Guide 3: Dolce Gusto (Sweet Taste) Coffee Maker, Let's get familair with some of its parts

ID: 180456

Description:

Steps:

  1. Taking advantage of the fact that the machine was disassembled, let's look at some interior components and details that may be useful in general coffee machine repair:
  2. Capacitors on the PCB (electronics board) are usually the culprit when the machine does not stay on 100% (dim button LED). The first thing you should check and replace is the flat yellow polyester capacitor MKP 0.47 uF /275 V located under the aluminum heatsink.
  3. Photo 2: The other capacitor that might give you trouble is the other yellow one located in the foreground of this photo.
  4. Photo 3: The two electrolytic capacitors Black 470 uF / 16 V, very rarely give us problems: we can rule out testing them.
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  5. Varistor:This is the blue part on the PCB, it would be the one damaged by increased voltage in the electrical grid. The sacrifice of this part protects other components through it's destruction, by SHORT CIRCUIT As examples: a copper trace vaporized while fulfilling the function of a fuse, or a resistor similarly acting out a fuse's function.
  6. It is a typical part in coffee maker PCBs; if we test and it is shorted it must be removed from the PCB.
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  7. Boiler: (Heating Element) It would be very strange for its resistance to drop, and cause damage to the vessel, but just in case you have to check that it's ok to rule out a fault. This is the reading you should obtain in ohms, for a voltage of 230 V.
  8. Measurement 38.3 Ohms Approx. For machines powered at 230 V AC (Measured on the lowest resistance scale in ohms that your multi-meter has).
  9. Just as a reminder, the boiler is supplied (In this case a European Machine, at 230V) Therefore, if we have a cable, plug and faston connectors, we can connect the element directly to the wall outlet. Watch out, never do this for more than 3 minutes and observe as it heats up that everything's ok.
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  10. Water Pump: When taking readings on a coffee maker's water pump, we must consideran important fact: the water pump has 1 diode in series with its winding. This means that in one position of the meter's test leads, Photo 1: it will give us a measurement, but in the other position Photo 3: It will not measure anything. This is correct.
  11. This could mislead us into thinking the winding is open or damaged. Be careful with this detail, if you don't have much experience, it is easy to make a mistake and think that it is faulty.
  12. To check the water pump, you can power it with a cable and 2 faston connectors, connected to a 230 V socket, the pump should oscillate with its characteristic sound if it is ok.
  13. Measurement in Ohms of the pump: 1,796 Mohms = Mega ohms = 1,796,000 Ohms (measured on the 2 M scale (2 million ohms)
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  14. Out of curiosity, the machine works when we insert the capsule holder, because on one side of it there is a magnet installed that activates a magnetic contact when we insert the capsule holder.
  15. I know this guide doesn't provide much information, but this is what I have been able to find out - researching this machine that a co-worker brought me broken.
  16. END of the Guide.
  17. All Guides in this series: Dolce Gusto KP170
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