La Marzocco Linea Mini – Solution to Vibrations, Drip/Cup Trays Noise

In this short article I’ll go through how I solved the rattling or buzzing of the cup tray as well as the drip tray. These are the only two complaints that I’d ever have about the machine, which is otherwise flawless. The buzzing of the two grids drove me insane at certain times, and I’ve tried literally everything. Silicone pads, foam pads, silicone liners, you name it. At some point I just gave up the fight, left it without anything and let it rattle. But I finally have a solution for both. I suspect this cup tray grid rattles due to either the tray grid being bent, but it also has a lot of play when placed on top of the machine. The steel can deform slightly with heat and also cleaning, as it isn’t as hard to bend as you’d think. My solution involves magnets and some edge protectors.

Update 24.8.2023 at the bottom of the article

Cup Tray

Inspired by similar solution on Linea Micra’s cup tray, I’ve ordered a few impressively strong, thin magnets to put under the grid/grate and see if that would help – and it actually does.

They’re really strong for their size and the bond between the grid and the tray makes it feel as if it was one solid piece. Even the smallest cup on the tray does not make a sound no matter where I put it.

The magnets are almost unnoticeable against the polished tray. 

If you’re anything like me and get annoyed at that one unfortunately placed cup on the tray that rattles until you find a spot where it doesn’t, maybe you’ll appreciate the peace this will give you and perhaps give this a try. The rattling stopped for good on top of the machine, I’m delighted and had to share this.

I’m also pretty sure this is completely safe. The electronic parts in the machine are far from the magnet’s field. Safe distance for even the most delicate devices (such as credir cards, hearing aids or hard drives) is around 20mm with the magnets I use.

Drip tray

Once the cup tray stop making noise, it was time to address it’s rattling sibling – drip tray grid. This buzzing noise irritates me personally the most. This is also a pretty easy fix. First, let’s talk about the grid first and how it fits with the rest of the machine. There’s a small gap on the left side between the front panel and the tray. I saw this on a few Linea Mini’s already. I actually don’t mind, it makes this DIY fix work even better. I suspect this is simply due to the machines being hand build, and I can imagine it isn’t easy to align everything everytime when you build such large and heavy machine. Not every gap will be perfectly even, not even on a car.

I found four of these U-shaped edge protectors (or whatever they are) in my drawer. I stumbled upon these as I was cleaning out my drawers under the bar, I’ve no idea where they come from. I’m sure it’s something you’ll find in a hardware store. (click on images to enlarge)

I had to trim them a bit so that they don’t stick out from under the grid. I placed two on the front side of the tray and one on the side with the gap (left). The gap allows for the piece on the left to fit perfectly without being obstructive, the grid has no play at all and sits very firmly, all the buzzing and rattling from the drip tray is gone. The grid now makes a satisfying click when placed on the trip tray. Cleaning these is easy, easier than having some sort a foam tape or silicone/rubber stickers. 

While this doesn’t stop the vibrations making their way on top of the tray and to the cups on it, it’s now a 95% quieter Linea Mini. Rattling of the drip and cup trays were my only issue with this otherwise flawless machine, now solved. 

I’m sure there are many other ways to go about solving this, but you can still give it a try.

Update 24.8.2023 – Resolved – Pump mounting mechanism

After two years of constant fight with vibrations all over the machine, it’s done. This time for good.

Last time I posted a “solution” for buzzing cuptray with magnets, which worked quite okay for a while, but forget magnets. Sometimes the cups would still buzz, not to mention other parts of the machine buzzing from vibrations. You know what they say when there’s a leak in the wall? Don’t patch the wall (magnets), find the source of the leak (pump mount).

Take the back cover off, unscrew these two nuts and lift the pump up. If you decide to engage the pump while holding it up, you can touch the frame and confirm that the vibrations are gone. Below are some pictures of the old dampeners, the frame with dampeners removed and the stacked up silicone gel underneath the pump.

This is the current situation. I’ve removed the old dampeners and literally stacked a bunch or silicone gel cubes underneath the pump’s mount. I’ll certainly try to source some proper dampeners (made with sorbothane or silicone gel) , as the ones La Marzocco used are really bad at absorbing vibrations. But for now, I’m totally happy with how this worked out and how it absolutely stopped any vibrations making their way into the frame and the rest of the machine. 

The machine is unrecognizable after reassembly, unbelievably silent. Instead of a deep, bassy sound of vibrations all over my countertop, all I can hear is a very faint thin buzz of the pump and feel absolutely no vibrations at all wherever I touch the machine. It’s so much quieter overall, it literally feels as if I outboarded the pump. The machine is so quiet, that I forgot the pump was still running while I steamed milk.

If your cups rattle, buzz no matter what you do, do this as soon as you can. I’m through the roof, what a relief!

I hope it helps!