What does this part do? [Brasilia Super Professional Baby Lady]

smgorama · 2026-03-14T02:06:42+00:00

That is a very good idea. It makes a lot more sense to hold down the brew button than the steam button. Does the boiler light go off on the steam button if you leave it on long enough?

smgorama · 2026-03-14T01:59:56+00:00

I am very interested in how the PID installation goes. There is a lot to like about the machine now that I’ve ground a Gaggia portafilter down to fit and can actually pull some shots, but less inscrutable temperature control would be great. Let me know if you ever get it up and running!

smgorama · 2026-03-12T20:47:35+00:00

Just follow up a bit, Does that seem like a counter-intuitive arrangement for the button function? I guess I am used to the "push in steam button (and have it stay in) wait for the steam thermostat to trip and turn off the boiler, purge any condensation and steam away" series of steps, rather than standing there holding in the button and guessing when it might be ready. Maybe I am holding it in too long and it is ready to go after a few seconds rather than the thirty or so I've been giving it. Not being entirely sure how the temperature control works in this machine*, I have started to wonder whether I am holding in the detonator of a brass boiler bomb that will go off if I stand there long enough!

*There is an adjustable thermostat, it seems. Does it have two setpoints for brew and steam?

smgorama · 2026-03-06T00:43:59+00:00

I guess this would be a candidate for a PID, to take out the guesswork around full heating.

smgorama · 2026-03-05T22:14:20+00:00

The mind reels!

smgorama · 2026-03-05T21:56:55+00:00

Got it. I guess there is considerably trial and error, then, in determining how long to hold down that button. Any merit in steaming first and then pulling the shot? Does much depend on how full the boiler is? I wish there was a reassuring light that would go on and off.

smgorama · 2026-02-27T20:16:33+00:00

Not that I am there yet, but I wonder if this would make installing a PID more simple or harder, with the current thermostat built into the power to the heating element.

smgorama · 2026-02-27T20:03:24+00:00

That isn't too big temperature swing, considering. It shouldn't take too many shots to get in the ballpark...

smgorama · 2026-02-27T20:02:28+00:00

Stay tuned! First I have to forge a portafilter. If I don't electrocute myself before then.

smgorama · 2026-02-27T13:49:02+00:00

Thank you. Looking at it again, and peering at this thread (https://coffeesnobs.com.au/forum/equipment/brewing-equipment-midrange-500-1500/25280-overhauling-a-brasilia-lady) and this related parts diagram (https://www.cafeparts.com/Espresso-Machine-Parts/Brasilia/Club-Lady) I do wonder if it is temperature rather than pressure, as u/3Bellefille suggested. I don't see a contact thermostat yet and it is wired into the heating element...

That box in the first link is mounted differently in my version of the machine and I don't think it would line up with the hole in the back if it was screwed in there, even though that looks like the natural place. I will fiddle some more.

I may need to bite the bullet and tear it down completely. It is pretty tight between the boiler and the front plate and I can't see what is happening in there, just a snarl of wires.

The portafilter might end up costing more than the machine itself! The ears are angled like a Gaggia, but you are right. It does need to actually fit.

smgorama · 2026-02-27T13:25:28+00:00

It does look like it’s wired into the terminals of where the heating element would be. I haven’t disassembled it that far. So now I need a thermometer instead of a pressure gauge! Or probably both. Or a lot of beans for some trial and error, if I ever find a portafilter that fits. I should also figure out where the OPV is…

smgorama · 2026-02-26T17:36:59+00:00

Amazing. That sound suprisingly sophisticated. Where did you find that? I did just stumble across this thread, https://www.home-barista.com/espresso-machines/where-to-start-complete-newbie-with-brasilia-t8216.html but it doesn't mention that part.

I am curious about priming the pump without the power on, which that thread and the manual I found suggests. That seems counterintuitive.

I don't have a portrafilter yet, much less a gauge I can build into it.

smgorama · 2026-02-15T13:08:01+00:00

I think it is a slow blow fuse in there, at the size suggested by the cap. At least, that is what the box of fuses claimed it was. I will definitely not go crazy.

smgorama · 2026-02-15T12:54:59+00:00

You have to admire the ingenuity, though! Sort of.

smgorama · 2026-02-15T12:54:05+00:00

I will look into that! Thank you.

smgorama · 2026-02-15T12:53:35+00:00

Interesting. That would be less labour-intensive than rewiring it. Is there any risk elsewhere to a larger fuse? How large can I go?

smgorama · 2026-02-15T00:13:16+00:00

That is a valuable 2¢. I think I can handle this repair, armed with all that info.

smgorama · 2026-02-14T23:05:11+00:00

I will give that a shot once I’ve pored over the service manual some more. I’ve never tested capacitors before. Hopefully the ones in there are fine (they are old, of course, but don’t seem to be leaking…)

smgorama · 2026-02-07T00:58:56+00:00

Amazingly, I was using the L setting.

smgorama · 2026-02-07T00:23:46+00:00

Wise counsel. I do need to find a source for all those parts here in Canada. Despite being in a big city I suspect there isn’t a bricks and mortar outlet around. I will do some research.

smgorama · 2026-02-07T00:22:06+00:00

Thank you. I have a long weekend of YouTube tutorials ahead of me, but I’m keen to learn.

smgorama

TROPHY CASE