New Member's Rong Fu RF31 runs hot

[CannonFodder]

Hi Everyone,
I am enjoying setting up and testing my new RF31. I am very happy with the rigidity and good cuts. But the big cast iron motor is too hot to touch.

Is this normal? I was not making heavy cuts, and not for an extended amount of time.
The mill/drill was supposedly delivered 230v, 1 phase; and it's plugged into the same outlet that my 230v, 1 phase lathe has been on for 20 years.

What do you guys think? I am not trained in electrical matters.

CannonFodder

 

[xman_charl]

Should not be that hot. Pull the motor. Let it run on a workbench, see if it still gets hot.

Motor should be just warm to the touch, when milling.

Charl

 

[JimDawson]

I would confirm that it is actually correctly wired for 230V. Maybe somebody in the factory was having a bad hair day. Because it's new, you should have pretty good documentation.

 

[Hawkeye]

Jim may be on the right track. A 230 volt motor is most likely a 115/230. If it's connected for 115 volts, it will run hot.

There should be a connection diagram on the motor, either on the main label or on the inside of the junction box cover. If you don't feel comfortable comparing drawing with reality, find a licensed electrician.

 

[Rbeckett]

I knew that the fellows who own them would be able to point you in the right direction!!!!

Bob

 

[Travis7s]

Disconnect the belt and see if the motor turns nicely by hand. If something is out of alignment and causing a lot of friction this can make it run hot. If it seems smooth and still heats up when running at no load then I agree with the others, it is a wiring problem or just a faulty motor.

 

[CannonFodder]

Should not be that hot. Pull the motor. Let it run on a workbench, see if it still gets hot.

Motor should be just warm to the touch, when milling.

Charl

Thanks Charl. I didn't actually pull it off and put it on the bench, but I did take the belt off and just let it run free. From room temperature, it was too hot to put your hand on within 4 or 5 minutes.

I left a similar note with Enco just now, we'll see what they want to do about it.

Bob

 

[CannonFodder]

Disconnect the belt and see if the motor turns nicely by hand. If something is out of alignment and causing a lot of friction this can make it run hot. If it seems smooth and still heats up when running at no load then I agree with the others, it is a wiring problem or just a faulty motor.

Thanks Travis, the motor spins very smoothly. It takes a long time for it too spin down after turning it off if there are no belts on it. I'm still working on the wiring part. :think1:

Bob

 

[CannonFodder]

Jim may be on the right track. A 230 volt motor is most likely a 115/230. If it's connected for 115 volts, it will run hot.

There should be a connection diagram on the motor, either on the main label or on the inside of the junction box cover. If you don't feel comfortable comparing drawing with reality, find a licensed electrician.

Thanks Hawkeye. I thought I was on the right track, but I soon ran out of gas.
First, the wiring as it came was not like either the 115v or the 230v diagram inside the junction box.



So, I changed the wiring to match the diagram, I thought we had a winner. But now it didn't run at all in the forward direction and made a pleasing hum in the reverse direction.

The Owner's Manual proved my incompetence further. There are two different diagrams for 1-phase 230-volt. The only difference I could see was that one had a 150 MFD, 230v capacitor and the other had a 300 MFD, 230v. I looked at my capacitor and it was 400MFD, 115v. But this proved to be a moot point because these diagrams don't use the 6 post arrangement that the inside cover did, and that was the end of my ability.




Sorry to say, this is about as far as I can normally get with electrical things.
I have put in a note to Enco and just told them that it runs very hot. I'll see what they have to offer.

Thanks,

Bob

 

[eded59]

I believe this is what you have, if you look at the 230 volt drawing you see one end of the start winding connected at the series connection of the two run windings, that's why the cap is 115V either way. normally you swap 2 and 4 to reverse direction. so by checking continuity you should be able to find the two run windings, and the start winding coming off the cap...
BUT this being ChiNees i could be totally wrong, a meter should tell...