I've recently been surfing for information for my first build with a treadmill motor , to use for drill press , lathe , bench grinder and belt grinders . I am so happy I came across this, I don't have to look anymore , you've answered those questions and thank you so much ‼️ I'm feel honored to like and to subscribe 🤘😁
I bought a 4 kw ac speed controller for my 190 volt dc treadmill motor and these when setup is awesome! I love electronics. It keeps my mind active. Cheers 👍
After coming the web for a week and not being convinced on which was the best way to control speed by any RUclips DIY guys I came upon your bid and you didn't skip a step and where very confident, and by looking at your shop I see you have the proof all around you that you are expiernced,. Thank you. I built a blade for my father and this is going to complete it from Portland Oregon us thank you
I had to decipher the accent but this was a great video. It helped me immensely. I now have a variable speed motor for my 1954 Craftsman wood lathe. Thank you very much Aussie
Excellent video, have been wracking my brains for the last week trying to work out how to control my treadmill motors without using all the crap from the treadmill. Watched many videos on youtube but none made it as simple as your set up or would cost way too much cabbage.... and other videos did not list the required parts. Finding your video has made my job so much easier now. Thanks a lot and keep up the good work.
Hey mate seen video when it came out thought what a great thing I Ave now got two tread mill motos 3 an 4 1/2 up ordered the gear from sneeze bay an now work DC motor working on the bench . Your video will are great and I didn't die that's not to bad for a concretor just got to make he 48 inch belt sander now .. thanks again
I enjoy watching your videos you explain very well l now know that a speed controller can be made by the average hobby machinist and is not a black art known only to a few
Thankyou Aussie Shed, very much for sharing your time showing us how to safely build a dc motor control, i have been searching really hard to find a way to slow down my bench grinder/ linisher and think i like your idea better, running DC treadmill motor instead. Thanks brother. I love your other videos too i found them very useful as i just bought a very old metal lathe for my workshop, and found some tolerance issues too.
Very clear and informative, thank you, just ordered the gear now to get my belt grinder wired and going, hope that little speed controller is strong enough for a 3HP treadmill motor, thanks again.
Great video offering the assurance that it works & you have several in shop examples that have stayed working. I question the output voltage & the possible use of caps. I think also that you might well consider fitting a low cost voltmeter on the moor supply side & a tachometer. Maybe not needed generally but very useful for a demo project like yours. Finally I'd like to suggest you keep all mains AC wires to colour code (blue, green, brown). The reduced voltage lines aok in red & black. Very little if any extra work. Again THANKS good simple easy to follow video.
Thankyou for the vid. I am about to fit a treadmill motor to mill machine. I have a lathe with a combo mill attachment but the bevel drive gear for the mill m/c was stripped of teeth. So I intend using the tread mill motor to power the mill attachment. Are you still happy with the setup you described in the video as I am about to order the controller and bridge rectifier. Any further advice would be much appreciated thanks. I enjoy your other vids too. Very informative. Other vids I find contradictive where you are doing it. Makes a difference.
any advice on making a controller for a TRIPLE PHASE commercial treadmill motor?? I have several of these monster motors and don't know how to use a single one without buying a super expensive controller also, I WILL BE USING THIS INFO to run my residential treadmill motors for certain. best video on the subject i've found. THANKS
Thanks for the vid! I've seen a lot of people post about the difference between VFD controlled AC motors and a DC motor like this and they always seem to say that the VFD drive will have better torque. How true is this in your (or anyone's ) experience and to what degree does it matter? Can one of these treadmill motors be stopped easily at say 500rpm?
IT is in the SCR, where the AC half-waves + and - , are clipped, thereby reducing the current to the motor.../ With VF Drives, the motor speed is controlled by the frequency, of that same AC. NO clipping, of current....much improved power, at any potentiometer setting.
Most all treadmill motors are permanent magnet, (PM). They have a voltage spec. Put more voltage into them, and the PM demagnatize, over time. When you rectify AC, the voltage increase by ~75%. So, 120VAC becomes ~180V chopped. That's why you see transformers in power supplies. Also, without capacitors, you have the upper half of the AC wave. The caps stored voltage potential, then release it, to try to fill in the low parts of the chopped AC. You estimate the percentage filling you want, then buy a calculate the size of the cap to do the job. There is still variation. An in circuit induction coil will fill in some more.of the variation. To get a good steady DC, you also need a voltage regulator. That is why a good power supply is called a regulated power supply. I don't know the precise negative effect of a
While you are correct, treadmill motors just use rectified wall voltage, most every one I've seen is rated around that 180v you get from rectified 120. It's actually ac volts divided by .7071067 iirc. Something about half sqrt 2 if my memory is right, but can't remember for sure.
