dvr lathes??

[ed hoxter]

how's the new dvr lathes holding up for you lucky people who have one ??? ed hoxter

[Russell Stanton]

Assume you are talking about the Jet machine.

I have a Nova DVR that I've had no problems with and it is 5 years old

[Allan Dozier]

If that applies to my Robust Sweet Sixteen then both thumbs up. The control will from high speed to barely turning. It has held up fine for the 4 years I have had it. You can even have it turning at high speed in one direction, turn the knob for opposite direction, and it will slow down and then start turning in the opposite direction on its own.

[Doug Rasmussen]

If that applies to my Robust Sweet Sixteen then both thumbs up. The control will from high speed to barely turning. It has held up fine for the 4 years I have had it. You can even have it turning at high speed in one direction, turn the knob for opposite direction, and it will slow down and then start turning in the opposite direction on its own.

Allan, I have no experience with DVR, by barely turning do you mean still having enough torque to apply pressure for coarse sanding? It's common in industrial machinery to have barely turning with high torque in servo and flux vector drive systems. I don't recall seeing any mention of DVR in industrial drive systems (but that doesn't mean they aren't being used, only that I'm not aware of them if they are).

[ELY WALTON]

If that applies to my Robust Sweet Sixteen then both thumbs up. The control will from high speed to barely turning. It has held up fine for the 4 years I have had it. You can even have it turning at high speed in one direction, turn the knob for opposite direction, and it will slow down and then start turning in the opposite direction on its own.

The Robust Web site specifies an inverter speed control, which is not DVR. The common inverter-based speed controls convert to frequency-agile three-phase power for the motor, which is not DVR technology. Most of the inverters are sourced from Delta Electronics, Inc. (not the Delta power tools).

I have never used a DVR, but steered clear in part because the motor and supporting electronics are exclusive to Striatech, a subsidiary of Technatools (Nova). With inverters, the three-phase motors are available from multiple sources as are the inverters. Also, my Delta S-1 inverter provides great control and power with my 2HP motor -- no need to change. What's more, I do not care for all the oil-can button pushing needed with some DVR implementations like the Nova Galaxi.

But -- all just an opinion, of course... we all have 'em. Regardless, be safe and have fun turning with today's quiet, variable-speed lathes!

73 Ely

[Richard Dooling]

I've had my Nova DVR XP for about 4 years but it has not seen heavy use. It has been reliable and the only problem I had with it seems to have been with me inadvertently changing some of the parameter settings. Nova tech support did a great job getting it straightened out.

Some balk at the push button speed control but while I'd like a dial I don't mind it much.

[Ralph Lindberg]

I've had my Nova DVR XP for about 4 years but it has not seen heavy use. It has been reliable and the only problem I had with it seems to have been with me inadvertently changing some of the parameter settings. Nova tech support did a great job getting it straightened out.

Some balk at the push button speed control but while I'd like a dial I don't mind it much.

You can upgrade the DVR to the new control head that has a "knob" (optical encoder), mine would also require a new mother board....

[Ralph Lindberg]

how's the new dvr lathes holding up for you lucky people who have one ??? ed hoxter


The Galaxi? I haven't seen but one or two people even mentioning it, even on my Yahoo or Facebook groups for teknatool products.

[Richard Dooling]

You can upgrade the DVR to the new control head that has a "knob" (optical encoder)....

Thanks Ralph! I had not seen this.

Looks like my DVR is fully compatible. What a great upgrade for $150. It even includes a braking function.

For anyone else interested:

http://www.novatoolsusa.com/NOVA-DVR-XP-Upgrade-Panel-Kit-55523.htm (http://www.novatoolsusa.com/NOVA-DVR-XP-Upgrade-Panel-Kit-55523.htm)

[Clint Baxter]

Thanks Ralph! I had not seen this.

Looks like my DVR is fully compatible. What a great upgrade for $150. It even includes a braking function.

For anyone else interested:

http://www.novatoolsusa.com/NOVA-DVR-XP-Upgrade-Panel-Kit-55523.htm (http://www.novatoolsusa.com/NOVA-DVR-XP-Upgrade-Panel-Kit-55523.htm)

Not all DVR lathes are upgradeable to this board. And some can be upgraded, as was mine, but not have braking capability after the upgrade.

I got the upgrade and installed it and think it is worth the cost. I also added the remote control which can be used with the new upgraded panel. I have run into a few issues since I upgraded, but am currently talking to Teknetool Support in an effort to resolve the issue. I will wait till after I've finished with them before posting of the issues, or whatever resolution we come to.

