Laguna Revo 1836 Electronics Problems

[Edward Wargo]

Richard,
Poor Edward here, I'm guessing you haven't read all of the posts re this blog. The way I'm reading it there are at least three other poor souls with Laguna lathe electronic issues in progress at their residence. I am not very astute when it comes to electro magnetic disturbances and don't have a clue how to fix it. At this point I am thankful for the suggestion of leaving the red/green switch out of the equation and going on my merry way. It has been five days now of uninterrupted turning, no issues.
I didn't force Laguna to send me four new headstocks, that was their decision. If the problem is a simple as I am now finding it to be, then it puzzles me beyond words as to why Laguna would do that. I'm 73 years of age and living my life long dream. I have power tools that are still in use after forty years of use. I consider myself to be very easy on equipment and take care of everything I own.

[Richard Coers]

Richard,
Poor Edward here, I'm guessing you haven't read all of the posts re this blog. The way I'm reading it there are at least three other poor souls with Laguna lathe electronic issues in progress at their residence. I am not very astute when it comes to electro magnetic disturbances and don't have a clue how to fix it. At this point I am thankful for the suggestion of leaving the red/green switch out of the equation and going on my merry way. It has been five days now of uninterrupted turning, no issues.
I didn't force Laguna to send me four new headstocks, that was their decision. If the problem is a simple as I am now finding it to be, then it puzzles me beyond words as to why Laguna would do that. I'm 73 years of age and living my life long dream. I have power tools that are still in use after forty years of use. I consider myself to be very easy on equipment and take care of everything I own.

I guess I did miss something. I didn't read anyone else replacing their heads that many times, nor being told they have EMI issues by the manufacturer. I thought I read them all. Sorry.

[Barry McFadden]

I guess I did miss something. I didn't read anyone else replacing their heads that many times, nor being told they have EMI issues by the manufacturer. I thought I read them all. Sorry.

I'm with you.....only read about this one instance...

[Edward Wargo]

Poor Edward here. Edward Weingarden is now waiting for his second headstock while four others in this forum have had problems with the electronics on their Revo. You can see their names listed under the post from John Jordan. The timeline of my experience with Laguna has spanned a year and a half. I should mention that during this time Laguna also sent me replacement parts and allowed me to hire an electrician to install those parts. During that time I occasionally searched for complaints about Laguna, it wasn't until recently that I found this forum started by Bob Abernathy.
I am a woodworker, I don’t have the technical skills that some of the contributors to this forum have expressed. When Laguna told me I have electromagnetic interference I took that to mean “Go Away”, which I did. It was a relief when I read the posts on this forum citing the same problems I had encountered. The commonality of the complaints being erroneous digital readouts and motor stoppage. I don’t have a way to measure or understand why Laguna would continue to send out replacement parts/headstocks with this kind of regularity when there is obviously something wrong with their product.
Finally, I appreciate the numerous responses addressing the problems some Revo owners are having. I have my fingers crossed hoping that the suggestion from Willian Rogers to eliminate the red/green switch from the operation of the lathe is the answer I have been seeking. So far so good.

[Edward Wargo]

Poor Edward here. Edward Weingarden is now waiting for his second headstock while four others in this forum have had problems with the electronics on their Revo. You can see their names listed under the post from John Jordan. The timeline of my experience with Laguna has spanned a year and a half. I should mention that during this time Laguna also sent me replacement parts and allowed me to hire an electrician to install those parts. During that time I occasionally searched for complaints about Laguna, it wasn't until recently that I found this forum started by Bob Abernathy.
I am a woodworker, I don’t have the technical skills that some of the contributors to this forum have expressed. When Laguna told me I have electromagnetic interference I took that to mean “Go Away”, which I did. It was a relief when I read the posts on this forum citing the same problems I had encountered. The commonality of the complaints being erroneous digital readouts and motor stoppage. I don’t have a way to measure or understand why Laguna would continue to send out replacement parts/headstocks with this kind of regularity when there is obviously something wrong with their product.
Finally, I appreciate the numerous responses addressing the problems some Revo owners are having. I have my fingers crossed hoping that the suggestion from Willian Rogers to eliminate the red/green switch from the operation of the lathe is the answer I have been seeking. So far so good.

