Hamilton Beach FlexBrew reset, is there even a proper way?

[Thomas Martinez]

Seen this a few times with the coffee maker. FlexBrew does not have a dedicated reset button on the machine. People tend to asks about this since there is no button for it.
To work around this, you have to unplug the machine and allow it to sit for 5 to 10 minute prior to plugging it back in. If you simply unplug it, the flexbrew machine will not boot back up as the internal component do not discharge quickly enough. Once it is booted back up, the machine will reset the clock so you must set the time prior to brewing.
This is essentially the only “reset” these coffee maker have.

 

[Nervous Newt]

Took me a while to find this so please tell me if I missed something obvious… but for the Flexbrew coffee makers, does this 5-10 minute unplug trick work for the dual brew coffee maker as well? I have the Flexbrew coffee maker with the carafe and the pod side.

 

[British Un]

If it needs to be reset it is on its way to the trash. These coffee makers cost $40 at most.

 

[Misty Mandrill]

Well, I took one apart when the heater on my Flexbrew stopped working. It’s pretty bare bones as far as coffee makers go with just the MCU and a small electrolytic capacitor on the 5v rail. There doesn’t appear to be a supercap or any form of battery backup so the clock will die if I unplug it. 30 seconds to a minute should be plenty of time to drain that capacitor so the 5-10 minute trick sounds like a myth that has been copied and pasted in forum posts for years.

 

[Dull Dragonfly]

Does this trick work on the dual brew Flexbrew as well?

 

[Envious Emu]

After flexbrew coffee makers flashing the clock for me and refusing to take any button presses I simply unplugged it for about 2 minutes and it started working again. I’ve found that taking it out for about 30 seconds works but 10 minutes sounds like grandma’s advice.

 

[British Un]

Well, I took one apart when the heater on my Flexbrew stopped working. It’s pretty bare bones as far as coffee makers go with just the MCU and a small electrolytic capacitor on the 5v rail. There doesn’t appear to be a supercap or any form of battery backup so the clock will die …

They are essentially the same board and the dual brew just has a second relay to control the pod side of the coffee maker.

 

[Future Rabbit Orches]

Wait, so un-plugging something that does not have a battery will reset? Shouldn’t it reset whenever the power is lost?

 

[Nervous Newt]

Wait, so un-plugging something that does not have a battery will reset? Shouldn’t it reset whenever the power is lost?

The microcontroller can get into a weird state so the small capacitor on the power rail keeps it juiced up. That’s why you have to unplug for 30 seconds.

 

[Important Iguana]

Have you tried holding down both buttons at the same time? I heard this from someone on Amazon who said it fixed their Flexbrew coffee maker.

 

[Dull Dragonfly]

Have you tried holding down both buttons at the same time? I heard this from someone on Amazon who said it fixed their Flexbrew coffee maker.

Amazon reviews are written by people who think their toaster has been haunted by a phantom ghost.

 

[Proud Peccary]

I replaced my Flexbrew coffee maker with a moccamaster. I have not looked back since. Flexbrew coffee makers are plasticky garbage.

 

[Future Rabbit Orches]

The microcontroller can get into a weird state so the small capacitor on the power rail keeps it juiced up. That’s why you have to unplug for 30 seconds.

Wait, that does make sense. The small capacitor keeps the power stable so that the brownout detection does not fire up? Would it not be better to just use a supercap or battery backup so it would not matter if I unplugged the coffee maker?

 

[British Un]

Wait, that does make sense. The small capacitor keeps the power stable so that the brownout detection does not fire up? Would it not be better to just use a supercap or battery backup so it would not matter if I unplugged the coffee maker?

More or less. When the coffee maker is powered off the MCU’s Vcc is above its brownout threshold for a couple of seconds since it has the bulk capacitor and the load is minimal when the relays are off. The same is true for the LCD display that controls the clock so that is the reason the clock take a second to turn off after unplugging. When Vcc drops below the brownout threshold it will reset the MCU. The MCU could get into a flaky state so it has to reset so it can boot back up. It takes a half second when you plug it back in so that is why a quick unplug will not work.

 

[Better Badger]

My Flexbrew coffee maker died after 14 months but the Hamilton beach support agent told me to unplug for a minute.

 

[Misty Mandrill]

They are essentially the same board and the dual brew just has a second relay to control the pod side of the coffee maker.

Thanks for the response. My machine starts flashing the clock but the buttons do not respond. I will try unplugging it before I have to toss it out.

 

[Impossib]

The biggest problem with Flexbrew coffee makers is the water sensor gets crusty so it thinks the water are not in the machine when it is. This will not be fixed by unplugging it.

 

[Envious Emu]

The biggest problem with Flexbrew coffee makers is the water sensor gets crusty so it thinks the water are not in the machine when it is. This will not be fixed by unplugging it.

This. I had the same problem over several months. Eventually found out it was the water heater sensor getting crusty. Once I descaled it it worked immediately.

 

[Important Iguana]

Does unplugging the coffee maker clear the descale light or does that have a separate trigger? Mine has been on for 3 months and I have definitely descaled the machine at least twice.