Picobrew Z

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Thanks both. I had reviewed the troubleshooting steps at the Pico website prior to posting (sorry if that wasn't apparent), but they did not help.

Attachment shows what the Z looks like without the top. Unfortunately the lines are not see through making it difficult to know if there is air in the loop.
 

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If those two troubleshooting steps actually help I'd be amazed. I looked through them and they seemed very basic. Anyone taken the top off the new Z yet that could chime in on how that new HEX assembly is put together? Could be something simple in that loop that is failing. If it is indeed the HEX loop that is failing, the glycol topoff procedure should be close to what we do on the Zymatic.
Simple stuff is sometimes the "gotcha”
 
Thanks both. I had reviewed the troubleshooting steps at the Pico website prior to posting (sorry if that wasn't apparent), but they did not help.

Attachment shows what the Z looks like without the top. Unfortunately the lines are not see through making it difficult to know if there is air in the loop.

What a mess....

Try powering on the Z and listening for cavitation at the pump, since it should power on immediately. From the looks of it, it is the pump at the 6 oclock position in that photo. Its hard to tell but it looks like they installed a reservoir for the glycol also. Trace the tubing out for the HEX loop and identify all the components.

Be careful with the lid off and power applied. Just listen for cavitation. If you raise the Z on an angle, with the pump running, from the 12 oclock side you may hear the cavitation go away, if indeed that is the issue.
 
Very unfortunate timing but my Z (purchased last fall) has stopped working just as Pico has undergone the receivership process, and seems customer support is no longer responding to any tickets.

Has anyone else experienced max temp. delta (Error #6) issues with the Z? I understand this is a similar issue as the infamous "fatal error 1" with the Zymatic. I'm unable to heat the water to mash, running into the temp. difference between the hex and the wort shooting up with the hex heating up too much. With patience and multiple pauses I was able to get through the mash, but then same issues repeats when heating to boil. If I get to the boil phase (which I was able to reach by heating the wort on stovetop!), the Z returns Error #4 (sensor too hot) instead. There's also weird gargling noises coming from the Z which had not occured before.

So far I have tried:
- I've run the clean program successfully
- Brewing with multiple kegs with keg posts thoroughly cleaned, and brewing with keg wands instead of through the keg posts -> Not an issue with the keg
- Step filter and the step filter plug seem undamaged, and the step filter is draining and water is circulating back to the keg -> Not an issue with flow?
- In-line filter is clean and the housing seems to be in good condition
- I've disassembled the ball lock fittings of the Pico and they seem to be clean as well, and properly attached

Has anyone else had Error #6 issues with the Z? Could it be the same glycol issue that people have been struggling with the Zymatic?
I got the error #6 when I had pump suction/flow issues. I had pump suction problems twice. First time, a mouse chewed on the drain tube grommet and the pump couldn’t pull liquid from the step filter. Second time, I lost the gasket that goes inside the inline filter housing. This stopped the pump from pulling liquid into the Z from the keg. The pump sucked a lot of air but no liquid.

I don’t remember which of the two cases above also had the error #6. I think it was the second but not sure.
 
I may have solved the problem - haven't brewed yet but getting hopeful. Seems it may have been a clogging issue. I couldn't even get the clean cycle to run any more, but managed to do it after boiling water in a kettle. Using loads of dishwasher detergent. Now after running 7 clean programs the HEX temperature jump is significantly lower, though if I compare to charts back from when the Z was new there is still higher delta. So I'll continue to run more and more clean programs to see how long the performance improves.

Interesting that there's so much gunk in the machine - I've always run rinse after every brew and clean every 3rd brew as recommended in the Z user guide.
 
I may have solved the problem - haven't brewed yet but getting hopeful. Seems it may have been a clogging issue. I couldn't even get the clean cycle to run any more, but managed to do it after boiling water in a kettle. Using loads of dishwasher detergent. Now after running 7 clean programs the HEX temperature jump is significantly lower, though if I compare to charts back from when the Z was new there is still higher delta. So I'll continue to run more and more clean programs to see how long the performance improves.

Interesting that there's so much gunk in the machine - I've always run rinse after every brew and clean every 3rd brew as recommended in the Z user guide.
I am glad things are improving for you. I hope it works.
 
So with PicoBrew going into receivership... is anyone else worried about the online platform continuing to be supported? I think I am right in saying that if you don't have an internet connection on the machine, you literally cant do anything. So if (in the worst case) the Pico site were to disappear, does that mean the machines are unusable?
 
The recent email states that receivership is over and the same company that supported it for the past two years is still the owner. The email unfortunately doesn’t give much more detail than that.
 
