# Faema FP Refurb



## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I got my first grinder project from Italy today after it survived the nearly month long Christmas season mail rush. It's a Faema FP, and while I am unsure of the age with the missing Faema label I hope to find it during teardown. It's in very nice cosmetic condition and I intend to wash the chrome portions and sand the aluminum housing. I got it as I am a true sucker for enameled logos and it was a very good price I thought.

It's missing a few pieces like the original doser cap but I sourced the replacement bits and they are already in shipment. The motor does work and I think I'll have a fun little project on my hands. I am pretty certain this is the exact model that goes with my President/an E61 or maybe a late series Urania.


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

Kinda reminds me of a Mazzer Super Jolly.....as usual i await your progress/post's. 😊


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I yanked the grinder apart today. I started up top and unscrewed the bean feeder cap with a 12mm wrench and a screwdriver to hold the burr assembly while doing this. I could take out the lower burr assembly once completed by just pulling it up and out.








Going back below I took off the massive capacitor and the wiring. The cap is rated for 500V 12µF, and I am really curious how they ended up with this pick. I also saw the wiring better with the cap off. There are four wires, two white(ish) and two black, one of the black wires being connected to the capacitor. One of each black and white wire connected to each terminal. So this is a 3 phase converted to run on a single phase circuit. There is a relay but it was not connected to anything.
















Going back to the top I unscrewed the three allen screws. It was recessed down in the burr chamber so I had to get creative with my available tools. I correctly guessed the screws were not too tight so I took a 1/4" ratchet, then added an adator to a hex bit, a 9 in extender, and finally the 6mm hex bit. A hard tug got them all loose and I could take off the doser assembly. The skirt could lift out as well.

































The motor itself is bolted to the base, and it is definitely the bulk of the weight. It's pretty sticky/grungy and I hope I can just clean up the exterior without going inside.
















Focusing on the doser again I start from the bottom by taking off four screws to access the inside. The two nuts keep the doser star base from shifting too much on its shaft. 
















The doser has two parts that are divided by an acrylic cylinder, and are connected by two bolted rods. The hex nuts are recessed so I had to use a hand socket driver as my deep ratchet sockets were too wide to fit. One the nuts are loosened the lower part of the doser pops off and once the rods are unscrewed from the upper part that portion is fully disassembled.
















There is a screw on the doser exterior that tensions a rod inside to create the ratcheting effect when using the doser.

















Now I am coming to my first hiccup. The doser star base has a pinion threaded bolt that I do not know if it is right or left handed. I would like to confirm the thread direction before shocking the rod. 
















And finally this is the current state I am in. I can already see the biggest challenge is the new wiring I'll be adding or cleaning up the aluminum housing.


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

Hi Ryan,

i'm quite shocked that it came apart without the need (considering it's age) for hacksaw, hammer, drill, chisel/other....that's impressed me no end...that's definately a "plus" for Faema in my eyes. I hope someone comes up with the info regarding the thread-direction on that star-base for you. Keep up the good work. 😊


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Thanks!

Pretty certain it's a regular thread for ccw loosening based off someone who has a new version of this grinder. Futurmat still sells many of the parts for this grinders if I somehow manage to break a few bits but my goal is not to.

The grinder itself is pretty simple in terms of construction like you noted. I find it pretty funny I am having the most issues with the doser mechanism rather than a body frame issue.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I finished up disassembly with the doser. I decided to keep the doser handle assembly attached to the lower doser. I did take off the counter though so when I cleaned the parts water would not get inside the counter. Once again I cannot understate how useful an ultrasonic cleaner is for taking off coffee oils from even the most recessed crevices. Even though the coffee oils were removed on the parts, there were still scratches on the exterior panels, the grinder base having the worst of them.

































































I sanded the grinder base over 2+ hours, ranging from 240 grit all the way up to 5000 grit mesh. It's not fun but all the serious scratches are removed. It's not as obvious at night with the low light but there is definitely a big improvement 😉

































So far I just have wiped the motor exterior without going inside. The motor I initially thought was 3 phase, but now I am more confident it's actually single phase with some research in kaffee-netz. A 3 phase motor would have six wires total for the start up coil and main coil in the motor, while mine has just four. I have not done measuring on which coil is which from the wire colours, but I believe the capacitor was just utilized as a start capacitor based off the 12µF rating and the motor configuration not requiring a second capacitor that would normally branch one of the delta phases between two phases. However starting capacitors are usually on the secondary coil, and thus I will deduce the black wire goes to the secondary coil with the capacitor wiring connected to it and the white wire is the main coil. I am not certain still why I need a relay of sorts, and if the little part I have that was not wired to anything my relay. I ask as the grinder worked without it when I tested it in its initial state, although it could of course not be the best original wiring setup.


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

IamOiman said:


> I am not certain still why I need a relay of sorts, and if the little part I have that was not wired to anything my relay. I ask as the grinder worked without it when I tested it in its initial state, although it could of course not be the best original wiring setup.
> 
> View attachment 50831


 Hi Ryan, i may have my wires crossed (pardon the pun) and please forgive me if you think i'm doubting your intelligence, but the black thing is a microswitch. It looks like it was originally meant to be "pushed-to-grind" ....but only after the mains switch was in the "on" position...A 2 switch set-up; power-on (sw1) and grind (sw2).

I'd say from the looks of it that it's been wired up to "grind-straight-away" when the mains switch is "flicked" to the on position. In essence a 1 switch-operation i.e. "on or off" (grind/no-grind). Please please forgive me if you was already aware of what i've just said.


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

Hi Ryan, your motor appears to be a 2-phase (90 degree) motor (from what i can see and without seeing inside the motor)...this is wired up to act as a single phase from which it gets it's power...the correct name for this form of arrangement (as per my diagram) is known as a :- permanent split capacitor induction motor.

