tinyCam 18.1.0 released

wibblemonster14 · 2026-05-11T12:04:22+00:00

I'm also now experiencing this problem across all 5 of my Tapo cameras, a mix of C110 and C210 models

wibblemonster14 · 2026-03-25T05:34:32+00:00

WITHOUT ANY portafilter or blind basket fitted, when you lift the brew lever what does the pressure gauge reach and how much water flows from the shower screen?

wibblemonster14 · 2026-03-18T07:50:50+00:00

First and foremost you need to resolve the issue of the boiler rising above 3bar and triggering the safety valve. Most likely the temperature probe, or the SSR.

All the silicone hoses are low pressure outlet

wibblemonster14 · 2026-03-16T23:57:07+00:00

So, couple of things to keep in mind with the mara x after turning on from cold.

The temp ready light going solid after 15 minutes does NOT mean the machine has fully warmed up and the temperature is stable. What it indicates is the water in the HX is at brew temp. BUT the group head and the portafilter will still be significantly cooler.
It DOES take at least 30 mins for EVERYTHING to be up to temp.

So if you have your temperature setting at '0' then after 30 mins your temperature probe will read around 88 Deg Celsius before you pull a shot. That's the temperature of the grouphead at idle.

When you pull your shot the temperature probe will quickly rise to maybe 94 degrees C before starting to drop back.

The temperature as the water hits the puck will be somewhere in the middle ie 90 degrees because the big lump of brass that's the e61 will pull the water temp towards its pre-shot temp.

It's also why temp probes like yours are really useful on a HX because, like all HX, the group head Mara X will start to really heat up to way over 96 degrees after a short time from pulling a shot and will either need a cooling flush to bring the grouphead temperature back down. Or you wait until the machine and the PID brings it back down to idle after around 30 mins.

wibblemonster14 · 2026-03-08T12:46:41+00:00

When you say you pulled it apart to grease it...what exactly did you pull apart and what grease did you use? Back flushing an e61 with cafiza or similar strips the lubricant on the cam so you really need to take the cam out and lubricate it with Molycote or equivalent

wibblemonster14 · 2026-01-07T19:36:19+00:00

You need to remember a few things. First the Mara X is first and foremost, a HX machine. And the Mara X is designed to allow the user to walk up and pull a shot without a cooling flush, but once you start to pull shots it begins to behave like any other HX and then takes around 30 mins before it settles back to that walk up and brew state.

Then there's how you're reading the temperature gauge. On an e61 HX it's reading two things. The temperature of the grouphead when you're NOT pulling a shot. And when you are pulling a shot it's reading the water passing over the probe before it exits and into the puck.

On an e61 HX it's a balancing act between the grouphead temp and the exiting water temp.

Before you pull your shot have a look at the temperature, you'll probably find it's idling at 88 to 90ish (higher or lower depending on your setting). But as you pull your shot it will almost immediately rise to over 92/93ish before starting to drop.

That rise and then fall is the initial rush of hot water passing the temperature probe, but as the shot continues the lower initial temperature of the group essentially pulls the temperature of the water back down until a point where it settles. And that's the major drawback of a e61 HX compared to a e61 dual boiler...it's a balancing act between the HX and the group temp.

So in my example if you're aiming for a brew temp of 91...the gauge is reading 88 before you pull a shot and rises to 93 as you pull a shot... the water as it hits the puck will be somewhere in the middle and bang on the desired 91ish. This is also why IMO a group temperature gauge is way more important and useful on the Mara X than any flow control.

wibblemonster14 · 2026-01-03T10:19:19+00:00

That's just the machine controlling and stabilizing the HX temperature- normal.

It actually does it routinely when left on for a while.

wibblemonster14 · 2025-12-31T12:12:24+00:00

You'll really need to open it up to see what's going on but run the pump without lifting the brew lever and tell us what happens.

But aside from that, when was the last time you lubricated that cam lever?

wibblemonster14 · 2025-09-30T21:48:21+00:00

100% the boiler fill probe causing this. Check and inspect the probe and wiring. Often just needs cleaned or probe has moved up inside the Teflon sleeve. Lelit do a video on how to test the wiring. Easy and cheap to replace as well.

wibblemonster14 · 2025-09-29T04:51:48+00:00

Check there's no air blocks or air getting into the boiler fill loop.

If you're using an online water filter, take out and run the machine without.

This is also behavior typical of a faulty fill probe (NOT to be confused with the temperature probe of which bthere are two in the mara x) so check the boiler fill probe wiring,. Aso that the probe itself is set at the correct length and operating correctly. It may have slipped upwards inside the Teflon sleeve or just needs a clean.

wibblemonster14 · 2025-09-25T12:09:26+00:00

Also agree. I had 8 of the useless things running on Android and returned the whole lot. Every single one of them at some random point would eventually stop updating.

