A combination of an electronic machine control unit and an electronic brewer control system for a beverage preparation machine; wherein the beverage preparation machine comprises a brewing device including: - a brewing chamber configured to receive a material to be brewed; - one or more members (12, 26) arranged to cooperate with the brewing chamber to prepare beverages; and - one or more electric actuators (21; 32) operable to mutually move the members and the brewing chamber to prepare beverages; the electronic machine control unit is external to the brewing device, and the electronic brewer control system is configured to be associable to the brewing device to allow operation of the brewing device to be electronically controlled; the electronic brewing control system comprises: - a sensory system configured to output electrical signals to allow relative position of one or more of the members and of the brewing chamber to be determined during a beverage preparation cycle; and - an on-board electronic brewer control unit separate from the electronic machine control unit and configured to be electrically connectable to the electronic machine control unit through a fieldbus-based communication network, to the sensory system to receive electrical output signals therefrom, and to the electric actuator(s) (21; 32) to supply electrical control signals thereto; the electronic machine control unit is configured to output to the on-board electronic brewer control unit, through the fieldbus-based communication network, commands relating to the operation of the brewing device; the on-board electronic brewer control unit is configured to: - receive from the electronic machine control unit, through the fieldbus-based communication network, commands relating to the operation of the brewing device; and - interpret and execute the received commands to responsively output, also based on electrical signals from the sensory system, electrical control signals for the electric actuator(s) (21; 32); the electronic brewer and machine control units (92, 74) are configured to cooperate through a master-slave communication architecture, in which the on-board electronic brewer control unit is the slave electronic control unit, and the electronic machine control unit is the master electronic control unit. - a brewing chamber configured to receive a material to be brewed; - one or more members (12, 26) arranged to cooperate with the brewing chamber to prepare beverages; and - one or more electric actuators (21; 32) operable to mutually move the members and the brewing chamber to prepare beverages; - a sensory system configured to output electrical signals to allow relative position of one or more of the members and of the brewing chamber to be determined during a beverage preparation cycle; and - an on-board electronic brewer control unit separate from the electronic machine control unit and configured to be electrically connectable to the electronic machine control unit through a fieldbus-based communication network, to the sensory system to receive electrical output signals therefrom, and to the electric actuator(s) (21; 32) to supply electrical control signals thereto; - receive from the electronic machine control unit, through the fieldbus-based communication network, commands relating to the operation of the brewing device; and - interpret and execute the received commands to responsively output, also based on electrical signals from the sensory system, electrical control signals for the electric actuator(s) (21; 32);