Proxxon 150/E

... Any chance of a few short notes for the innocent ?

Yep Off-topic but I don't mind

In short, the old style of brushed DC motor in RC has all but vanished with its associated speed controllers. In the interest of efficiency, they have all but gone over to three phase motors with associated speed controllers. These are driven by and small computer (PIC) and heavy duty parallel FETs to handle the current. However you will need a PWM input to control the motor but this can be done from a cheap servo tester.

Apparently some of the more expensive controllers have tacho feed back, in other words it will sense the motor slowing down under load and provide more power to keep the revs up.

This one consumes around 2Kw, and is obviouslty not cheap, and the RPM is quite high - too high for this hobby of course. And I would debate whether it would be continuously rated!!

However they do come a LOT smaller too. The beauty is that the speed control is very linear and smooth.

Me? I prefer a four stroke in all my planes!  

Here's a YouTube of brushless explanation...

Edited By Stevo on 12/04/2014 18:24:12

Stevo,

Excellent, thanks

MichaelG.

I had a Proxxon table saw. The claims were that it was highly accurate, the new one I bought was far from that. The blade was not even parallel to the guide and the blade could not be made to adjust to it's vertical position. Will never buy Proxxon again.

Terry.

Thank you YAK.

It does make you think, I've heard of the table saw problem many times in a sister forum. Agreed, there may be problems with any make, but it has severely dented my confidence in Proxxon - particulary when you leave a lathe running for 5 minutes, no load - and it all overheats!

Edited By Stevo on 12/04/2014 21:01:11

Stevo,

I think you will enjoy the C1, I have had mine for over 7 years (Chester version) and it has done almost everything I have asked of it including all the round bits of a 3 1/2" gauge loco - Rob Roy.

It has its little foibles, like you can't get a centre in the headstock with the faceplate fitted and there isn't a catch plate listed so turning between centres was difficult to work out.

Several places do accessories, Axminster, Arc Euro Trade and possibly Chester where it is a Cobra lathe. I use the quick change toolpost from Arc Euro and am content with it. Some of the bits will make your eyes water though - look up the compound slide for instance.

Andy

Thanks AndyP.

I visited Axminster yesterday and had a grope

Yes there does seem to be a few accesories for it. Unfortunately my wallet has developed a twitch, and SWMBO is on heightened alert...

The compound slide and quick change tool post look like a must!

Edited By Stevo on 13/04/2014 17:57:34

Oh yes Oh yes.....

C1 Arrived. Gave it a good clean etc. did not need adjusting at all... all nice and smooth, minimal backlash.

Chucked up a piece of ali and started turning. 30mm diameter - I was taking off 0.25mm no problem, I tried 0.5mm just to test it... it did cope - there must be some tacho feedback on that motor as it did not slow down... however any heavier than this and the motor stopped and the fault light cam on... Overcurrent trip YES! it has one...

- and doesn't blow up like the Proxxon did.

The power feed is a bonus, my first thoughts are that it may need slowing down a bit but I think I'm being picky.

But yes, I LIKE IT

Stevo

Be careful with the mini router, you can adjust the height setting so that the spindle and motor go way too low, a drive pulley then rubs onto the case and burns out the motor. I do use a number of Proxxon tools some of which are not inexpensive, but they are most certainly "hobby" tools at a highish price and need gentle treatment. Think that your C1 is a better choice for the long term and you can get the extras ( which can be more than the cost of the lathe) for good prices.

Many small machines with DC drives use current sensing to produce a negative resistance in the PWM output. When the motor is loaded it draws more current which then slightly increases the speed input to the PWM controller to compensate the speed reduction due to the increased load. There is often a pre-set pot to adjust the amount of compensation.

Billy

Indeed with the mini-router. It was only intended for balsa and ply anyway - I have a Bosch for the bigger stuff. Thanks for the heads up about the motor & collet going too low!

Yes I understand the PWM set up (I qualifed in electronics a few years ago... When Marconi invented the radio...)

I'm keeping an eye out for the extras - quick change tool post, cross slide and vertical slides come to mind. I'm in no hurry as setting things up for when I retire. Yes it may be a few years off, but I have a plan!!.

