Shopsmith Forums

Thanks Red and Dusty! I think I understand. In the Army I learned it is always a good practice to un-plug all electronic devices when not in use.

I worked as a radar engineer for a major federal aviation agency... The orange terminal radars most of you see at airports just spinning round in circles are perhaps the best lightning rods in the country. They are have protection on top of protection on top of protection and isolated. Lightning still manages to get through and wreck havoc. Fortunately, 9 out of 10 times, the protection works. But I remember one case where lightning hit the ground near the runway lights. The lightning traveled through the ground and hit the control cables. In less than a second, the lightning was inside the controller are and blew up the control panel in the dark room.

In my home I have protection at my circuit breaker panels. Square D makes protection devices which will use two normal circuit breaker spaces if you want to snap one in place. Cutler-Hammer has a device you can add to the outside of the load center and it too will handle most transients and hopefully lightning. Avoid anything cheap as you often get what you pay for.

I honestly do not know if there is any product that will protect in every situation. But many have guarantees against damage for up to $300,000 and more, but you must read the fine print, save your receipt, etc. Yeah, right. I do have individual units on our washer & dryer- the ones with the million cycles that my loving spouse only uses one or two of. I've replaced the motherboard in them on one or two occa$ion$. But not since I added protection. I also have a large unit on our family entertainment room and one for our computers.

If you have a digital TV, washer/dryer, computer, etc. then you really should use some sort of protection. Even if you unplug during a storm, phone & cable lines could be the path into your equipment. But before you buy aluminum foil and wrap your body & house up, there are some informative web sites where you can see what you have & determine if you are as safe as you can afford or need to be. I have heard some people have a better chance of winning the lottery than being struct by lightning. I hope they are buying tickets...

backhertz wrote: I have heard some people have a better chance of winning the lottery than being struct by lightning.

Heh heh. I'm way up on them. I bought lightning insurance and now play golf only during thunderstorms. (Metal shaft clubs for maximum conductivity)

Regarding surge protectors. Getting a device that is both fast enough and has sufficient current capability to protect a 15 amp system won't be cheap. A better investment might be to check with your insurance agent to see if you are covered for lightning damage to electronics. Many homeowners policies include it, others offer it as an option.

It is likely that the PowerPro already has a significant amount of protective circuitry in place. The "brains" must be protected from any back EMF (voltage/current) that might be generated by the motor. I'm not sure how much electrical kickback a reluctance motor will generate, but I'd still bet on some buffer circuits.

I'd give Shopsmith a call and ask what is already in place, and if they recommend a surge/lightning protector. Personally, I'll go without. Power in this area seldom surges, and I unplug the machine when not in use, which is the best lightning protection I can image.

I was sitting here in this very recliner a couple of years ago with a new laptop connected (was still using dial-up) when a storm blew in. I quickly unplugged the phone line and the charger and sat it aside. The storm passed quickly and I waited a full 20 minutes after it was completely quiet then plugged it all back in. I had been on-line about 5 minutes when a huge lightning bolt came out of a still black sky and hit somewhere near shaking the whole house and probably lighting up this whole part of the state. It came in on the phone line and fried the silly laptop right in my lap. I was unharmed and somehow managed to not need a change of shorts...
It fried the laptop and the surge unit both. Now I have my own WiFi hot-spot and as long as I unplug the chargers we can keep working right through a storm.

robinson46176 wrote:I was sitting here in this very recliner a couple of years ago with a new laptop connected (was still using dial-up) when a storm blew in. I quickly unplugged the phone line and the charger and sat it aside. The storm passed quickly and I waited a full 20 minutes after it was completely quiet then plugged it all back in. I had been on-line about 5 minutes when a huge lightning bolt came out of a still black sky and hit somewhere near shaking the whole house and probably lighting up this whole part of the state. It came in on the phone line and fried the silly laptop right in my lap. I was unharmed and somehow managed to not need a change of shorts...
It fried the laptop and the surge unit both. Now I have my own WiFi hot-spot and as long as I unplug the chargers we can keep working right through a storm.

I am surprised you did not need a new HEART!:eek:

When I was a teenager lighten struck the well house of a friend and followed the water line buried about 18" deep. It cut a ditch with lazier like perfection about 25 feet long. I have had respect for it ever since.

The other day, a good friend of mine asked if I was excited to receive my PowerPro. The answer is Yes - with some trepidation. I suppose it is normal for me to have a small amount of buyer's remorse, when ordering anything of that cost - with only reading the hype - not test driving it - not seeing it in action - and having an 8 week waiting period.

I have no issues with the installation of the guts of the PowerPro. Plus, in a worst case scenario, I will still have all of the old parts and can easily build back the old headstock.

Recently, and in this thread, I have learned about the more likely risk of damage from power spikes, and lightning. Now I am thinking that magnets should not be put on the headstock frame to hang wrenches or keys, etc. Hmmm! Guess one of these days I'll call SS CS and ask about my concerns.

Stay tuned to see how the new PowerPro works out. I believe it will perform to expectations.

charlese wrote:The other day, a good friend of mine asked if I was excited to receive my PowerPro. The answer is Yes - with some trepidation. I suppose it is normal for me to have a small amount of buyer's remorse, when ordering anything of that cost - with only reading the hype - not test driving it - not seeing it in action - and having an 8 week waiting period.

I have no issues with the installation of the guts of the PowerPro. Plus, in a worst case scenario, I will still have all of the old parts and can easily build back the old headstock.

Recently, and in this thread, I have learned about the more likely risk of damage from power spikes, and lightning. Now I am thinking that magnets should not be put on the headstock frame to hang wrenches or keys, etc. Hmmm! Guess one of these days I'll call SS CS and ask about my concerns.

Stay tuned to see how the new PowerPro works out. I believe it will perform to expectations.

Do Not sweat the magnets! The are not gonna cause voltage spikes nor attract lightning!:) They only work on the belt cover and motor pan anyway.

While ordering my Power Pro Headstock just now, Linda commented that prior to my order they had sold 96. I suspect they will break 100 today.

fjimp:D:D:D

fjimp wrote:While ordering my Power Pro Headstock just now, Linda commented that prior to my order they had sold 96. I suspect they will break 100 today.

fjimp:D:D:D

That sure sounds good.