Need Help!- Minarik speed controller

[Konstantin]

Hello.
I have this Minarik device, allegedly a speed controller. The label on the back reads:
MODEL 133496
Input 230VAC 50/60HZ
Line Fuse 15AMP 3AB

I dont have the specifications for this board and I would like to get at least some info.

It has this pinouts:
X1,X2 near the big caps on the right
A+, A- below the big caps
H,W,L
L1,L2 at top left.

Perhaps some other Minarik controllers have similar input/output pin naming scheme and if you know the meaning of any pin please let me know.
Thanks for the help.

[vger]

L1 and L2 are your power input
H, W, and L connect to a potentiometer (probably 5K or 10K) with H to the "High" speed end, W to the "wiper" or center, and L to the Low speed end.
A+ and A- are the armature connections on the motor
X1 and X2 can be used for field connections on the motor

[Konstantin]

Well thanks a lot.
L1,L2 would that be 230 volts in 2 phases? I often see L1L2L3 on the industrial 3 phase transformers.
What are the field connections?
Also what kind of motor can be used with this controller? DC or AC ?

[vger]

230 volts input single phase (like in your house), neither one of which is ground or neutral. The motor must be a DC motor as specified by the A+ and A- however without the specs on the control the voltage of the motor armature is an unknown. 180 Volt DC armature is common though. Not all DC motors have permanant magent fields and have seperate leads to the field windings (4 wires in all to the motor) if it's a permanant magnet field, just leave the field terminals not connected. You might power it up with a potentiometer connected for control and check the output on the A+ and A- with a meter and get an idea of the voltage.

Steve

[Konstantin]

Thank you very much for the through explanation.
I dont have 230v outlets so I will try to go with a friend who has. I live in Mexico and here the standard voltage is 110v. We dont have washer/drier outlets.

I hope to be clear on the phases with this in order to get the controller working (as opposed to burned). In Mexico the big transformers that distribute the electricity to residential homes have 3 leads out, total of 3 phases. There is another wire along the 3 phases which is neutral.

On industrial equipment I see on my local recycling yard, most of German electric equipment use L notation when a phase is connected to it, N is nerutral. All of the 3 phase inputs are labeled L1,L2,L3 then there is the N and the Ground connectors, thus making a total of 4 inputs for a 3 phase equipment.

This Minarik speed controller has L1,L2 making me think that this is 230 in two phases, 115v each. So this is my dilemma. As I understand it, one cannot get 230v from two 115 lead on the same phase. So should I:
a) use a transformer to raise my 110v to 230v and use that on the controller, or
b) get a real 230v outlet with 2 110v phases on it.

Thanks again for your help.

[Al_The_Man]

It sounds like you have three phase residential distribution like Europe and I believe Australia, although those are mainly 1 phase and a star neutral for 240v phase to neutral.
If you have the same only 120v per phase to neutral, then if you have access to two phases then this will give you 208v.
If not then a 120/240 transformer would work.
Al.

[vger]

I had 208 3 phase in a shop I had here in Oklahoma but when I moved into it, there were only 110 V outlets and 110 V lights. All were connected to single phases and neutral for the 110. I added a 220 V outlet (Air conditioner) by connecting to 2 phases and neutral, and a seperate 3 phase receptical connected to all three phases plus the neutral. If your outlets are the B type (2 spades and a round ground) as is becomming the standard in Mexico, then you may be able to split one outlet with the breakoff tab on the side and run a new wire from a different phase to one hot side of that out let. Then with an adapter that has 2 standard plugs and a 220 V receptical you can have 220 at one outlet and still have 110 with anything else plugged into it.

I was in Huatulco last week on my way back to the US from Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama. I saw the most amazing woodworking shop in Costa Rica. It was all powered by a water-wheel, even the 100 year old metal lathe.

Steve

[Konstantin]

Thank you very much for the help.

I guess I have one last cuestion.
Is it possible to control this device through Mach3?
I have heard that Mach could output 0-5v to control a spindle, is that right?
And if the controller uses 0-5v to modulate speed then it is possible?

[vger]

It appears this controller (looking at the picture) will probably not work with 0-5V from an external source.

Are there additional components on the underside of the circuit board of the controller?

There appears to be no ground connection, other than possibly the metal frame. Without a ground referance in the controller circuit there could be a disaster if connecting the potentiometer inputs to and external voltage and ground.

As to Mach 3, it has no direct method of supplying an analog 0-5V output. It can do PWM for speed control, but you would need a controller that accepts a TTL level PWM input. Mach 3 is also capable of using step and direction as speed control, but agian, you will need a controller that accepts step and direction as an input. One alternative would be to use step/dir method and a stepper driver / stepper motor, with the stepper motor shaft coupled to the potentiometer of the speed control.

Mach's IO6 breakout board does have a 0-10 V analog output that can be used for spindle speed control. But again, you will need a controller that accepts 0-10 V input and that is referenced to a ground that is compatable with the Breakout board.

Check the voltage on the potentiometer connections H and L with power supplied to the controller. If it just happens to be 10 V DC, AND the L terminal does not have any voltage (DC or AC) in relation to ground (or neutral of the power) then you may be able to use the IO6 (or similar) breakout board for spindle speed control.

Steve

[LeeWay]

You can use a DC06 to get Mach to operate this controller.

http://homanndesigns.com/store/index...products_id=39
I use a very similar controller with the same pinouts and a DC06 on both my mill and lathe. Works great. Contact Peter and he can help you set it up.