Logan 820 Electrical Issue

CDBEAM

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Hello All,

Well, I got around to changing the 110V cord on my Logan 820. I did this primarily because the cord had NO ground pin on the plug.

I opened up the Motor access plate, and found that the original cord had only two (2) wires, White and Black. My new cord has a Ground wire ( Green). I checked and found no place to secure the ( Green) Ground wire inside the pocket, so I put a spade connector on my Green cord wire and connected to the motor access plate bolt.

I attached the White to White (Load) and Black to Black (Hot). Then, plugged the lathe back in, and threw the F/R Drum Switch. Well, to my surprise, I blew the breaker and tripped the GFI which supplies all the outlets in my shop. Hmmmm?

Next I unplugged the machine and reset the breaker. I disconnected the spade connector, plugged the Lathe back in, and the Lathe ran fine, as it did before, with NO ground wire connected. I am sure this machine, as any machine needs a ground connector for safe operations

I must note that something is wired incorrectly in the Drum Switch, for Forward = Reverse, and Reverse = Forward. That was going to be fixed next.

My Industrial Electrician neighbor will be down tomorrow nite. He thinks there may be an issue with the Drum Switch wiring. We will investigate. See attached pics of the Drum Switch and Motor I. D. Plate.

Thoughts ?? I sure hope I do NOT need a new motor !

Thanx, CDBEAM
 

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  • Logan 820 Drum Switch.jpg
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Better Motor Name Plate ID pic; Westinghouse/Type FJ/ 1PHS AC. Will start searching for wire schematic for this motor and switch. I believe this is the original Motor and Drum Switch. CDBEAM

Note: Just remembered there is a wire schematic in my manual. Will supply that to my Electrician.
 

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  • Logan 820 Westinghouse Motor.jpg
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Is it on a GFCI protected breaker? I know that code requires them in every bathroom and in a lot of cases on new builds and remodels they just use GFCI breakers for everything because someone once wrote that GFCI would prevent fire and electrocution hazards which represent 2% of home fires and the .00001 chance you will be electrocuted in your lifetime by household current.

Anyway, GFCI breakers sometimes pop when the ground is used on older motors which did not have them originally.
 
Swapping the black and white conductors at the motor will verify whether you have a ground on the machine. I don't like GFCI's on anything that has a large motor. They leak. New or with age, they WILL leak enough eventually. A GFCI "looks" for any difference between Line and Neutral load. If it "sees" any, it trips. Best bet is disabling/removing the breaker. If any likely moisture such as a sink,etc, is nearby, perhaps running a non-GFC circuit for the machine will help.

I would defer to the electrician on site on this. If you weren't zapped when you touch the machine, it probably doesn't leak much. I have seen old appliances such as refrigerators that gave a tingle when touched. Rolling the plug would relieve the problem.

.
 
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Well, Thanx for the reply, ALL the receptacles in my garage/shop are on a single GFI . I could replace the GFI with a standard unit. BUT, the breaker in the Main Distribution panel ALSO tripped, along with the GFI. Something is not right. I have not felt any leakage....BUT...when I tried to ground the unit with the motor running., I noted a healthy spark jumped from spade connector to a ground point, then GFI and Breaker tripped (instantly). I would NOT want to be part of this circuit ! My Electrician is stopping over tonight. I will report back. CDBEAM
 
Your motor case is hot, don't use it until you find the cause- it's a shock hazard
Use a meter to test for leakage
mark
 
THANX !! I will not use !! When I attached the new cord ( With Green, White and Black leads) I assumed that motor leads inside the pocket were connected correctly. The motor leads were NOT color coded. I just hooked up the new cord the way the old cord was connected. Perhaps the wires were reversed ? Likely NOT that simple ???? I am very challenged regarding electrical issues. My Electrician will be involved. Meanwhile, worse case scenario, I have located a 3/4 1725 RPM Baldor replacement motor, local, at a good price. I can machine a base plate adapter if need be. The adventure continues.
CDBEAM
 
No Luck....Before my Electrician neighbor arrived, I decided to try the simple procedure, and exchanged the White and Black leads. Well, that just made the GFI trip just when I plugged the Lathe in. SO, no simple solution. If the motor case is " Hot ", I assume that means there is some leakage between the windings and ground. Sounds like a new Motor to me. Crap ! CDBEAM
 
No Luck....Before my Electrician neighbor arrived, I decided to try the simple procedure, and exchanged the White and Black leads. Well, that just made the GFI trip just when I plugged the Lathe in. SO, no simple solution. If the motor case is " Hot ", I assume that means there is some leakage between the windings and ground. Sounds like a new Motor to me. Crap ! CDBEAM
Don't jump to conclusions and give up just yet. If this lathe has been sitting around for awhile there's no telling what crawled into that motor or maybe some other crap got into that motor somehow causing just enough leakage to pop the breaker. Wires get old and crack and metal fatigues and breaks so dont give up hope on it being an easy fix just yet....at least not till you see whats in there!
 
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