Shopsmith Forums

I was using my new PowerPro as a router for the first time yesterday and got a warning on the display screen "High Inverter Heat" and the unit slowed down to a lower rpm. I blew air into the unit, but it didn't seem to cool down. So I took the cover off, ran it at 900 rpm and hooked up a shop-vac to suck the heat out. After about 10 min. it cooled and gave me a message "Ready for use."
Has anyone else had this issue? I had only made two "cuts" in a soft 2x4 to route out for two 4inch hinge plates. I wasn't making deep cuts and I was using Shopsmith standard router bits and a standard chuck. The speed was at 10,000 rpm which was what the program called for.
Any ideas???

texomawood wrote:I was using my new PowerPro as a router for the first time yesterday and got a warning on the display screen "High Inverter Heat" and the unit slowed down to a lower rpm. I blew air into the unit, but it didn't seem to cool down. So I took the cover off, ran it at 900 rpm and hooked up a shop-vac to suck the heat out. After about 10 min. it cooled and gave me a message "Ready for use."
Has anyone else had this issue? I had only made two "cuts" in a soft 2x4 to route out for two 4inch hinge plates. I wasn't making deep cuts and I was using Shopsmith standard router bits and a standard chuck. The speed was at 10,000 rpm which was what the program called for.
Any ideas???

It has been mentioned in a couple of threads around here. Usually happens when someone is routing at 10,000 RPMs for a long time, I.e. 45+ minutes. I'll check to see if I can find the links.

Google search of the site: Click Here

Thanks for the link. I did talk to Linda at Shopsmith and she said 15 to 30 min is about max without cooling the unit down. I ask about hooking up either a vac or fan on the unit and she said there were no stock adapters to do that. I think I will try to hook up a muffin fan with a small piece of "scott foam" and blow air into the unit to see if that helps, if the temp is lower the electronics should last longer.
We had to do similar mods to new equipment that was installed over the years on several old subs I served on.

texomawood wrote:I think I will try to hook up a muffin fan with a small piece of "scott foam" and blow air into the unit to see if that helps, if the temp is lower the electronics should last longer.

Why knot suck the heat out? Less sawdust should get it that way, depending upon where ya put the fan.

I am afraid that if I hook vac to the headstock then I will create an area of lower psi. This will cause dust filled air to flow into the headstock. I think if I provide positive psi with filtered air then I should get the cooling effect and with the positive psi keep dust out.

Just curious...

How long had you been running at 10k when you got the high heat message and what was the temperature in your shop at the time?

I would say I'd been running it for 15 min. at 10,000 rpm. The temp in the shop was 85 to 90. I did have a fan running so there was some air circulation, but I did not have any directly on the unit. I was cutting some recess pockets for hinges in soft 2x4's.

Well - Linda was right on! Maybe that's all you can expect at shop temps of 85 to 90. SHUCKS!:(

The good part of this is - at your age you can still work in a shop that hot!:)

When my A/C won't keep temps less than 80, I find this old guy has to call it a day.

Good luck with your plans for a cooler.

I sure hope that is not Shopsmith's final answer.

Editted to delete the rest of my comments as it is really none of my business.

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°.