Member postings for Martin Cargill

Hywel

I've just re read your original post and perhaps realise that you are asking if you can use the old 3 phase reversing switch to switch motor direction by having this wired between the inverter and the motor.

This is not a suitable method.

The drive unit will have low voltage control inputs for start/stop/reverse etc and it is possible (and sensible) to re configure the wiring to use the old switches to feed these inputs.

Martin

PS just read your last post. The existing contactor should be able to power the invertor. The inputs to the inverter controls only require pushbuttons and not contactors.  Can you give us a link to the manual ?

PPS I have two Viceroys so I know the controls fitted  to them. 

Edited By Martin Cargill on 15/01/2017 19:40:59

Edited By Martin Cargill on 15/01/2017 19:42:35

My own preference for this type of conversion is to use existing switches, knobs etc, for their original functions. This way there is no need to have to re-label control panels and anyone who has operated a similar machine will have no problems in finding the relevant controls.

The other consideration for inverter installation is the buttons provided on the unit are fine for testing or setting up the unit but are probably not the best in terms of durability for daily operation, nor are they very big. Its much better to have proper industrial type control gear that is designed for the job.

The.other thing to consider is that the inverter is not the best thing to mount on top or adjacent to the machine as (to my mind) they are not the most robust of items and will come off second best in an impact situation. They are often not provided with the best ingress protection when dealing with swarf etc. Installing them in a suitable enclosure is better for them and (in the case of a metal enclosure) can also help with EMC/RF issues.

Anyone who can operate a multimeter and has the competence to install an inverter should be able to re-configure the electrics on a machine to work with an inverter. If you don't feel that your competence extends this far then you should be seeking advice from someone who does!!!!

Martin

PS Ian has just said almost the same things as I was typing this post

Edited By Martin Cargill on 15/01/2017 19:19:36

Edited By Martin Cargill on 15/01/2017 19:21:36

1. You need to check the inverter installation manual with regard to what the manufacturer wants in the line to the inverter, some of them require a contactor feeding it, some don't.

2. The reversing switch on the single phase motor would probably be reversing the feed to the start winding/capacitor (on the 3 phase version of your machine it would be swapping two of the incoming phases). You can't simply wire the existing electrics into the inverter. Having said that you probably can use the existing switches after rewiring the machine.

Best solution is to ask the supplier and read the installation manual. A good supplier will be able to give you guidance as to how to set up the parameters on the drive and give you guidance on the best way to fit/wire it.

Martin

My missus uses a hair dye that comes with a small "squeezy" type bottle for application of the dye. Once she has finished with it a quick rinse out and they are make excellent applicators for oils etc. Because they have a long nose they can be used with some accuracy.

Martin C

P.S. make sure she has finished with it first!

Thanks for all of the replies. A bit more information :-

The bulbs being used are Screwfix ones (made by Lap). I'm not using them with a dimmer switch but they are connected to a two way circuit (but its quite a short one, the switches are only about 10' of cable apart). The earth conductors are all connected (where possible) but there will be no earth connections at the bulb end - the earth is terminated at the rose.

I have used the same bulbs in the other part of my hall, it uses two bulbs and a longer two way switching circuit but it does not display the same flashing effect. Very strange.

Martin C

Have a look on the Machine Mart Website. Product code 000512105. Its an underbody sealing gun but it has a hose that can go on the end of the gun for spraying inside things. Used one for my Land Rover chassis. From memory I extended the hose to get well down the chassis rails.

Martin C

Not Directly ME related.

Today I changed five of the bayonet fitting light bulbs in the house. One of the ones I replaced is in the hall. The light switches on and off from the switch perfectly normally, but when the light is switched off it flashes about once every 20 seconds???? I tried a second LED bulb in the same holder and it does the same thing. The bulb I took out (and have since put back in !) is a low energy CFL type.

Any Ideas?

Martin C

Muzzer.

I had a 1982 GPZ 1100 B2 (the one with the bikini fairing) They were out before the unitrack GPZs (it had twin shox) but it did have fuel injection.

I have a "Sterling" branded DRO on my mill. It looks almost identical to the unit that you are looking at. I don't know how it compares on price as the DRO was fitted to the mill before I bought it. So far it all seems to work fine but I don't use any of the functions, I just use it as an accurate positioning system and for eliminating backlash when moving axis

We come across this from time to time when reconditioning machines. One method we use is to find another similar handwheel with a larger centre section and bore it out. Then take your broken handwheel and turn the outside until it will fit the inside of the new one. This can be an interference fit (fit it by heating the outer and freezing the inner) or it can be fitted with Loctite or Araldite. Screws or pins can also be used but as this is not a safety critical component they are probably overkill.