G'day Mate, I was a little concerned years ago when I started building these. So far it has never been a problem though. The machines are all running today as well as when they were first put together. They may be full of Crud, but it hasn't seemed to worry them. Cheers Mate.
@@TheAussieShed Nice good to hear. I got a new, for free, 3.6 CHP motor and I am going to put it on my metal lathe. Having variable speed will be nice.
Our Treadmill DC motors are the same as yours, I think they must be the same globally with the real only differences being in the motor controller boards running on the higher 220-240 volts ac, where ours is actually designed for the lower 120 volts ac here in the states. Also here in the states when we rectify 120 volts ac we actually get the full peak voltage of 170 volts. So I think the 240 volts rectified you have is actually 360-380 volts dc. If you ever decide to put a capacitor in circuit after the rectifier make sure you choose one that is capable of nearly 400 volts dc.
Rectified 240 would be about 340 iirc. Very good point about the capacitor, I definitely wouldn't go under 400 especially with peak back emf voltages potentially going higher than the rectified ac peak voltage.
Like so many others I am really chuffed to have come across your channel. My brain is severely electrically challenged and that is why I ask this question (also because of other confusing methods for this adaptation) Why do you think it not necessary to run an inductor and a choke?? Supposedly done to smooth out torque. Also, fantastic to find a channel at this end of the world!!!! 👍👍 Thanks
Some notes: 1) In this type of circuit, it is not necessary to connect the neutral to the board (therefore it is advisable not to connect the neutral to the board!). The connection exists there only for convenience. 2) It is recommended to add before the board a thermal load protector (protect the board and the motor). 3) It is recommended to add an external inductor to the motor (wire size at a suitable load) - to smooth the operation of the motor.
NO Shimon, that's incorrect, SCR* controllers require the neutral - they use the live-neutral voltage to determine when to switch on the SCR. without the Neutral it will be either permanently conducting and give full speed, or non-conduction with a stationary motor. Please don't make incorrect statements on things outside your field of knowledge! * actually probably a Triac - it's passing AC, SCRs will only pass DC - hence Silicon Controlled *Rectifier*.
@@hopefuldave It seems RUclips is blocking my comments. If you would like a direct answer - please contact me (contact details are on the About page of my channel) Thanks!
Trevor ive built my box as yours is with double power point and mag switch. I cant figure out from video where you have light plugged in and if there are wires plugged into com socket. Can you help. Baz in perth.
Well you wouldn't believe what I did. After going through your great video I finally got my SCR, Bridge Rectifiers, and a DC motor controller (10-30V 100A 3000W Programable Reversible DC Motor Speed Controller PWM Control). I got aggravated looking at Lowes for for some electrically wire to use between them, mostly hard house wiring which I didn't want. So I bought a cheap 8 foot extension cord and cut segments for wiring it all together. Spent half the day looking for my meter and a box of electrical connectors, failed to look at this video again and forgot to wire in the Bridge Rectifier. For some unknown reason I thought the SCR had AC input and DC output. So it tripped the breaker in the laundry room (electrical panel) immediately. It was late at night so I unhooked it all till this morning. I don't know if I ruined the the PWM or not. I'm not sure how to test it so I guess I'll put the rectifier in the circuit like it should be and if it works great and if it doesn't then I'll have a test piece to check out and see if I can determine what components fried. Haste makes waste, lesson learned
Awesome video and really easy to follow. One question please…my treadmill motor is running too fast for what I need (450rpm). Is there a way to control the speed to a lower rpm?
Hey Trev. I'm just knockin up one of these for my workshop linisher as we speak! Quick question , if I may? There'd be no problems to rotate the SCR 90 degrees counter CW would there? Then I don't need to cut it! And I can mount the Bridge rectifier on the left side of the SCR heat sink. Opposite to where the wires enter the SCR.
