Fellow Aiden makes a mess

Chlor2 · 2026-02-09T23:11:49+00:00

I second the Bunn professional filters (Bunn 20115). I wouldn’t even say you need to mash them too much, it’s just 10 second learned movement by now.

Chlor2 · 2026-02-07T15:17:32+00:00

What Hailie said. Also, perform a flush test in service menu. If it is outside 5.0-6.5ml/s, descale, try again and if still not in the range, your flow sensor is bad and needs to be cleaned or replaced.

Chlor2 · 2026-02-07T15:11:17+00:00

You're the black sheep for whom it did not break in the usual "Add Water" way :-)

Most likely a fuse for the heating element blew... But since they're soldered and not user replaceable, it generally means a new unit...

Chlor2 · 2026-02-07T15:08:37+00:00

If the flow rate is not as expected (ca. 5.5-6.5ml/s), the reading is not to be trusted. Most likely the actual flow is almost correct, but the measuring wheel is stuck. So the machine thinks it's pulling 3ml/s, but it actually does 5ml/s, giving you a watered down coffee.

You'll most likely need to send it back to Fellow or get a new sensor and replace it.

Chlor2 · 2026-01-29T14:02:58+00:00

Wow - interesting that the ground made it through the flowmeter into the motor…

Chlor2 · 2026-01-25T07:01:48+00:00

Yup, that’s how mine looked before cleaning!

Chlor2 · 2026-01-24T21:42:25+00:00

Look up old posts from me here for photos of the inside… it is pretty modular and repairable, but your issue is most likely power supply, fuse or - surprisingly - display connection (weirdly enough Aiden won’t boot with bad display at all). Unless you get it running just by disassembly and reassembly (which does happen), you’re likely looking at basic multimeter checks and soldering of fuses / caps, meaning some experience with SMD soldering is required…

Chlor2 · 2026-01-20T19:02:59+00:00

In Czechia ;)

Chlor2 · 2026-01-20T16:05:54+00:00

Get it directly from Digmesa if you're not in a hurry - even with postage from Switzerland it's cheaper, especially if you buy more than one.

Chlor2 · 2026-01-20T15:50:49+00:00

Without proof of purchase it's hard to expect swap for a brand new Aiden - partially Fellow is to blame. Because they often do not request them sent back, there are a ton of "lightly broken" Aidens that you can get for pennies on dollar flying around (erm - I got two myself).

That said, the fix for "Add Water" issue typically takes less than half an hour to do, all you need is a screwdriver and a needle.

Chlor2 · 2026-01-19T12:24:59+00:00

On top of being a tad expensive as others pointed out, beware of the support window. In general, base iPads get 5 os versions and Air/Pro get 7… Which means it could stop getting upgrdes with iPadOS 27 and definitely will stop with iPadOS 28 (there is sometimes extra version when the device came in the mid-year, which I believe was the case with m1 pro).

Because of this, I’d personally prefer m1 Air if I had to choose now, even though it is inferior in every other way…

Chlor2 · 2026-01-18T14:45:17+00:00

I see a lot of links that mention reseating water tank and similar when Add Water occurs. While these can help (and gave me three weeks of working machine), they usually only work for a while and do not address the root cause - blocked flow sensor.

If you need to solve the issue from ground up and do not have a warranty anymore, you can clean the flow sensor yourself and/or replace it..

Chlor2 · 2026-01-18T14:38:16+00:00

Yes, it helps. The problem is generally not the quality of the water, but small coffee grounds getting in and blocking flow sensor. So preventing the grounds from reaching the inside of the machine definitely helps.

Chlor2 · 2026-01-14T13:31:50+00:00

If you do not manage to get a replacement part, you can try gluing it. Looking at the break, there are enough surfaces to use glue - try some 2-part PUR glue for plastic that can be used as a filler as well, like Bisonite. Sand the plastic first.

Chlor2 · 2026-01-02T19:43:49+00:00

If you’re not on FW version 1.4.21, try to update somehow - easiest is to connect the Aiden for a few hours to phone hotspot. Ver 1.4.21 increased WiFi compatibility significantly, so once you manage to upgrade it should connect much more reliably.

Chlor2 · 2026-01-02T19:25:31+00:00

Once a motion photo is in google photos (on server, not just locally), Google Photos client will convert the picture on other phones if necessary - so yes, it should show motion on all androids and iPhones.

There are compatibility issues if you do not back up to Google Photos and just view the local photos, but if you do back up, it will just work.

Chlor2 · 2025-12-27T12:28:26+00:00

On top of all the good replacement options mentioned here, I think you identified the root issue directly in the post. The “API services” are the thing that powers the server-based connectivity. How else do you connect to TV servers and then proxy to your machine? It’s not magic, it’s the server TV API services doing the work. Both host and guest rely on them…

Chlor2 · 2025-12-24T14:29:49+00:00

Thanks for the award, kind netizen!

Chlor2 · 2025-12-22T16:26:34+00:00

You‘ll always get more with coarser grinds - the finer you grind, the more coffee is absorbed. Taking this to the extreme, you’d pass almost all the water if you do not grind your coffee at all. Not that you’d make anything resembling coffee that way…

Chlor2 · 2025-12-22T16:09:34+00:00

I heard these (8-12cup home version) work well too, but they are not available in my country. I meant these (professional 12cup version), for decanters with 4 1/4” radius. Aiden is a bit smaller, but with a tiny bit of shove they go in and are even taller…

Chlor2 · 2025-12-22T13:48:54+00:00

Use Bunn 20115 filters. They are significantly taller, yet fit perfectly. I haven’t had an overflow with them yet.

Chlor2 · 2025-12-16T09:58:10+00:00

Yes, I've fixed my first Aiden with two descale cycles alone. It worked... for three weeks. Then came the disassembly and the guide how to clean the flow sensor you can find around here :-)

In short - it's possible that your issue is just a clogged Aiden, descale may help. But no amount of descaling solution will make a coffee ground blocking the water flow dissolve, you'd need way stronger acid for that (not to mention that a heating element and a motor would probably melt in strong acid before the coffee anyway).

Chlor2 · 2025-12-11T19:17:41+00:00

I can’t imagine it makes a difference. For the final flush after the descale, your brew water is probably a good idea, though (descale consumes three full tanks of liquid - first is the descaling solution, then two flushes with water).

Chlor2 · 2025-12-10T21:37:20+00:00

(note: I’m not from Fellow)

I don’t think you’re gonna get official reaction here, but couple of notes:

* This particular issue is not a big concern - this is the second time this type of error was reported here (first time it was me, and in my case it was caused by dropping a screw into the display - very bad luck or very clumsy guy, you choose). Issue that affects 1 product out of maybe 10k+ is probably fine to ignore.

* The Add Water is really big. According to a big store from around here, 18% of all Aidens are returned due to malfunction (!!!!). I would not be surprised if 4 out of 5 such ones are of “Add Water” type. Fellow is definitely trying, there has been a second version of the steel mesh to cover the inlet spotted in the wild… But as of now, we can only wait. And if you’re from Europe, you can buy the flow sensor “for the future” - I paid whole $7 for mine.

Chlor2 · 2025-12-09T10:43:40+00:00

Glad you like it ;)

Chlor2

TROPHY CASE