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Starter switch part?

M

memzey

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Hi everyone,

The rotary switch that controls the feed rollers on my planer thicknesser has snapped off. I'd like to replace the part rather than the whole unit as that will cost big bucks to change. Does anyone know if it would be possible to get that as a standalone part? Picture below which hopefully makes sense:

 
You mean remove the face and show the innards of the switchgear? If so then no but I can take one a bit later on tonight or tomorrow. I should also have said it is single phase.
 
yes, I meant the innards ... if it's just an on off switch there will be many cheap options .

more so if you are not too bothered about keeping it "stock"
 
Cool. Will post the pics when I get the chance. I'd be happy with something generic as long as it works and is safe. Easy to install would also be a bonus :)
 
As promised here are some pics of the internals of the switchgear:


When I opened the control box I found a couple of instruction manuals which will hopefully prove helpful:


 
the switch looks pretty generic.

I'd wait for Bob to comment next :-)

He'll know better than me where to get one that fits, or he might even have one
as he does lots of starter and motor type things
 
I was taking a back seat on this one as Rich was on the case..

I use this ebay seller Cropmaster for my industrial switchgear. good service good products sensibly priced

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ROTARY-SWITCH ... 3f63a9c40b

This is not a perfect match as it has 3 positions but you could possibly stop it going into position 3 or just leave it.

You could message him and see if he has a 2 position version on the the shelf.
If you want to look for the perfect part either take the part number off the data sheet in your photo of search for 2 pole 2 position switches with decent current rating. the one above is 10 amps which would be good for 1-1.5hp which should be more than enough for a feed motor.

HTH

Bob
 
I got the feeling you were Bob ! lol


if it was mine.. I'd do it without thinking .. I was happy to say it's easy and cheap ... but in this day and age, I don't like to give the final decision ! lol

Doesn't even have to be rotary (apart from the decal) toggle would do the same job.
You could argue it could be knocked ?

I'm not even sure if "we" are allowed to do our own electrical fixes , without getting them safety checked and the sicker in place ?
I guess it's different for hobby / business ?

There was a subject recently (different forums) , that you are not even allowed to put yourself at risk .. even if no one else goes anywhere near the machine .. H&S can come , spot check, and shut you down !



... now for the next job with that Dado Head ......


Rich
 
Tusses":16o6robt said:
I got the feeling you were Bob ! lol


if it was mine.. I'd do it without thinking .. I was happy to say it's easy and cheap ... but in this day and age, I don't like to give the final decision ! lol

Doesn't even have to be rotary (apart from the decal) toggle would do the same job.
You could argue it could be knocked ?

I'm not even sure if "we" are allowed to do our own electrical fixes , without getting them safety checked and the sicker in place ?
I guess it's different for hobby / business ?

There was a subject recently (different forums) , that you are not even allowed to put yourself at risk .. even if no one else goes anywhere near the machine .. H&S can come , spot check, and shut you down !



... now for the next job with that Dado Head ......


Rich
Click to expand...
A toggle would need careful selection for the current rating and would be a PITA to mount into a standard 22mm knockout that the current switch probably fits into.

Bob
 
see .. that's why I said you :-) .. I'd have no idea what the usual size hole would be.

I'd just make a switch fit .. and I keep things like that for no reason other than it might come in handy one day :-)
 
Interestingly that switch too is a three position :lol:

The approach depends on the individual and the application.

I judge that Mark is making a living from his machinery and time is money. So it is appropriate to fit a part similar to the original. Something that won't stick out if HSE breeze in for example and a part that will most likely fit the hole and take the least amount of time to install.

You and I, Rich might take the view that fitting a small switch in a big hole with a couple of washers ( or machine up a pair of bushes to keep it central) is more interesting, readily available from the junk box, 100% doable on a Sunday afternoon etc is a perfectly acceptable route.
But we would not need to ask on a forum such as this would we?

Its horses for courses and I prefer to recommend a near professional solution but still one that is cost effective.