Martin

As NDIY points out the IR temp guns can produce misleading results.

I recently had a customer call me out to a hot glue spreader, complaining that the doctor roll was running 30 degrees lower than the demanded temperature. He was using an IR gun to measure the temperature of a chrome steel roller. As the roller is heated by hot oil and the other rollers (rubber covered) were showing the correct temperature there was obviously something wrong. It turns out that the IR gun does not like shiny surfaces - two minutes with a temp probe attached to my fluke meter proved that the temp was correct and that the gun was wrong. It cost the customer around £150 to find out that his £25 gun was incapable of producing an accurate result on a shiny surface. IR guns are good for measuring changes in temp or rate of rise of temp but sometimes they are no use for absolute measurement.

Martin

All of the advice that Nigel B gives is good information. I rebuild machines for a living, although most are woodworking. We rebuild router spindles that run at anything up to 24000 rpm and they are all "run in" in the same manner as he has detailed. The only couple of points that I would add is:-

a) If you are going down the route of stripping and cleaning /regreasing bearings then please be careful as to how you remove the bearings from their housings and shafts - its very easy to damage them. In fact its so difficult that we would never consider refitting a set of used bearings and would fit new bearings every time (although it's slightly different for the amateur as there is not the financial implications that we have to work with - stripping and rebuilding a router head will cost our customer a minimum of around £2k and there is the cost of lost production as well).

b) If the bearings are sealed type (rs or zz type) it is very difficult to remove and refit seals without damaging them so its not worth trying to open or lubricate them.

c) Lubricating high speed bearings with kluber is a good move because its one of the best lubricants around. However if you go down this route then you need to remove any other oil or grease that's already there (Kluber is not compatible with normal grease sand oils) , we use thinners to clean and wash new bearings to remove any traces of the manufacturers lubricants. You also need to clean out any grease from lubrication ways and grease nipples to stop ordinary grease being pushed into the bearings during servicing etc (the grease points need to be marked so that ordinary grease is not used during subsequent servicing).

d) When using your machine always allow the bearings to warm up before starting cutting. Two or three minutes with the machine idling will allow the lubrication and the bearings to warm and achieve the correct clearances before loading them up with cutting forces.

Martin

Edited By Martin Cargill on 21/12/2016 22:31:40

Be careful of the grinder mounted wire brushes - they can fire off wires at the rate of a machine-gun. Also be aware that not all grinder attachments are rated for the speed of the small grinders. I've caught our boss handing out wire brushes rated at 8500 rpm to use on 4.5" angle grinders that run at 11000 rpm

Regarding the levelling and bolting of lathes etc. Can I make the following suggestions, as I have seen a lot of advice been given on this forum, a lot of it is good but some of it is bad and some of it mixes the two!

Any machine should be levelled when it is installed, although it may operate quite satisfactorily and accurately whilst not being level, although this is probably more to do with luck than judgment, and certainly only applies to small workshop machines - similar to those used in home workshops.

To Install and level your machine:-

1) Select a suitable position for your machine. When you are selecting the position do your best to think about things like, the route for the power and/or compressed air supply(if required), lighting, headroom, space for handling and storing materials, access for future maintenance or breakdown requirements for the machine. Most importantly think about the floor and how it will react to the weight of the machine. Wooden floors are fine but concrete is better. Many shed floors are unsuitable for the weight of a machine and will require to be "beefed" up. Thought must go into how a wooden floor can be made suitable, often it may be a case of adding extra floor joists etc. but remember that wood can rot over time, especially if it is in contact with moisture. The last thing you need is to come into your shed one morning find that your lathe/mill etc. has dropped through a hole in the floor! If your chosen position has a concrete floor make sure the concrete is thick enough, a few small diameter test holes bored in the floor will soon show how thick it is. Concrete paving slabs are never going to be a good base.

2) Check that your bit of chosen floor is clean and as level as possible, If it is on a serious slope - level it. A skim of concrete to form a machine sized pad on a concrete floor or something like plywood on a wooden floor. It's best if you can get it as close as possible to level at this stage. When the base area is ready then its best to paint or apply a suitable floor coating it at this point.

3) Position your machine. Now is a good time to check that you can open doors, access panels etc. and to make sure that you can get yourself into the right spaces to perform maintenance.

4) Check the level of the machine. Use a good quality engineers level, as pretty as it may be, your grandfathers old rosewood and brass level is not suitable, nor is a builders type level. Check both in the x and y directions making sure the level is on a machined surface and make sure the level and the surface are clean. On a long machine make sure you check both ends of the machine bed. If it is not level then level it using the machines own feet (if they are adjustable) or by packing shims under the machine feet if they are not. Please note that I'm talking about the machine base or cabinet, not the bed of the lathe etc.

