We have finally got around to adding the ability to prepay duty and tax for any machine order that is shipping to a country that is a member of the European Union (EU)

Apologies for taking so long to get around to it; we have a few long over due jobs like this hanging around

The next big one is a redesign of the website so it runs properly on mobile devices

Keep checking in, we have plenty of news to come in 2021

reiss.

With the R24 now shipping with a thermistor to regulate the boiler all of our product range is now in its final form with no changes planned

The thermistor makes no difference to the taste of the espresso in the cup; with the 30A Sirai the range in group temperature in response to the cycle of the pressure switch when the machine is at idle is just 0.1C

Instead it eliminates the mechanical click of the pressure switch, which some users find annoying, and it frees up a lot of space inside the casing so the machine is much easier to work on, and it removes 700g of weight

With the customer portal now allowing us to manage a much greater number of customer contacts each day we only have two significant projects remaining for 2021

The first is a long overdue upgrade to how the website is presented on mobile devices, which i know has frustrated a large number of users for a long time

While this remains an urgent priority, we are waiting for the person who is responsible for this to have time to address it

The other project is the release of the compact lever machine, which remains on target to deliver a final sample for pre-production testing and sign off in june

On the cold water line on our plumbed in machines we use and recommend Nuovafima gauges of Italy

The small plastic ones are too small to accurately set or read the preinfusion pressure in our view

This 63mm diameter gauge in 0-6 bar range gives you 0.1 bar increments, which is about perfect

In New Zealand we buy them from these guys, http://www.cps.co.nz/shop/gauges/63-mm-gauges/63mm-brass/stainless-bottom-entry-gauge/P147/C36

Given there are so few bits to break in our plumbed in machines, spend a little bit more on the installation and enjoy the reward of a nice set up for years to come

nuovafima.com

we are pleased to announce that we no longer use Facetime and WhatsApp for our video calls

instead we have a video call app integrated into our new customer relationship managament (CRM) system, which allows us to book a meeting in advance at a time that suits you, complete with reminders

it also allows us to run one to many conferences where more than one person is interested in the subject

we are now working on bedding in the new CRM system as there is a lot to learn and configure

we hope that some of you are enjoying the benefits of the new system already

if there are specific tutorials you would like me to prepare please let me know and i will put it together for you

kind regards

reiss.

a number of android users have made me aware of connection issues with v1.0.4 of the londinium app

blynk have just replied to me to advise the following;

Is v1.0.4 the ‘new’ version?

so please delete v1.0.4 if you are using the android version of the app and download v1.0.5 and let me know if issues remain

no iOS user has reported any issue with v1.2 from the app store

kind regards

reiss

Please download it and let me know if you have any issues

I am unsure if the updated Android version is available yet

KInd regards

Reiss.

Blynk have helpfully provided a detailed explanation of why the expiry of an SSL certificate was responsible for the outage, and why only a subset of users were affected:

Blynk have definitely exceeded my expectations in their response to this issue.  I am very impressed as we pushed the boat out developing the R24 with this industry leading technology and they have proven themselves to be a very good business partner.

KInd regards

Reiss.

A londinium customer, Phamson, has written to me and helpfully advised the following:

Hi. Upgrade to ios 14.4 and it work.

this may explain why only a small subset of users are affected

kind regards

reiss.

this email just landed (21:40 UTC 26FEB2021):

Hi,

does this now have to be reviewed by Apple before they will let it into the App store?

if so im assuming several days?

Thanks,    

I have also asked for an explanation of the cause as the vast majority of users have been unaffected.  If this is provided i will let you know

Please note that you can continue to make espresso with your machine, you simply dont try to connect to the app (log out of the app and close the app).  You will lose the smart timer function and the ability to remotely change the preinfusion pressure, but you can change the preinfusion pressure direcly on the console of the machine if you remove the right side panel

Kind regards

reiss.

Blynk have responded very quickly and had a fix developed within an hour of the right person getting involved

Unfortunately in this instance the time zones worked against us as Blynk are in New York and I am in New Zealand, but here we are

Blynk have now asked me to enter the privacy and data control settings for the new version of the app, which i have just completed

My expectation is Blynk will then release the App to Apple for publication and then we wait - i have no idea whether that process is 'semi-instantanuous' or whether some days may pass whiist the wheels of the corporate juggernaut turn

As i understand it you will need to download a new version of the App from the App store; the current version will not work

I will post here again as soon as i know more

Thank you for your understanding