Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Replacing a Necchi Power Cord

The other day I lifted my Nora out of the cabinet to install a light bulb and noticed that the power cord was a bit on the worn-out side.
On my next parts order, I put three replacement cords in my cart and they arrived today. If the Nora had a peculiar cord, I probably wouldn't have been able to find a replacement but, fortunately, this is the same cord used by Lelia, Mirella, Esperia, Supernova and probably other Necchis, so replacement was available.

 I think most people who read this blog know how to replace a power/foot control cord but some might be hesitant so I thought I would go through it step-by-step for those folks.

First, unplug the power cord so you don't get shocked.  Tip the foot control over and remove the screws from the four corners of the bottom plate.


Lift off the bottom plate and insulator below to expose the connection points for the power cord.


Unscrew the two terminals and remove the connectors.  Remove the grommet from the old cord.  Install the grommet on the new cord before connecting the terminals because you can't do it afterwards.


Separate the two wires about 3-4 inches and tie them in a simple knot. This keeps a portion of the cord inside the foot control and relieves any strain on the ceramic guts of the foot control.


Connect the two wires to the two terminals.  On a two-wire system, it makes no difference which wire goes to each terminal.


Reinstall the grommet in the slot in the back of the controller,


set the insulating blanket on the terminals to keep the energized terminals from contacting the metal controller bottom plate and reinstall the bottom plate.


You're now ready to plug it up and take it for a spin!


8 comments:

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

Thanks Ed. I haven't looked at the cords for my Supernova. I've never rewired a foot controller before.

Anonymous said...

Hi, Ed, I wasn't sure how best to contact you, and my question is off-topic for this post, but I had some questions about old Japanese machines, specifically Riccars. My mom has an RZ-208B she's really liked and I was also interested in getting one. Also, I've been looking at a couple of Riccar Super Stretch models, the 610 and the 555SU. Do you know anything about Riccars, particularly with regard to their durability, reliability, and quality? I'm not looking for valuation, just want to know about the machines' reputation.

Jonathan said...

I saw a green Necchi BU at a garage sale this summer. The hand wheel turned easily but I didn't buy it because the paint on the bed near the needle plate was crackled. It looked like it would have scraped off pretty easily. Is this common with Necchis?

frank_oc said...

Hi, My Supernova (at this point I'm not sure exactly *which* Supernova variant I have) and the Mira I'm working on, have a slightly different power cord plug. It has three contacts in a straight line. The plug body disassembles with screws, and the duplex cord is pierced by contacts in the plug body, and the cord passes through uncut on one side and interrupted on the other. So if you get the proper ends of the cord going to the control and wall plug, it all just works without figuring out what wires go to individual terminals.

--frank

Unknown said...

Jonathan, I have had several BUs with the cracked paint. Necchi seems to have fixed the problem because I have never seen any of the newer models with that issue. -Ed

Unknown said...

Frank, That is interesting, I have seen Miras with that plug, but never a Supernova. The Mira has an external motor and the plug is part of the motor housing. But Supernovas have an internal motor, is the receptacle on the outside of the housing or under the bed? -Ed

frank_oc said...

Hi Ed,
The Supernova receptacle is under the rear corner of the bed, pointing down. Its the only Supernova I've seen in person.

--frank

ashlie said...

Hi Ed, hoping you can help! I recently bought a Necchi 537fa. Looks like it's never been used but the motor is dead (says the technician I took it to- I was hoping it was the foot pedal but he said he ran power straight to the motor and nothing happened...). Should I buy a universal replacement motor or try and fix the current one? Also any tips on removing the current motor? There's a lot going on in there and I don't want to mess it up further. Thanks!!