5) Once the machine is level, and it may take a few tries at levelling because when you adjust one part it will affect another. Then the machine can be bolted down. Please note I say can, not must, most lathes and mills however do not need to be bolted down they will stay where they have been positioned quite happily. Some machines will vibrate and move so they require holding in position. There is also an element of safety to think of here as certain machines can be top heavy when in use (I'm thinking of things like pillar drills). You need to consider what the requirements are and decide how you are going to hold the machine in place. I would suggest that if you do decide to hold the machine in position then you can use anchor bolts in concrete and coach screws for a wooden floor. For some applications simply "pegging" the machine in position will be sufficient to stop it wandering. If you are concerned about a machine (such as a lathe or mill) toppling over then add nuts to the anchor studs but use a pair of locknuts tightened against each other or a nylock nut to hold the machine from toppling.(the reason for the two locknuts us to prevent the anchor bolts from distorting the base of the machine - which can twist lathe beds etc. The shims mentioned in part 4 (if you used them) should be drilled and place on the pegs to stop them from sliding out over time. A machine such as a pillar drill should be tightened down securely

6) Check the level of the machine again and make any required changes to your shims or machine feet.

7) Wire and test your machine, Most machines will probably be suitable for use having performed levelling as detailed but some may require adjustments to the machine bed to eliminate any twisting etc. Some of this may be due to second hand machines having been set up to match the floor etc. in a previous installation. I would recommend that you try to obtain a copy of the manufacturers instructions for the machine if you need to make these types of changes before attempting any adjustments.

8) Enjoy your machine

Martin C

Sean.

The motor starter is probably ok but if you want to replace it Toolstation do one. Starter is part number 95364 £20.20 and you will need an overload relay as well, part number 89114 £9.90.

However as I said before the problem is more likely to be the capacitor or the reversing switch. I would try the capacitor first as its the cheapest, as others have said get down to Maplins with the details of your one just make sure the rated voltage on the new one is the same (or higher) than the old one. If that doesn't cure the problem then its down to either the reversing switch or the start winding. The reversing switch must be suspect as you said it was showing signs of burning. This is a more complcated item to try to source and to wire in. Do you use the reverse feature? because it may be possible to remove the switch and do a little bit of re - wiring

Martin

The mystery switch is an old style motor starter, the coils and the adjustable dashpots are part of the overload portion of the starter. Its possibly a 3 phase one that has been used for a single phase machine

The burning you have found on the reversing switch is possibly a symptom of the motor being reversed while it has been running.

Assuming that the centrifugal switch on the motor shaft is working ok then the problem is probably either:-

a) The capacitor has given up and needs replaced or

b) the reversing switch is not making proper connections and the start winding is not being properly energised.

Both the capacitor and the reversing switch are connected together as the reversing switch normally reverses the polarity of the start winding (which is connected to the capacitor).

The words "bolted securely to a concrete floor" ring alarm bells. The manual for my lathe (a Viceroy) details that the anchor bolts should be finger tight. If the lathe is pulled down hard onto a concrete floor then there is a good possibility that it will twist everything. Think about it, if the floor is out by just 1mm over the length of the machine (and how many pieces of concrete are this level?), then pulling it down hard can transfer this into the bed of the lathe. The anchor bolts are only there to stop the machine from falling over and don't need to be tight to do this. If vibration etc is a problem then use a rubber or similar pad around the anchors.

Edited By Martin Cargill on 05/11/2016 10:55:54

Wood welding is possible - google Tregarne wood welder !!!!.

Its a radio frequency device (a sort of hand held microwave) that dries PVA glue rather quickly. Trying to achieve a rather tricky angled joint in a cabinet a few years ago we were using one of these. One of the shop foremen helping us actually suggested using the wood welder without the glue - he really thought it was welding wood!

Martin

Regarding the tap wrench thing. Not quite model engineering but I have a Draper T handled wrench that I use for work. Trying to thread an awkward piece one day I removed the T handle and filed six flats onto the end of the body. Now the T handle still fits and works but I also have the option of using a 13mm socket and any of the pieces from my socket sets and it also works with my 13mm flex head ratchet spanner for the really awkward places (with due care not to break taps). I guess the same trick would work with smaller tap wrenches as well - you would just need to work out what size of socket would match the resulting hex.

There is also the RAF* solution for the same problem - grip the shank of the tap in a vice and hammer a suitable size nut onto the square shank and then use a spanner or socket to turn the tap.

* RAF = Rough As F**K

Martin

Edited By Martin Cargill on 24/10/2016 19:41:30

I know this is an old thread but anyone looking for this type of handle should google "kipp Handle"