Unplug your electronic lathe??

[Adrian Anguiano]

I have a Powermatic 3520 with the Delta 3phase to Single Phase Convertor on the back of the lathe, that lets the lathe have variable speed at the turn of a knob. I noticed that when I turn the lathe off the display on the Delta box is still on.

So the question is, do you unplug your lathe after use? Its not storm season currently, but should i be concerned of surges on this 240v machine?

What's your thoughts?

PS: Its always funny to see Delta on a Powermatic Lathe :)

[Dan Hintz]

If storm surges are ever a concern, you should unplug everything you care about, whether or not it shows signs of being 'on'.

As a point of reference, I leave most stuff plugged in for "simple" storms... but when the big ones roll in, I unplug the stuff I care about (lasers, PCs, shop equipment, entertainment equipment, etc.).

[Steve Busey]

I physically unplug the lathe; shut off the shop electrical subpanel for the rest.

The idea behind unplugging the lathe is the sensitivity to surges that folks have reported, and that surges can even come through a ground line. Not so concerned about a surge on my table saw during a storm when I'm away, for instance, because it has no "always on" electronic state.

[Steve Schlumpf]

I always unplug my lathes because you just never know what could cause an outage and damage the equipment. In addition to lightning, summer months you could experience brown outs due to high energy demands, winds can cause trees to take out power lines and then there always seems to be someone who drives into a power pole! If your lathe it unplugged, you don't have to worry about any of that stuff and I just found it was a very good habit to get into.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

The reason your "RPM" leds remain lit is because power is still applied to your VFD even with the "OFF" button on the control panel of the PM3520B activated.

I unplug my PM3520B at the end of the day when I am turning.

Being retired I travel a lot and I unplug everything in my shop when I am leaving town for a trip.

[Adrian Anguiano]

okay ill start unplugging it.

Im not concerned about any tool without electronics... Its more likely id get struck with lightning then one of those dying. :)

[Mike Goetzke]

The reason your "RPM" leds remain lit is because power is still applied to your VFD even with the "OFF" button on the control panel of the PM3520B activated.

I unplug my PM3520B at the end of the day when I am turning.

Being retired I travel a lot and I unplug everything in my shop when I am leaving town for a trip.

I find on my 3520B even if I unplug it the VFD still seems to have power for a couple of seconds (maybe internal capacitor?).

[Greg McClurg]

I installed a switch to an outlet box that my 3520b is plugged into. I turn this switch off when I am done turning which saves me from having to unplug the lathe due to limited accessability to the outlet.

Is this sufficient, or do you really need to unplug the lathe?

Greg

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I find on my 3520B even if I unplug it the VFD still seems to have power for a couple of seconds (maybe internal capacitor?).

Mike,

That's it.

[Michael Stafford]

I unplug every tool in the shop when I leave. My lathe stays unplugged until I mount something on it.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

I am probably in the minority but I've never unplugged anything in my shop. About 30 years ago lightening fried a TV set in the house. Two others were unaffected. Probably, since I now publicly stated my willingness to take a chance leaving my electronics plugged in, I'll surely get zapped. I also believe where you live has a lot to do with your chances of being affected by a damaging power surge or lightning strike. I'm sure if I lived in the Midwest I would be more concerned.
faust

[Josh Bowman]

Adrian, it depends on where you live and your power system. I have had lightning take out many of my electronics. Amazingly just under my insurance deductible. But I also don't like to bend over and unplug things, so I simply have my 220 volt going through a 3 phase disconnect box. That way I disconnect every possible wire from the grid.

[Dick Latshaw]

I unplug every tool in the shop when I leave. My lathe stays unplugged until I mount something on it.

I'm with Mike on this one. Of course, down here in the lightening capital of the universe:mad:, you can count on lightening strikes/power surges every afternoon from June through September.

[Ralph Lindberg]

OK
So you protected your electronic lathe, how about your big-screen TV, your computer, your MP3-player, your wife's fancy electronic sewing machine (see story below), your......
What about when you are not home? Do you unplug everything in the house before you go anywhere?

How about doing something more, ah proactive
Go to your local electrical supply store/big-box store/etc and get a panel mounted surge arrestor. These can either be built into a "breaker" or as a sub-panel that then connects to the main panel.

I did this 20 years ago affter we had a massive power-surge (as in light-blubs blew up). Before that, even with the power-strip surge arrestors we lost something about once a year.

