3520b owners/ long thread

[ROY DICK]

Concerning the unplugging of this lathe when not in use.
I spoke to Russell (sp) from tech. services, and Aundrea (via e-mail).(wmhtoolgroup.com)
they both said to unplug lathe from power supply when not in use.

I then looked at the warranty and it states "Not responsible" for accidents.
So is a power surge/lightning/sag an accident? I guess it could be.

I also asked why this was not put in the manual? Unfair question I guess, because they have no input into this document, but I still think it should be covered.

I then called the assistant electrical inspector for Dallas and told him what I knew.

This is only a suggestion, which I intend consider.

"Worst case senario". Unplug or install a 3 ploe single throw switch, or disconnect, or unplug when not in use.

Next question was so if I am turning and we have a surge what then?
I was told it would have to be a very high surge etc.

So i will drop back and punt , but will disconnect all conductors when I am not turning.

Sorry for the long thread, but I hope it helps to get thoughts going.
My best to all,

Roy

[Bernie Weishapl]

Roy I do the same and unplug my Nova DVR when I am not turning. Tim from Teknatool told me to put a surge suppressor on the lathe so if I am turning at the time and there is a brown out or surge that this will take care of the situation at the time. So I bought a fairly healthy surge suppressor for mine as per Tim's advice.

[Adolf Hendriks]

I would like to suggest that you can put a surge protector right into your breaker box and thus all your outlets are protected. Consult with an electrical person..

[ROY DICK]

Bernie and Adolf,

Understood, but how do you size for the surge protection, when an unknown voltage could hit?
This is what i don't understand.
I am not freaking out, but I would still like to know.:confused:
Thanks for your response tho.

Roy

[ROY DICK]

My point was,How come it is not listed in the warning in the manual, #11," " Do not expose this to rain, or operate machine in damp locations", or #28 "Do not stand on machine. Serious injury could occur if the machine tips over".
The folks at this site were very helpful tho.
I had no problem with them. just "THE LACK OF INFO IN THEIR MANUAL" that could be crucial. Thanks, Roy

[Jack Ganssle]

Why not use a surge protector? A lot come with warranties that will replace equipment damaged by a surge. I'd get out a microscope to read the warranty's fine print, though.

[Paul Engle]

He should have told you to add on a " line conditioner" to shake out the unwanted "fuzz and static" before it gets to the electronic side and an APC type voltage regulator to protect from brown outs and over voltages that can fry the electronics should you live in an area that is susceptable to these power fluctuations. I have one for the electronics on my DC motor 110v, as the board is 150$ and the VR is only 49$ on sale, it, the APC LE 1200 ( only avail in 110v )does filtering, surge protection and constant voltage supply, the LE 1200I is 220v but only good for 5.2 amps about the same price tho.I also use one 110v on my wifes 64 bit / 3m hz computer along with battery back up. I have no intrest in APC other than keeping my wife off my back in case the power company kills her computer or fries my lathe electronics. Ambient Weather ( Tripp Lite LC1200 )also makes one good for 1500 watts and provides stable computer grade 120v from 87v ac to 155 v ac. bout 100$, the LC 0493 1800 watt is 160$ or there abouts. The Furman is a llittle spendy at 650$ but will provide 15 amps at 120v from 97v to 135v, their 30 amp 220v is about 3500$ but could cover ALL the 220v in the shop.

[ROY DICK]

I agree with all that has been said to a point.
Should this have been layed out in the manual?
Manufactures instructions states nothing about this.
I just wanted for other owners/ or soon to be owners aware of this, and let each one make their own choices.

Roy

I will pull the plug on my lathe.....

[Paul Engle]

Roy,
my guess is, in the US power is pretty stable, hz wise and volt wise,filtering dirty power / constant voltage is not as much of a problem here as in other countries where it can get pretty spoty. Most electronic mfgr only concern them selves with surge in case of lightning attacks , you dont see the filtering and or constant vlt a problem untill you get into hvy industry where filtering increases life of motors( usually built in to VFD's,control panels, busses etc) and electronics that run them or retro fitting big units in hvy power usage grids for constant supply( like battery ). If there was no lightning strikes my guess is we would not see this surge recommendation as much on our E stuff either.If TV's were blowing out a lot , the power company would get told by the FED to clean it up ......me thinks.back in the 50's tv stations and radio station were required to give ID check on the half hour and hour. the HZ varied so much from grid to grid the FCC demanded the engery dudes get it corrected to even out the clocks so the tv / radio station could get the ID's done within the 10 minute period allowed ( 5 before to 5 minutes after the half / hour).So they came up with a way to allow the hz to vairy by so much ( more like they didn't have the technology to keep it constant) one hour then just the oppsite the next hr so the clock might slow down one hr and speed up the next and come out correct 50% of the time . Now the technology has changed and power generation has gotten a lot better here in the US ,that it is not a concern any more.Some day we can stick a rod in the sky and get all the juice we can use for free.....via Tesla

[Hilel Salomon]

The problem with surge protecting the pm is that it is wired for 220V and unless you are very handy with electrical stuff, that it hard to do. None of the simple surge protectors come in the 220V variety. My Nova DVR,(wired for 110) requires one in the manual, and-as with Bernie- I use it and am glad that I did. Up in the mountains we get lots of brownouts and surges. Incidentally, I still unplug it when not in use. As for my PM here in Columbia, I try not to use any machine when there is lightning afoot, but I would still like to use a surge protector.
Regards, Hilel.

[Jim Becker]

I leave my Stubby unplugged the majority of the time to help keep the VFD safe from surges, etc. A simple switch will not protect you from a "real" spike...it will often jump contacts that are relatively close. Unplugging puts a much larger air gap between the machine and the power!