| FAQ Where
can I find more information, is there a forum for this firmware?
There isn't a dedicated forum but you can find interesting threads in
various coffee forums,
e.g. at
home-barrista.com
(1,
2), kaffee-netz.de and
Coffeetime.
If you understand German, please check out
Christian Schwabe's podcasts at podcaster.de:
Heureka, I have an idea!
Feature suggestions and other feedback are welcome and can be submitted here.
Which microcontroller
modules are compatible?
ATMega1284-based modules from
Software & Circuits and
Pollin
(AVR-NET-IO modules, if the MCU is upgraded). Some run caffè!, some
run
leva!, some run ristretto!. Check the
download page for details. We do not sell hardware.
Can I install this in
machine <insert name>?
That's for you, the owner, to find out. All requirements are
explained in the documentation in the downloads. No technical
consulting services are available here. Our firmwares have been used successfully in: Rancilio Silvia,
Gaggia Classic, Quickmill Silvano, Lelit PL60 and PL91T, ECM Casa, Bezzera
BZ09, Vibiemme Domobar, La Spaziala Mini Vivaldi* and other
machines.
Can the firmwares be used with
thermoblocks?
Theoretically yes. Thermoblocks are just very small boilers.
Potential issues are described in the manual. Most importantly, the
original circuit must handle the steam mode, i.e. the "tock tock
tock" interval pumping that thermoblocks do in steam mode.
Is the new Gaggia Classic manufactured
by Philips compatible? Is the Gaggia Evolution
compatible?
All
Gaggia Classic models with die-cast aluminium boiler and 3-way
valve should be compatible. Philips also produces a stripped-down
RI9403 model without the electronic grouphead valve. That's
not compatible. The "Gaggia Classic Coffee" (note the
"Coffee" in the name) and the "Gaggia Evolution"
are entry-level machines without the electronic grouphead valve.
They are not compatible.
Can
this firmware
be used with E61 groupheads?
Not recommended. Some profiling may be possible but it would be
limited.
The E61's gicleur makes it impossible to
measure the brew pressure in the filter correctly and the
spring-loaded pre-infusion chamber
of the E61 interferes with pressure profiling. Last but not least,
the lack of an electronic valve
(the E61 has a manual lever-operated valve) prevents features such as
dosing or pressure profiles with a programmed end.
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Can
this firmware
be used with HX machines?
Not recommended. HX machines do not benefit from accurate PID temperature control. The temperature at the outlet of their heat exchangers depends not only on the boiler
temperature but also to a large extent on the flow rate. They also tend to have a E61 group head, which
interferes with pressure profiling.
Can pressure profiling be used with
rotary pumps?
leva!'s pressure profiling only works with vibratory pumps. Rotary vane pumps
with asynchronous capacitor motors are not compatible and must not be
connected. The speed of
such motors can not easily be controlled and the high inrush current of such motors
could
damage microcontroller modules with 1A solid state relays.
Is it possible to flash firmware with Mac OS X?
Yes. However, for Mac OS X, we have only found a commercial program that can do
that, ZOC from
EmTec. A working trial version is available. You need a terminal
program that supports the XModem CRC protocol over raw TCP/IP. Under
Windows and Linux, use the free
TeraTerm.
Can leva! connect
to all Bluetooth LE scales?
The "Skale 2" from Atomax, the "Felicita Arc",
DiFluid's Microbalance TI and the first version of the "Eureka Precisa" are the only supported
wireless scales.
Other scales will not work. Bluetooth
LE espresso scales use proprietary protocols.
Can I integrate leva! into my home automation
system? leva! does not
directly support home automation protocols such as MQTT but it does
have a
telnet interface at port 23. If your home automation system can send
text commands to a TCP/IP port (Home
Assistant can do that) , your home automation system can wake up leva!
from standby (MCa command), put it into standby (MCE) or read
temperature, pressure etc. with the MCR command.* Can I have the firmware
source code?
While the firmware is free to use, it is not open source. |
| * In the Mini Vivaldi, leva! was only used for pressure profiling
since that machine has its own controller for dosing and temperature. |
|
* MCR returns a status telegram. That's a line of
text that starts with "{" and ends with "}". In between
are temperature, pressure, flow rate, weight and so on. To
understand that line, have a look at the <values>
section in the XML configuration file that comes with leva!.
It describes which values are at what position, how many letters
they are comprised of and of which type they are (integer, floating
point, text). If your home automation system supports regular
expressions, you can break the status telegram into values with a regex. |
