Emco Compact 5

I have noticed there are some very nice Emco Compact 5 lathes for sale @ various times on the Netherlands & German Ebay sites, they do tend to be more expensive than what we see in the UK for used machines. The thing i am not clear on though & perhaps someone can answer this is the Emco Compact 5 machines usable here in the UK that are sold over in Europe as they seem to be 220v motors & capacitors. Can these be used on UK 230v - 240v supply or will this cause problems. Thanks Martin.

The capacitors will probably be rated at 400V, so no problem. Individual households' UK mains voltage may be lower than you think - it depends on how far 'down the line' you are. However, even at full nominal voltage, the slight added heating would be most unlikely to be a significant problem.

Emco motors are known for running hot if used continuously so they're fairly resistant. If in doubt, let it cool off for a while before resuming.

I suspect that the only difference between machines made for the UK and the (much larger) European market would be the mains lead.

I just wondered why the European Emco has 220v on the spec plate on the motors & the UK models had 240v. I believe some of the later UK versions may have 230v on the plate.

I'm amazed it quotes 240V because the UK officially is 230V.

.

... In a manner of speaking

**LINK**

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/etc/guide-voltageoptimisation.php

MichaelG.

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Thanks for that Barrie, i know that some of the different voltage motors have 50HZ whilst others have 60HZ. Does that make any difference to running a different voltage.

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Barrie the 60hz motors i saw were for the US market & 115v, the 220v motors were 50hz. I assume the UK 230v / 240v motors are also 50HZ. Do you often here of any very good condition Emco's up for grabs, either Compact 5 or Compact 8 lathes etc. Thanks Martin.

I don't think they change the motor design for the frequency, just the number for the rpm they stick on its plate. It's only approximate anyway. It should be 50Hzx60seconds or some submultiple ie 1500 rpm but an allowance is made for slip otherwise it has no torque.

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Barrie i have had a few Emco's over the years & liked them, the first one i had was the little Emco Unimat SL around 1969 or 1970. I had an Emco V10 P which i loved using for around 20 + years, this was a pretty good condition 1977 made machine that i got around 1994 until the gears in the headstock decided to explode ! This left quite a mess & not really viable to repair what with the lack of spares available for the V10P these days. I also had a Compact 8 for a short time & liked that as well but it did have some wear on it & the motor would run pretty hot after a fairly short time of use so got rid of it. Also had a couple of Myfords, a new ML10 around 1970 & an old ML7 for a number of years, i must say i am not a big fan of Myfords personally. I just don't like using them.

Martin.

Hi all,

Looking for information and potential value for my Emco Compact 5 CNC Lathe. I acquired this a number of years ago from a family friend. Now wondering about selling it and what it's potential value could be -- not entirely sure if it all works. It has worked on the few times it's been powered up, but lately the cutter head refuses to move from left to right only across the lathe bed. It also doesn't have any connection to an external monitor like that pictured in the YouTube tutorial mentioned elsewhere in this forum related to this machine or similar. Control is merely by entering the G-codes via the keypad ot the central mounted tape reader. Any help/advice anyone can give would be gratefully appreciated.

Ewan

First your picture doesn't open for me, best load some pictures in an album, just go to Albums in the top menu bar.

Value will depend on mechanical condition as well as electrical/electronic functions working. If it is in good sound condition and a later model with M codes in addition to G codes it is a useful machine as is.
If fitted with the auto 6 tool turret it will attract a much better price.

If it is an early Mk2 machine it will be worth much less and probably ready for a refit with modern steppers and controls, check the G codes listed on the control panel and note any M codes listed.

You say the Z axis is not working but the X axis is, perhaps if stored in a outside location it could be corrosion on the stepper supply plug/skt at the back of the machine, try removing and re-fitting the Z axis plug a few times, use some contact cleaner if you have some.
Switching the Z axis plug to the X axis outlet would check if the Z stepper control has failed but it has risks because if the Z stepper motor has short circuits between coils or frame the X axis driver could be damaged.

With an ohm meter you can check the resistance values of the stepper coils, if you want to do this I can provide the expected values of and between coils.

Emgee

Edited By Emgee on 10/06/2021 20:17:48