you remove the base.  You don't have to take off the little rubber countertop feet -- two screws on the bottom and one in back. 

So what you see is looking into the machine with the base off.  Black wire is the one you plug in to an outlet,  which feeds the Red and Blue wires.

Silver thing on the right  is the tiny H2O heater tank.

See how nice they wire all that together !!  Made in Switzerland.  This is the Model 972 -- I can't say if modern Krups are that well-built.

So don't try this at Home !!  No user-serviceable parts etc.  But if you do,  you want a really long Phillips-Head screwdriver for the next step,  taking the top off. Like 11" - 12"  long.  One would reach down in there and loosen 3 long,  skinny Phillips-Head screws that attach the top to the rest of the machine.

Unscrew the lid where you put the Water in....  Take off the filter basket and "Handle".

Obviously,  the knob which the arrows are pointing at slides off before the top comes off the main housing.  Also you take a stubby Phillips screwdriver and unscrew the little plate where the water comes out for the filter basket -- then it all comes apart.

So that little red devil w/ the numbers was the culprit.  That's the actual switch for "Heat ON" or not.  Where it says '170.0'  the actuator button is just left of the 'Zero'.  The photo here is way Zoomed-in;  red and blue hoses are actually tiny wires.

My guess is that it's like 1/10 -> 1/5 of a millimeter out of tolerance,  from the ravages of Time and microscopic wear.

So I squished it in there a bit better,  and put the thing back together.  Working now,  so that's Quaint.

If it messes up again,  I'll repeat the process,  but stabilize the switch with some Glue.

That's all the tools needed to take the Krups apart and put it back together.  Actually,  the Swiss Army knife (sorry Phillips SD got cropped)  is almost enough to take the thing apart,  but the longer Phillips you need to get the top off.

Then when you want to put the top back on,  the needlenose pliers help you get the screws back in there,  unless you have tiny hands.

"...Why dont you just get another one that looks just like that first picture..."

That's a good question.  I already have that white one,  which does about the same thing.  Plus a couple of more advanced Krups with pumps,  and a snazzy Italian pump machine.  They are all more advanced and expen$ive espresso makers.  The Italian one even has a built-in coffee grinder (which spews Coffee dust around the counter).

Basically I like the "IL Primo"  for consistency and ease of use.  Difficult to find a brand-new one of that model,  as they haven't sold those in 15 - 20 years.  That one and several other "IL Primo" machines came from Junque Shoppes liek Goodwill,  and they cost about less than a Beer at a concert.  But I gave a few to friends who like Good Coffee over the years.  Of course,  those were in great shape with zero hours -- castaway wedding gifts ??

This one has been a reliable old Pal over the years.  It's traveled to Vegas,  Oakland,  Big Cypress,  Midwest  & even Horning's Hideout,  no shit.  So how could I abandon my favorite Coffee appliance without trying to rehabilitate it ?

Anyway,  it was worthwhile taking the darn thing apart,  just to see how it's put together.  Those Switzerland people do quality work.

Rained the last 3-4 days here,  so fooling with an old Espresso maker was a fun indoor project.

Maybe 30-45 minutes to remove / replace the 7 or 8 screws etc.  

Much longer to round up the screwdrivers and take fotos,  then shrink/scale the fotos and post.

The UTubes of folks converting burnt-out water heaters into hog troughs and Solar greenhouses are very inspirational.

A few days later,  the machine is performing fine.

Mr. Fly,  I can quit any time 

Actually,  I just have one in the Morning.  But I really enjoy having one Decent -> Fine cuppa coffee when it's that time.

So now I know how to repair the darn thing and can focus upon more intellectual projects like Sticks,  Rocks,  Dirt,  and Gravel.

I feel blessed to have learned something.