Dream & Dream T Threshold A&B

Forums below are for discussions of Dream and Dream T specific issues. However, both machines have as much, if not more, in common than they have differences. This area is for information sharing and questions that you think apply equally to both machines.
Post Reply
User avatar
chas
Vivaldi Dreamer
Posts: 3044
Joined: Wed Jun 02, 2004 11:52 pm
Location: Central Maryland
Contact:

Dream & Dream T Threshold A&B

Post by chas »

Starting with software version 1.14, after updating the Dream or Dream Tank SW when you initially power up, it asks you to set either Threshold A or Threshold B. If defaults to Threshold A if you do nothing. Until today we didn't have an explanation from LaSpaziale as to what this is all about other than that it had something to do with refilling the steam boiler.

Some of the early machines were overflowing their steam boilers and not stopping the refill operation at the right point. The Dream software measures the resistance between the water level sensor and the grounded walls of the boiler and compares this to a value stored in memory. They noted that the sensor resistance values they were getting from the failing units weren't within the threshold range stored in memory. That's when they came up with this Threshold A and Threshold B option. Machines that worked as they should need Threshold A and machines that were overfilling need Threshold B to ensure proper operation.

After making this software setting option in version 1.14, LaSpaziale discovered that in the initial manufacturing run of machines for both the plumbed and the tank versions, the steam boiler water level sensor wires were connected backwards. It turns out that this was the real cause of the initial problem. Consequently, those ranges of serial numbers need to be set for Threshold B and all later machines need Threshold A.

Dream machine serial # 259451-259547
Dream T machine serial # 259487-259496

The above serial #'s should always be set to threshold B. If a reset is done or the control board is replaced then the setting will need to be set again to B before turning the machine on.

All other machines after that should be set to threshold A and no action is needed if a reset or board replace is done as it will default to A setting by default.
Chas
LM GS/3 & LaSpaziale Dream v 1.25 (US 120V)
Mazzer Kony E, Customized Rocky
Hottop P/B
User avatar
chas
Vivaldi Dreamer
Posts: 3044
Joined: Wed Jun 02, 2004 11:52 pm
Location: Central Maryland
Contact:

Re: Dream & Dream T Threshold A&B

Post by chas »

Jason just taught me the easy way to check and/or change the Threshold on the Dreams. I would recommend everyone check theirs to be safe.

1) Start with the machine OFF
2) Press and hold the Menu button for several seconds until the current Threshold setting is displayed.
3) Use the arrow keys to change the value if required.
4) Press Menu button again to save the new value
Chas
LM GS/3 & LaSpaziale Dream v 1.25 (US 120V)
Mazzer Kony E, Customized Rocky
Hottop P/B
fiddlefadel

Re: Dream & Dream T Threshold A&B

Post by fiddlefadel »

Chaz can the wires be reversed on the initial units?
Thanks for the info
Dave
User avatar
chas
Vivaldi Dreamer
Posts: 3044
Joined: Wed Jun 02, 2004 11:52 pm
Location: Central Maryland
Contact:

Re: Dream & Dream T Threshold A&B

Post by chas »

Below is Jason of CCS's response. The bottom line is they recommend using the Threshold settings and leaving the wires alone.

The connector is keyed so can't be switched around. You could try to switch the wires by disengaging the pin on the terminal crimped on the wire that holds it in the connector, but then you have to worry about the pins breaking off and then the wire pushes out or then we have machines that are mixed out there and would not know which were modified and which were not. There will always be some people that would be able to do it and others that can't so I guess in this case it's easier to just keep it the way it is and use the threshold setting for that serial # range.

Below are photos from a tank model showing the swapped Green and Black wires. Unfortunately, they didn't ID these photos as to which is right and which is wrong.
Also, not just LaSpaziale but virtually the entire Italian espresso industry doesn't not believe in wire color standardization. Whoever is assembling a particular machine or batch of machines just uses whatever color wire they want. So your machine may not even use green and black wires for these connections which makes things even harder to figure out.
SensorWires1sm.jpg
SensorWires1sm.jpg (30.33 KiB) Viewed 7014 times
SensorWires2sm.jpg
SensorWires2sm.jpg (39.73 KiB) Viewed 7014 times
Chas
LM GS/3 & LaSpaziale Dream v 1.25 (US 120V)
Mazzer Kony E, Customized Rocky
Hottop P/B
Post Reply

Return to “Dream and Dream T Common Feature Discussions”