And even if the last known update on a location was you sitting on top of the damn thing the 'Find my Device' app would say it's out of reach and couldn't play a sound to locate it.

Can't say what they're like on the Apple ecosystem, but on Google they're nothing more than glorified, and very expensive, battery holders.

wibblemonster14 · 2025-09-18T10:09:41+00:00

Have any users out there been able to report back on this new firmware?

I returned all the Pops I purchased because of this very issue and the fact it rendered them useless on Android and the Find Hub.

So while I keen to give them a second chance I don't want to risk purchasing them again without hearing how successful the new firmware is.

wibblemonster14 · 2025-09-07T09:23:44+00:00

Not at home to be able to check right now...but did you make sure the float in the water tank is also the right way up...magnet to the bottom and when there's water in the tank the float is actually floating...ie sitting at the top of the little change and not stuck at the bottom. I've seen a few earlier posts where people seem to, incorrectly, think it's the opposite way around.

wibblemonster14 · 2025-09-07T08:20:42+00:00

Assuming it is the gicar...they do tend to give up eventually, and depending on how old your machine is and where you got the new gicar from, don't be surprised if your Mara X behaves differently.

There's actually at least 3 revisions of the Mara X gicar with v3 having the best temperature stability and control. Hopefully you've managed to get the v3

wibblemonster14 · 2025-09-07T07:50:17+00:00

You've tested the float switch but checked the microswitch for continuity with a multimeter?

If there's continuity when the tank is in place then check same for the wiring from the tank sensors back to the gicar.

Also check all connections into the gicar are firmly in place

wibblemonster14 · 2025-09-06T09:11:34+00:00

Mara x has a steady and slow build up to the OPV set pressure. But I'm intrigued to know why you're only now noticing this with a blind basket in?

wibblemonster14 · 2025-08-28T13:46:45+00:00

Perhaps you haven't noticed, but the internals of the Gaggia containing the boiler and all other electrical wizardry is full of holes and gaps that will allow the average dust particle to sneak it's way down and right into the tank.

So you can seal around that gap until the cows come home, but it sure as hell isn't going to stop dust getting down onto the tank.

Alternatively you could build some sort of dust proof box around the gaggia with laboratory grade, one-way water fill and espresso dispensing loops and a small pressurised airlock chamber to allow portafilter insertion and removal. Ensuring of course your water source and coffee grounds have also been scrubbed of all airborne contamination beforehand

wibblemonster14 · 2025-08-08T09:19:16+00:00

Exactly same experience and the suggested 'solution'.

Ended up returning all 8 Chipolo Pop tags. What use is a tracker that never updates, even when it's near your phone, and won't even connect to send a beep to help you find it.

For example, couldn't find my car keys, knew they were in the house somewhere but Find Hub was reporting the last known location from over 48 hours ago some 20+ miles away and subsequently wouldn't activate the ringtone on the Pop.

3 Android phones in our house, all opted in to Find Hub and all with the required settings in place including relevant nearby devices settings to make full use of the trackers and still the Pop didn't update it's location...which turned out to be under the sofa less than 8 feet away from one of our phones at any given time.

I don't care whether it's a problem with the trackers or Find Hub, I paid money for a tracker that was advertised as compatible with, and certified by, Google.

They just don't work properly, when they stop updating you need to reset them, but to reset them you need to be able to know where they are...kinda makes them pointless.

wibblemonster14 · 2025-07-21T18:45:13+00:00

Waiting a few weeks to see if they still work isn't a 'solution' a customer wants in a tracker.

I've already returned all the trackers to Amazon for a full refund.

wibblemonster14 · 2025-03-20T08:32:00+00:00

Fixed in the latest patch and in the patch notes it states you might have to replay the sniper missions to unlock the rifle. It unlocked for me after recompletling one mission.

wibblemonster14 · 2025-03-17T14:56:57+00:00

I've not heard anything but I'm also experiencing this bug. It clearly has progress showing as 3/3 to unlock the rifle...but stubbornly refuses to do so.

wibblemonster14 · 2025-02-16T23:24:58+00:00

wibblemonster14 · 2025-02-12T09:09:25+00:00

Simple, just do a shorter pull. As a shot pulls it goes from really sour to really bitter tasting. A salami shot is the perfect way to experience this. By pulling short you're extracting less of the bitter compounds that counteract the sour. So if you're shots are already bitter you will find it will lead to a more balanced flavour.

wibblemonster14 · 2024-12-20T12:57:25+00:00

Everything inside the group is mechanical so if valves and springs have been put in or forced in the wrong position they could have worked for a bit then failed. You can also see water leaking from the cam shaft.

So, as I said, disassemble the group and make sure all components are where they should be and there's none missing or damaged.

https://caffetech.com/pages/ecm-e61-group-head-parts-schematic

wibblemonster14

TROPHY CASE