# needlessly complicated lathe conversion to DC



## Hukshawn (Jan 27, 2018)

I had converted my lathe to a dc motor a little while ago and had various threads while i sorted out and gained knowledge. 
it had been a hob-cobble. ive decided to set it all up properly and with push buttons. 
ill chronicle that here.


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## Hukshawn (Jan 27, 2018)

So far I have the components I'm going to use mounted on a panel in a good sized enclosure. I'm using a 1" teck casing as my raceway. 
I also have most of the operator panel setup. Just missing the 5k pot. Still trying to source a proper 30mm push button enclosure style pot rather than just throwing in a panel/through hole style pot.


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## Z2V (Jan 27, 2018)

Looks like it will come together nicely , good work


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## Hukshawn (Jan 27, 2018)

Thanks! 
I'm sitting at my work bench on a newly acquired (olllld and broken) bar stool from the bathroom renos were doing at a local bar right now. 

It's making my back hurts from slouching over this box while I sling wires around. Lol.


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## Z2V (Jan 27, 2018)

Well, get up and walk over to the box and get yourself a beer, then stand at your bench and admire your hard work. The back will thank you.


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## Hukshawn (Jan 27, 2018)

Aooohhhhhhh... I don't have any beer right now. There's a bottle in the freezer, but I don't feel like getting sloppy at 1:22 in the morning. I have to work tomorrow. Lol.


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## Z2V (Jan 27, 2018)

Well, I’ll just have a beer and admire your pics on your behalf. Cheers!!!


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## Hukshawn (Jan 27, 2018)

Lol. Thanks. 

Progress


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## Hukshawn (Jan 27, 2018)

That's enough for tonight. Just got told to go to bed. Haha


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## markba633csi (Jan 27, 2018)

I would plan on putting a fan in that box Shawn, to cool the controller
M


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## Hukshawn (Jan 27, 2018)

Already covered. The white/black wires tied up the right side. It's tied in with the main power switch. I'm going to put the fan on the door. It's the only room for it.


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## 7milesup (Jan 27, 2018)

I love making needlessly complicated solutions, therefore, I am subscribed!!  LOL


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## Ulma Doctor (Jan 27, 2018)

nice use of a reversing contactor! (looks like Allen Bradley )


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## kvt (Jan 28, 2018)

What is the open hole for on the face plate.


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## Hukshawn (Jan 30, 2018)

The hole is for the eventual 22.5mm 5k potentiometer I have on order from Germany... It was the only one that would fit nice with my setup that my electrical supplier could get. Gonna take 6 weeks probably. But it's inexpensive, so it's the winner, all the rest he could get were not really right for this and too expensive. For now, I have some tiny board mount/through hole 1k potentiometer from another project I can use. They don't fit in the box and rated too low, but it's what I was using on this controller previously, so I know it works. 



Yeah the two contactors are Allen Bradleys. Old equipment. I salvaged a bunch old electrical equipment, motors, a DC motor and drive (currently connected to a big wood stroke sander in my basement) from a factory I worked in years ago. They were just tossing stuff to puege. I have them setup as reversing contactors with an either/or lock in the middle so I can't accidently close both at the same time which would fryyyy the controller. Basically, just short our the DC feed from the controller. It has a fuse, but, I'd prefer precautions. 

Everything is populated. Everything works as it should. I don't have the motor wired in yet, but a volt meter across the controller is showing me voltage and the voltage dropping when I press the stop button. So my plan has worked out so far. On the first try even!


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## Hukshawn (Jan 30, 2018)

hahahahahaha. i just noticed my OFF/ON label is totally backwards.


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## Hukshawn (Jan 30, 2018)

Apologies. I didn't have the wires tied up yet. This should look better.


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## Z2V (Jan 30, 2018)

Well done Shawn


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## ttabbal (Jan 30, 2018)

Much neater wiring than most of my projects! Well done.


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## Hukshawn (Feb 5, 2018)

Well, it's all done and installed on the lathe. My potentiometer came today. I just wires it in. Ill have to double check the top speed with this pot. The old one was 1k this is 4.7k. The controller wants 5k. Close enough. But I'll do that tomorrow. I'm not going to double check 2000rpm with a 6" 4 jaw chuck on the spindle. Pucker factor goes up pretty high at that speed.
I didn't take a picture of the control cabinet installed cause, well, I forgot, and it was cold. I wasn't in the garage tonight, so the heat isn't on... I'm still pretty peeved about my mill motor drying.





The control box looks odd and out of place up there, but that's where my drum switch was, so it's natural for me to have my hand sitting up there on the gear box lid handle. And actually, it's quite comfortable to have my hand resting on top of the box controlling the fwd/stop/rev buttons. I did a bit of threading up to a shoulder last night, and it was quite comfortable and controllable. At very low speed, I can use the reverse button as almost a brake incase I don't stop the motor in time not to run into the shoulder.
Over-all, quite happy with this.

Next, I guess I have to figure out what happened to the milling machine motor and it's smoke show last night. Maybe a VFD in my future...?
Annnnd, I'm going on Saturday to pick up a surface grinder!!! EEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee


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