Unfortunately, my Z decided to go dark during the rinse cycle after my third brewing session. Dark means the display stays off and it doesn't respond to any inputs.
A good and capable friend hooked his laptop up to the serial port of the main micro controller, the ESP32, yielding the following result:

-----
rst:0xc (SW_CPU_RESET),boot:0x13 (SPI_FAST_FLASH_BOOT)
configsip: 0, SPIWP:0xee
clk_drv:0x00,q_drv:0x00,d_drv:0x00,cs0_drv:0x00,hd_drv:0x00,wp_drv:0x00
mode:\DIO, clock div:1
load:0x3fff0018,len:4
load:0x3fff001c,len:1100
load:0x40078000,len:10088
load:0x40080400,len:6380
entry 0x400806a4

DBG ***********************************************************************
DBG * ZSeries *
DBG ***********************************************************************
[D>][ 0.06][CORE][Core.h:1321] setup BEGIN 0
[D_][ 0.07][CORE][Core.h:264] screenPower() True
[I_][ 0.07][SYST][System.h:291] scan()
[D>][ 0.07][I2C][System.h:91] scan BEGIN 0
[IV][ 0.09][I2C] Name = I2CA
[IV][ 0.09][I2C] Expected = 0x19 0x34 0x76
[IV][ 0.09][I2C] Found = 0x19 0x34 0x76
[IV][ 0.09][I2C] Missing =
[IV][ 0.09][I2C] hasError = False
[D<][ 0.10][I2C][System.h:91] scan END 24
[D>][ 0.10][I2C][System.h:91] scan BEGIN 0
[IV][ 0.12][I2C] Name = I2CB
[IV][ 0.12][I2C] Expected = 0x40
[IV][ 0.12][I2C] Found =
[IV][ 0.12][I2C] Missing = 0x40
[IV][ 0.12][I2C] hasError = True
[D<][ 0.12][I2C][System.h:91] scan END 19
[31m[E_][ 0.12][SYSST][SystemState.h:104] setError I2CB [0m
[D>][ 0.13][BSL][Msp.h:666] _setupMsp BEGIN 0
[IV][ 0.15][MSPA] CRC_result = 24539
----

He managed to trace this further. A second micro controller, a Texas Instruments MSP430G2553 is hooked up to the I2CB, and is the device that fails to probe and stops the boot.

As customer service didn't (and can't) respond further, has anybody seen a similar error? Can you dump the TI microcontroller's firmware or is it locked? If you can dump it, our plan would be to buy a new TI and flash it with the dumped image.
Alternatively, does anybody know if the Z firmware contains the firmware for the second micro controller, too?

Thank you & Cheers,
Sheep2045
 
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No, I wasn't aware of that option. Going to try that today or tomorrow with the serial console hooked up. Thanks!
 
No, I wasn't aware of that option. Going to try that today or tomorrow with the serial console hooked up. Thanks!

It boots up to a service menu offline. Here there are several configurations, I'm not certain what they all do. There are pump and hex loop tests and other options to configure the device. Maybe this skips some bootup sequence checks that are failing on your machine, I'm not sure though.
 
I had to replace the glycol on my Z today after the boiler failed. It was pretty easy once I figured out where all the hoses were going and which one to burp. The picobrew troubleshooting wasnt even close! Error 6 and error 8.
 
I thought the Z series was running a closed water system not a glycol system?

I know the original ZyMatic was a glycol system.

I had to replace the glycol on my Z today after the boiler failed. It was pretty easy once I figured out where all the hoses were going and which one to burp. The picobrew troubleshooting wasnt even close! Error 6 and error 8.
 
I've been a picobrew user for a couple of years and have had the Z1 for almost a year. I'm running into some maintenance issues and could use some help diagnosing what part is failing. I've used the picobrew.com troubleshooting tree but it doesn't help. Basically, my step filter is overflowing. I've cleaned out everything, even replaced the ball lock connectors and internal pumps. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
 
Sounds like it might be the pickup tube and gasket. Need to make sure the tube is seated in the gasket properly and the gasket is not cracked or ripped. If that does not have a good seal it will not pickup from the step filter. If that is all good it may be the T adapter that the gasket seals to. Several people have had those break in the top of the unit.
I've been a picobrew user for a couple of years and have had the Z1 for almost a year. I'm running into some maintenance issues and could use some help diagnosing what part is failing. I've used the picobrew.com troubleshooting tree but it doesn't help. Basically, my step filter is overflowing. I've cleaned out everything, even replaced the ball lock connectors and internal pumps. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
 
I've also had issues with the machine build not running the tubing correctly and it collapses because of a kink. If that is the issue, then it is just a simple rerouting issue.
 
