is it possible

[framey]

does anyone know if it possible wire to run a cl300m without the circuit board at £80 a pop these things get expensive lol
ideally id like to keep the variable speed on it

[raynerd]

I`m sure many more suitable answers will come your way but ....

I`ve never taken the circuit or motor off my clarke lathe but I imagine it is certainly possible to run the motor just wiring it up direct  - that being said, without any controller circuit you are not going to have any controls over the motor speed and all safety aspects of the e-stop will be lost. HossMachines did not want to pay the money for a controller in the USA so he hacked up the controller board from a tread mill and that worked perfectly. Link and pics below:

http://www.hossmachine.info/projects_3.html

that being said, personally not knowing very much about electronics, I wouldn`t have a damn clue where to start and would have to opt into spending the £80 if I wanted the variable speeds and full functionality! However, even if I was good at electronics I don`t happen to have a tread mill or similar lying around ...

Unless you can build your own? :

[Darren]

I`ve never taken the circuit or motor off my clarke lathe but I imagine it is certainly possible to run the motor just wiring it up

Er...in short no,
 cos I believe they are 110V DC motors. They won't like our mains very much Chris.

Simply and bombproof forget electronics....though it can be done easily there is a simpler and more reliable way.

240 mains - Variac -240/100V transformer - rectifier = DC 0-110V

Simple.....people try too hard....

You could omit the transformer if you put a limit stop on the variac to prevent turning it too high.

[raynerd]

Er...in short no,
 cos I believe they are 110V DC motors. They won't like our mains very much Chris.

Ahh sure sure!

I don`t really need to get tangled in this topic but I`m curious as this is my lathe should I ever get in the situation.... so your saying that if you hooked our 240v mains to an variable autotransformer, step down the voltage to 120v and simply directly connect to motor?  

Am I right in saying that this would just run the motor at a constant speed (top speed at 120v) and therefore could you incorperate a pot someone to adjust speed? and a Safety stop?

Anyway, seems a heck of a lot easier way than hacking a tread mill circuit to suit your needs. I presume as well that the transformer and required odds and ends would work out cheaper than a replacement board.

Thanks again, Darren and Framey, hope you get the clarke cl300m back up a running - still really impressed with my little lathe. Let me know how you get on and what you decide to do.

Chris

[Darren]

Variac with DC output, all you need....just put a stop on it to limit output to 110V and that's it...some can be linked internally to limit output so no stop needed.

This sold for a tenner on Ebay

240V 2A input, so output at 110V could be 4A, I believe that's big enough.....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Variac-240v-2A-with-Rectifier-AC-DC-possibilities_W0QQitemZ290322677835QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_3?hash=item439894804b&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A13%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

All done for £10....

[Darren]

Chris, the variac will adjust the output from 0-110V to controll the speed of the motor. You don't need any other components.

[raynerd]

Wow! that is really amazing info. - so only a £10!

I use my boxford a lot now but my clarke use to annoy me so much with those fuses popping constantly - I mean there is stretching your machine to extremes which obviously isn`t good but then there is just asking for some hard work and my fuses use to pop with the slightest resistance to machining! 2.5A slow burning fuses are a pain!
I understand the fuse is there for a reason but with the method above, what would happen if you over-load - is it the motor that will pop? I`m just thinking, will this method actually be an upgrade in terms of the maximum torque/performance without the dreaded pop of the fuse? Anyway framey, I`m hijacking your thread and digressing - great info Darren.

Chris

[framey]

its all relative keep hijacking lol


the lathe in question was my first lathe i since bought another one same make and model which has now **** out
the part gone on this one is the forward reverse switch.
 seems to be cheap parts all round on these lathes

other problems ive had with these lathes
fuse holder broken
pc board blown
emergency stop button broke
i will rebuild it so i have to to pay with lol

[raynerd]

Did you find that the small 2.5A slow burn fuse blows at the slightest resistance?

[framey]

ummmm cant remember on the last one

this one ive never had any problems with until now lo

lit could be because the first time i changed the fuse the carrier broke so i just removed the carrier i have no doubt whatso ever this has contributed in the blowing of the boards

[Darren]

Mine doesn't blow this fuse, never has and I've had the lathe nearly 3yrs now...

[raynerd]

Hummm, think I do have a fault. I appreciate the idea isn`t to take huge cuts but the fuse blows with the smallest amount of resistance!