Had to tear the heart out of Silvia (my espresso machine). Gonna take major surgery to get her running again. Of course what better time to upgrade her temperature control to a PID? 
Show Image
What did it have before? Just a PI? Or God forbid a P? I wonder why any designer wouldn't just use a PID from the get-go, especially with a high ticket item like an espresso machine.
Bro, don't diss Miss Silvia. She is a beast, but you must know how to finesse her to get the god shots. With her old mechanical thermostats (pictured above), you had to wait for HER to be good and ready. When she was heating, you waited until that precious moment when she's done heating up. That's when you hit her with the shot.
Right now she needs a break. She's all over the place.
Soon she will have a nice PID temperament, and she will always be ready at the exact temperature I ask her to be at. I will even be able to communicate with her. I can tell her what I need through a Bluetooth connection and she will talk back to me saying "yes master, I will obey you, would you like steam too?" Yes, some of the intrigue and the pursuit of the hunt for the perfect temp will be lost. But she will still have the strength of her commercial boiler and group head, and the passion of her high output heating coil. And now she will be [gasp] logical!
I just have to get this pesky rust off her frame first...
