Another Treadmill Motor Question

kvt

kvt

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Ok, have been looking for a Tread mill motor to use and have not had any luck finding an old treadmill around. So at the flea Market yesterday I found a 2.25 hp treadmill motor, for $5. Now I need to find a controller and power supply for it. it is a PMDC motor, 18 amp,
Wanting to use it on a bandsaw, I also have to find a way to put a fan on it as it is an external fan.
I am not one who has done much electronics, I know how to splice wires, and can use a simple volt meter but that is where I have normally stopped. Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated.
Ken
 
drawing that many amps i would stick to a treadmill control also ,you can find them on ebay all the time mc60, i'am running my band saw and lathe with trea 101_0579.jpg dmill motor work great, you will need a fan
 
image.jpg KVT, I myself removed a PMDC motor from a heavy duty treadmill. I installed it on my Jet 9X20 lathe and purchased a KB DC motor controller. I think that it cost $145 on E-Bay and I didn't have to go through the trials and tribulations that comes with attempting to get the treadmill controller to work. I also ordered some VERY cheap digital tachs and a combo volt/amp meter and hooked it up. The motor was labeled as a 2.25 hp unit but we all know that that is VERY optimistic. The motor was labeled at 90VDC and. The controller puts out right at 99 VDC and operates very happily on a 120 VDC outlet with a 15 Amp breaker. I have been thinking that I might get another 90 VDC motor and hook into my lathe wiring to use the same controller, simply using a cutout switch for the lathe power. Better than buying another KB controller! Sorry about the crappy photo.
 
ditto the above MC60 comment - just check for any MCxx controller, they're all much of a muchness. There are a few posts on here about installing them, I've got one in the Atlas section and I'm starting one for my drill press, although I'm stalled by another problem at the mo'. KB ones are supposed to be much nicer, but are also much more expensive :)

Get yourself a variable pot, a SPST 15A/110V switch and a fuse holder, stick it all in a metal box with the controller bolted to the wall and you're pretty much done. They're super simple things. If you have space on the shaft you can stick a 120mm fan inline or wire up something pointing at the casing. Check to see if the flywheel is still on it, that will work as a fan, although you have to make sure it rotates in the right direction as it's LH threaded.

Any Qs just ask!
 
all thanks, from what I saw, In will need a controller, a pot or something to vary the speed, and a transformer. or a KB controller. flywheel not still on it. Had planned on making an adapter to replace the current belt drive with one that is held in place almost like the flywheel would. I was thinking of a hi powered forced air fan from high powered server as a cooling fan.
it may take me a while to come up with everything. but I have a start.
 
Quick tip regarding the MC-60 controller. Don't know if it applies to other treadmill controllers ...
The board is designed to NOT restart the motor at the previously set speed when powered up (a safety feature for treadmills), and you have to turn the pot all the way down, then bring it up to the speed you want. Inconvenient.

But there's a way around it. Just put a SPST switch (simple on/off - low voltage switch is OK) in the wire that goes between the controller and the CENTER terminal of the pot. If you use this as your start/stop switch, you'll get back to the same speed without having to twiddle the dial when you restart. Of course, you'll also want to have a "master" power switch for the 110 volt supply.
 
hman said:
But there's a way around it. Just put a SPST switch (simple on/off - low voltage switch is OK) in the wire that goes between the controller and the CENTER terminal of the pot. If you use this as your start/stop switch, you'll get back to the same speed without having to twiddle the dial when you restart. Of course, you'll also want to have a "master" power switch for the 110 volt supply.
Click to expand...

you can also just desolder or cut one of the resistors on the board. It's the one attached to the center (wiper) leg of the pot, typically called R19 or RPS3. I've done it on the MC65 board I have and I'll be doing it on an MC40 board once I get everything wired up to make sure it works first :)

Ken - I used a nice 120mm PC fan, gutted the hub of the fan and made a new one to fit the shaft, then kludged the fan frame around it to direct the airflow. Then I just used a small spare 1/2in v-belt pulley with a set screw onto a flat I ground on the threaded part of the treadmill shaft. Hasn't had any problems keeping the motor cool, even running it down to 25-30% motor speed.
 
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