[William C Rogers]

Edward, glad to see you are turning without problems. I have not had any problems using my lathe this way. Using the start/stop I had the RPM display randomly go dark. I could hit the E-dstop and it would return to normal. However I rarely use the display other than it is a power on indicator. Laguna has sent me a new display, but haven't had a chance to install it. Your loss of power is what has me stumped and admittedly know not near enough about EMI. I suspect there may be a component tolerance overlap that is not letting the display to initialize using the start stop during use.

Regarding the Laguna 24-36 Don Davis had problems with posted by John Jordan. Yes, he did sell it. He sold it to an industrial electrician who found a loose connection in the VFD. The electrician redid the connection and the Lathe was fine. Mr. Davis purchased a Vicmarc lathe and experienced the same loss of power. He took the spindle apart and found that Vicmarc forgot to install the spindle key.

My Laguna 18-36 has done everything I have needed. From my contact Laguna CS has been outstanding, that doesn't mean I won't look at the Robust, Powermatic, and other lathe mfgs. at the symposium and may even buy a new lathe, but the Laguna has made that decision difficult.

[John Keeton]

Unfortunately, problems can occur with any lathe, or any machine for that matter. I think some issues folks have may not actually originate in the lathe. While teaching my April class at JCC they were having serious electrical issues with one of the new PM 3520C lathes and have gone around and around with customer service on trying to get to the bottom of it. Personally, I did not care for the new PM lathes, nor did Bob Henrickson, my assistant. I can still say with no reservations that the Laguna 1836 is a fantastic lathe and I doubt I will have any future need to buy a different lathe. But, each to their own.

And, to clarify my “on/off” procedure- I unplug my lathe after every use. To turn on the lathe I plug it in and turn on the toggle on/off switch. When finished I turn the lathe off with the toggle switch and unplug it. I never use the panic stop button and I only use the toggle switch initially and when done for the day. During use, I use the speed control to start and stop the lathe. I have had no issues in the nearly three years I have owned it.

[ELY WALTON]

Rephrasing some of what john has already posted: EMI comes in two forms: radiated (through the air) and conducted. It would take a pretty powerful and close-to-the-lathe source for radiated EMI to cause an issue. On the other hand conducted interference could easily occur, caused by some other machinery or appliance, or even the neighbors', if they are on the same side of the transformer.

I suggest trying an isolation transformer at the tool. This should remove most conducted EMI. And also use a ferite bead on the power cord. That will remove high frequency noise and is a dirt cheap added layer of protection.

This is great advice given that EMI is a likely cause... I am also an amateur radio operator and use the same 220v circuit for my 1836/S1 and my kilowatt HF radio amplifier (keying morse code into an antenna only about 25 feet away)... Although I never use both the lathe and amp at the same time, I have not had to add any special ferrite beads or other filters... I don't even have to unplug the (turned off) 1836/S1 when using the amp... No issues afterward with the lathe operation... even when using the 1/0 on-off switch, which avoids having to reset the speed control...

I would include some time-of-day testing to look for any patterns... And do any of the adjacent neighbors have a huge, aluminum spider (antenna) poised over their house? And you could get your local power company involved in the EMI search... Again, the suggestion for isolation transformer and ferrite beads is great for confirming or eliminating the EMI likely cause... Hope you get it solved!