Awesome mate. Nice one. Been thinking about how to power my apple fucker (it's a scratter mill for making cider) and a centrifuge, been looking at vfd and 3phase motors. This has saved me hundreds of dollars in vfds. I might even put both my lathes on dc too! Is there a dc motor out there i might find that'll do 6000rpm? Im building a centrifuge and want higher rpm but direct drive ideally as there's no room for belts and pulleys to gear up. Any idea what motor capacity this set up will max out at?
i built this setup and it works great. Only think i don't like is that when i start turning the pot up to get the motor running, it hits pretty hard when it starts... probably not a bit deal but i'm trying to figure how to soft start it...
I have a question could use some help. I am in the US and needed to replace the potentiometer. The new one I received has 3 pins do I only need to use 2? I see there is 3 pins on the circuit board not used was curious what those are for as well. Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks for this! I've been trying to make sense of the treadmill wiring to use its controller but this is so much simpler! Just one question though, if I add a smoothing capacitor in parallel with the bridge rectifier, what size would it need to be and how many uF? My motor is 230v so I'm guessing at least 300 with 200uF?
Great explanation, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for. I have a slightly different situation: I have a 1Hp 5 amp motor. Will I need a different rated scr module for these specs? Regards Barry M.
Nice video. I was about to order and configure the controller and setup a variable speed treadmill motor but realized that you are describing 220 and I have only 110V. I don't have 220V available at the location I will use this at. Do you have a similar video available for us lowly 110V U.S. folks? Or if you can describe the difference I will follow the new differences. Thanks for the nice video either way.
G'day Tim, these components work for both 220 & 110, the only thing you may need to change is the Potentiometer in the SCR to a different value. Cheers Mate.
Thanks for the video, I am running pretty much the same set up, however whenever I coonect motor to rectifier my circuit breaker trips. Any idea? I have tested motor with 14vdc drill battery and it is working fine.
just curious, is it possible to wire this setup so I can get forward/reverse switch,have done my drill press, now I want to do this on my lathe, but I need reverse as well as forward. ps thanks for this video found it really easy to do this conversion to my drill press (no more changing belts and pulleys) thanks again Aussie shed
Wow what great ideas and easy presentation. I’ve got to convert my drill press as it would be so much more useful. Love the idea of tapping and easy variable speed.Can you make a video on the conversion. I’ve watched the drill to mill video but would like to see more on the drive system. Thanks again.
I have this setup on my metal lathe 3hp DC motor 1880W max power, however i find that scr gets quite heated after relatively short time and power cable that comes from the outlet also gets quite warm, my motor doesn't immediately stop when you turn pot to low its still coast on inertia as it has heavy lathe head attached, I'm wondering if that's what generating reverse current into the rectifier and the scr? Is adding a large capacitor gonna make any difference?
Hi...I followed your instructions here and successfully got my treadmill working again. It’s running beautifully ..but the motor does have a hum when I turn up they potentiometer that I don’t remember from the when it was new. Running great so I take it the hum is nothing to worry about? Thanks.
Hi Chuck, you sometimes do get a bit of a hum, depends on many factors. One of my setups Hums quite a bit more than the others but has been running for years without issue. Cheers Mate.
The Aussie Shed ...thanks for your reply....I’m quite happy with performance of my treadmill...have to say there is a fair amount of electronics I’m bypassing to fit this small power supply....this could be a factor. Anyway thanks again for your help.
Very neat setup and simple - lover simple! Minor correction: Flat out the output will be closer to 340V peak (1.4 x 240v) from the full bridge rectifier. How many watts or VA are the treadmill motors you use? I keep looking for retired treadmills on the street - nada so far. Really hanging out to get a few. One for my pedestal drill, one for the compressor, one for the belt disk sander, and if get enough, I want to convert my metal cutoff saw. Thanks for a very clear and informative video.
