Macap M4 - overheated, shut off and won't turn on

#1: Post by **Deephaven** » August 28th, 2021, 9:47 am

I gave my parents my Macap. After 10 years or so of brilliant performance, my dad made espresso without his hearing aids on and forgot to shut it off. After 30min he went back and it was super hot. He let it cool, but it won't turn on. I took the bottom off the unit and it looks rather simple with a switch a capacitor and a motor. I assume the switch and the capacitor are the two cheapest, but I wanted to see if there was a way I can test to verify the parts. Nothing is visibly burned. I tested the switch first. It seems to work assuming that the top gets switched to the bottom on both sides when it flips as off there was no continuity and on there was.

I see in this thread there is a bad capacitor that solved the problem, but being the capacitor is just a delay function for the start up of the motor and mine never spins I wasn't sure if it could be it. Any way to test the cap?
Macap M4 motor stalls and heats up

I would ask the same on the motor. I can't find the part for sale, but didn't look super hard as I assume the motor is expensive but wanted to be sure before spending money.

I was expecting to see something burned up, but it all looks pretty clean.

#2: Post by **Jeff** » August 28th, 2021, 12:35 pm

The starter capacitor isn't really a "delay" but more of a pull start for the motor.

That would be my first guess and generally a comparatively cheap thing to try.

#3: Post by **CaptPat** » August 30th, 2021, 12:34 pm

Does the motor spin freely by hand? If not that suggests the motor is bound, an issue a new cap. won't help with.

August 30th, 2021, 6:38 pm

The motor spins free.