I agree Proxxon are intended for the Hobby market, with a high price tag though. I was suprised at the 150/E though - overheating under no load... no current trip, just an awful smell! But, keeping an eye on ebay will bag you a bargain if you are careful. I have a large bandsaw and a 12" 1/2HP disc sander too, plus a Makita Flip saw which takes care of the bigger stuff. I have a feeling that when I retire I'll be ready for a Super 7... and a vertical mill, and a........ and a .....

Edited By Stevo on 27/04/2014 14:57:29

hi all I bought a proxon table saw to replace my 40 year old dremel ..The belt on the proxon broke ,it is not a standard belt and was going to cost £11 plus £5 delivery and a three month wait . I have fixed it with a standard belt (a bit longer) and two ball races to tension the slack and it all cost £5 . I too have trouble with the saw blade

PS my Dremel is still in use ,never had a new belt or motor and I had a new belt and motor as spares still have them.

Maurice

Bit of a tale of woe there Stevo. But at least you haven't lost out in the long run, apart from spending a bit more dosh.

I'm happy to say I recently acquired an old-ish Toyo ML1 mini lathe. It has no electronic malarkey. Just manual belt changing to adjust spindle speed.

Actually I tripped my mains breaker a few mins ago giving it a taste of 1mm brass on a 10mm dia bar at 1000rpm. Heh. So I moderated my enthusiasm in order to complete the cut.

Cleaned up before the photo shoot.

A small box of bits came with. And I'm on the lookout for a mini top slide and QC tool post. I've heard that some Unimat stuff may fit. But I'm cheap and they aren't.

Pretty basic at £285 off Ebay, but the quality seems excellent. I've already cut stainless steel, brass, nylon and ABS with it. I love it! I'll probably take it to work one day and show it all it's big bros.

Well done, Pete

That's a great little lathe [not to be confused with the later Record/Toyo].

MichaelG.

Good choice. No wonder you cant cut anything without tripping - use a lathe tool and not a Swiss Army Knife

> The Jacobs Taper was carefully specified for Chuck mounting, to ensure that [being steeper] it would release before the Morse Taper at the other end. Now we are stuck [deliberate pun] with the same taper each end.

Hi Michael,

I've just spotted this. Why would one want they semi-permanent fit of the chuck on the Jacob's taper to release before the regularly swapped morse taper?

Neil

.

Neil,

Basically; because there is, or should be, another way of removing the Morse taper shank from the machine [either a slot for a wedge/drift, or a drawbar].

• That way, you can confidently remove the chuck from the arbor [whilst it's in the machine] using lateral wedges.
• Otherwise ... if the Morse taper releases first ... removing the chuck from the arbor presents serious difficulty.

O.K. if there is a drawbar, it's do-able anyway [albeit rather brutal].

MichaelG.

Hello Chaps

I'm an absolute beginner, not having handled a lathe since my far-off schooldays. I'm having a few difficulties and am wondering if it is me (probably) or the machine

I bought a new Proxxon FD150/E lathe and seem to be having a problem with the three-jaw chuck.

I turned a small shoulder on an 8mm brass bar, held in the chuck, and got something rather eccentric (in all senses). The result looked like a cam.

I then turned a similar feature on a 6mm bar...held in a collet...and it was fine.

So it seems there's something wrong with the chuck...or am I missing something? Assuming it is the chuck, what can I do?

I'd very much appreciate suggestions or advice!

Thanks....

Brian

For such a large eccentricity I would think that you may have one or more jaws mixed up, they should all be numbered and fit in the respective numbered slots.

What do the jaws meet like when you close the chuck with nothing in it?

Edited By JasonB on 01/11/2015 17:38:52

Thanks for the response, Jason. I shall check the numbering of the jaws. As regards the appearance, the jaws seem to meet OK and I put a 2mm rod in the chuck and ran the tail stock up to it....and, to my very inexperienced eye, it looked alright....but perhaps I'm missing something.

Does anyone know if the chucks often prove problematic on these lathes?

Thanks again

Brian