Vintage Belair goes too fast - foot pedal adjusted.. now what??
 

Thanks for any help!
I've been trying to sort out how to fix my too-fast machine.

I opened up the foot pedal and fixed the springs that had come detached. There is significant wear to the brass button/rivets inside, but they're still adjusting the speed of the machine. The problem is the lowest setting is as fast as the fastest setting should be, and by the time the lever inside the foot pedal touches the second or third button/rivet the machine is shaking from going so fast (which is a lot considering this machine is as heavy as a car!)

I can't find any speed adjustment on either the pedal or the machine.
I'm thinking I probably have to try swapping out the foot pedal next but that might not even solve the problem so I'm hoping someone here has more info for me!

Also, I've never seen this weird side bit (the last pic above) (to the right of the machine in a separate slot in the base box) - two black domes that look like they are splitting the current... One goes to the light and one to the motor... Has anyone ever seen this kind of weirdness?? I can't get them open, and if I do get a new pedal I'm not sure if I can cut them out of the picture or not...

Thanks so much for your help!

the two black domes look like electrical plugs.

They should just pull up to unplug. I've got some that look exactly like that.

I have no idea how to help you. If all else fails, you can replace it with a new controller. They aren't real expensive. Look at sew-classic.com.

bkay

Thank you.
Does anyone familiar with these electrical plugs know if I were to try ordering a new pedal if I could take those out of the equation, or do I need to route through them the way the wires are now?

The foot pedal attaches to one end of the "outlet" type thing. You could probably put new plugs on the wires, but you still need what they plug into.

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.

You may have the wrong plug in the wrong slot. Try reversing them and see if it slows down the machine.

Amazon has electronic foot controllers with the block already wired that you just plug your light and motor into. About 23 bucks. It’s listed for Brother machines, but fits most vintage Japanese clones that I come across. I keep one just for testing, and it works great.

If it is in the wrong slot, it will start sewing without pressing on the foot control. I'm pretty sure it doesn't start sewing until pressing on the foot controller.

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.

I had the problem with the plugs plugged into the wrong side of the outlet. The machine would not sew at all. Try it and see if it fixes the problem. I don't think it will hurt anything.

bkay

[ATTACH=CONFIG]616699[/ATTACH] Few are labeled as clearly as this one. Many aren't labeled. if they are reversed the foot control will be a dimmer for the light and the motor will run wide open without touching anything. They were common for a few decades