Switch

[a1gutterman]

Hi,

Now to stir things up a bit...

Well, as long as you are stirring, I will put my 2 cents in too. IMHO, most manufacturers do the absolute minimum to comply with electrical requirements. I am sure that SS has at least complied with the minimum requirements. That being said, again IMHO, you can never over improve the wiring requirements on any electrical device. I.e., if it requires 14ga wire, 12ga or 10ga or ANY larger gauge wire will service the device as well or better then the 14ga. I have knot had to repair any electrical component on my Mark V, but it has ALWAYS only been plugged into 20amp circuits, and NEVER with any extension cord (although, as I do with other equipment such as my gutter machines, I wood use an 10ga extension cord, up to 100', if I needed to).

Most of us have used a number of electrical devices on a continuous basis. I have noticed that several of these devices get warm or even hot cords during use, such as heaters, drills, and even lighting. I do knot like it when that happens. Having a larger then required wire feeding electricity to these devices will keep them and their components cooler. That will translate to longer life. That goes for other components as well, such as switches. I have knot noticed the (original) cord on my Mark V getting hot.

[JPG]

Let's unstir somethings. The figures above are probably correct for the current values used.

However, there is a reason SS specifies 'SLO BLO' circuit protection!

The STARTING current is several times the RUNNING current.

The RUNNING current at 120v is just under 15A.

If you did not have a slo blo "fuse" it would blow when starting.

Most breakers today exhibit a slo blo delay when tripping.

The more line drop(reduced voltage at the motor) you have when starting, the slower the motor gets up to running speed. The slower the startup, the longer the start windings(current hogs) are "on" The longer the start windings are "on" the hotter EVERYTHING gets.

MORAL: Use biggest extension cord you have. Plug SS directly into an outlet fed by as large wire as feasible(better).

OR better yet, get SS with 230v motor!:D

[beeg]

Hi,

Now to stir things up a bit.

Here are a few things to think about when deciding to change wire gauges on your shopsmith.

If you use 12 GA wire from your fuse panel to outlet near the shopsmith. And if that run is say 30 feet, then the voltage drop for the run and the 13.5 amp load would be 1.322 volts. Say you add the 10 foot 12 GA cord to the shopsmith then you will loose another .441 volts bring the total to 1.763 for the total run. 120 - 1.763 = 118.24
So Happy New Year!

Ed

KNOT that I would stir up things. BUT Reible you didn't count the wire run from the pole.

[JPG]

KNOT that I would stir up things. BUT Reible you didn't count the wire run from the pole.

Love your 'response' HeHeHe or HiHiHi if you are a "HAM".

[reible]

Nor did I include the motor windings....... but then why would I?

ed

KNOT that I would stir up things. BUT Reible you didn't count the wire run from the pole.

[JPG]

Nor did I include the motor windings....... but then why would I?

ed

That would be totally absurd! They are a constant thru this thread therefore IRELEVANT.

[reible]

Back to the subject. If the cord you have on your drill, heater or what ever feels warm then you need to check things out. The first step is to see if it hot near the end... if so how about say 3' towards the tool/heater. If it hot near the cord end then it has to do with the connection at the box. The outlet may be under-rated or more likely worn out. Heavy gauge wire will not fix that. If the whole cord is hot then it is under rated and you need the correct cord.

I haven't said it is a bad idea to have larger gauge wire but I'm also saying in most cases it is not needed. If your having problems it is a place to look but it is important to know what to look for. We moved into this new house and we were experiencing some strange problems with some of the outlets. About three of them had this issue. I traced the problem down to cheap outlets that my wife plugged the iron into... Put new ones in those locations and everything was fine... later I redid them all. Yes the cord was hot near the plug-in but it would have done no good to put a larger wire on the iron, it wasn't the problem. No problems the last 26 years with the iron of the outlets.

If you get to about 90-100 volts you will notice it. If you get to 115 volts it is no big deal. Heck even the power company goes in to brown outs... typically reduction of 8 to 12% 110 to 105 volts. Universal motors just slow down but the issue is different with AC induction motors who attempt to draw more current and heat up...and can be damaged.

So I'm still happy with my stock cord on my shopsmith, and if I were the engineer on that job I would have done it the same way.

Ed

[charlese]

I'm also happy with my stock power cord, and as described earlier, I did have to replace a switch that had burn marks on one side.

[W3DRM]

I have a SS 510 that I bought it in Dec of 2004 but did not put into service until January of 2006 (bought it and then waited to use it until I retired in '05 and moved to Nedada). It has been used intermittently up until the past six months and now is being used a couple of hours two to three days a week for turning pens and other small items. I have installed a duplex outlet on the right-hand leg of the base and that is connected to a 20A circuit by a modified extension cord from Lowes. The extension cord has a molded plug with a heavy-duty, 12-ga 25-foot cord that I removed the end from.

That's my current setup and it has worked great for the past six months without any problems.

As of the past couple of weeks I discovered I was intermittently unable to turn off the SS with the switch. It has now gone to a solid condition and I have to unplug the SS plug to cut the power. The power switch on the SS headstock does not get hot nor does it appear to be warped or over-heated. I have ordered a new switch from SS but they are on back-order and are expected to be back in stock the end of this month (Jan 28, 2009).

I just can't figure out why a switch that is designed to turn a unit on and off can't handle this minimal amount of usage. Based on the comments in this thread it appears to be a more common problem. Has anyone contacted SS to see if they are aware of the problem and are they doing anything about it?

[JPG]

A HAM also? Hope you get switch replaced b4 pen orders come rolling in!:D

You might want to seek replacement outside SS as described in previous posts here!