Zoppas 508 Superautomatica 1967 Panoramica 160922

Описание: This is the 1967 Zoppas Superautomatica 508 washing machine which is part of the second series of washing machines produced by the Zoppas company before it was acquired by Zanussi in 1970. The Zoppas machines of the second series are based on a completely different chassis, the machines of the previous series were 60 cm wide and 55 cm deep, and the rear part of the machine consisted of a galvanized steel panel which, once removed, allowed very easy access to the internal mechanical parts of the machine. The new frame was wider, the new machines were 65cm wide and only 50cm deep, and the sheet steel that formed the frame continued on the back of the car like a box. A smaller inspection hole was cut out on the back of the machine, which was then closed with the same piece of steel cut from the back and suitably shaped to form the closing panel. The dashboard was moved to the front of the washing machine and a newly designed detergent dispenser was moved to the rear top right of the machine. The new detergent dispenser will be the same for many other machine models, until the front detergent drawer is introduced many years later. It is very particular in that the lower part is made of orange PVC while the upper part is in white PVC and its lid, depending on the model, was made of polished stainless steel or enamelled steel. Compared to the old dispenser, the third compartment for softener has been added, however the opening of the third compartment could be closed on the top of the dispenser by means of a plastic closure cap in those models in which the automatic softener dispenser it was not present, as in the Superautomatica 508 shown in this video.
The general configuration of the dashboard controls has not changed, depending on the washing machine model there may be two or three control knobs, just like in the previous series, in the 508 for example there are only two: the thermostat and the program selector. The front door opening button on the top of the cabinet has been eliminated and from now on, and for all future models, a latch handle has been provided, mounted directly on the door. Speaking of the door, depending on the machine model, the transparent door could be made of glass or plastic as in the 508 shown here. A novelty of the new series is the drain filter which is no longer mounted directly on the lower part of the tub, instead it is fixed to the lower front part of the cabinet, covered by a removable panel as in the old version. This arrangement will be maintained and shared with all Zanussi production regardless of the model of the machine and which of the Zanussi proprietary brands is applied to it, up to the mid-1970s. The shock absorbers (damper pads) are the same as the previous machines as they proved to be very effective making the machine stable even during a totally unbalanced spin dry, the tub assembly instead was modified to adapt to the new cabinet. The diameter was increased while the depth reduced, a new drive pulley was used, smaller with a single belt and a new motor was designed that allowed a rotation speed of 550 rpm instead of the 420 of the previous models. The inside of the machine basket looks unchanged at first glance, but the holes are a bit smaller.
The thermostat probe is now mounted on the front of the tub and easy access is provided by unlatching the door seal which easily detaches from the front of the case and is the same as on older machines. This new washing machine proved to be as good as the old one in terms of washing capacity but some useful functions were no longer available such as the double inlet valve that allowed the machines of the old version to be connected directly to hot water when a hot water a tap was available to shorten the overall washing time and to save money by using the cheaper hot water of the centralized heating system instead of heating it with the machine's own electric heater and, as already mentioned above, access to the back of the machine for service is now less easy than before. As you can see in the video, the Superautomatica 508 has a very unique program indicator that uses symbols instead of numbers to select the correct program, however it has not become a standard even though it was used on various other models. Another difference with the old model is that the mechanical controls on the dashboard are mounted directly on the plastic dashboard that holds them instead of being mounted on a support frame positioned under the dashboard as in the previous series. Using this new chassis, four models were made differing only in the aesthetics of the dashboard and controls leaving the rest of the machine identical, this chassis configuration was used until 1970 when the Superline series with the new front mounted dashboard was introduced.
The four model based on the 508 chassis is the last machine series designed by Zoppas before being acquired by Zanussi, all subsequent Zoppas models were designed by the Zanussi company.