woodfast inverter

[Gary Chapman]

My woodfast just blew an invert er, had it rebuilt last year and it happened again ssop I want a differnt one. Can anyone give me some help on replacing it? Thanks Gary

 

[Bill Boehme]

The necessary information for choosing a new inverter is motor data: horsepower, insulation class, voltage, maximum amperage, and base RPM @ 60 Hz. Some Woodfast lathes had DC motors which means that the speed control is NOT an inverter, but instead is a voltage controller ... there is a huge difference in both function and cost. Brand and model are also useful if it is necessary to get certain parameters needed to program the inverter -- things like torque constant, slip frequency, full load torque, and voltage constant. Most older motors weren't designed for use with an inverter so operation may be restricted to no faster than base RPM and no slower than about 20% of base RPM and possibly also restricted to variable torque mode rather than constant torque mode.

 

[billooms]

Get the information off the motor and then call Craft Supplies (in Utah) and ask for Roger. He seems to know everything about the Woodfast lathes. Just two weeks ago he talked me through how to replace the bearings and his tips made the job a whole lot easier.

 

[Gary Chapman]

The necessary information for choosing a new inverter is motor data: horsepower, insulation class, voltage, maximum amperage, and base RPM @ 60 Hz. Some Woodfast lathes had DC motors which means that the speed control is NOT an inverter, but instead is a voltage controller ... there is a huge difference in both function and cost. Brand and model are also useful if it is necessary to get certain parameters needed to program the inverter -- things like torque constant, slip frequency, full load torque, and voltage constant. Most older motors weren't designed for use with an inverter so operation may be restricted to no faster than base RPM and no slower than about 20% of base RPM and possibly also restricted to variable torque mode rather than constant torque mode.

Bill, Thanks a lot but I did not understand a thing you said. Sorry
I am going to send the controller back to the company Minarik to be repaired.

 

[Gary Chapman]

Get the information off the motor and then call Craft Supplies (in Utah) and ask for Roger. He seems to know everything about the Woodfast lathes. Just two weeks ago he talked me through how to replace the bearings and his tips made the job a whole lot easier.

Billooms,
Thanks for your suggestion, I just sent the controller back to the original maker Minarik. They rebuilt it once before for me. I have a bad habit of pushing the woodfast too far with heavy pieces of wood.

 

[odie]

Billooms,
Thanks for your suggestion, I just sent the controller back to the original maker Minarik. They rebuilt it once before for me. I have a bad habit of pushing the woodfast too far with heavy pieces of wood.

Gary,

Is your Minarik unit the same as mine?

I've been using mine constantly for 7-8 years without a bit of trouble. Maybe Minarik should be informed that they've rebuilt this unit once before. Sounds to me like this could be a warrantee issue. I don't see how heavy pieces can have any effect on the controller.....(well, in my electrically challenged mind, anyway!)

ko

 

[Bill Boehme]

Bill, Thanks a lot but I did not understand a thing you said. Sorry
I am going to send the controller back to the company Minarik to be repaired.

Sorry that it wasn't helpful, Gary. Sending it back for repair sounds like the best thing to do. Even though repair may cost a lot, buying a brand new drive will cost a lot more and the down time in getting it hooked up and running may not be worth the trouble if you and electronics aren't always on the same page. You are fortunate that the Minarik Drives are made in the USA by American Control Electronics and they will have the expertise to properly repair your drive. I agree with what Odie said about discussing the previous repair with them to see if there might be some defect that went unnoticed the last time. Sometimes there can be hidden defects such as a faulty printed wiring board that might possibly be a contributor to the failure. It would be worthwhile if they did a close inspection to see if anything can be identified.

 

[bfwhitma]

Re: Minarik Experience

Sorry that it wasn't helpful, Gary. Sending it back for repair sounds like the best thing to do. Even though repair may cost a lot, buying a brand new drive will cost a lot more and the down time in getting it hooked up and running may not be worth the trouble if you and electronics aren't always on the same page. You are fortunate that the Minarik Drives are made in the USA by American Control Electronics and they will have the expertise to properly repair your drive. I agree with what Odie said about discussing the previous repair with them to see if there might be some defect that went unnoticed the last time. Sometimes there can be hidden defects such as a faulty printed wiring board that might possibly be a contributor to the failure. It would be worthwhile if they did a close inspection to see if anything can be identified.

Hi. This may be too late but I had an unfortunately much too lengthy series of go-rounds with Minarik when my controller cronked for the woodfast. The short story is that they said they repaired the controller but it did not work, they insisted there could be no problem at their end and that I had to extricate the motor and take it to a top electrical repair outfit (which I have). The motor was fine, just as I thought. I went up the chain, and they agreed to sell me a simpler model MM23101C on my request (common sense said it would have less chance of breakdown) and credit the repair cost.

This unit is fine. Just follow the instructions carefully in the hook up or send me an SOS if you need help.

Brad

 

[Bill Boehme]

Hi. This may be too late but I had an unfortunately much too lengthy series of go-rounds with Minarik when my controller cronked for the woodfast. The short story is that they said they repaired the controller but it did not work, they insisted there could be no problem at their end and that I had to extricate the motor and take it to a top electrical repair outfit (which I have). The motor was fine, just as I thought. I went up the chain, and they agreed to sell me a simpler model MM23101C on my request (common sense said it would have less chance of breakdown) and credit the repair cost.

This unit is fine. Just follow the instructions carefully in the hook up or send me an SOS if you need help.

Brad

Brad, I'm glad to hear that at least you are back in business, but that is really disappointing to hear about your experience with Minarik.