Ok,
I could be barking up the wrong tree- but if a machine is from Italy-and I was wacked enough to buy it, and I was lucky enough for it to show up , and work and I could fix it if it didn't work......... said machine is wired for the three prong 220v with the three prongs in a line, round prongs-- ( ...) if you get the picture.
Can this machine be plugged in to a voltage converter to work on 110v? Rewired, stepped up, something? There may be no simple answer- but hopefully someone out there has bought a machine from the Uk and done this. It is a relatively small lever machine, it is not a big honking super shot puller. No, I know nothing of the insides or amps etc. Just the plug configuration so far..
HELP

'Cause this is a sweet looking machine and it would sure be a nice addition , or book end







Thanks

Hi Mo,
The heater is probably designed for 220 V. Connecting it to 110 won't hurt anything but it will be very slow to heat up. I think a 110 to 220 converter would be the way to go. By the way, it looks like you've found a very interesting machine. Good luck with it!
Bill

Remove the existing plug, put on a 20amp 220 plug. Run a new circuit (or tap and existing one) and run it to the machine. Provided the machine does not draw more than 20 amps, it is probably 10 or below. Volts X amps=watts so as long as you have two of the three, you can calculate the draw.

The European voltage runs 50 cycles, US is 60 but there should not be anything in there that would be affected. If you had a timer or clock on it you would slowly lose time because of the cycle difference (one second per minute I believe).

In my opinion....It wouldn't be a good idea to run it on straight 110V. However, a transformer might work, if the power requirements of the unit plus the losses of the transformer don't exceed your supply capacity. I think that the best bet is to install a 220v supply circuit. -


Bob

Ah, the Caravel. I doubt that they pull as nice a shot as your Cremina, but they are pretty cool looking. There is almost no information about them in English as far as I can tell. Don't know what the materials are, or if you could get any parts. We'll certainly look forward to a report if you do take the plunge.

PC

I am mostly curious about them. With Tim's posting on his La Peppina project I also became interested in a La Peppina -esque machine. So I started looking around , of all places... Italy. These machiens are quite affordable! $90- $200 for 1955 models through 1960+. I wanted to tinker around with them as a shot puller only- no steam. But the practical side of me says I would probably end up buying one or two and playing with them till I found one I really liked. So the problem was how do I get around the 220v needed without hiring a electrician thet would cost me an additional $200 -$300 ? Also, as I moved through a couple machines looking for my "keeper" it would be hard to find others with convenient 220v in their houses as well if I needed to recycle them.
A quick search on eBay, after not getting any good re-wire solutions here or on Too Much Coffee or CG -- Eureka!! Step-up /Step down transformers!! for about $50 I can get a 110v transformer that will produce 220v / at 1000w --- or reverse even. About 1/3 the size of a shoe box. Now that seems to remove the barrier to my new hunting grounds. Now , if only American o-rings and homemade gaskets can solve any minor leak / pressure issues .... hmmmmmmmm.

Ciao!!! We'll see what happens