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Date: 19 Sep 2006 17:36:27
From: badbean
Subject: ns Oscar Brain box fried
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Have you had problems with or had to replace your Oscars brain box? We
bought our machine new almost three years ago (when ns updated to the
newer model). The brain box has failed in successive stages. First it
was the relay circuit for the boiler heater and then it was the low
water light coming on even when the reservoir leads were shorted
together. The final straw was the auto-fill circuit failing which than
caused the boiler element to fry. This seems to be a common problem
according to the Nuova distributor in Washington but the manufacturer
refuses to acknowledge it. Just the other day I talked to a coffee shop
owner who had bought two machines where the brain boxes failed. One for
her parents (won't heat up) and her machine at the shop which she has
to cycle off and on between each shot or the low water light comes on
(this is not the common problem that can be cured by adding salt or by
shorting the reservoir leads together). Periodically the distributor
has either new and/or refurbished brain boxes in stock and has
acknowledged its high failure rate. So has any other Oscar owners had
to replace their brain boxes and where did you get them from?
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Date: 19 Sep 2006 20:28:38
From: badbean
Subject: Re: ns Oscar Brain box fried
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Thanks for your replies. I am happy to hear that your machines are
working well.
I have taken it apart. I used to be an electronics tech in the Navy.
The problem is that the components that are used on the circuit boards
are not easy to find here in the states. I replaced the relay and the
ic that control the boiler element. That got it going again for awhile
but than the auto-fill circuit crapped out. I found others that have
had the same failures on their machines as myself but I was trying to
find out how common this problem is in order to decide if I want to fix
my machine or replace it with another hopefully more reliable brand.
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Date: 19 Sep 2006 22:31:09
From: Jack Denver
Subject: Re: ns Oscar Brain box fried
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No, I've had mine for years and no problem with the brainbox. The mini-pstat
gave me fits until I replaced it with PID, but the brainbox has been rock
solid, knock on plastic.
Inside the brainbox there is not much of a "brain", just some relatively
simple electronics. If you know someone (an electronics hobbyist) who is
handy with a soldering iron it would not be rocket science to fix one - I'd
bet that a visual examination of the board and a little probing with a meter
would lead you to the fried component fairly quickly.
Heat is the enemy of electronics - anything you can do to keep the heat away
from the brainbox - more boiler insulation, even a computer cooling fan,
would extend its life.
"badbean" <beau396@hotmail.com > wrote in message
news:1158712587.074614.260070@m7g2000cwm.googlegroups.com...
> Have you had problems with or had to replace your Oscars brain box? We
> bought our machine new almost three years ago (when ns updated to the
> newer model). The brain box has failed in successive stages. First it
> was the relay circuit for the boiler heater and then it was the low
> water light coming on even when the reservoir leads were shorted
> together. The final straw was the auto-fill circuit failing which than
> caused the boiler element to fry. This seems to be a common problem
> according to the Nuova distributor in Washington but the manufacturer
> refuses to acknowledge it. Just the other day I talked to a coffee shop
> owner who had bought two machines where the brain boxes failed. One for
> her parents (won't heat up) and her machine at the shop which she has
> to cycle off and on between each shot or the low water light comes on
> (this is not the common problem that can be cured by adding salt or by
> shorting the reservoir leads together). Periodically the distributor
> has either new and/or refurbished brain boxes in stock and has
> acknowledged its high failure rate. So has any other Oscar owners had
> to replace their brain boxes and where did you get them from?
>
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Date: 20 Sep 2006 02:52:01
From: Robert Harmon
Subject: Re: ns Oscar Brain box fried
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Great minds think alike! I just bought computer power supply fans for my
machines & a couple of friends. One friend already replaced a circuit board
warped by the heat built up.
I've cut holes in opposing sides, 1 high & 1 low, & I'll mount the exhaust
fans in the higher hole.
Robert (duck & cover) Harmon
--
http://tinyurl.com/pou2y
http://tinyurl.com/fkd6r
Remove "Z" to reply via email.
"Jack Denver" <nunuvyer@netscape.net > wrote in
news:SpadnS5P0ttzOo3YnZ2dnUVZ_qGdnZ2d@comcast.com:
> No, I've had mine for years and no problem with the brainbox. The
> mini-pstat gave me fits until I replaced it with PID, but the brainbox
> has been rock solid, knock on plastic.
>
> Inside the brainbox there is not much of a "brain", just some
> relatively simple electronics. If you know someone (an electronics
> hobbyist) who is handy with a soldering iron it would not be rocket
> science to fix one - I'd bet that a visual examination of the board
> and a little probing with a meter would lead you to the fried
> component fairly quickly.
>
> Heat is the enemy of electronics - anything you can do to keep the
> heat away from the brainbox - more boiler insulation, even a computer
> cooling fan, would extend its life.
>
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Date: 20 Sep 2006 03:23:39
From: Marshall
Subject: Re: ns Oscar Brain box fried
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On Wed, 20 Sep 2006 02:52:01 GMT, Robert Harmon
<r_h_harmon@Zhotmail.com > wrote:
>Great minds think alike! I just bought computer power supply fans for my
>machines & a couple of friends. One friend already replaced a circuit board
>warped by the heat built up.
>
>I've cut holes in opposing sides, 1 high & 1 low, & I'll mount the exhaust
>fans in the higher hole.
>
>Robert (duck & cover) Harmon
My machine has a little computer fan inside just blowing air over the
PID.
Marshall
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Date: 20 Sep 2006 00:29:01
From: Yiqin
Subject: Re: ns Oscar Brain box fried
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badbean wrote:
> Have you had problems with or had to replace your Oscars brain box? We
> bought our machine new almost three years ago (when ns updated to the
> newer model). The brain box has failed in successive stages. First it
> was the relay circuit for the boiler heater and then it was the low
> water light coming on even when the reservoir leads were shorted
> together. The final straw was the auto-fill circuit failing which than
> caused the boiler element to fry. This seems to be a common problem
> according to the Nuova distributor in Washington but the manufacturer
> refuses to acknowledge it. Just the other day I talked to a coffee shop
> owner who had bought two machines where the brain boxes failed. One for
> her parents (won't heat up) and her machine at the shop which she has
> to cycle off and on between each shot or the low water light comes on
> (this is not the common problem that can be cured by adding salt or by
> shorting the reservoir leads together). Periodically the distributor
> has either new and/or refurbished brain boxes in stock and has
> acknowledged its high failure rate. So has any other Oscar owners had
> to replace their brain boxes and where did you get them from?
I've just replace the Giemme autofill box on my 3 yrs old Isomac Tea a
few weeks ago. It stopped work (not heating the machine and no
autofill) after the machine heated up. It's pretty easy to replac it
with a new one. Inside the box, it's a pretty simple circits, a 110v to
18v DC converter, 2 relays a chip and etc...
Yiqin
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