Switching from 110/60 to 220/50 power supply

You will need to check with the instruction manual of your machine what the specifications are.

Today the 120 volt mains, I am told, is almost a thing of the past and 220 volt is much more common. The UK mains electricity used to be 250 volts but it has been lowered to 240 and eventually it will be lowered to 230 volts to bring us closer to the European specification.

Because most electrical equipment is imported and we are a minority market, electrical manafacturers didn't want to produce specail goods just for us and so for 20 years or so most of our electrical goods are suitable for use in a range of mains voltages from 220 to 240. Sometimes they are marked as such and sometimes marked as 230 volts but we are told 240 won't damage them and they will still work efficiently at 220. It is only very old electrical equipment made for 250 volts that seems slightly less efficient.

Some equipment is made for universal use and will accept 120 volt mains as well as the 220 to 240 range. In this case there is usually a provision to select a different voltage by means of a switch or by changing some simple internal wiring connections. Details of how to do this is invariably printed in the manual.
Equipment produced for 110/120 volts only would become dangerous and be soon destroyed if plugged directly into a 240 volt mains but a transformer can easily be obtained to allow 120 volt equipment to be used on 220/240 volt mains. A great many professional tools are still produced to use 120 volt electricity for reasons of safety and so auto-transformers of all sizes are commonly available and not too expensive.

I have a fairly limited experience of sewing machines but I think a domestic machine has only a very small appetite for power and a supply suitable for a reading lamp will be more than adequate. The exact wattage of your machine will be found in the instruction manual.

You need to fix it. US machines are wired for 120VAC, 60Hz. Other countries are often 220V, 50Hz. Some machines have a switch that allows you to select. Some models have auto-switching power supplies that can handle either. Obviously yours did not. You most likely have damaged, at a minimum, the power supply. Once it is fixed, if it does not have a dual-voltage switch, you'll need to get a voltage adapter for it.

The only way I know is a 110/220 volt transformer.
They are available in any electronics supply house.
As I remember the motors in these machines are only two lead, and they put the motor in for the country it will be sold in.
Dual voltage motors have three or four leads (wires).

The wattge used should be listed on the machine or it's wiring. If not, you should go to ( sears.com ) and find support. I do not see a problem using an outlet there from a public power as long as you have set the unit to use the correct cycles which is normally 50Hz or 60Hz. Some electronic devices such as yours will operate on either, but you will normally have a switch to manually set which Hz setting you need. The power you recieve from the utility will be either 50Hz or 60 Hz and you will have to set the unit to match the utilities rating. Best Wishes.

You will need a transformer. If the appliance is 220V to start with, you need a step-up tranformer, that is, 110V supply UP to 220V output. The other way round, a step-down transformer.

They are sold at hardware outlets and electronics suppliers like RadioShack.

220-240 volts, 50hz, 80-90w

I suggest to ,, on the internet look for sewing machine shops in your town in australia, & even look in the phone book in the yellow pages
do you have a hancock fabric in your area? they have sewing machines & sergers

If it is an electronic or computerized machine, you are out of luck. USA has 110 volt 60Hz current, Australia has 220 volt 50Hz. A transformer can change 220 to 110 volts, but it cannot change 60Hz to 50Hz.

Has your Designer 1 ever had the power supply replaced? Almost all Des 1's had a recall that was replacement of the power supply. Any Husqvarna Viking dealer will be able to check the power supply, or transformer, in your machine and make sure that it has been replaced. Sometimes this can be a loose connection inside the power supply.

A transformer will not change the frequency of the supply, only the voltage.

It may be possible to obtain a box of electronics to convert 50Hz to 60Hz, which would solve the problem.

A machine designed to run on 60Hz will run slower on 50Hz and may run hotter. If it burns out due to overheating, then a new motor designed to run at 50Hz should be fitted. You could have peace of mind if you fitted a new motor (which might be cheaper than an electronic frequency converter.