MC-60 PWM Controller Modifications

Mine is now connected to a Leeson dc motor running a little belt sander. At slow speed I can stop the motor quite easily by grasping the flywheel. With an MC 60 at about the same speed it is much more difficult to stall the motor. However, in this application, this control board is certainly adequate.
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My board will spin a motor, that’s good, so back in the box and put it on the shelf until needed.
 
I tried to objectively compare the new 800 - 1000 watt speed controller with a DC 51 and an MC 60. All will bring the motor up to the posted maximum rpm. At low speed, the MC 60 provides more torque than the 800 - 1000 watt control and much more than the DC 51 (at least this DC 51). As I have said earlier, they are not all the same.

For the belt sander, I ended up using the DC 51 as I can not imagine that very low speed grinding is something that I will be doing very much of.
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Q. "will this motor controller start where you left the speed at or do you have to start from 0 and got to a setting?"

A (my response). Where the soft start has not been disabled on MC-60 controllers, I defeat the soft start by throwing a drum switch (you could just a dpdt switch instead) between the controller output and the motor. Drum switch allows for reversal of direction and has three positions as follows: R-N-F. When I stop using the lathe in the forward or reverse direction, I stop the lathe by shifting it into "N". Then when I start again, I merely shift the drum switch into "F" or "R" without having a soft start wait.

Wow that's exactly what I'm trying to do.
I posted the following question on the forum but it sounds like you might be the one with the answer. I was concerned about having the speed controller reved up with no load from the motor on it and whether it would damage the speed controller.

MC-60 treadmill speed controller (controller needs a load ?)


Any help will be greatly appreciated. I have an MC-60 treadmill speed controller. I'm mounting the motor on a drill press. I put switch on the wipe terminal on the pot and added a reverse switch on the motor leads. I have it geared way down so that I can do some thread tapping. I'd like to have it start and stop immediately. I'm trying to eliminate the soft start and stop. Putting a switch from the board (red wire to the motor) gives me what I'm looking for but I am concerned about whether the board needs the load from the motor. Is it safe for the speed controller to run with a switch on the motor lead?
 
... I was concerned about having the speed controller reved up with no load from the motor on it and whether it would damage the speed controller.

MC-60 treadmill speed controller (controller needs a load ?)

I've been running an MC-60 for about 10 years on my drill press. I clipped one resistor on the circuit board so I don't have the "soft start" feature. I regularly reverse the motor at speed. Never had any trouble. Those MC-60 controllers are hard to destroy.

Here is a video I did back in 2010. youtube MC-60 drill press conversion

Matt
(By the way, I'm just down the road in Olympia now)
 
Matt -
I liked your video! What resistor did you clip? I've been running an MC-60 for a couple years now, and sincerely dislike the soft start/soft stop.
Thanks!
 
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