I’ve been on a mission to automate my morning coffee routine, and I’m thrilled to share my success story! 
For years, I’ve relied on a manual espresso machine, but it always felt like a hassle to get it ready in the morning. That’s why I decided to integrate my La Spaziale Mini Vivaldi II into my smart home setup. The challenge was that this machine uses a unique electronic relay button to power on and off. To turn it on, you have to hold the button for exactly 3 seconds, and to turn it off, you just press and release.
After some research, I found a Mimolite Z-Wave relay that could handle this. I carefully soldered the relay wires into the correct pins on the machine’s control board. To keep everything neat, I used an unused accessory wire inside the machine to power the relay, so it’s completely hidden now. 
With the help of a Z-Wave tweaker, I was able to adjust the momentary relay timing to the required 3 seconds. This means I can now power on the machine remotely through automation or the SmartThings app!
Unfortunately, I ran into a snag when trying to turn the machine off remotely. Pressing the button for another 3 seconds sends it into programming mode instead of turning it off. To solve this, I set up an automation that ensures the machine won’t run if I’m not home, based on my phone’s presence. This way, I can always turn it off manually after making my coffee.
While I’d love to have a fully automated on/off system, I’m really happy with how this setup works. It’s a great example of how creativity and persistence can turn a manual process into a smart, automated routine. If you’re looking to automate your coffee setup, I’d recommend starting with understanding your machine’s specific requirements and exploring Z-Wave solutions.
Cheers to smarter mornings! 