From breadboard to espresso, here’s what the last few weeks looked like. Two PCBs. Soldered by hand. Firmware written from scratch. A temperature bug debugged in a hotel room. And then coffee. Actual espresso. At a retreat. On set. For real people. This is still a prototype, the design will evolve. But the core engineering? That works. Want early access when Volta is ready? Link in bio. 👇 #espresso #portableespresso #maker #espressomachine #startup
Event Photo by: @gaertner.studio 🙏
Quick update on the portable espresso machine build.
Right now the control system is a hand-soldered breadboard monstrosity. Wires everywhere, lab power supply, sensors hanging out in the open. But it works.
It reads pressure and temperature, controls the heaters and valves, and even does rudimentary pressure profiling with a preinfusion ramp to about 8 bar.
Next step: replace this entire mess with a 120×60 mm PCB and move everything into the back of the machine. Just three buttons on the front. Clean. Portable.
For now it’s chaos. But the coffee is already drinkable.
#buildinpublic #espressoengineering #portableespresso #coffeetech #Prototype
Pulled a shot with live pressure and temperature data on an ESP32 web interface.
Big takeaways so far
how the heating elements really need to be controlled
how much filtering or a better ADC matters
and how valuable it is to log and film everything for later analysis
#buildinpublic #coffeetech #espresso #embedded #esp32
Why is it still so hard to get really good coffee everywhere?
That question is where this whole thing started.
I’m building a no-compromise portable espresso machine. One you’d actually want to use every day, not just tolerate because you’re outside or on the move.
Film sets first.
Battery systems I already trust.
Then forests, mountains, and everywhere decent coffee usually disappears.
This is early. It’s scrappy. And I’m doing it myself.
No team, no polished roadmap, just building and sharing the process as honestly as I can.
If you care about coffee, engineering, or making things that don’t exist yet, follow along.
I’m building a premium, battery-powered portable espresso machine. This is the first heat MVP, pulling real shots at 1,000 meters above sea level in the Austrian mountains.
No studio, no lab, no controlled bench setup. Cold air, altitude, real water, real coffee.
This test wasn’t about speed or polish. It was about whether the core system behaves when the environment changes.
It does. Now it’s about making it field-ready.
I’m building this in public. Come along.
#buildinpublic #portableespresso #espresso #coffeetech #hardwarestartup productdesign engineering specialtycoffee outdoorespresso wintercoffee mvp
*Anywhere is still being defined.
I’ve done it. The prototype is done.
Fully assembled. Carefully engineered.
It’s made from butterkeks.
And no, it’s not AI.
Not food safe. Not pressure rated.
But absolutely within spec for Christmas.
Back to metal, electronics, and reality next.
Happy holidays from the most delicious prototype so far.
#buildinpublic #prototype #hardwarelife #coffeetech #espressoengineering butterkeks notai makersofinstagram christmasbuild volta halter
This is the plan for the MVP. No future features, no polish, no detours.
I’ve got the core design, the pump, heaters, valves, most of the electronics, and the parts to start printing and cutting. What’s left is the real work: CAM, CNC, electronics integration, software, assembly, testing. One step after another.
I’m building this prototype as fast as I reasonably can, and I’m doing it in public. This isn’t about perfection, it’s about proving the idea works.
If you’re curious how a portable espresso machine actually comes together from scratch, you’re looking at the roadmap. Let’s see if this thing earns its keep.
#buildinpublic #mvp #productdevelopment #coffeetech #espressoengineering #hardwarestartup #coffeenerd #prototyping #cncmachining #embedded #specialtycoffee #volta
I’m testing a wild idea for the no-compromise portable espresso machine: the entire brain of the machine – electronics, pump, valves, boiler – lives in one head module you can take off and drop into your backpack At home it snaps onto a powerbase and suddenly behaves like a premium countertop machine. On set or outside? Stick the head on the lightweight travel base („Backpack Adapter“) and run it off a battery. Same core. Same performance. Three completely different modes.
The real question: Is this modular approach actually useful, or am I over-engineering just because it’s fun? Would you carry one powerful head with swappable bases, or do you prefer a traditional all-in-one body? I’m building this in public, so tell me what you’d want when you’re chasing great coffee anywhere.
#espresso #coffeeinnovation #coffeetech #portableespresso #baristalife #espressoathome #batterytech #coffeenerd #thirdwavecoffee #coffeelab #buildinpublic #productdesign #voltaespresso #volta
We’ve all been there, clutching a cup of something that barely qualifies as coffee, wondering how we’re gonna make it through the next hours.
What’s your worst on-set coffee story? Drop it in the comments. ☕️💀
Heading to @camerimage.festival with way too many of these stickers in my bag. If you want one, let me know.
#Camerimage #FilmLife #SetLife #CoffeeStories #AllNighter #FilmCrew #BehindTheScenes #Poland #Steadicam #DoP #FilmFestival
I'm all in on Volta.
Since 2021, I've had a prototype traveling with me. Years of refining, testing, learning what actually works.
Now I'm building it.
1 - Prototype with me in Bolivia 📸 @matthiashelldoppler
2 - Somewhere in the Woods
3 - Wedged between some @vantagefilofficial cases
4 - render of something (not final)
Full story on YouTube—link in bio.
It’s a simple looking part for #EpihanyNightstand
But it has angled holes and features. A tight fit on our switch and of course it has to look good.
Guess what we call it internally? First one to get it right gets a discount on an Epiphany 😊
Working out the kinks and getting ready to „launch“ soon :)
