I think my Rong Fu mill's original motor is about to die?

Haven't had the issue since then. Good idea on checking the amp draw...I have it on a dedicated line I ran into a 20 AMP breaker and wire sized accordingly. However, I do run the CNC computer, motors and controls off the same line. I'll plug in the Kill-A-Watt and see what it says.

The date on the motor says 1993 so may be after 26yrs (only 2yrs in my ownership lol) it's ready to retire.
 
Could consider getting a large treadmill motor. That way it is 120 volts and just turn the knob for speed. Put on a tachometer.
 
stioc said:
The date on the motor says 1993 so may be after 26yrs (only 2yrs in my ownership lol) it's ready to retire.
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I am not an electrician, but...

electric motors just run. Until the magic smoke gets out. Or maybe a bearing goes bad which often ends with the same magic smoke problem.

I would carefully check the wiring. A connection may be loose due to years of vibration. A wire may be abraded and is just starting to short, etc. With the belts off, make sure the motor spins freely and doesn't feel crunchy.

Craig
 
stioc said:
The date on the motor says 1993 so may be after 26yrs (only 2yrs in my ownership lol) it's ready to retire.
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Uh-oh, my identical motor was made in 1997... I am going to go put a reminder in my calendar to order caps in August 2023.
 
I've never worked on this mill but a motor is a motor and I agree with the capacitors idea, they're cheap & easy.
If you have to pull it off & go much deeper I'd at least replace the motor bearings, not as cheap as the caps but, it'll buy time while you round up all the parts you need for the conversion to VFD.
And if it's down you'll be absolutely amazed how much you take it for granted and how much you just go do something quick, I was lost when my lathe was down. You'll have to work quick to avoid withdrawal!
 
By the time you tear into that Asian motor for an overhaul, you may as well get a new 3-phase motor with the same NEMA mount (it's a common one) and run it from a VFD. The mill really needs it, those RF belt changes are a pain in the tailstock. I was going to do that with mine, but with that Lagun on my shop floor I don't think I'll be putting any more effort into my (highly polished) little Rong Fu.
 
Agreed, can't afford the machines to be down but I'm swimming in too many half done garage projects already...I need to clone myself or set everything on fire and start over :chemist:
 
While waiting to start on finishing my building, I've been going through my work benches and closing out unfinished projects. I've been at it for weeks and still have little odds and ends to finish. It's fun to rediscover things, but I can't seem to remember all of the details of what I was doing... At least all of my mills and drills are sharp.
 
pontiac428 said:
Uh-oh, my identical motor was made in 1997... I am going to go put a reminder in my calendar to order caps in August 2023.
Click to expand...
There's little or no warning before they die and you know they're going to die right in the middle of a project on Saturday afternoon on a holiday weekend when you can't get parts!
You can probably get a set for under $10 & swap them out before you actually need them.
 
So do I have to open the motor up to find the part no info on these caps or are they well known for these motors that someone can point me to?
 
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