The 12uF capacitor is more than adequate for this type of arrangement (motor size).

You could if you wanted to (as mentioned in my previous post) wire one set of the wires (white and blue wires that are joined together) to your "microswitch" to the COM (common) and run a fresh wire from the N/O (normally-open) part of the microswitch to ONE terminal on your mains on/off switch....so when you push the plunger it activates your grinder (assuming you had the mains switch set to ON position)....this is how i'd do it if it was me.

From looking at your microswitch i can't see COM N/O or N/C...just 1,2 and i assume 3....you will have to "meter out" using a continuity/restiance checker to find out which is which....in a nutshell you want your meter to show/sound "short-circuit" whenever the plunger is pushed in. It could be 1+2 makes a S/C when plunger in; or it could be 1+3, or 2+3....you will have to try all combinations....also as you have "solder-tags" i highly recommend that you solder your wires to the tags; also solder those wires that are covered by "insulation-tape" together as well before applying fresh insulation tape or blanking-plugs (to cover joined wires).


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I agree completely with what you say, and I take no offense at answers/solutions that I initially disregarded. For the wiring connection I was just going to cut the old wiring back and strip the line before crimping them with some AMP PIDG connectors.

I'll see what I can get for a cap but I'll probably need to order one.


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

IamOiman said:


> I'll see what I can get for a cap but I'll probably need to order one.


 If you can't find one locally say at your local Radio-Shack (or equivalent) then *there's thousands of them on fleabay*....e.g. click to see or this or even this ...you get the idea.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I'll be getting an order assembled for potentially a new hopper, the cap, and new burrs. I am not in a hurry on that front per se, but I was in a hurry to clean up the exterior in the meanwhile.

I cleaned up the doser aluminum pieces today. I only started from 1000 grit as there were far fewer scratches smaller than what was on the grinder base. Once everything was cleaned up I began reassembly. I started with the doser mechanism. It comes in multiple pieces, where there is a bottom star piece with two pins locking into the lower mechanism. It is kept in place by a spring that compresses against this bottom piece and the two upper stars. There is a shim between the two upper stars that locks into place via a lip locked in the doser housing. When the doser is utilized the start pieces will move but the shim remains in place, and this is above where the coffee exits the doser. The spring is kept compressed by the nuts on the bottom of the doser, though normally it is a round knob that lies there. I have a spare knob in my parts shipment coming in.

































With the doser mechanism installed I could assemble the entire doser. Nothing too special to note. It is a pretty simple setup. I only changed out some lock washers for fasteners.














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I could then place the motor back on the body. Once again the only thing that I replaced were the lock washers. The grinder was cleaned up but I did not disassemble it completely. The wavy chrome housing fits snugly around the motor, and the doser fits on top and the three allen bolts secure the doser tightly. I did not bring the grinder exterior to like-new condition and was pretty gentle on the chrome part. The aluminum needed the sanding due to the number of scratches but I am satisfied with the exterior after 4-5 hours of sanding.

































The wiring will involve a new startup capacitor, and once I place the order and receive it the switches and capacitor will be installed. I am also considering a new hopper due to the many cracks the original one has and new burrs. I'd like a glass one but they are pricey and are delicate to ship.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

A final cleanup with a flannel shoe polishing rag, with the hopper cleaned up. Not mirror finish but much better than the initial state. There are a few cracks but the hopper itself is still structurally sound.


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## Riz (Oct 19, 2015)

Great work there @IamOiman!

Loved reading this thread and seeing the pics. What's next?


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

The Faema Mercurio bent frame is finally being addressed and hopefully fixed up. Once the Mercurio is done then I can do the Boema.

For this grinder a shipment of parts is coming that will have a replacement doser cap and a bottom cover among other things, and then the electrical parts will come in and I can wire it up too in a separate order.


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## Instant no more ! (Feb 17, 2015)

I think the old school design and looks are FAB , you did a great job fixing it up , Super


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

After a two month delay I got my batch of parts needed to complete this project not counting some burr carrier grease that is also still in shipment (Haynes Lubri-Film). I wired up the machine with my new 12.5 uF capacitor as a starter capacitor and it started up like a charm! Hopefully it functions well when the burr carrier is also installed. I have new 54mm burrs ready to go when this happens.


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## Deegee (Apr 5, 2020)

That's looking very good, I've got a soft spot for the old stuff as well, but purely from an aesthetic pov, a life spent sorting other people disasters cools any excitement at doing a renovation of my own, much nicer to spectate!


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

Hi Ryan, loved the update, well done....loved the video; but if i'm not mistaken it sounds like your motor bearings made need "re-greasing" or a squirt of WD40 or replacing...it was that end "bror bror" sound (just before it stops) that makes me think this....i could be wrong though, in which case please accept my apologies.

Are you not going to make use of that "*push-to-grind*" microswitch ? ....your choice; but to me it'd seem like a waste not to use it....it's your grinder though so feel free to ignore me and use it as is with just the mains ON/OFF switch.

As always...well done 😎


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I considered the microswitch, but I figured I would only turn the grinder on for sort of long periods since it is a doser grinder, and this configuration is like the Macaf Royale (not Macap) I trained on is wired this same way 😉. The new rubber feet keep the grinder in place nicely so I can use the beefy switch without moving the grinder. It is also very satisfying to use, I will admit 😄

I noticed that 'wrrr wrrr' noise at the end, I will take a look inside quickly before finalizing the burr carrier assembly. No need to apologize!


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## John Yossarian (Feb 2, 2016)

Another nice refurbishment (still in progress but surely ending where it should end).

And I thought you were only into coffee machines 😀


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