Bob
 
9fingers":2d35ogal said:
You and I, Rich might take the view that fitting a small switch in a big hole with a couple of washers ( or machine up a pair of bushes to keep it central) is more interesting, readily available from the junk box, 100% doable on a Sunday afternoon etc is a perfectly acceptable route.
But we would not need to ask on a forum such as this would we?

Its horses for courses and I prefer to recommend a near professional solution but still one that is cost effective.

Bob
Click to expand...

very much so Bob .. which is why I declined from the final recommendation ! .. and left it to you , as I know you have done that regularly for many years ! :-)
 
Thanks guys. That's exactly the kind of guidance I was hoping to get and even a pointer on where to pick up the switch. Awesome. Just to clarify a couple of points:

I am most definitely an amateur at woodworking which is just as well given my level of "skill". Trust me - if I had to make a living doing this I'd be settling down in a cardboard box under a bridge somewhere! Other than that however Bob is spot on in that I would like to replace the switch with something easy and quick to install that won't really change the way it currently functions. I can actuate the switch by the way I just need pliers to grip the rod and turn it which is a bit inconvenient really.

I have checked and I don't think the hole is a standard 22mm knock out. In fact it doesn't look a standard anything if I'm honest:

I assume that won't make a difference as I can always drill the hole out if I need more space. More puzzling to me though is why it's so hard to find 2 position switches and whether fitting a three position one would pose any problems or raise difficulty in installation? Would I essentially just have 2 off positions and 1 on with one of those? In which case I don't see that as being a problem. Thanks again for all the help and guidance so far. It is much appreciated.
 
Sourcing map have good stuff but longish delivery time from China/HK

All these rotary switches suggested have two pairs of independent switches and hence the reference to 8 terminals when you might expect only 6. one pair will be on in the 9 o'clock position, both off at 12 o'clock, and the other pair on at 3 o'clock

Wiring up is simply a matter of choosing the 4 that match the mechanical "on" position that you want to use and disregarding the other 4.
The result will be either OFF-OFF-ON clockwise or anti clockwise - your choice.

Bob
 
Spoke to Paul at Cropmaster today who did have a two position switch. It's in the post as we speak so in all likelihood I'll be looking for guidance on how to wire it by the weekend!
 
Tricky thing is it's not the normal domestic colours being used as its 4mm 3 core flex. Can you tell from the pics above which is live, neutral and Earth?
 
memzey":1b2mglhl said:
Tricky thing is it's not the normal domestic colours being used as its 4mm 3 core flex. Can you tell from the pics above which is live, neutral and Earth?
Click to expand...


Looking at your pictures the switch seems to have two blue and two brown wires

Fit the new switch so that it connects blue to blue and brown to brown when in the ON position.

Secondary point arising from your question .... You never ever ever switch an earth lead !!
hth

Bob
 
May I respectfully suggest you may want to get a sparky in to do it for you ..

I worry that you don't know the wire colours and how things work.
Sparky will check it's all safe after too .. and shouldn't be much more than the call out charge for such a simple job :-)

do you have a multi meter ?
 
I have a multi meter and I also have a sparky coming round on Friday! If it were left to me I'd just look at where the wires go in the current switch and replicate that in the new one but as the Sparky is coming round to wire the shed up for me I'll ask him to do that too.
 
good plan :-)

I hope you didn't mind me saying ? .. just you never know who's on the other end of a keyboard !
I wouldn't want to hear in the news that a fellow woodworker went crispy recently ! :shock:
 
No worries. Better safe than sorry I think. I wired up my old shed with lightning and a number of sockets and I've changed the plugs on more domestic items than I care to remember so I'm not a complete noob but never something as beefy as this which did not have standard domestic wiring before. The planer thicknesser this is going on needs a dedicated 32 amp circuit :shock:
 
Lol! Typo of course but would be an interesting way of doing it! Back to the future anyone?
 
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