I bought a Mazzer Major, and then realised it was a 380V three phase. I am in France and we have 230V single phase. Can I rewire the plug or motor to work on 220/240V single phase. Anyone done this.

I will have to call the factory tomorrow and ask if its possible.

Some Standard European motors have like 380v/220V pins on the same motor and its just a matter of switching pins on the motor. This might not be the case with a Mazzer.

Let me post this message for the record on this subject .....

380V machine CANNOT be transformed in to a 220V machine. Three phase motor cannot be changed to a monophase motor.

I spoke to Luca at the Mazzer factory and he didn't know the answer right away, we both thought that maybe switching a wire to another post or something would work, as some motors are marked 380V/220V/ etc which can work on different wiring standards, BUT the Mazzer motors do not.

You could rig up something with a condenser that would work, but ultimately the motor would be running hotter than it was meant for and would eventually burn out or best scenario have a shorter life.

So End of story.... Its too bad because there are lots of deals on 380V machines in Europe.. but thats why

Hey there

What you could do is get yourself an variable frequency drive and convert your single phase 220V outlet to a three phase 220V one which is what the 380V are supposed to run on. I got my vfd for $150 off ebay and it works perfectly.

greets

convert your single phase 220V outlet to a three phase 220V one which is what the 380V are supposed to run on

Marco

I don't understand. If its 380V three phase why do you say a 220V three phase is the same as a 380V three phase ? Non ho capito


Also, by the time you invest $150 in the converter, then the wiring by electrician and all you have eaten up all the savings you were making by buying the machine well. Might as well look for a 220V machine used and pay a little more and have something more sellable after, or less bother ??

I'm saying that all of those "380V grinders" your talking about are actually driven by three 220V phases that are linked through a Y-connection. You measure the 220V between one phase and the neutral wire, but if you measure the voltage between any two phases then your meter will display 380V. For more info try googling 'three-phase electric power' - there are also french versions on wikipedia

And yes it is of questionable merit to get such a machine if you have to pay for an electrician - not so much if you know one personally who does it for free for you..
I got an unused three-phase grinder in the class of a super jolly for $220 - which seemed to be a very good price for around here. Plus now I have the possibility to change the grinding speed through altering the frequency of the current output - not that I really needed that or that I tested the effect of this in any meaningful way - at least not yet

tutto chiaro?

greets

Frequency drive is the way to go and I believe that will allow the conversion - just as another poster has mentioned. PM Andy Schecter - he's using a three phase Robur stepped down to run on the single phase 220V outlet in his kitchen.

Thanks Marco and Owen,

Not only is it complicated to do, but you will have a machine that it more difficult to sell and maybe a electrical setup you don't need later.

The benefit is limited indeed.

I am pricing out monophase machines in Italia, and am hoping to hear some interesting pricing.

I picked up a Super Jolly on French Ebay a couple of days ago for 120 euros and its supposed to be in great condition as well. So there are deals on monophase machines to be had without the headaches.

Tutto a posto

misterdoggy wrote:The benefit is limited indeed.

I am not so sure on that; On the Robur, the difference between the monophase and triphase versions is that the monophase has 71 mm burrs, and the triphase has 83mm burrs. The 83mm has a longer cutting path and grinds significantly faster than the monophase version. There's a reasonable chance that it's therefore an even better grinder in terms of consistency and cup quality, but I don't know of any investigation of this beyond the speculation based on the TGP experience with 63mm vs. 68-71mm conicals.

Of course, you're talking about a Major. Both the triphase and monophase version use the same size burrs, but they are listed differently on Mazzer's site. I suspect that the triphase burrs will have a more aggressive cut to them, and that the grinder will be somewhat faster than the monophase grinder. It may prove to be a more convenient grinder, or it may just be irritatingly fast. Up to you, but I just wanted to clarify that there may well be a much more significant difference than just the voltage and number of wires going into the machine.

Phaelon56 wrote:PM Andy Schecter - he's using a three phase Robur stepped down to run on the single phase 220V outlet in his kitchen.

Actually, it runs on a regular 115v outlet.

Yeah I was talking about the Major not the Robur which is a different animal

I ended up buying a demo SJ in perfect condition. ONly 500g passed thru it, so there won't be anything to do.

Lazy Man's way out, pay for it and don't worry bout it

AndyS wrote:Actually, it runs on a regular 115v outlet.

Even better. You are one bad-a*s frequency drive mutha. It's true what they say.