Ely

[Edward Wargo]

John Keeton,
Thank you for providing the the procedure you follow for using your Laguna lathe. I am following your directions and looking forward to a long relationship with my lathe. I have been very happy with the Laguna 18-36 as far it's ability to handle every job I have asked it to do. I have been working with wood since early childhood, but became a turner three years ago with a Harbor Freight lathe. It did't take me very long to become enraptured with the idea of shaping a spinning hunk of wood. I quickly realized the need for something bigger and stronger and I settled on the Laguna.
As an aside for any Laguna owners on this forum, today I came across a cool work around for the spindle lock. There are numerous ways of accomplishing this. I took a short 3/8" carriage bolt, the head is the same size as the opening that houses the spindle lock button. I drilled a 3/8" hole in the head of a floor chisel that had broken some time ago, any flat piece of metal will work, and attached the carriage bolt with a nut and then epoxied four earth magnets to the assembly. It has enough strength to hold the spindle lock button in place freeing both my hands.

[tom lucas]

It is a much safer way to operate any lathe IMO. You are not starting at a high speed. The tape is only a reminder to use the speed dial to stop the lathe

It's safer yet to never turn the lathe on or ever pick up a tool. Of course it's safer, but I still don't buy it. I want my lathe to quickly return to the exact sweet spot I had it set to without having to fiddle with the speed knob every time. If I walk away from the lathe, I always turn the speed knob to zero. But only if I walk away, or make major changes to the setup. Also most lathes start slowly and build up to full speed, usually leaving enough time to turn it off if something isn't right. Using the "no-switch" method will also lead to premature potentiometer failure. Should one really have to tape off an OEM switch and then replace the pot on a regular basis? Everyone has their own way they do things. But, this smells like just making excuses for a faulty design. Maybe they should just not include a switch at all? Seems like they may as well have done that if all it is is a faux switch that you can't really use. Glad I didn't buy one myself.

[Edward Wargo]

It has been about two weeks since I stopped using the red/green on/off switch on my Laguna 18-36. I have not experienced a single episode of electro magnetic disturbance during that time. The digital readout has been 100% operational and the motor has not stopped a single time. I have no idea how that all works. Sufficient to say, I am pleased with the result. Admittedly, the speed control is not as safe as the on/off switch for controlling the lathe, but it is better than losing the operation of the lathe.
Thank you to all who offered helps and suggestions, the forum has provided a means to obtain a working tool that is dependable.

[Barry McFadden]

It has been about two weeks since I stopped using the red/green on/off switch on my Laguna 18-36. I have not experienced a single episode of electro magnetic disturbance during that time. The digital readout has been 100% operational and the motor has not stopped a single time. I have no idea how that all works. Sufficient to say, I am pleased with the result. Admittedly, the speed control is not as safe as the on/off switch for controlling the lathe, but it is better than losing the operation of the lathe.
Thank you to all who offered helps and suggestions, the forum has provided a means to obtain a working tool that is dependable.

Glad you got it sorted out.... just for interest sake... I've had the 18/36 for about 1 1/2 years now and always use the on/off switch and have never had a problem...

[Edward Wargo]

Barry,
I would be happy to have had your experience with my lathe. For whatever reason, some owners of the 18-36 have not shared your experience and have had to come up with work arounds. I did mention in the previous thread that it is not the safest practice, avoiding the on/off switch, but it has allowed me to use the machine without incident of digital readout failure and motor stoppage. I never bought Lagunas answer of electro magnetic disturbance being the issue here and at this point don't have an interest in pursuing it with them any further. I use the machine daily, it is the center piece of my shop. It has handled every piece of wood I have put on it, it is strong and nicely made. I don't look forward to replacing it and hope it outlasts me.

[Edward Wargo]

Bob,
I don't know where you might be with your Laguna lathe, but I wanted to let you know that I have been in correspondence with Laguna and the rep had a number of their lathes sent back to the manufacturer for testing after seeing the forum and your thread, which got everything rolling, at Sawmill Creek. They are replacing the on/off switch and the digital display control with new components. If you are interested you can contact Brian Bennett at brian_bennett@lagunatools.com. I am hopeful that a fix is available and that this is it.

[Russell Neyman]

There's a long, involved thread posted here a few months ago on this same topic.