We haven't lost a single item to surges since, not once.

story: One of the guys in the local club had a "deal" with his wife, he could buy all the tools he needed for his shop, and she could buy a computer controlled over-arm quilting (sewing) machine. After he had the shop (including his electronic lathe) she called to say that the local sewing shop had the machine she wanted, used and the great condition.... So he said "buy it". Well, even used it cost more then his entire shop!

I still plug the TV, etc into power-strip arrestors, just cause.

[Richard Jones]

I have a switch on the wall. No power when I'm not turning.

[Rich Aldrich]

Absolutely. We have terrible power sags here. I have seen lots of issues with eletronics in industrial settings and take no chances.

[Duane Meadows]

Do you think that the 1/4"(if your lucky.. 1/4") gap in a power switch will stop a lightning bolt that can jump all the way from the clouds to the ground? If it's electronic and you care about it, I'd unplug it!

I used to(before I retired) make a lot of money from people who assumed otherwise!

[ray hampton]

Do you think that the 1/4"(if your lucky.. 1/4") gap in a power switch will stop a lightning bolt that can jump all the way from the clouds to the ground? If it's electronic and you care about it, I'd unplug it!

I used to(before I retired) make a lot of money from people who assumed otherwise!

take your switch and connect it between your spark plug and the spark wire and see if it will spark

[Eric Holmquist]

I have a surge arrestor installed into the breaker panel as well, but I am in a pretty mild area storm wise. In 35 years in my current home, I have never had any electronics fail, I've had the knobs break off after a decade of use but never the basic electronics

[Dan Hintz]

take your switch and connect it between your spark plug and the spark wire and see if it will spark

??????????

[Richard Jones]

Do you think that the 1/4"(if your lucky.. 1/4") gap in a power switch will stop a lightning bolt that can jump all the way from the clouds to the ground? If it's electronic and you care about it, I'd unplug it!

I used to(before I retired) make a lot of money from people who assumed otherwise!

So, given that logic, when I unplug the cord, how far should I place the cord plug from the receptacle? 1 foot? 2 feet? 2 miles? 3? I've seen some strange lightning strikes in my job, and they don't have to involve wiring. It's not very discriminating.

And I'm sure you didn't mean to sound so condescending.

[J.D.Redwine]

It's probably a good idea to roll up and bag the cord to avoid getting tangled up in it and stretched out cord could be like an antenna for stray electromagnetic pulses.

[John Lifer]

Had a lightning strike a few years ago in MS. Hit a string of Christmas lights strung along roofline. Blew up 2ft of rafter, ran along string about the roof for 60ft or so, jumped three ft to my telephone line and down to computer and phones. It can jump farther than you think.

[Dan Hintz]

It can jump farther than you think.

As I've said before... it traveled several miles through open air to reach the ground. Ain't nothing special about the air in a switch.

[Jim Underwood]

2 feet of distance will keep most of the stray electricity at bay. If it will jump from your wiring to your lathe cord, then you're going to have a lot more trouble than a fried lathe....

And I bet you've guessed I unplug mine.

[Hilel Salomon]

I use surge protectors for all my computers, tv's etc., and I unplug all my shop equipment when I'm gone for any length of time. The lathe is always unplugged and the cord is over two feet away when not in use. Keep in mind that many appliances which are plugged in but not turned on continue to use electricity. Some people advocate unplugging microwaves, toaster-ovens etc., particularly in areas where utilities are expensive. These actions only take a few seconds.

[Adrian Anguiano]

Yes I have surge protectors on all my computer related equipment, television and media equipment. Had to many modems fry back in the day, always used them since. Havent had an issue, but granted equipment has become more stable.

[David Reed]

Lightning is a mysterious phenomenon. Being a sailer, I am very aware what lightning can do. Most importantly, it is absolutely unpredictable. I know of boaters who have had direct masthead strikes with surprisingly little damage and others a mile distant from a strike losing nearly all their electronics aboard. Tough to really protect against lightning.
Power surges unrelated to lightning are another matter entirely. I wired a switch into the receptacle for my lathe and added an electronic filter inside the box to control the interference the VFD imparts to the remainder of our home. May not protect from all power surges so I unplug it when I leave for extended times.
Re the ubiquitous surge protectors out there, I have heard from fire-persons that they frequently fail and are a common source of home fires. I had one suffer a major meltdown, frying the internal components with no load, no power surge and fortunately no fire. Metal encased surge protectors are highly recommended and I only use those which offer 'insurance' by the manufacturer. They cost a bit more, sometimes a lot, but I too have had surges frying some lamps and they have preserved my sensitive equipment.
just sayin'

[Bill Wyko]

My Powermaic 4224 has a fan that stays on all the time in addition to the display. Personally, I just shut off the breaker.