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DiyPresso: DIY Espresso Machine

(www.diypresso.com)
325 points ragebol | 17 comments | 12 Sep 24 19:00 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source | bottom
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drrotmos ◴[13 Sep 24 12:57 UTC] No.41530826[source]▶
The more I think about the more I feel that this is the wrong solution to the problem. Disclaimer: I'm doing a small open source espresso controller project, check it out if you're interested, but it's not ready for prime time yet: https://github.com/variegated-coffee.

My thinking is that this machine appeals mostly to people who already has an espresso machine. It's not particularly technologically advanced. It's a single boiler, an E61 group and a vibratory pump. If you're buying this machine, you're probably replacing a machine at a similar technology level, and that's not really a sustainable choice.

A well maintained espresso machine has a lifespan in the range of decades. Many recent innovations in espresso machines is mostly controllers, sensors and actuators. Also better pumps. These are all things that can easily be retrofitted to an older espresso machine.

There has been innovation in other areas not easily retrofittable (saturated groups, dual boilers instead of heat-exchangers, to name a few), but this machine doesn't really feature any of those.

I strongly believe that in this particular demographic, it's a much better (more sustainable, cheaper and all around more fun) idea to retrofit new and advanced parts to the espresso machine they presumably already have, than to buy a whole new machine. We don't need old espresso machines on landfills.

On the off chance that a prospective buyer doesn't already have a similar espresso machine, this isn't too bad of a choice, and the price is decent, but on the other hand, there are a lot of used machines on the market that are looking for a new owner and can be upgraded.

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1. zero_iq ◴[13 Sep 24 13:28 UTC] No.41531089[source]▶
It's also at least as expensive as more advanced machines you can buy already-assembled.

If this was half the price, I might be interested. But if I wanted a coffee maker with open source control, I'd probably just hack an existing cheaper product. And I'm someone who absolutely loves assembling stuff from kits!

Heck, I'd be surprised if someone hasn't already got Doom running on a Sage.

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2. dfxm12 ◴[13 Sep 24 14:03 UTC] No.41531369[source]▶
It's also at least as expensive as more advanced machines you can buy already-assembled.

Exactly. The parent post mentions this being "the wrong solution to the problem", but I don't know what the problem is this product is addressing. E61 machines are well understood and diagrammed with (somewhat) interchangeable parts. If this product appeals to you, you can buy a cheaper/similarly priced machine, take it apart and put it back together yourself.

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3. a012 ◴[13 Sep 24 14:19 UTC] No.41531504[source]▶
And also branded machine got QC before going to my home, instead I’d not trust myself to do anything related to the boilers
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4. drrotmos ◴[13 Sep 24 14:21 UTC] No.41531521[source]▶
Oh, don't get me started on what the problem is :D

* Espresso machine electronics are very proprietary. There's basically one manufacturer, no published schematics and very closed firmwares.

* That one manufacturer's hardware occasionally breaks and needs replacement, and they charge up the wazoo for it.

* Firmware updates is not a thing. Buying a new controller with the new firmware is your only option.

* Espresso machine electronics hardware is pretty firmly stuck in the past. If you're lucky you have a 128x64 px OLED, but more likely you have LED indicators, 7 segment displays, or graphical LCDs.

There are absolutely exceptions to this, but for 95% of the espresso machines out there, you're definitely not getting the full potential of the hardware.

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5. dgacmu ◴[13 Sep 24 14:40 UTC] No.41531675{3}[source]▶
Which one manufacturer do you have in mind?

Perhaps you're thinking of the commercial market and I'm thinking of consumer, but there's been a lot of really interesting developments in the last few years at the intersection of affordable and high quality output -- I own a plus Bambino plus now, for example, which is simply a delightful machine, though I too wish I could modify the firmware.

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6. drrotmos ◴[13 Sep 24 15:14 UTC] No.41531984{4}[source]▶
Gicar. If you're looking at home machines from manufacturers that also do commercial (e.g. Profitec, ECM, Lelit, Rancilio, La Marzocco etc), they almost exclusively use Gicar electronics.
7. everybodyknows ◴[13 Sep 24 15:16 UTC] No.41532010{3}[source]▶
Not my Baratza Vario grinder. First two units had line-hot shorted to ground.
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8. iamwil ◴[13 Sep 24 16:08 UTC] No.41532518[source]▶
Do you have a list of recommendations of kits that you enjoyed assembling?
9. 0x457 ◴[13 Sep 24 16:19 UTC] No.41532627[source]▶
This is like building your own keyboards. It's for people that like putting things together.

I've ordered DIY framework laptop not because it was cheaper, but because it was fun to build it.

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10. dfxm12 ◴[13 Sep 24 16:20 UTC] No.41532633{3}[source]▶
I don't think any of these issues are solved by selling you a pile of parts and having you build the machine yourself. An open/more flexible PID is a great idea, but that's just one piece of this product & could be built into an already assembled machine. There are some machines (Decent, Sam Remo You) that give you a lot more control, but even this level of control probably goes unused by a lot of its users if the h-b forums are to be believed.

More control than that, or a totally open PID, might be a hard sell for safety reasons. That alone is a nonstarter, but even as you approach that level of openness, it would be pretty hard to support and really isn't needed if you just want a good shot of espresso and aren't taking an niche academic approach to an already niche process. This is why you likely won't see it in more commercial machines.

11. dfxm12 ◴[13 Sep 24 16:25 UTC] No.41532691{3}[source]▶
The last sentence of my post addresses this.
12. hiatus ◴[13 Sep 24 17:23 UTC] No.41533226{3}[source]▶
> * Espresso machine electronics hardware is pretty firmly stuck in the past. If you're lucky you have a 128x64 px OLED, but more likely you have LED indicators, 7 segment displays, or graphical LCDs.

I don't know if I'd consider adding a screen to an espresso machine to be an improvement. What would it be useful for?

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13. bch ◴[13 Sep 24 18:51 UTC] No.41533999{4}[source]▶
Now the big question - was Baratza cool to deal with? I haven’t had too much interaction with them, but I replaced (they sold me) a controller board for my Vario-W for a reasonable price, as well as burrs and the drive. The machines are good for what they are, but their service (what they pride themselves on) is exceptional in my experience.
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14. dgacmu ◴[13 Sep 24 19:27 UTC] No.41534322{4}[source]▶
I have a no-display machine and I wish it had a few things that a screen would facilitate:

(1) Automatic shot timer.

(2) Shot volume display (my machine is a volumetric one, but I have to measure the weight of the output to calculate what volume it dispensed)

(3) Ability to configure other parameters, such as pre-infusion time, where I'm guessing the manufacturer just left this out because it would complicate an already kind of painful button + LED UI.

I also wish it had a group head temperature sensor, but that would add more hardware to the machine than just the screen.

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15. secabeen ◴[13 Sep 24 22:06 UTC] No.41535638{5}[source]▶
All this exists from Decent Espresso, but they are the 1% of the market that is the exception.
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16. everybodyknows ◴[14 Sep 24 03:13 UTC] No.41537205{5}[source]▶
Yes, response was good.
17. mathgeek ◴[14 Sep 24 11:40 UTC] No.41539152{6}[source]▶
I think we’re coming full circle back to identifying what this company is trying to solve for.