Help with a Jet VS motor and controller

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jedgerton

jedgerton

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Joined
Sep 28, 2006
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Location
Austin, TX, USA.
Folks,

I picked up a used Jet 1014VS with a bad motor or controller. I'm looking for some help troubleshooting which might be the bad component. What I know so far is the motor doesn't turn when plugged in and started. Also, the shaft of the motor seems to have more resistance than what I would expect of a good motor.

The previous owner said that before it failed, it would frequently trip the circuit breaker on the variable speed controller. He said the motor just may need cleaning but I wouldn't think it would last very long it it takes in saw dust during operation.

Any help would be much appreciated.

John
 
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John, My Jet VS Midi is in Tucson and I am in Portland Oregon so I cannot check. I did acquire a replacement VS motor for the Jet Midi last fall to use on a Bonnie Klein lathe for a nominal cost of $100. I suggest you use that as the benchmark to guide your choices for replacements/rebuild. It came with a controller box and adapters to the Jet. Other than the limitation for low end speed, it has seemed to be a reasonably good motor for the cost.

My guess from your description is the motor bearings are dragging -- but that is speculation. I do not remember if the Jet motor has brushes, but that is the first spot to check on a VS motor. Good luck on your search will be watching the answers looking to learn too.
 
I second what Ken said. The VS motor is a DC motor so the most likely problem with is id brushes. I don't know how long they last; but it should be multiple years for most users.

As for the controller, unless you are an ET, it pretty much needs to be checked out by a professional. You could open up the box and look for something simple like a loose wire and it is possible there may be a fuse in the box somewhere or mounted on the circuit board. Other thing to consider is a warranty claim. I think I saw where JET is offering a 5 year warranty on their newer tools??
 
Guys,

Thanks for the comments. I pulled the motor and controller off of the lathe today. The controller looks to be in proper working order, no damaged components but thats as much as I can say. The motor shaft is hard to turn and that resistance to turning is there with and without the brushes installed. I believe a bearing or shaft has gone bad in this motor.

The previous owner said it was about three years old. Do you think Jet might handle it under warranty or otherwise help with a replacement?

John
 
Hard to tell. JET seems to be pretty good about helping with problems; but the fact you are not the original owner may be a disadvantage.

I would certainly give them a call.....you have nothing to loose!!:)
 
Update to the VS lathe story,

Contacted JET but no luck. This lathe pre-dated the 5 yr. warranty and since I'm not the original purchaser, I don't have receipt. Can't blame Jet, they were very helpful but no dice on a replacement.

I disassembled the motor and found that the permanent magnets had fractured and essentially been ground to dust inside the motor housing. The front and back bearings as well as the brushes look fine. I believe the commutator and armature are fine given that the motor would turn over sometimes.

Here's my question, does anyone know if its possible to replace the permanent magnets? It looks to me like they are held in place by their attraction to the outer shell only. I'm not sure why they would break in the first place.

Does anyone have any experience with a motor repair of this type?

John
 
I don't have any experience in that area; but my intuitive feeling is that you would be better off going in a different direction. I'd get out the yellow pages and chat with someone in your local motor shop to see what they have to say.

If money is an issue, the PSI conversion kit sounds like a good deal at $99. (A new motor from JET will probably cost you twice that much?) Only obvious problem is that if you use the PSI controller, you give up 150 RPMs on the low end. Jet is 500 and PSI is 650. Maybe there is a motor guy here who could say whether or not you could use the PSI motor with the JET controller.

I'd snoop around the Internet a little and see if you can find a replacement DC motor. It should not be an impossible task if you spend a little time. You would need to be prepared to do a little work as the mounting bracket may not fit a replacement motor without some modification.
 
Originally posted by jedgerton

Update to the VS lathe story,


Here's my question, does anyone know if its possible to replace the permanent magnets? It looks to me like they are held in place by their attraction to the outer shell only. I'm not sure why they would break in the first place.
John
Click to expand...

John; It is almost impossible to replace the magnets in the motor. There should be clips or brackets holding the magnets. The best course of action would be an exact replacement. Maybe PSI would sell you the motor only?

Many (not all) of the controllers have adjustments inside that set the minimum and maximum speed. The controller senses when the motor slows down and supplies more current.

Check out these folks:
http://www.surpluscenter.com/
 
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