Typical problems
Repairing the coffee machine mostly is limited to the common problem of scale. Descaling is an important process that removes calcium deposits, or scale, that can build up inside a brewer over time. Calcium and scale is non-toxic, but left unattended, it can strongly affect the passage of the hot water.
It is easy to get rid of it with a descaling product, see two types.
Another issue is that your machine seems to have died completely. That is nearly always caused by a faulty thermal fuse, which is supposed to protect against overheating. Real overheating rarely occurs, many of those fuses are of poor quality and have a limited life. They can be bought online (Amazon and others). In Beijing one fuse costs like 2 RMB… I have plenty of spares left…
Getting inside
Repairing the coffee machine is mostly pretty easy, even to put in in a new thermal fuse. Don’t solder it as it can damage the fuse. The easiest way is to bridge the old fuse with a new one, bending the terminals around the old one.
Opening some of the machines can be tricky as they often use funny screws, but with some creativity you get them out.
Sometimes it is the switch that gave up, so better measure the switch first before getting a new fuse. If the switch is broken, the easiest but less good-looking solution is to install a new switch on the external power cable.
Repairing a simple TEFAL coffee machine
I made a mistake: I could have repaired my “famous” coffee machine the same way, extending its 20 years of use (1994-2014). That time I failed to look up the fuse problem when I already had a suspicion it was that “small black piece” that was busted. The machine, a MOULINEX is featured in my book Toxic Capitalism.
Moulinex Crystal Arôme: how to repair