Lathe died: Jet1221VS Error E8.

[ian_in_the_midlands]

My lathe has died tonight.
As per title, it is a jet 1221VS.
I press the on button, and after a quick burst of activity(a fraction of a second, turning far too fast) the lathe stops and the error E8 is displayed.

According to the manual, this means either the motor cord is unplugged, or the circuit board has burned out.
Al cables appear to be in tight. Removing and refitting them makes no difference.

I have taken off the control box and had a quick look inside.
Nothing looks burnt.

Before I remove the control board and try to delve around it, has anybody else had similar problems?

 

[ian_in_the_midlands]

Encouraging to not get a reply to my post yesterday.
It can't be a common problem with these lathes.

A quick phone call to Axminster today, and as always they were extremely helpful.
A replacement controller is on the way to me now - free of charge.

Luckily the lathe is still under warrantly although I purchased it over a year ago.

Hope to be up and running again soon.

 

[marcros]

fingers crossed.

 

[ian_in_the_midlands]

Replacement controller arrrived today. All going again .
Has anyone got the schematic for the Jet 1221vs controller board?

 

[JWLeaper]

Well done Axminster, I was there yesterday dribbling over a new lathe, my retirement present to myself. I’m currently dithering between 2 makes, this tale swings the pendulum into Axminster's camp once again. Why is it so hard to spend a lump of money, or is it me. (Great to see their catalogue again.)

 

[SVB]

I’m currently dithering between 2 makes,

Go on then, I’ll bite. What is on the short list?

S

 

[JWLeaper]

Axminster 1628 in the blue corner vs Killinger 1400 in the red. Both appear to have the same bed and stand (for which you pay an extra £50 if it is in the red corner). The Axminster has half a horse more umph and a couple of inches more swing over the bed. Also the Ax has an indexed spindle but whether or not this is important I'll only know when I want to use it and haven’t got it. Writing and rereading this has helped with choosing which camp I’m in. Decisions decisions but I’m in no immediate rush.

Without wishing to hijack Ian’s original thread I’d welcome any views on either lathe or indeed any comparable lathe.

 

[SVB]

Without wishing to hijack Ian’s original thread I’d welcome any views on either lathe or indeed any comparable lathe.

My Dad has a 1628 and is really chuffed with it. The extra 1/2hp is well worthwhile for the larger swing, esp if you ever envisage doing tasks like bowl coring etc where 1 hp is not really enough.

We were also pleased to see the quality of the ground finish on bed - not seen the K to compare.

As you say, re-reading you comments does sort of make you lean one way. Also, as the OP has unfortunately found the hard way, APTC does have bang-on curstomer service should it ever be needed.

 

[JWLeaper]

You’re right Simon, I am currently leaning one way but then to redress the balance and confuse myself even more I learn that one headstock is made in Germany, the other in Taiwan. It might be my subconscious prejudice coming out but I have owned a number of German vehicles throughout my life and have never been let down, even the indicators worked ;-) More horses then pushes me the other way again. I used to be indecisive, now I’m not too sure! I’ve a year to make my mind up unless I’m culled in the forthcoming round of redundancies then the decision is easy, stick with my CL0 and M330.

John

 

[selectortone]

I've had my AT1628VS for two years now and couldn't be happier with it. I bought it with the cast iron legs. It has handled everything I've thrown at it with ease - large bowls roughed from very uneven blanks and hollowing of large vessels, down to pens, christmas decorations and small toys for the grandkids.

It gets a LOT of use and is quiet, smooth, powerful and a total pleasure to use. I have a couple of friends with the same lathe and they speak highly of theirs too. The teacher I went to when I first started turning has a couple of them and after 18 months with an old Record Power CL-1 I stepped up to the Axy and have never looked back. They make good lathes in Taiwan.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

... The Axminster has half a horse more umph and a couple of inches more swing over the bed. Also the Ax has an indexed spindle ...

That would be enough for me.

 

[JWLeaper]

I think my mind is made up, the Ax has that little bit extra in most if not all departments and if I time it correctly, Black Friday or similar, the saving should equate to a chuck. For some reason it’s no longer called the AT1628VS but is now an AT406WL, let’s hope they leave the price alone at least for the life of the current catalogue. Thanks to all that have taken an interest, sorry to the OP for hijacking your thread and I’ll be back in a year (or sooner) to tell how I got on.

 

[Dalboy]

Axminster 1628 in the blue corner vs Killinger 1400 in the red. Both appear to have the same bed and stand (for which you pay an extra £50 if it is in the red corner). The Axminster has half a horse more umph and a couple of inches more swing over the bed. Also the Ax has an indexed spindle but whether or not this is important I'll only know when I want to use it and haven’t got it. Writing and rereading this has helped with choosing which camp I’m in. Decisions decisions but I’m in no immediate rush.

Without wishing to hijack Ian’s original thread I’d welcome any views on either lathe or indeed any comparable lathe.

Have you looked at the Stratos lathes