bernina 930 record (1984) foot controller
 

The manual says that one heel tap will bring the needle down - and a second heel tap will bring the needle up.

The machine I have - one heel tap will make the machine take one stitch - needle down and needle back up.

Is there any way of getting it to do the needle down? or is this machine an earlier version and I just have "to deal with it"?

I haven't used my 1020 in a few years and I foot control unit only controls the speed. There is a setting on my 1530 that allows me to have the needle stopped in the down position.

On my 440, the heel tap does bring the needle either down or up, depending on its current position. I don't know about other models, but are you sure you are using a heel tap (on the part of the controller closest to you), not a toe tap?

According to this Youtube video, the earlier 930's did not have the needle down feature. If yours doesn't have the option to stop in the needle down position, then that could be why the foot pedal tap does a full stitch instead of a half stitch (stopping with needle in opposite position).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drLD66Wa7U0

I have a 1983 Bernina 930. Bought it new all those years ago. Mine does needle down. Could be your foot controller is not working properly and/or needs replaced. A Bernina dealer should be able to tell you if the foot controller is bad & if so order one for you. I bought a spare foot controller a few years ago, just so I'd have it. Sorry I do not remember how much they cost.

My Mom has the Bernina 930 (1983), the machine does needle up/down with a tap. Maybe you are tapping a little too high on the foot.
Don't think the controllers are available anymore. A few years ago wanted to replace mine for the 1030, cost was over $200.

If your 930 does not have the silver thread cutter on the bed of the machine it does not have needle/up down capability. As an earlier poster stated the early 930's don't have this feature.

I just went down and played with it a bit more - I forgot to check for the thread cutter and serial number - but this thread answered "how" to make it work.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...n-t244518.html

Thank you for the help. (It was kind of "nice" to know that I was not the only one with this question.)

It definitely takes more of a "hard heel push" towards the "front" of pedal instead of a "light tap" towards the "back" of the pedal. It does seem like what I was doing will give me one stitch at a time, though.

This is bringing the machine closer to the Pfaff 1471 and Pfaff 1473. I still like the little flat spot on top of the Pfaffs to put pins, needles, bobbins, etc.

A happy discovery - the little Bernina 1006 will do the "needle down" and "needle up" with the foot control, too.