Defective Router Speed Control Porter Cable 690LR


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Thread: Defective Router Speed Control Porter Cable 690LR

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    Registered cjjonesarmory's Avatar
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    Default Defective Router Speed Control Porter Cable 690LR

    I have a Porter Cable 690LR (aka 6902)with non adjustable speed. I purchased a Grizzly G3555 Router Speed Control - 20 Amp to use on the router.

    I'm hoping I can get some opinions on my situation. I don't think something is right here.

    Everything seems to work okay except that the lowest RPM I can get seems to be around 20,000 RPM. It works on the "full speed" setting, and it does run on the variable speed setting, and the RPM does change when I mess with the dial, just thought it would be a larger drop. I also don't believe the router is a "soft start", which the speed control says won't work.

    I base my RPM guess on how the router sounds compared to my other Porter Cable router that has a built-in speed control. The non-adjustable router with the speed controller (on the lowest speed setting) SOUNDS about the same as the router WITH the built in speed control running at full speed which is 23,000.... maybe a little quieter which is why I say about 20,000 RPM. Normal max RPM for the router is 27,500 RPM. So there is a drop, but I would have thought the drop would be greater, more like 5,000 or 10,000 RPM at the lowest setting.

    There is a little bit of change in speed when I turn the knob up and down. The highest speed is attained at about a 4 on the dial (it goes to 10). The slowest speed is obviously with the knob at zero.

    So if anyone has any input on whether this is about what I should expect from a speed control, or if someone else has had better results, meaning my speed control might just be defective....

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    Registered bobsch's Avatar
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    You might want to look through this thread http://www.cnczone.com/forums/diy-cn...ter_speed.html

    Bob

    "Bad decisions make good stories."


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    Registered cjjonesarmory's Avatar
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    Thanks for the reply. There's a lot of information there to digest. It sounds like a useful product.

    He is more machine now than man.....


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    That's a lot to digest, but someone posted this link for me yesterday: Super-PID LINK



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    Member ger21's Avatar
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    Back to the original question. I've never used one of those speed controls, but it sounds like yours is defective.

    I'm using a SuperPID on my 690, and it works great.
    [nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlZW5sWJ9bM"]YouTube - Super-PID Mach3 on/off control[/nomedia]
    [nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6FXbOPEzBM"]YouTube - Super-PID Drilling Test[/nomedia]
    [nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVl76J0m81w"]YouTube - Super-PID Test Routing[/nomedia]

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    [URL]http://www.thecncwoodworker.com/2017.html[/URL]

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    [URL]http://www.thecncwoodworker.com/2010.html[/URL]

    JointCAM - CNC Dovetails & Box Joints
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    The G3555 looks just like a Harbor Freight 20 amp speed control I have with a different label. The router should go down to between 8k and 10k rpm. The router will start getting jerky before it stops running at around 8k. There is not much usable torque left when it is at the lowest smooth running speed of about 10k.

    It works with my older routers that have no speed control or soft start but I haven't tried it with my newer Bosch Colt, Hitachi M12VC, or PC7518 routers which all have built in speed controls and soft start. I have run these newer routers with the Super-PID though.

    If you have another router try it and see if it does the same. Even a corded Dremel should work with it. That would possibly prove that the speed control is working properly. Needs to be a brush type motor.

    CarveOne

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    The PC 690 is not a soft start router.

    I use an external variable speed controller, the kind that plugs into the outlet and then the router plugs into the controller, and it does vary the router's speed noticeably.

    You may have a defective controller. Use a multi-meter to measure voltage output to diagnose the source of your concerns.



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    One of these days when the budget allows I'll have to buy a photo tach. I wonder if going with a 20 Amp speed control instead of a 15 Amp could affect how well it works with specific tools? Not sure what components would be changed in the speed control to allow the additional capacity... I know I could have gotten by with the 15 amp, but I wanted the extra capacity in case I found other uses for it....

    To Zool specifically: I haven't measured the voltage yet, but what voltage range would be considered normal?

    He is more machine now than man.....


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    The suggestion was more toward watching the voltage change while you manipulated the pot.

    From the description you gave, there might not be much of a change.

    My suggestion was a place to start the problem solving process.



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    Quote Originally Posted by cjjonesarmory View Post
    One of these days when the budget allows I'll have to buy a photo tach. I wonder if going with a 20 Amp speed control instead of a 15 Amp could affect how well it works with specific tools? Not sure what components would be changed in the speed control to allow the additional capacity... I know I could have gotten by with the 15 amp, but I wanted the extra capacity in case I found other uses for it....

    To Zool specifically: I haven't measured the voltage yet, but what voltage range would be considered normal?
    If your router is drawing less than 15 amps the 20 amp control will make no difference. It just has 5 amps additional current capability. There is a device in the speed control called a triac. This device handles all of the current being drawn by the router. It gets hot at full current draw, so they usually have a heat sink on them or they are mounted to the metal cover plate on back of the speed control enclosure.

    CarveOne
    http://www.carveonecncwoodcraft.com


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Defective Router Speed Control Porter Cable 690LR

Defective Router Speed Control Porter Cable 690LR