Axminster Mini Lathe.

[alexf]

Has anyone repaired the speed controller on an Axminster hobby mini lathe. While it was still under guarantee The controller blew and I got a replacement. That replacement has now blown s I now have two broken speed controllers. There are slight differences in the components on the pcb board. but on one of them it looks as if a capacitor has blown while on the other it is an 8 pin module, presumably a pulse width modulator. I have ordered these components and intend to replace them. Unfortunately I have no method of testing the controller before connecting it to the motor. Can anyone advise me if it is likely to damage the motor if things are not correct. I was an electrician, not an electronic engineer.

 

[RichardG]

I’m not sure how old the lathe is now but if it’s less than 6 ish years old now I would go back to Axminster as not being fit for purpose under the sale of goods act. A product should work for what is considered a reasonable length of time, you could argue that a lathe should be expected to work for 10 years but 6 seems to be the limit for most mechanical goods such as washing machines.

 

[okeydokey]

I'm not qualified to give a definite answer but I would think that trying the one with a replacement capacitor should be safe as that could be part of the power supply circuit, the size/capacity might give a clue if it is. Likewise the pwm adjusts speed so if the replacement is not exact like for like then the speed control might not be the same as the original but I see no reason why it would damage the motor.

 

[Gordon Tarling]

Test using a 60W or 100W light bulb as the load - saves risking the motor. FWIW, you may find that the obviously damaged components have also taken out others which might not be so obvious - only one way to find out if you don't have specialist test equipment.

G.

 

[RichardG]

Test using a 60W or 100W light bulb as the load - saves risking the motor. FWIW, you may find that the obviously damaged components have also taken out others which might not be so obvious - only one way to find out if you don't have specialist test equipment.

G.

It could be a DC motor of unknown voltage so a bulb may not be a good test load? How many cables are there between the motor and the controller?

Do you have access to an old analogue avo type meter as that would read closer to the average voltage output?