PowerPro High Inverter Heat Issue

[beeg]

Maybe it's just me but I think that if the PowerPro is advertised to run at 10,000 RPM then it should do so for far more than 15 minutes at 90°.

I wood think that the temp wood be more around 75°.

[billmayo]

I had good success with using a 4" round louver cover in place of the LOGO cover on the Mark V. It really helps reduce the heat buildup and prevents much saw dust, dirt and crud from building up inside the headstock. I checked several headstock after operating for a few years. I would be happy to mail this cover to anyone having a heating problem with the PowerPro to see if it might work on their headstock. Let me know.
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[godavid2]

Heat build up has to be a problem for other power pro owners. There is virtually no way for the heat to escape except at the bottom of the headstock. Even though, I will probably not use the power pro for a router it concerns me that there is no way to reduce the heat when running the power pro at high speeds. I was thinking about purchasing a power pro this month but I might wait until Shopsmith can come up with a vent to reduce the heat. I like Bill's vent a lot but feel that Shopsmith could do more in this area with power pro.

[Ed in Tampa]

I think for Shopsmith to suggest that you do something to make it work is akin to a car manufacture telling you to cut some holes in the hood of your car should it over heat.

[charlese]

Having had some very trying experiences with my PowerPro, I must say it is now a real pleasure to use. I had to send the headstock back to Shopsmith twice for re-builds to overcome the banging when using the bandsaw. The second time, it came back as a wonderful singing machine. (except in a short time the control module fell off). That was replaced within a few days.

My shop is only used at temps between 50 and 80 degrees F. This has to do with my comfort and not the machinery. I have run the PowerPro at 6,000 RPM for extended times - maybe 1/2 hour. Yes it gets warm, but no heat warnings.

My thoughts run the gammit of "the machine should run forever at 10,000 RPM" - to - "If it gets hot, just shut it down for a while" --HOWEVER--

Knowing that top speed has heat issues, especially in hot temps, it follows that it is wise to avoid these scenarios.

If a lot of routing must be done, using a router or the Shopsmith shaper seems to be a better choices.

Running at 10,000 RPM for a long period just doesn't seem like a good decision. There are automobiles that advertise they can perform at speeds of over 110MPH. That doesn't mean it is wise to run one up to those speeds for 30 minutes or so. Does it????

[godavid2]

The speed of a car or a truck have nothing to do with the solving the problem of heat build up in a SS power pro. Too much heat will eventually destroy anything if it is not allow to escape. Let's say you run your power pro twenty times at six thousand rpm for half an hour and shut it down when it gets hot. Then on the twenty first time the computer starts acting up caused by excessive heat. By the way when a car gets hot it has a coolant to keep the heat from damaging the engine and other components under the hood. The power pro computer and motor have virtually nothing to protect it from excessive heat except to shut it down and let it cool. The power pro costs too much money not to expect more than to have to shut it down every half hour because it gets too hot. I'm repeating myself here but I think that heat built up is a very important issue here. I don't want to buy one of the these power pros and on the twenty first start up and have the computer go out because of excessive heat and no warranty. Thanks

[greitz]

Just guessing here, but the major cause of heat generation is friction from the belts, correct? Might the belt tension be a little too high?

Gary

[Ed in Tampa]

Running at 10,000 RPM for a long period just doesn't seem like a good decision. There are automobiles that advertise they can perform at speeds of over 110MPH. That doesn't mean it is wise to run one up to those speeds for 30 minutes or so. Does it????

I don't think this is a good comparison. Shopsmith advertises the Power Pro as a router. Most of agree the closer you go to max speed on a router will produce the smoothest cut. So to my thinking it is reasonable after considering the ad to assume it would run all day at 10,000.

On the other hand I don't recall any car manufacture suggestting that you can run their car flat out all day long. They might give a max speed but max speed is not considered normal use.

Now if a car over heated at 60 mph and the manufacture said the cure was to hack some holes in the hood how many would consider that a good answer?

I understand the PP was rushed to market to save the company in a time of critical financial crisis. But the minute SS starts to see a light at the end of the tunnel they need to step up and do something about this problem.

[joshh]

I wonder if a small computer-style fan could be mounted to the access hole and force air out. They make them in all sizes, some of which would probably be a perfect fit.



Something like this:

[davebodner]

Not sure I agree. Admittedly, I don't use a router much, and I don't have a Power Pro. But I can't imagine listening to a router--or running any large high speed tool at full throttle--for more than 15 minutes at a time. At least outside of serious production work. Even with ear plugs, my psyche would need the occasional break.

Of course drill press and lathe don't count. But, even 10 minutes non-stop with the bandsaw last weekend, and i was going nuts.