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  1. #1
    Hi

    As anyone any experience of converting a small hobby mill. Namely a Hobbymat BFE65, similar to a Seig X2 etc; to variable DC speed control.

    While cleaning and de-greasing the gearbox on my Hobbymat, i have found wear on the gears and in the bushes, and what looks like a crack in one of the spigots in the casting, it suddenly dawned on me, what if i can remove all the gears and the quill and replace with a VFD, or a 3 phase controller, so that i can vary the speed easily, currently i have only 4 gears, the fastest being 1600 RPM, maybe the machine could ru faster, it seems sturdy enough. I have ordered some Crack Detecter, so this new knowledge may determine the way forward.

    Regards

    Ray
    Last edited by manofgresley; 10-09-2013 at 03:31 PM. Reason: additional info

  2. #2
    m_c's Avatar
    Lives in East Lothian, United Kingdom. Last Activity: 2 Days Ago Forum Superstar, has done so much to help others, they deserve a medal. Has been a member for 9-10 years. Has a total post count of 2,908. Received thanks 360 times, giving thanks to others 8 times.
    The desktop machine board over on cnczone has numerous threads on various conversions.

    It has been done, as I did look at getting a X2 to convert a while back, and I'm pretty sure there are companies who'll supply the required bits, albeit over on the opposite side of the pond.

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  4. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by manofgresley View Post
    ...to variable DC speed control...
    I assume you meant AC control? If so, the mechanics are probably the hardest thing to do...in particular getting a motor small enough to fit the machine without giving up too many horses.

    Regarding motors, the basics are that a 4-pole will run at approx 1425RPM at 50hz and a 2-pole will run at around 2850RPM at the same frequency. The big decision is whether to choose the slower 4-pole (for more torque at low speeds) or the higher top speed of the 2-pole but with reduced torque at low speeds. You can use stepped pulleys or gears to overcome this but I just didn't have the room for such niceties on my machine.

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  6. #4
    Maybe you could fit a DC motor with associated speed controller, think of a variable speed mains electric drill for example or even a lower voltage system.

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  8. #5
    Hi

    Yes, that's what i was thinking of, DC motor control, do you know of any info i could look at ?

    Regards

    Ray

  9. #6
    Sorry, I don't know why I didn't see that in your original post, I think the term VFD in the thread title immediately made me think of AC (which it is)

    Fracmo | Brushless DC Motors, Fractional DC Motors, Gearbox Design & Electric DC Geared Motors

    These look to be the part but no prices, I'm assuming it's something like 250Watts you need ?
    They seem to be used in electric wheelchairs etc. so maybe a company who repairs them may have second hand units ?

    also http://www.drivesystemsuk.co.uk/dc-m...earmotors.html

    There are loads of DC controllers on ebay or Amazon at very low prices but obviously would need to be compatible with the motor and supply voltage.
    Last edited by EddyCurrent; 11-09-2013 at 02:46 PM.

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  11. #7
    m_c's Avatar
    Lives in East Lothian, United Kingdom. Last Activity: 2 Days Ago Forum Superstar, has done so much to help others, they deserve a medal. Has been a member for 9-10 years. Has a total post count of 2,908. Received thanks 360 times, giving thanks to others 8 times.
    DC is different.
    For cheap motors, old treadmills seem to be the way to go, combined with a KBIC speed controller.

    Unless you really are trying to do the conversion as cheap as possible, I wouldn't use anything other than a KBIC, as they're quite popular, reliable, and not that expensive to buy new. I run a KBIC in my little lathe, as it came with a DC set-up and a dead Cheetah drive, and a KBIC was the cheapest main stream option I could find at the time.

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  13. #8

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  15. #9
    I've still got the 600W DC motor and associated electrics from my Warco WM 16 if you're interested?

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  17. #10
    Thanks Birchy.

    Yes, i am interested

    Ray
    Last edited by manofgresley; 12-09-2013 at 10:52 AM. Reason: Update

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