Ronbo42 Senior Member Joined: 1 Sep 2012 Posts: 3 Location: BC Expertise: Just starting
Posted Sat Sep 1, 2012, 6:06pm Subject: La Cimbali Grinder
I am now suffering from OCD. I have been enjoying taking apart machines that have been neglected and breathing new life into them. My latest is a La Cimbali Junior grinder. I rebuilt it, repainted it, rewired it and fired it up today. I'm not sure if it's the new burrs or my wiring job but the grinder spits out coffee quickly and locks up on beans when I try to reduce the grind. It will work fine if I don't fill the hopper and simply pour the beans in from the bag. I'm using a light city roast.
I believe it's one of two things - 1. My burrs have a break in period, they are jamming beans because they are pulling them in too quickly and are too sharp. 2. I wired the motor incorrectly. I had trouble with this one because I couldn't find a schematic. I wired the capacitors in series to one side of the coil. There are 4 wires coming out of the coil. I determined the two I suspect feed the power in the coil, and hooked the caps the one of those (the one giving the correct direction).
Ok, so I rewired as per diagrams for a run/start capacitor motor. The grinder still locks up on start with beans in the hopper. Runs great without beans in. Is it possible the burrs need to be put in differently?
Could you have a bad component or switch, or a bad solder joint or crimp. Will not carry the load current but runs without load. I believe the caps are to get it started and then it should be able to carry load.
As you are suggesting, perhaps the load is too much, more that normal grinding because of the new burrs. Hmm?
Not wanting to sound offensive, the voltage is correct? Normally you cannot mismatch plugs, 110v vs 220v, but if rewired?
You are not trying to adjust the grind tighter with the motor stopped are you? If you do that, there is an excelent chance that you will jam the burrs and lock the burrs together tight enough that no grinder motor will be able to turn them. Only adjust the burrs tighter when the grinder is running.
The caps are there only to start the motor in a single phase motor, once the motor starts, the caps drop out of the circuit. There should be a centrifical switch that kicks out when the grinder starts to get to speed, the caps should not be connected all the time.
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
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