How to Fix Broken Power Button on the Saeco Vienna Plus

I’ve written a lot already about troubleshooting the Saeco Vienna Plus, but I still had a new problem happen to my machine the other day. Somehow the part of the front control panel holding the power button and switch had cracked, allowing the switch to be pushed all the way inside! Initially the switch only pushed in a small amount, so I removed the (no longer operational) button and was pushing the switch with my finger. Then it finally gave way and I was sunk.

Saeco Vienna Plus with cover removed

Missing power switch! It recessed into the machine.

The Solution

This can be fixed by opening up the machine and hot-gluing the switch in place!

Saeco Vienna Plus Troubleshooting and Repair Ultimate Guide

The Saeco Vienna Plus is a super-automatic espresso machine that has been long discontinued, but is a workhorse for many people. I bought my unit refurbished in 2013 and it has been going strong since, saving my family thousands of dollars on lattes and espresso. To keep it running smoothly takes some maintenance of the brew group, along with occasional troubleshooting of the rest of the machine.

I already have a guide on how to open up the Vienna Plus to replace some parts, and what follows here is a more general troubleshooting guide.

The Saeco Vienna Plus espresso machine

Saeco Vienna Plus—How to Fix and Replace the Dosing Microswitch

The Saeco Vienna Plus is a great, relatively inexpensive (especially refurbished) automatic espresso machine!  After 6 months I started to have a problem where the bean grinding step would time out after grinding and grinding.  This led to compacted grounds and a clogged grounds chute -- the immediate fix was to open up and clean out the grinder.  This distracted me for a long time from real troubleshooting and determining the true root cause of the problem.  It turns out that the dosing microswitch was getting stuck / gummed up after sitting still from morning to morning.

Update 5/31/2020: Also check out my Ultimate Troubleshooting Guide for the Saeco Vienna Plus!