Very informative video. Just about to.pick up a free treadmill shortly . Been looking on ebay for the scr and they have 4000w ones. Are these ok to use or should i stick with the 1000w versions. Love the channel to by the way
Hey Hey cracking video mate! Aussie Aussie 🇦🇺 I stumbled across your video because I'm trying to research how to make a rod wrapper/dryer for making custom fishing rods, and quite frankly mate you're so much easier to follow than the... Others lol Got any advice or suggestions? Oh.. and didday from Bundy Qld 👋
I have a earth/ground question...I built this using the same scr and rectifier going to a 90v motor. In testing, I only hooked up the power and neutral wires leaving the ground wires dangling. It worked well until one of my ground wires accidentally contacted the heat sink and caused an arc. Now the scr is dead. I found a burn mark beneath the the circuit board. Why did that happen? I have another controller on the way but don’t want to fry it again. Edit; I just realized that my board is not fried but it did blow the gfci I was plugged in to. Still don’t understand why.
Really stupid question: here in europe we have symmetrical plugs, so there's a 50/50 chance the AC in and neutral get switched in the SCR terminals... or does it matter?
Tried this system using a kbpc5010 rectifier. It works OK for a while then blows the rectifier? is there anyway in stopping a spike / back current? Thanks in advance.
G'day Mate, have you tried another rectifier, reason I ask is I had one go on me a few years ago on my Mill/Drill. Figured it was because I really load it up at low speed sometimes. I ordered a really expensive rectifier to cure what I thought was the problem but fitted another cheapy kbpc510 I had in the drawer to get me by. That was at least 2 maybe 3 years ago & its still going on the cheapy & I have really punished that sucker in the meantime. This leads me to conclude there may be some manufacturing issues with the odd one of these cheapys. Other than that I really have no idea, Its been my only failure & I have many pieces of equipment running this exact setup day in & day out in my workshop. Sorry I can't be of more help. Cheers Mate.
@@TheAussieShed Hi thanks for the reply - you could be right regarding faulty diodes. they where ordered from ebay (cheep). It fails at the DC negative point on the rectifier. other option is to put a cheap small amp fuse and a capacitor bridging over the rectifier.
Nice video The_Aussie_Shed , Just one question Why don't you use a capacitor filter across the DC Voltage rectification side of the KBPC5010 Single Phases Diode Bridge Rectifier 50A 1000V Metal case ? haven't read all the remarks so not aware if the question has been asked!
Great information and well explained video ordered the parts i need, is i possible to fit a reversing switch inline without having to change the wires on the rectifier? new subscriber, Mike, Lismore.
this is great - I while ago I acquired a 2.75 treadmill motor with this written on the side: 2.75 HP @130 VDC and 2HP @ 100 DVC /1492 Watts. will those parts work with this motor? many thanks
I tried doing this a few years ago but had issues. I wasn't sure if I had a bad component or motor (it was sparking and making a bad noise). The FBR was also getting incredibly hot within seconds. Was 240v ac to 180v dc a bad idea?
I have connected up two treadmill motors exactly the way you show in your video. They both work perfectly with no load. When I put a load on them, in this case running a 12 volt car generator for testing with a v belt, I turn the pentiometer and the motor starts, but the brushes arc and the motor does not run properly until it gets to 3500 RPM. If I turn the pentiometer down the motor starts to splutter and arc. What can be the problem?
@@TheAussieShed I have watched a couple of others since yours and why is it the voltage of the motor eg12vdc 130vdc I have a 180vdc 4000 rpm and how is it possible for such a small power supply to be able to do it ??
@@rongfucapers9442 G'day Mate, the simple answer is, its not a power supply as such. all this setup does basically, is allow you to vary the voltage supplied from the wall socket & change it to DC. All of my motors are 180vdc. Cheers.
@@rongfucapers9442 all the "supply" does is chop off the voltage at a certain point in the ac cycle. Resistance is the reason why power supplies get warmer and more metal means less resistance and less heat so bigger wires, bigger conductors, bigger transistors, etc means bigger supply and bigger power. Since this supply is either not conducting or conducting completely there's very little resistance and therefore doesn't need to be very big. It's just chopping it so fast that it looks like a single voltage.
Grreat video mate, really well explained compared to some of the others i have seen. You mentioned you run most of your power tools on them, do you have a rough idea of the lifetime of the motor using this? I see a few comments on each video and a few videos that mention this but that its not ideal or good for the motor and shortens the life.. Any input on that ? Thank you
G'Day Mate, Honestly I only have my own experience to go on, I have been running this controller setup on 4 pieces of workshop equipment all with very different load & RPM requirements, one of them has been going for nearly 5 years now & others 2 or 3. So far no failures, other than a bridge rectifier. Its pretty hard to know how this controller setup effects motor life without Two identical setups with the only variable being the controller. Makes you wonder how folks draw this conclusion. Regardless, for me personally, if this setup did indeed shorten motor life by even lets say 30% (no idea what the expected motor life is meant to be though) considering the motors cost me nothing, it wouldn't bother me at all. Cheers Mate.
