Power Pro Upgrade

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 10:09 am

wurlitzerwilly wrote:I did get the DVD to play in PowerDVD on a PC, but it won't play in a domestic player or Media Player. No big deal, I've seen it now.

I checked the pulley positions with a straight edge, according to the instructions and by feel. It all looks and feels correct. The motor mounting surfaces where the top and bottom adjustments are made are parallel and even on both sides. Maybe I'm being over-sensitive?

The thing that really worries me is the belt temperature. Even running for a few minutes it made the motor pulley hot. I can only think of 2 reasons:
Either the belt is slipping or too tight. It seems to run smoothly enough. The belt tension instructions are a bit vague but it is quite tight with very little flexing when pushed at the side. I wouldn't expect it to slip under no load, so maybe it's just the characteristics of a new belt bedding-in?

Perhaps I should just close it up and use it and stop being paranoid.

Allan
We haven't heard from you in ages how are you?
Glad you are still around.
How is your pipes?

wurlitzerwilly · Post by **wurlitzerwilly** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 10:36 am

Ed in Tampa wrote:Alan
We haven't heard from you in ages how are you?
Glad you are still around.
How is your pipes?

Hi Ed.

I've been on the Yahoo SSUsers Forum a little, but the UKShopsmiths Forum has been very quiet. I don't know if the folks are just not interested in forums or too busy making sawdust. Anyway, Mea Culpa - I should have frequented this forum more often. I intend to rectify that.

Not doing so much with real pipes these days, more with 'virtual' pipes generated by computer samples. There's still a lot of woodworking to do, especially on consoles.

We have a diabetic cat who needs twice-daily insulin injections, so we're not planning on vacations for a while, but as soon as we do, I hope we'll come back to the USA. Maybe meet you sometime?

I trust you and yours are well?

8iowa · Post by **8iowa** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 12:56 pm

Alan:

We know that the Power Pro can be used on either 120 or 240 Volt. Is the speed range still 250 to 10,000 rpm when operated on 50 HZ?

nuhobby · Post by **nuhobby** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 1:05 pm

I suspect it's the same final control speed range. The "AM-Radio-Interferer & Power-Factor-Correction" power supply circuitry operates at a switching frequency much higher than 50 or 60 Hz. Essentially it does a more ideal job of turning the house's AC into DC for standardized operations.

wurlitzerwilly · Post by **wurlitzerwilly** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 2:03 pm

8iowa wrote:Alan:

We know that the Power Pro can be used on either 120 or 240 Volt. Is the speed range still 250 to 10,000 rpm when operated on 50 HZ?

It runs at the speed you set it to and as you say, that's between 250 and 10000 RPM. The motor control is digital so the speed pulses are derived from the controller, regardless of the input voltage or frequency. Instructions for 240V operation are "Change the plug". That's all it takes.

One thing I do notice is that the speed varies a bit from the selected speed. If I select (say) 3450 RPM for general sawing, the selected speed shows just that, but the actual rotational speed on the display varies from 3440ish to 3469ish, constantly moving. The sound of the motor does not vary just the display. I just tried a first test cut of a 2" x 4" and the motor pitch did not change. I always keep my eye on my hands and the blade, so I didn't look at the speed display, but I suspect that it was still moving.

I wonder if I should call Shopsmith on Monday and ask if there's a scale calibration that can be performed or if they all vary a little?

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 3:26 pm

wurlitzerwilly wrote:It runs at the speed you set it to and as you say, that's between 250 and 10000 RPM. The motor control is digital so the speed pulses are derived from the controller, regardless of the input voltage or frequency. Instructions for 240V operation are "Change the plug". That's all it takes.

One thing I do notice is that the speed varies a bit from the selected speed. If I select (say) 3450 RPM for general sawing, the selected speed shows just that, but the actual rotational speed on the display varies from 3440ish to 3469ish, constantly moving. The sound of the motor does not vary just the display. I just tried a first test cut of a 2" x 4" and the motor pitch did not change. I always keep my eye on my hands and the blade, so I didn't look at the speed display, but I suspect that it was still moving.

I wonder if I should call Shopsmith on Monday and ask if there's a scale calibration that can be performed or if they all vary a little?

I would not be concerned about 3450 (-0.3% +0.6%) rpm variation!;)

wurlitzerwilly · Post by **wurlitzerwilly** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 3:37 pm

[quote="JPG40504"]I would not be concerned about 3450 (-0.3% +0.6%) rpm variation!]
Thanks.

It may only be the feed to the display that varies. The motor sounds rock solid, even under load.

I must say that it sounds much more 'clean' than the old speed control.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 6:27 pm

wurlitzerwilly wrote:Thanks.

It may only be the feed to the display that varies. The motor sounds rock solid, even under load.

I must say that it sounds much more 'clean' than the old speed control.

I doubt I could detect 1/2% speed variation by ear.

wurlitzerwilly · Post by **wurlitzerwilly** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 7:46 pm

JPG40504 wrote:I doubt I could detect 1/2% speed variation by ear.

Exactly my point. It's insignificant. That's the trouble with digital displays, we expect absolute accuracy.

beeg · Post by **beeg** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 10:32 pm

wurlitzerwilly wrote:That's the trouble with digital displays, we expect absolute accuracy.

Well that's what ya got. ABSOLUTE ACCURACY.