INFO ABOUT BELTS: Actually, moving the motor up and down to adjust the belt tension is no big deal. It's not very critical. If it's too loose, it slips, and if it's VERY tight, it could damage the motor bearings over a period of time. If you got it that tight, the machine would not run well either. Don't hesitate to move it up and down to get the belt a little snugger and see if it helps. Also, I wouldn't be afraid of using the generic plastic "lug belts". The only thing you should avoid are the rubber "fit all" stretch belts. I don't remember much about the pulleys on your machine, but if the lug belt fits into them in such a way that it can get traction on the sides of the pulleys, it will work as good or better than the original. To get the right size, loosen your motor and remove the old belt. Move the motor mount to a position where it is about mid way up and down. then tie a piece of twine snugly around the pulleys and knot it. Next, loosen and raise the motor to get the twine off. Take this twine to the store to get a similar size lug belt, and adjust the motor when you put it on. Lug belts come in almost 40 different sizes from 8" circum to about 21+. Of course, a dealer won't stock them all, but a service shop should have enough to find one that will come close.Bill Holman Fri, 26 Sep 2003
From: feeddog_1 Date: Thu Nov 22, 2001 9:16 am Subject: Re: Supernova drive belt I don't know why a SN belt should cost $50.Its always tough to buy a belt. If its too short to fit then you need to get a larger one. Otherwise loosen the motor, put the belt over the balance wheel then over around the motor pulley, move the motor to tighten so the belt doesn't slip and tighten the motor mount. Tips on getting the correct belt: 1. Measure the distance starting from the balance wheel around the motor pulley back to and around the balance wheel. Do this with the motor set to the mid-point adjustment position. I'm not sure what the correct belt looks like although I'm pretty sure that the originals were probably black V-belts like the Singer belts. I've had good luck with the little red corrugated belts on just about everything I have tried them on. I seem to get less vibration and no loss of power. The only reason I've not been able to use one on any of my SN's is that it's hard to match length due to the difference if thickness. I buy what should work and it doesn't. The length is the big issue on these since you have almost no room to adjust. As for width, it's too wide if it sticks up outside the groove. It's too narrow if it sinks down to the bottom of the groove and disappears. As for tension, on these little sewing machine motors, if you hold the balance wheel and prevent it from turning and step on the gas, the motor pulley should be able to slip enough to turn slowly in the belt. If it can't it is too tight and it is robbing you of power. Don Nov 2004 All belts are generic now days. And, as long as the length and width are right, it's the right belt. Of course I've never measured one the fit correctly for anything from the SN line. If the old belt fits and is still in one piece, measure it and go belt shopping. The problem with a Supernova series machine is that they took a plain old external motor and belt drive and put it inside the machine. If the motor were on the outside, where it belongs, you could use any belt that works within the range of adjustment of the motor mount. This allows you a whole range of belt lengths which will work just fine. You just have to get inside the ballpark. On a SN, you have very little room to adjust with out the motor hitting the back wall of the machine, the stitch length adjustment hitting the motor, or the belt being too loose. Plus, the way the bracket is positioned, it's extremely difficult to get a wrench or screwdriver on to the adjustment screws. But any belt that fits will work. A word on the round belts: Those are "stretch belts" It may fit now but it won't for very long. They call them stretch belts for a reason.(The up side of that is that, when it gets too long for your SN, you can move it to a machine that needs a longer belt.) But Hey. If it runs the machine without binding or slipping, it's a belt. And, after all, this IS about getting them sewing, isn't it? If I didn't love sewing on a Supernova so much, I'd worry more about the belt. But as it is, if it runs right, I close that housing cover and never look inside again until it quits. And I love to work on machines. Don Dec 2005
From: "redfish6655" <whizfish@comcast.net> Date: Thu, 16 Jul 2009 06:33:13 -0000
--- In necchisewingmachineclub@yahoogroups.com, Sheila Lenkman <slenkman@...> wrote: > Joanne, I had the same problem. Despite many people telling me you could use any of the cheap ones, and two trips to my local sewing machine shop to buy and return the wrong size, I just called Allyn International, the U.S. Necchi distributor, and asked for a Supernova belt. It was a bit more expensive, at near $20, I think, but it arrived in four days and fit perfectly. It is the heavy black one that has a life expectancy of 20 years. Maybe other sources could get the same thing cheaper, I don't know-but you can't beat the service and quick delivery. And while you are at it, order a new bobbin winder tire if you haven't replaced yours yet. It does make a difference! > Sheila Gosh guys, I'm really sorry for not helping with this belt business. I knew that many of you were buying them from Allyn and figured that was ok because they would get you the right one. But I had no idea they were charging that much for them. I will ask Alex to look them up in the catalogs and get the numbers off of it. From there, I'll pull one from his stock belts that's the same size and try it on one of my machines. If it's right, I'll either ask him to stock them or just share the number here. If it's not right(sometimes the catalogs are wrong.), I'll try a size up or down until it is. Once you have the belt number, you can just ask anybody to check their stock for it or order it. Just out of curiosity, what type of belt is Allyn supplying? Is it the black deep v type? I don't know what's in my Supernovas because I try to stay out of the motor compartment. But I will look. I have the red flat or corrugated belts on almost all of my machines that have external motors now, regardless of age or brand. No problems with any of them. Don To: necchisewingmachineclub@yahoogroups.com From: "redfish6655" <whizfish@comcast.net> Date: Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:26:29 –0000 Have to make this quick. Time to go to work. Belt number listed for SN is 1434 which stands for 14.75"(fourteen and three quarters) or 37.465cm. The listing for the SNUltra is 1334 which is 13.75" or 34.925cm. I don't understand why they would be different but there are a lot of things I don't understand. Keep in mind that these are just catalog listings. I have not confirmed these by matching them to the machines. And I don't own a SNU or a Lycia. Kat has both of those but I doubt I'll be able to get to them anytime soon. I can verify the SN and compare it to the Julia when I get a chance. Later. Don Delivered-To: mailing list necchisewingmachineclub@yahoogroups.com Date: Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:08:04 –0500 The julia does take a different belt than the Supernova. It's bigger, I think.
Sheila
(NOTE: As we get more info on belts, I’ll add it to this document. Polly Lacy, Necchi List Owner; 7/26/09)