Guday Trev Just come across your Channel n watched your vids about Treadmill Motors n how you wire them. On other Videos ( other youtubers ) they all so to go with using the component parts from within the treadmill, you however just use the SCR Motor Controller Bridge Rec etc. When viewing how your motors run they seem to be more responsive to powering up (high) & slowing down to a stop. Others have mentioned that they’ve kept the Coil/inductor ( one you tuber showing how it both with and without it’s being integrated) had different effects, ( that though was with the flywheel in situ ) Gotta say yours seems to ramp up & go to a dead stop as I would want. Any thoughts ? By the looks of it I’m gonna have to spend a whole lotta time now checking out the rest of your bids cos from what I’ve seen so far the machines all look to be up my street. Keep up the good work it’ll keep me busy in catchup! Cheers Bob UK
G'day Pat, I pull them out of Treadmills left out for rubbish pickup. A lot of folks buy them with the idea of loosing weight, getting fit etc, then realize that requires actual effort. I guess sometimes the driver boards might be fried also but the motors are always perfect, most are like brand new. And best of all trey're free. Cheers Mate.
G’day Trevor. Would a treadmill motor and this setup be powerful enough to operate a small’ish lathe ( not a mini-lathe ) ? It’s an old Aussie made lathe called a Premo Mk.2 by Blackenbury & Austin. I’m guessing maybe not but it certainly would be a very cheap way of having variable speed. Cheers mate.
Abel ... thanks for the reply ! My treadmill motor is rated at 2.5hp. Well it’s all up and running .... until you put it under load or increase speed higher than about 500rpm then it trips out the little 8amp resettable fuse that was part of the original treadmill switch assembly. Obviously more load than what fat bastard the treadmill was designed to carry 🤣 I will use a clamp meter today to see what amps it’s actually tripping at and if I’m game I might bypass the resettable fuse and plug the power into a power board which has a slightly higher resettable fuse in it. Will let you know how I go. Thanks again for you’re advise.
Guday Trev merry Crimbo Got a quick question for when you’re able to reply ( if at all possible !) Do you take off the flywheels of the Treadmill motors that you use ? & if so is this because it slows down the inertia of the motor quicker ? Regards Bob
Hi Robert, depends on the application, I have both setups currently running. The mass of the flywheel does help the motors resist dropping speed in some intermittent light load situations. Cheers Mate.
Hey Trev, great help dude and thanks. One problem I have is firing the emergency stop switch. I've placed it at the power in end, but the green button won't stay depressed unless held. I've linked the small A1 terminal to the neutral 'out' terminal as i believe should (and tested it linked to the neutral 'in'), but the problem of the on button persists. Any suggestions? Ian.
Hi Ian, my first thought would be to reverse the polarity of the switch wiring, they will work either way, the winding in the switch gets either power or neutral from the switch depending how it is wired. sounds like its getting a neutral from the switch not an active. Remember to change your output wires around if you do this. Cheers Mate.
Hi, great video. Just one question. All fine but wondering, I'm on the Gold Coast so running 240v mains but have a 112v dc treadmill motor. Would there be any problem with the voltage output at the treadmill end? Thanks.
@@ronaldcassar3143 G'day Ronald, yep you will have issues. The Voltage out with this type of controller is very close to the voltage in, actually slightly more. It works ok with the 180v dc motors but I wouldn't push it with a 112v version. Cheers Mate.
Is your treadmill motor a permanent magnet motor? Are you running it in reverse, if so has there been any negative things with the motor when running it in reverse?
excellent video mate from one aussie to another i am in w.a i am trying to get the flywheel of these motors any ideas i want to put a different pulley on it thanks mate very helpful
A good teacher is not the one who knows a lot. A good teacher is the one who knows how to convey what he knows And you are a very good teacher
Thanks Nick, that means a lot to me. Its a hard balance to find. Cheers Mate.
