Hi Mobnd,

Is the motor actually blown, or is it just that the red wire worked loose and has sparked to create the mess?

Neil

Hi Andy

It looks from the photos as though the wires down into the winding are fairly intact so with a bit of luck most of the problems will be in the terminal block and housaing. Make a note of what wires are still connected to what and then do continuity and earth checks on the wires to the windings. If the checks come out OK you should just need a new terminal block, which shouldn't be a problem really as all it is, is a means of connecting the wires up to the mains. I'd go for a ceramic connector personally which are readily available from most electrical merchants. If yo're not confident about checking the motor yourself have a look in the local directories to see if you've a rewind shop close by and get them to give you a quote for a quick inspection followed by repairs. It could well be cheaper than the new motor that you highlighted on EBay. I had a 1HP sigle phase motor done last year, full check over, supply and replace bearings, and some rewiring, £200 with a guarantee on the work.

Keith

Hi Andy

The reason I suggested a motor repair shop is that the earth check needs to be done with a high voltage eg a "Megger" not just checking for earth leakage or lack of it with a normal ohmmeter. The motor I had repaired was a big, heavy "vintage" Brooks motor that has quite a bit of inertia so giving a flywheel effect. The price that I gave included the new bearings so I though it wasn't too bad, especially for the peace of mind with what would otherwise have been an unknown quiantity. What they did for me was to run the electrical test first, free of charge, and then quote for the repairs, they should do that for you as well so that you can make the choice between repair or replacement on the basis of hard facts.

Keith

The motor plate says capacitor start + capacitor run?? Are the capacitors OK, and were they the cause of the burn out ?

If I were you, I'd experiment, taking careful note of what connects where and to what else, then wire the whole thing up with chocolate block connectors and give it a brief trial run. If it works OK, then all you need is a connector block which is more heat-resistant than a choc block.

If uncertain about working with mains voltages, ignore what I just said, but if you can wire a plug you should be OK.

Andy

Andy S,

Well, it needn't be choc blocks. If physically possible (in the sense that there's enough spare wire) a lump of wood with woodscrews through the connectors which need to be mated would work, though the screws shouldn't stick out of the back of the wood in case of -zap!-

I suppose that' would be breadboard construction at its simplest.

But from the photos, it looks like only one connection has blown. The rest of the discolouration may just be magic smoke condensate. Try connecting the loose red wire to the wire it mates with and leave all other connections in place. Maybe use a short screw and nut through the two connectors, and plentiful insulating tape.

Andy

Good morning all,

Not a direct comment on the thread as it stands, but how many of us have rectified 'failures' with domestic appliances on non moulded 13 amp plugs, in that most are caused by nothing more or less than just loose terminal screws on the pins?

And for that matter, why is it that the Neutral leg seems to be the one most often affected?

Any answers?

Brian

Edited By Brian Wood on 14/04/2013 10:39:54

I had multi-start banding like that on silver steel and stainless steel; turned out to be a badly worn hold down bolt on the compound slide.

The first question would be; did the lathe produce the banding before, and if not, what has changed?

Regards,

Andrew

You are not alone with screw connections in electric motor. I saw the electric motor with screw connections allready mounted from factory, no problem. Secure the screw connection at place in the electric motor against vibrations who will make fatigue in the wirings and burst again next time. I would recommend the screw connections maked for 16 amper instead 10 amper current to be sure there is not risk to overheating the screw connections by load under hard work.

Edited By Jens Eirik Skogstad on 14/04/2013 12:08:32

Andy S,

Glad you're up and running again at little expense. As you say, it might even be a permanent repair – did the motor ever get noticeably hot when worked hard for a while?

You might even consider soldering wire directly to wire, having first slipped a bit of heatshrink tube over one of the two so, once a joint is made, you can use the heatshrink to insulate it.

Andy.

10A choc blocks should be OK, provided the motor doesn't get hot enough to soften the plastic. I used 10A ones to connect a cable to a 2HP DC motor (which doesn't get warm). The other end is connected to a speed controller by simple push-on spade connectors. No magic smoke has appeared over the last three years.

Alternatively, search Ebay for "ceramic connector block" , when various possible candidates will appear.

Andy