Hi,
Recently decided to make the jump from your average home espresso setup to proper commercial gear. This involved me picking up a Faema Compact & grinder for a song from an auction site to restore.

I stripped down the Faema A6 grinder to repaint it (the factory powdercoat had seen better days). Now I've reassembled it but have run into a problem - the motor doesn't start properly. I can hear it humming but it doesn't spin, however if I manually spin the motor shaft before flicking the switch it runs perfectly. The shaft itself spins freely and all bearings seem in good condition. I'm wondering if maybe the capacitor isn't working properly but thought I would ask to see if anyone had ideas?

Thanks,
Hamish

If it is the correct voltage then I would suspect the start capacitor, and then the brushes and commutator. But make sure all the wiring connections are clean and tight. Any electronics shop should be able to check the capacitor for you.

Check to see that you have not swapped the capacitor leads with the motor leads. I hooked up the motor out of a Swift with the wires crossed to see it I could get it to run backwards. Motor started real slow and had no power. I haven't looked but I suspect that your grinder has an induction motor with a run capacitor. No brushes or commutator. Capacitor is used with it's own set of windings to set the motor rotation. Capacitor primary function is used to alter phase angle to set rotation, not supply starting torque. Single phase induction motors without a run capacitor have no rotational directional preference and can start and run in whatever direction they get a push. If motor runs strong when spun to kick start in either direction, but won't start on it's own, check the capacitor. If the motor starts and runs weakly but backwards, check the wiring for lead swappage.
James