First for me - need motor help please :-)

[skiprat]

I'm not a motor guru and could do with some advice please.

I was using my VS lathe and went to change the pulley belt to get the next speed range.

When I loosened the belt, the motor felt like it is getting magnetically stuck in steps as you rotate it. It actually feels like the switch on a stove...kinda springs into positions.

It still runs and sounds a sweet as ever, but I'm positive it has never done this before.

Is my brushed motor on the way out or what..?

Many thanks in advance.:wink:

 

[low_48]

sounds like a bad bearing to me, but I would expect an odd noise coming from it.

 

[plantman]

It sounds like you may have a chipped or worn brush. This will only show up if you turn the motor by hand. At speed and torque you wouldn't notice it. I would pull your brushes and make sure that there is no uneven wear, and that the surfaces are smooth and shiny. Any dullness means that the brushes are arcing. This may be caused by dust buildup, short brushes, or weak spring pressure. Take an air hose and blow out the motor with the brushes removed and spray the armature inside with contact cleaner. Should be able to find contact leaner at any big box or electronic store. Make sure that when you replace the brushes that the curve of the brush goes back in the same direction that it came out. Jim S

 

[skiprat]

Thanks Jim and Rich.
I'm fairly confident that it's not bearings but will check them and the brushes as soon as I can. I'll report back with my findings.

Thanks again

 

[randyrls]

Skip; It may be that your lathe has a BLDC motor in it. These are becoming common in VS applications. Think of the BLDC motor as a stepper motor "lite".