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 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 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 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); <EOS>