I've recently been surfing for information for my first build with a treadmill motor , to use for drill press , lathe , bench grinder and belt grinders . I am so happy I came across this, I don't have to look anymore , you've answered those questions and thank you so much ‼️
I'm feel honored to like and to subscribe 🤘😁
Cheers Justin, thankyou.
I bought a 4 kw ac speed controller for my 190 volt dc treadmill motor and these when setup is awesome! I love electronics. It keeps my mind active. Cheers 👍
Did you just rectify the VFD output ?
@johnwalker194 yes! Why is that? No good? Because it works perfectly especially on a treadmill motor. 👍
@@dragan3290 that's cool ! No, I was just curious as I'm about to put a 2.8 hp treadmill motor to my vintage Myford lathe.
After coming the web for a week and not being convinced on which was the best way to control speed by any RUclips DIY guys I came upon your bid and you didn't skip a step and where very confident, and by looking at your shop I see you have the proof all around you that you are expiernced,. Thank you. I built a blade for my father and this is going to complete it from Portland Oregon us thank you
Sounds like a great Project Marshall, Cheers Mate,
I just stumbled onto your video here. Good info. But, I was most impressed with your AvE warning sticker. Keep it in the vice and all that.
Love the sign! Definitely a clean shop! LOL! Thanks for direct and simple. good place to start.
That is a very well put together walk through.
You sir are a champion. Thank you very much!
I had to decipher the accent but this was a great video. It helped me immensely. I now have a variable speed motor for my 1954 Craftsman wood lathe. Thank you very much Aussie
My Pleasure Lee, glad you found it helpful. Cheers Mate.
Excellent video, have been wracking my brains for the last week trying to work out how to control my treadmill motors without using all the crap from the treadmill. Watched many videos on youtube but none made it as simple as your set up or would cost way too much cabbage.... and other videos did not list the required parts. Finding your video has made my job so much easier now. Thanks a lot and keep up the good work.
Thanks bacon..
Thanks for spending your time putting this up.
Hey mate seen video when it came out thought what a great thing I Ave now got two tread mill motos 3 an 4 1/2 up ordered the gear from sneeze bay an now work DC motor working on the bench . Your video will are great and I didn't die that's not to bad for a concretor just got to make he 48 inch belt sander now .. thanks again
Hi Greg, fantastic Mate, glad you were inspired. Good luck with the Sander. Cheers.
I enjoy watching your videos you explain very well l now know that a speed controller can be made by the average hobby machinist and is not a black art known only to a few
Thanks Roger.
fantastic explanation. Really appreciate your straight forward approach and logical layout for the demonstration. Cheers!
Thanks mate, Cheers.
Great everything. Ideas, craftsmanship, presentation. I immediately subbed. Congrats.
Thanks Jake, Cheers.
Great Video. Thanks for sharing. I now have 4 treadmill motors operating well in the workshop. Thanks again.
Great to hear, my pleasure Mate.
Wow, great idea. I have all 3 of those components! 100% Correct on the Earthing, Grounding for us. Stay alive!
Nice work Bill. Cheers.
Thanks from Dublin ur ideas and presentation skills are top notch
Thankyou Aussie Shed, very much for sharing your time showing us how to safely build a dc motor control, i have been searching really hard to find a way to slow down my bench grinder/ linisher and think i like your idea better, running DC treadmill motor instead. Thanks brother. I love your other videos too i found them very useful as i just bought a very old metal lathe for my workshop, and found some tolerance issues too.
My Pleasure Benny.
Thanks very much for this video. It will help me a great deal with my build.
Thank you good talk. Like the accent. Oregon, USA.
Bloody awesome Trev... The best demo that i'v seen mate. And your an Aussie to so perfect. I'm going to subscribe right now!
Cheers Bill, Good Onya Mate.
Very clear and informative, thank you, just ordered the gear now to get my belt grinder wired and going, hope that little speed controller is strong enough for a 3HP treadmill motor, thanks again.
Cheers Ian, yes I have quite a few tools here running a 3hp motor with this controller setup, it should be fine.
Just wired up my treadmill motor the same. Thanks heaps for info and and links!
Glad to Help Scott, Cheers.