The five additional preset speeds make it much more convenient to jump to a more appropriate speed than holding the Up/Down arrows.

The knob does run the speed up and down, but not necessarily a lot faster than holding the arrow keys. Essentially, it seems to be sending a signal to the control circuit to increase or decrease speed, just as the arrow Up/Down keys do. I find that I don't use the know nearly as much as I expected to due to this slow response.

The remote control works fine and provides the option to Start, Stop and Change Speed. I haven't used it much either, but that is more a result of the pen turning I've been doing lately. If I were doing more larger works, I might be using it more. Time will tell.

Clint

[Richard Dooling]

Hi Clint,

I look forward to reading what issues you are having and how Nova addresses them.

I'm a little disappointed with your description of the speed dial. It sounds to be more of a fine tuning option rather than a general speed controller. Possibly a future software update? I also wish they had included a quick shut off button but that's easy enough add with a paddle switch. Still, I think the overall upgrade looks good and this leaves me with a spare controller if anything develops a fault.

I have the old remote and keep it attached to the bed near the tailstock. I've used it a couple of times when the work was knocked out of balance and I didn't want to reach across the line of fire. I find it more useful when I've rotated the head and it's awkward to reach around to buttons.

[Thomas Heck]

I have a dvr upgrade on my 1624-44. It works great. When I am turning a big piece, it makes an odd sound when under a heavy load. It doesn't sounds like something is wrong, but it still works fine. Anyone else have this problem.

[Allan Ferguson]

I believe that when it starts growling , you have maxed it' power out put.

[Thomas Heck]

Thanks Allan. I just started noticing this, it hadn't been doing it before.

[Clint Baxter]

After working with Teknatool support, I have a fully functioning "upgraded" control panel complete with remote control. I have a somewhat older DVR XP, so i don't have the electronic braking capability. I had an issue with the lathe slowing down by itself, especially if anything came near the control panel. For example, if I was making a cut on the lathe and I leaned up tight to the headstock and control panel, you could hear it stepping down the speed, even if I weren't pushing any of the control panel buttons. It would also slow even if nothing approached the control panel, but not as much, or as quickly. I got into the habit of moving away from the headstock when I would hear the speed change, and would regularly bump the speed back up to my desired setting on a regular basis in the course of turning an item.

Teknatool was great. They gave me a couple things to look for, and to try, as we troubleshot the issue. I was unable to update my firmware on my existing control panel, so they 2nd day shipped me a new upgrade panel. They also offered to provide me the remote control for the inconvenience caused by the issue. I told them that I already had purchased the remote so I didn't need another one. :) The support technician contacted me to inform me that they verified the firmware update was completed on the new panel they were sending me and they personally checked it for operation prior to sending it out. He also asked if there was a set of chuck jaws I would like to have, seeing as how I didn't need the remote control they had offered. I had been considering getting a set of the pen jaws for a chuck, so asked about them. Two days later, the UPS man drops off my new control panel and chuck jaws.

As I said earlier, everything appears to be functioning correctly now. A satisfied customer of Teknatool. (Now if I can just add one of their drill presses to my arsenal.)

In regards to the speed dial. You pretty much hit it on the head when you said "fine tuning option". I use it at times, but tend to use the preset speeds the most. The five separate buttons give you ten different speeds, based on whether you push the button once or twice. The options there work for most of what I've been turning of recent. I could see the speed dial being used more when I have a larger, out of balance blank on the lathe and I'm trying to maximize my speed without the lathe walking across the shop.

Clint

[ELY WALTON]

[...]

Teknatool was great. [...] They also offered to provide me the remote control for the inconvenience caused by the issue. [...] they personally checked it for operation prior to sending it out. He also asked if there was a set of chuck jaws I would like to have, seeing as how I didn't need the remote control they had offered. I had been considering getting a set of the pen jaws for a chuck, so asked about them. Two days later, the UPS man drops off my new control panel and chuck jaws.Clint

Wow! Thanks for passing along a good customer service experience! I am no longer in the market for a lathe, but am sure Nova has something I will need in the future!!!

Ely

[Richard Dooling]

Thanks for the update Clint.

Glad to hear your issue was resolved. I also had a very positive experience with Teknatool techs troubleshooting for me.

I like the DVR XP a lot and this looks like an upgrade I'll be getting.