Powerfeed problem

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

Good afternoon to all. I am looking for advice in order to correct a very stupid mistake [yes, even I make them ]

While looking for something else, I knocked against the handle of my powerfeed unit on the mill. The unit took off, doing what it,s supposed to do and carried on until the table came to the end of its run, where everything stopped. Sad to say I did not have any table stops fitted, big mistake !  By the time I copped on, the damage had been done.

The whole unit is dead, I am assuming that the circuit board is Kaput and what I want to know is ; has anyone any experience regarding replacing these things ?. Is it difficult to do and what to watch out for ?  I have not tried taking the unit apart until I know more about it

The drive unit in question is a standard type No AL 310S.

Aliexpress advertise circuit boards listing this No and I am wondering if one of these would be worth a try, rather than having to replace the whole unit.

Any and all advise/comments welcome !

Dont even ask how I did id it !

BTW  The unit operates on 110 volts.

[John PParticipant @johnp77052]

I have  an Align  powerfeed  ,not the same make as yours.Mine has a circuit breaker  on the outside

for such events  it sits under  a soft plastic cover  ,Mine has fossilised   as i have had it a long time.

It may well be that your unit  has a similar   cut out.

John

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

Hi John,

Yes, my unit has a circuit breaker just like yours. I tried pressing it several times, but nothing happened. That,s what made me think there may be other damage done.

I will give it another try [for luck ! ]

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

Hi Larry, have a look at the circuit board does anything look cooked ? If the new board is cheap go with it, if not you might be lucky and a few power switching components have gone, replace them and see ? Worth a try ? Noel.

[MacolmParticipant @macolm]

The Align AL310 units have a very basic SCR control circuit, and if the breaker is intact there is a good chance the SCR (S6008L) will be blown up. This should be fairly cheap to buy on Ebay etc, and also fairly easy to replace (screw to heatsink and solder in).

If a replacement board is cheap enough, go that route. Otherwise, here is a circuit diagram, and if you have a test meter you can do simple continuity checks on the board (obviously disconnected from the supply).

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

Good morning  Noel and Macolm,

I did try pressing that circuit breaker a few times but nothing happened, so I think the board might be cooked. I,m not sure how to actually get at it, ut it looks like the back end of the unit comes apart and then all might be clear [sort of ] I dont fancy trying to repair these boards, not with my metal bashing fingers, so that was why I was thinking about a new board, hopefully a bit easier to fit.

They are cheap enough, about 20 Euro from Ali but with a delivery cost of almost 17 Euro ! Still, a lot cheaper than a new  powerfeed.

I will have another look at it later, since I have nothing to lose.

Thank you all for your replies

[HollowpointParticipant @hollowpoint]

You can get a powerfeed very reasonable now. I paid a whopping £81 for the one below from AliExpress. It shipped from the UK too, so no import fees to pay.

I have to say, it’s been very good, and every bit as good as the Warco one I paid £300+ for!

https://a.aliexpress.com/_EJcC7ME

Considering yours is gonna cost £37 to fix, is there any point?

[MacolmParticipant @macolm]

The Align unit is fairly easy to work on, at least as far as being able to remove the circuit board. There are four screws holding the base to the other part. I do not remember if everything unplugs, just possible there are a couple of solder joints but probably not. At the price, replacing the board seems a reasonable route, but inspect the motor carefully. Also, it would be best practice to use a test meter to check for things like stuck relay contacts, for shorted components that are not replaced by the new board, and for shorts to metalwork once the board is disconnected. You may be able to test the motor using 12 volts from a car battery, not driving the lead screw it should run slowly.

A safety point if you do decide to replace the SCR. The chip in the S6008L is dielectric isolated so that the case can be directly connected to metal, thus it is essential the replacement is the same.

 

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

Hi everyone,

Just managed to get that unit apart to check the circuit board, which shows no sign of damage [none that I can see anyway ]

However it looks as though a few wires have fused together, one green, the other seems to be yellow. Will take another look to see if I can find where these wires go to.

Hollowpoint,  Just checking out that unit you bought, it seems to be still available at about 149 Euro. They say no delivery charge, but no doubt there would be a “Handling” charge by whoever ships it !  Still ,worth keeping in mind.

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

just checking that price again—-167 Euro

Still, might have to go with it.

[MacolmParticipant @macolm]

If you can connect the unit back together and power up, does the Rapid switch still work to run the motor at maximum speed? If it does, it would tend to confirm the S6008L SCR (silicon control rectifier) is the problem.

[MacolmParticipant @macolm]

Also, the neon will be illuminated if, with power applied, the breaker is set and making contact.

[HollowpointParticipant @hollowpoint]

If you do go with the one from AliExpress, look out for discount codes and vouchers. You can almost always get 10-20% off.

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