Great video offering the assurance that it works & you have several in shop examples that have stayed working. I question the output voltage & the possible use of caps. I think also that you might well consider fitting a low cost voltmeter on the moor supply side & a tachometer. Maybe not needed generally but very useful for a demo project like yours. Finally I'd like to suggest you keep all mains AC wires to colour code (blue, green, brown). The reduced voltage lines aok in red & black. Very little if any extra work. Again THANKS good simple easy to follow video.
Thankyou for the vid. I am about to fit a treadmill motor to mill machine. I have a lathe with a combo mill attachment but the bevel drive gear for the mill m/c was stripped of teeth. So I intend using the tread mill motor to power the mill attachment. Are you still happy with the setup you described in the video as I am about to order the controller and bridge rectifier. Any further advice would be much appreciated thanks. I enjoy your other vids too. Very informative. Other vids I find contradictive where you are doing it. Makes a difference.
any advice on making a controller for a TRIPLE PHASE commercial treadmill motor?? I have several of these monster motors and don't know how to use a single one without buying a super expensive controller
also, I WILL BE USING THIS INFO to run my residential treadmill motors for certain. best video on the subject i've found. THANKS
Thanks for the vid! I've seen a lot of people post about the difference between VFD controlled AC motors and a DC motor like this and they always seem to say that the VFD drive will have better torque. How true is this in your (or anyone's ) experience and to what degree does it matter? Can one of these treadmill motors be stopped easily at say 500rpm?
IT is in the SCR, where the AC half-waves + and - , are clipped, thereby reducing the current to the motor.../ With VF Drives, the motor speed is controlled by the frequency, of that same AC. NO clipping, of current....much improved power, at any potentiometer setting.
Most all treadmill motors are permanent magnet, (PM). They have a voltage spec. Put more voltage into them, and the PM demagnatize, over time. When you rectify AC, the voltage increase by ~75%. So, 120VAC becomes ~180V chopped. That's why you see transformers in power supplies.
Also, without capacitors, you have the upper half of the AC wave. The caps stored voltage potential, then release it, to try to fill in the low parts of the chopped AC. You estimate the percentage filling you want, then buy a calculate the size of the cap to do the job.
There is still variation. An in circuit induction coil will fill in some more.of the variation. To get a good steady DC, you also need a voltage regulator. That is why a good power supply is called a regulated power supply.
I don't know the precise negative effect of a
While you are correct, treadmill motors just use rectified wall voltage, most every one I've seen is rated around that 180v you get from rectified 120. It's actually ac volts divided by .7071067 iirc. Something about half sqrt 2 if my memory is right, but can't remember for sure.
Excellent video, thanks for your detailed wiring procedure.
Regards from the UK
Cheers Alan
Thanks for the video, could you let me know what size plastic enclosure you used?
Thanks mate.
it looks like it could be 200x120x75 ?
Great video. Do you ever have dust and grit get pulled into the motor by the cooling fan and causing damage? Most motors on sanders are sealed motors.
G'day Mate, I was a little concerned years ago when I started building these. So far it has never been a problem though. The machines are all running today as well as when they were first put together. They may be full of Crud, but it hasn't seemed to worry them. Cheers Mate.
@@TheAussieShed Nice good to hear. I got a new, for free, 3.6 CHP motor and I am going to put it on my metal lathe. Having variable speed will be nice.
Our Treadmill DC motors are the same as yours, I think they must be the same globally with the real only differences being in the motor controller boards running on the higher 220-240 volts ac, where ours is actually designed for the lower 120 volts ac here in the states. Also here in the states when we rectify 120 volts ac we actually get the full peak voltage of 170 volts. So I think the 240 volts rectified you have is actually 360-380 volts dc. If you ever decide to put a capacitor in circuit after the rectifier make sure you choose one that is capable of nearly 400 volts dc.
Rectified 240 would be about 340 iirc. Very good point about the capacitor, I definitely wouldn't go under 400 especially with peak back emf voltages potentially going higher than the rectified ac peak voltage.
Hi! Love this! Your links appear to be dead, are you able to list the specs of the parts you used? Thanks!
Here in Canada, I had to use 250 ohm Potentiometer on a 110 v 9 amp motor
Thanks just what I needed too know how to do for AUS. But just a quick question how do you connect the blue fan wires from the treadmill.
Thanks
Les.
