X2 Mill motor Problem

[routercnc]

Good luck with your query but this is 7 years old now . . .

[Ianwallis]

Yes, didn't spot that until after I pressed the Post button. One of the problems with Googling for a topic! Have got some advice from elsewhere so starting the checks.

[A11an]

I've got a very similar problem to yours. How did you decide it was the motor at fault and not the control panel please. Don't want to spend money on the wrong thing if I can easily test them. Ian

Hi, wow that was a long time ago! I just went for the motor and for me that was the problem.

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[dazp1976]

Yes, didn't spot that until after I pressed the Post button. One of the problems with Googling for a topic! Have got some advice from elsewhere so starting the checks.

Waste of time the X2 if it has the 350w motor. My pot has gone screwy on one of them. Both my X2's are just sat there. Occasionally use the manual one for drilling holes. (they work but my Amat25 is sooooo much better).

You're prob better off buying one of these when it comes in:

https://www.amadeal.co.uk/acatalog/A...E.html#SID=420
Better travels, brushless, R8 (far superior).


Like, The X2 motor is £130, then it could be the board which is another £140, all adds up.
Must admit though, I did upgrade my manual one to metal gears. Thing will take your hand off now lol!.

[Uzzy]

I have an Axminster Seig SX2 which does not want to play ball, it may run for 30 seconds but normally only 1 or 2

Any suggestions please .

[Doddy]

Spindle motor?, does the spindle run freely?, in which case it's likely either the motor, the controller card, or a short in the cables that run between. Not very informative, I know, but it needs diagnostics to determine any further.

A bit of history - I converted my SX2.7 to CNC, but when I first bought it it ran for <5 mins then died completely. Repaired under warranty by Arc Eurotrade - brilliant service and they had the kit to diagnose motor and controller (had to return both to them for this). Might be worth a call to see if they're prepare to help out - but it'll cost! Also, they stock the replacement motors and controllers....again, it'll cost.

Once I'd converted to CNC I was trying to reverse-engineer the controller card and ended up blowing it up a second time. At this point I realised replacing the controller and motor with something that suited my purpose better was as cost effective as replacing the controller card alone. You might want to think out of the box to replace rather than repair.

[Uzzy]

Doddy,

Yes spindle runs freely, I just need someone to service it and advise whats wrong and cost of repair :-)

[dazp1976]

I'd replace it with an AC servo (if your X2 is belt driven) and get a new motor pulley to suit.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3304...16109932%22%7D

[Keithw]

I'm a bit too late to help Allen, but this may help someone else with problems.
These motors and controller boards are notoriously unreliable (I have several to prove the point!), and spare are not cheap.
The DC brushed motors can be tested by connecting to a 12V DC supply (car battery) - it should tune smoothly, but not too fast (its only 12V, not around the 150V from the controller). If it sparks, 'stutters' or vibrates - you need a new one. There are several different versions of the controller over the years. They all seem to suffer from the output stage failing (usually MOSFETS). They can fail open-circuit or short-circuit. If open, the motor won't turn, if short, the motor runs at high speed, and is uncontrollable. If you know what you are doing, the output devices can be changed, but beware that the whole board is not isolated from mains voltage.
I got so sick of repairing these boards, or the motors, that I dumped the lot. I bought a 1/2 hp 3-phase electric motor, and a small VFD (actually for 2.2 KW). I had previously modified my mill to a toothed belt drive using the original motor (very simple to do - about one days work), The new 3-phase motor fitted in the same place as the original - I just had to drill mounting holes on a different pitch circle. The VFD was mounted in a box to one side of the mill, and connected directly to the motor via a protected cable. This instantly gave many advantages - soft-start, reversible, speed control from zero to max, short- and overload protection, and an RPM display courtesy of the VFD. The motor and VFD cost just over 150 Euros complete - less than the cost of a replacement original motor (and I'm sure a damn sight more reliable).
The whole mill runs very quietly now, with none of the old gear grinding. It was so good, I dumped the motor/electronics on my little 7x12 lathe (same as the mill), and fitted a 3-phase motor to that - it uses the same VFD, just unplug the mill and plug in the lathe - I'm not clever enough to use both together. A bit more mechanical work on the lathe, to make the reverse tumbler fit (Its still needed fro left-hand threads), and to get the toothed belt drive to fit, but nothing very complex.
It might be worth considering before buying and fitting replacement motors and boards which are just as liable to fail as the originals - and more expensive.