Sounds like it might be the pickup tube and gasket. Need to make sure the tube is seated in the gasket properly and the gasket is not cracked or ripped. If that does not have a good seal it will not pickup from the step filter. If that is all good it may be the T adapter that the gasket seals to. Several people have had those break in the top of the unit.

Many thanks for the quick response and advice. I replaced the t adapter,, gasket, and ensured the tube is seated. See attached.

when opened, I noticed some slight charring and lose wire onheating element. See attached. I cleaned it up and reseated the pin, marked in pic.

am running a clean cycle now. I’ve only had overflow problems when brewing. Also attached is the last cycle. I’m concerned about the drop in temps. What do you think could cause this?
 

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Many thanks for the quick response and advice. I replaced the t adapter,, gasket, and ensured the tube is seated. See attached.

when opened, I noticed some slight charring and lose wire onheating element. See attached. I cleaned it up and reseated the pin, marked in pic.

am running a clean cycle now. I’ve only had overflow problems when brewing. Also attached is the last cycle. I’m concerned about the drop in temps. What do you think could cause this?
Also, I notice during circulation and pass through, the step filter slowly fills up. Keg is still getting a good stream via the gas in connection and no hoses show blockage.
 
If it is circulation water and still filling up then there is either a leak somewhere causing it not to pull/push the amount it is supposed to or there is a blockage somewhere. I would double check all hoses inside, make sure all the seals are good and lubed, make sure the ball lock connectors are cleaned of debris. If it still continues to have issues pull the pump head and make sure it is clean. The water circulation for these machines are calibrated to a certain amount. This is how they keep the grain bed wet and submerged when brewing so the water doesn't just channel through. Sorry for the late replay have not had time to brew or get on there to check up.

Also, I notice during circulation and pass through, the step filter slowly fills up. Keg is still getting a good stream via the gas in connection and no hoses show blockage.
 
I have also seen ball lock ends cracked that affect the flow as well as the in-line filter housing on the hose. The crack will allow air to be sucked in and lower the flow rates.
 
I've also had issues with the machine build not running the tubing correctly and it collapses because of a kink. If that is the issue, then it is just a simple rerouting issue.
What hoses are you talking about, and were do you reroute too.
 
I had to replace the glycol on my Z today after the boiler failed. It was pretty easy once I figured out where all the hoses were going and which one to burp. The picobrew troubleshooting wasnt even close! Error 6 and error 8.
Were did you refill at?
 
If it is circulation water and still filling up then there is either a leak somewhere causing it not to pull/push the amount it is supposed to or there is a blockage somewhere. I would double check all hoses inside, make sure all the seals are good and lubed, make sure the ball lock connectors are cleaned of debris. If it still continues to have issues pull the pump head and make sure it is clean. The water circulation for these machines are calibrated to a certain amount. This is how they keep the grain bed wet and submerged when brewing so the water doesn't just channel through. Sorry for the late replay have not had time to brew or get on there to check up.
Many thanks for the details. I’ve checked and replaced everything but the gas line. I’ve got extra hose and will replace and recheck that.
 
Hello Everyone, I'm glad to see such an active community to help with the PicoBrew Z! I was wandering if any of y'all would know where I could source a Boiler Temperature Probe. Mine just gave out for some reason. I Plugged the Drain Temp Probe into the HEX spot and it read correctly then I plugged the Boiler Temp Probe back into the HEX spot and it reads -28*C. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Found so many parts for the Z on eBay but not the one I needed. Thank you again.
 
I hadn't been on the website for months. It now says: "Closed for business"
Yeah company was unable to make its payments to the creditors, so it was bought by a creditor and is now up for sale. They had online auctions for equipment that was still on hand. Now the servers are up for an unspecified time while the creditors look for someone to buy the company.
 
Yeah company was unable to make its payments to the creditors, so it was bought by a creditor and is now up for sale. They had online auctions for equipment that was still on hand. Now the servers are up for an unspecified time while the creditors look for someone to buy the company.
Anyone want to go in with me to make an offer to buy the domain and software? Anyone?
 
I hadn't been on the website for months. It now says: "Closed for business"
They also made the PicoBrew online community support unavailable. They previously took it off the menu, but link was still active. As of Dec 9th, community support link is no longer active.
 
A million is just not much any more. I’m out, unless I can get a new step filter.
I hear ya. I would like to get an extra step filter or two for my PicoBrew Z. My PicoBrew S's step filter is holding up great after brewing twice a week for 3 years.
 
There were several step filters on ebay at one point, not sure if there are anymore or not. I know some of the employees that were let go picked up a lot of items from the auction and are slowly letting most of it trickle out on to ebay so everyone has a chance to pick extras up.
 
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