Now my MM16 has died :-(

[Rob Littleton]

Who was the guy that posted about the Min Max switch dying and what was the outcome.?

I was using mine tonight and after hitting the pedal to stop the blade (as I always do), I go to re-use the saw and the power button is pushed in and wont turn on :-(. After several checks all around the machine, including flicking the foot pedal a couple o'times, still the switch aint popped back out. Killed the breaker and reset them, it is still stuck in :-(......

Any pointers?

cheers (one bummed limey)

[Roy Wall]

THis one..............

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=30647&highlight=MM16


I think???


THey sent a new switch........part # is towards the end I believe...CHeck your switch part #.......

[Cecil Arnold]

Rob, you might want to carefully open the bottom door and manually hold the micro switch in while trying to turn it on. If the foot break and switch have gotten out of adjustment this over ride will let it start. I know it's dumb to ask, but did you check the red off switch to be sure it is out? If that dosen't work, call MM and ask them what's become of their saws.

[Barry O'Mahony]

Maybe they're like Italian cars ... you need to establish a good relationship with a local mechanic. ;)

FIAT = Fix It Again Tony; what does Min-Max stand for?

[John Michael]

The first thing I did with my SCMI 24 (Centauro SP600), Centauro also makes the Mini-Max w/ a few different specs, is remove the magnetic switches and wire up an ABB Drive w/ DC injection. No need for the pedal brake, and no problems with idiot switches, it's all electronic protection w/ auto resetting, and you since you can set the accel/decel time you don't have deal w/ mag switches.

As far as door/pedal switches, you should bypass them, unless you really expect to turn it on with the doors open, drives allow analog inputs for emergency stops if you really need one.

Just a thought

-John

[David Less]

Hi Rob,

Your problem is probably a bad main contactor switch. I'm on my second one and this one burned the middle contact out already. To resolve the issue I moved the middle leg (110v) over to the right contact after removing the bogus black jumper. Rob from MM wasn't much help other than saying I may have too much voltage comming in from my power source and to call an electrician. The switch is a very poor design, it uses a coil (220v) to move a small tab which mechanically kicks in the main contacts. I'd measure your incoming power (220-240 volts) with a digital volt meter, mine is actually 242 v. Then call Rob and tell him to send out a new switch after you tell him your exact voltage (which I'm sure is ok).

P.S. While your on the phone have Rob send me out another switch (still under warranty).

I think the long term fix would be to replace the switch with a Allen Bradly or Culter Hammer type of contactor. This will require some work to make it fit and look stock on the machine. Boy I'm getting tired of redesigning all of my woodworking machinery deficiencies.


Hope this helps,

David

[Doug Shepard]

Who was the guy that posted about the Min Max switch dying and what was the outcome.?
...

Yup - That was me, and Roy's reply has the link back to my thread. I'm pretty much still at the same point as the last posting I did on that thread. The new switch works MOST of the time now. Going to try another suggestion from MM this weekend to see if that solves the cases where it still wont turn on.
I don't tend to use the footbrake much, but the red palm switch. I would try the suggestions from others first regarding checking the door and brake micro switches. The problem with my first switch appears to have been primarily mechanical vs electric but may have been a bit of both. If your switch button is jammed in, I would suspect a possible mechanical problem with yours as well. You can get at the mechanisms to check for something hanging up and put a bit of WD40 on it. Pull the switch plate cover off and switch box out of the saw. Gently pull the white cover off the switch then pull the coil out (the black piece with 2 black wires going thru the white cover). You should be able to then get to the mechanical portions of the switch.
Maybe we should talk to the SMC moderators and have a separate forum section set up: "Minimax Electronics"? This seems to be developing into a common topic.

[Jay T. Marlin]

Maybe they're like Italian cars ... you need to establish a good relationship with a local mechanic. ;)

FIAT = Fix It Again Tony; what does Min-Max stand for?

Mini-Max = Minimum Duty Cycle, Maximum Hype/Price

I've heard countless stories of these machines having electrical problems. I'll stick with my bridgewood. Thanks.

[Rob Littleton]

Thanks all for your suggestions. I'll get around to looking at it this weekend.

I must point out that up until this point, I have been nothing but happy with this saw. It is certainly a workhorse and I aint gonna let this leave a sour taste in my mouth about Min Max.

I'm sure they will take care of the problem and I will update this thread as I get progress.

Thanks again.

regards

[tod evans]

6-minimax machines and 2-scmi machines = 0 electrical/mechanical problems....02 tod

[Steven Wilson]

Ahh the good old AEG switch problem on the Centauro saws. At least the electricals on the Minimax built equipment are good. My MM20 was shipped with a bum switch. At least it's easy to replace. A Square D, ABB, or other readily available mag starter can work if you mount it on the back and then install a remote start/stop switch in place of the AEG switch currently installed. Mounting a real switch on the back will also make it easier to run the door wires into the new switch (if you want the cutout feature). I have plans for this somewhere that I made a few years ago when my saw was having switch issues but I never did implement it since my new switch hasn't misbehaved.

[Rob Littleton]

well, it seems after a little jiggery pokery (not easy for a bloke with big hands in that little space), I may have freed up my locked down switch.

Plenty of air and WD40 and voila!!!! It seems like it is still catching as I push the switch in. I think I'm gonna send a request to MM for a new switch.

Thanks y'all for your input.

[Doug Shepard]

Glad you got it working. So far this weekend mine has turned on every time I've tried it. Not sure what that intermittent problem was on mine after replacing the switch last weekend. Maybe when they get tired of sending out all these replacement switches, they'll come up with a better electronics design.

[Butch Spears]

I sure hope so Because my mm16 will arrive austin Tx Mon or Tues . Hopefully I can pick it up next Sunday. Butch

[Bill Aquino]

Hello
Not sure what motor is on your Minimax, but i have a Laguna 16, an older model made by Meber with an Italian motor. The motor had an aluminum case with cooling fins running the length of the motor. Looked like it was designed to throw off some heat.

My motor seemed to run very warm, something I had heard about these saws. I put an amp clamp on the saw and measured over 13 amps draw, without a load on it, or about 3000 watts.

The motor was only rated to draw 10 amps, yet it was drawing more than that without a load. I pulled the motor apart and it looked real clean inside, nothing burned. I was looking for a stuck centrifugal switch and was surprised there wasn't one. There was a capacitor, but it was a run capacitor, not a start capacitor. I swapped the cap with another, which didn't make much difference.

The mag starter on this saw wasn't a true mag starter either, there was no overload relay. The contactor was rather small too, I think it had a 9 amp rating. The internal wiring of the saw was also undersized by current stadards.

I ultimately replaced the Italian motor with a 2Hp American motor, the new motor draws 3 to 4 amps typically.

My suggestion here is that if you have access to an AC ammeter, measure the run current of the saw. Frequent switch failures may be due to excessive current draw, and not the design of the switch.

Im not real impressed with Italian electrical design either.