Another Router Problem

[p8ntblr]

I've bought several tools from CL that have worked flawlessly but my luck with routers hasn't been so great. Btw, the last router that failed a fellow member, Tom, graciously fixed for free. Thanks again Tom!! I just got a Bosch colt palm router. Before I bought it I plugged it in turned it on for a while, was satisfied, bought it took it home, and ran it again for a little while. All good.

When I got home this afternoon I tried it again this time I really cranked up the RPMs (probably should have done this while before buying). The motor shook a little and it died. I thought I tripped a breaker and changed outlets (diff breaker) but still dead. I lowered the setting (goes from 1-6) to 3 and it turned on. Cranked it up to 4.5 and again, motor shook and died. Now it just does it randomly. Sometimes it starts shaking at lower other at higher settings.

[ragswl4]

I've bought several tools from CL that have worked flawlessly but my luck with routers hasn't been so great. Btw, the last router that failed a fellow member, Tom, graciously fixed for free. Thanks again Tom!! I just got a Bosch colt palm router. Before I bought it I plugged it in turned it on for a while, was satisfied, bought it took it home, and ran it again for a little while. All good.

When I got home this afternoon I tried it again this time I really cranked up the RPMs (probably should have done this while before buying). The motor shook a little and it died. I thought I tripped a breaker and changed outlets (diff breaker) but still dead. I lowered the setting (goes from 1-6) to 3 and it turned on. Cranked it up to 4.5 and again, motor shook and died. Now it just does it randomly. Sometimes it starts shaking at lower other at higher settings.

Sounds like maybe the bearings are bad or going bad. Does it heat up near the ends of the motor? Does it seem to have more noise that would be expected?

[Uncle Cracker]

Could also be that your speed control selector switch is going south...

[leehljp]

Like Uncle said - It sounds like the speed control selector to me. And if you ask me, that is why that one was put on CL.

[p8ntblr]

Ok so I tried it again and for longer runs to see if there was any extra heat or noise. It now seems to run good at lower speed 3 and below. At 4 it the motor will shake occasionally (but not die). At 5 it happens more frequently and even more so at 6.

The motor sounds fine if it's not shaking. But when it does the motor sounds like it's gonna die then speeds and then down, etc etc. But never gets warm. Again this happens when I past the midway mark and the motor kicks in to a higher speed. It sounds pretty much the same going from 1-3 but can noticeably hear the change from 3-4.

[p8ntblr]

I'm thinking you may be correct with the speed control analysis. And if this is the case am I SOL? Well at least I can still use it with mid to low rpms.

[ragswl4]

I'm thinking you may be correct with the speed control analysis. And if this is the case am I SOL? Well at least I can still use it with mid to low rpms.

As other said it sounds like the speed control. I am not familiar with this type of router. Can the control be removed? Perhaps is has dirt/sawdust inside causing the problem. If you are stuck with it maybe you can take it apart to see if there are obvious signs of dirt/debris inside. I'm no expert just guessing.

[Uncle Cracker]

If it's a solid-state speed control you're probably screwed. If it's a carbon smear or multi-position resistive circuit, you might be able to get to the contacts and clean them. Up to you to decide if it's worth the trouble. Personally, I don't like using high speed tools that may not be trustworthy.

[LCHIEN]

get some electrical contact cleaner from Radio shack or such (maybe auto supply store) and using the red spray tube spray it liberally into the top and bottom of slot where the speed dial is, with the router off, work it back and forth some. Let it dry some then try again.

It may work, if the speed pot is dirty, no guarantee.

[p8ntblr]

Here are some pics if this helps. Loring I'll try out the spray.

[Uncle Cracker]

That's solid-state, alright. Contact cleaner is worth a shot, but don't get your hopes up. If given a choice, use a contact cleaner that says it's zero residue. Anything else is probably gonna gum you up even worse.

[p8ntblr]

So I just spray it directly on the board? And let it dry by itself?

[Uncle Cracker]

So I just spray it directly on the board? And let it dry by itself?

No, not on the board, directly into the rotary switch, through whatever opening you can find (like between the orange knob and the black housing). Really slop it in there, then move the switch back and forth a few times and then spray it again. The cleaner (if it's zero residue) will seep out everywhere, and then evaporate almost immediately.

[eezlock]

router troubles

If your speed control checks out ok...might want to check the motor contact brushes. Sounds as if they may starting to get a "glaze" on them or are getting badly worn from a lot of prior usage and is time to replace them.
eezlock

[LCHIEN]

Spray the cleaner liberally under the orange dial thingy trying to get it thoroughly doused underneath - its small so you don't need a lot to douse it. The actual pot mechanism you need to clean will be between the orange actuator knob and the circuit board, mounted to the circuit board and centered under the knob. About a three second burst moving it (the little straw applicator) around under that knob should do it.

The reason I suggest cleaning the speed pot is that your trouble seems to occur only at certain speeds which indicates a dirty spot on the wiper of the pot at those spots. The cleaner is a non-conductive solvent which will loosen the dirt but won't damage the electronics, usually you work the pot back and forth to make siure it wipes the dirt away. A second cleaning is not a bad idea to help wash away anything that softens and comes off by working the pot in the first cleaning. The cleaner evaporates quickly and either leaves the dirt on the circuit board (where its probably harmless) or wash off entirely if you use enough cleaner, enough times. probably you won't see anything, its a small amount of dirt.

Since it only occurs at certain speeds, it's almost certainly NOT the brushes or the power switch (although a squirt of cleaner into the gap around the switch and working that back and forth won't hurt either and is a good idea - whatever gummed up the pot may have gotten a little bit into the switch, too.)

basically the pot is a sliding metal wiper contact riding on a circular strip of partially conductive material. If the conductive material gets dirty from a combination of airborne dirt and oils then the wiper will ride over the dirt and fail to make contact giving erratic operation. This happens if the don't use expensive sealed pots. the good news is that if its not sealed then the spray can get in and do its job--its remarkable what you can fix this way (radios of stereos with scratchy or intermittent volume and tone controls, for example.)