Like so many others I am really chuffed to have come across your channel.
My brain is severely electrically challenged and that is why I ask this question (also because of other confusing methods for this adaptation)
Why do you think it not necessary to run an inductor and a choke?? Supposedly done to smooth out torque.
Also, fantastic to find a channel at this end of the world!!!!
👍👍
Thanks
Great Video and superbly explained well done trevor!!
Glad you enjoyed it Mate, Cheers.
Some notes:
1) In this type of circuit, it is not necessary to connect the neutral to the board (therefore it is advisable not to connect the neutral to the board!). The connection exists there only for convenience.
2) It is recommended to add before the board a thermal load protector (protect the board and the motor).
3) It is recommended to add an external inductor to the motor (wire size at a suitable load) - to smooth the operation of the motor.
Shimon, Do you have specifics relating to a thermal load protector and external inductor?
Toda Raba!
NO Shimon, that's incorrect, SCR* controllers require the neutral - they use the live-neutral voltage to determine when to switch on the SCR. without the Neutral it will be either permanently conducting and give full speed, or non-conduction with a stationary motor.
Please don't make incorrect statements on things outside your field of knowledge!
* actually probably a Triac - it's passing AC, SCRs will only pass DC - hence Silicon Controlled *Rectifier*.
@@hopefuldave It seems RUclips is blocking my comments.
If you would like a direct answer - please contact me (contact details are on the About page of my channel)
Thanks!
Trevor ive built my box as yours is with double power point and mag switch. I cant figure out from video where you have light plugged in and if there are wires plugged into com socket. Can you help. Baz in perth.
So far, this has worked well for me. Thank you.
Gday. Thanks heaps for showing this, extremely helpful mate, Cheers
IS there a way put a soft start on it so if you power it up when the pot is set to 100% the motor ramps up to full over 3 seconds or so?
just seen your video. very informative and easy to follow
Well you wouldn't believe what I did. After going through your great video I finally got my SCR, Bridge Rectifiers, and a DC motor controller (10-30V 100A 3000W Programable Reversible DC Motor Speed Controller PWM Control). I got aggravated looking at Lowes for for some electrically wire to use between them, mostly hard house wiring which I didn't want. So I bought a cheap 8 foot extension cord and cut segments for wiring it all together. Spent half the day looking for my meter and a box of electrical connectors, failed to look at this video again and forgot to wire in the Bridge Rectifier. For some unknown reason I thought the SCR had AC input and DC output. So it tripped the breaker in the laundry room (electrical panel) immediately. It was late at night so I unhooked it all till this morning. I don't know if I ruined the the PWM or not. I'm not sure how to test it so I guess I'll put the rectifier in the circuit like it should be and if it works great and if it doesn't then I'll have a test piece to check out and see if I can determine what components fried. Haste makes waste, lesson learned
G'day Paul, I think everything will be fine when you hook it up correctly. At least you didn't get Zapped or anything Crazy like that. Cheers Mate.
Those chinese controllers are not SCR's just a cheap triac.
@@celiturbo Thanks for the commit and I agree
Awesome video and really easy to follow. One question please…my treadmill motor is running too fast for what I need (450rpm). Is there a way to control the speed to a lower rpm?
Great Video bud !!!. I take my proverbial hat off to ya. Keep on putting such great videos on your site.
Thanks Mike, Cheers.
Hey Trev. I'm just knockin up one of these for my workshop linisher as we speak! Quick question , if I may? There'd be no problems to rotate the SCR 90 degrees counter CW would there? Then I don't need to cut it! And I can mount the Bridge rectifier on the left side of the SCR heat sink. Opposite to where the wires enter the SCR.
Should be fine Bill, good luck with your Project. Cheers.
Awesome mate. Nice one.
Been thinking about how to power my apple fucker (it's a scratter mill for making cider) and a centrifuge, been looking at vfd and 3phase motors.
This has saved me hundreds of dollars in vfds.
I might even put both my lathes on dc too!
Is there a dc motor out there i might find that'll do 6000rpm?
Im building a centrifuge and want higher rpm but direct drive ideally as there's no room for belts and pulleys to gear up.
Any idea what motor capacity this set up will max out at?
i built this setup and it works great. Only think i don't like is that when i start turning the pot up to get the motor running, it hits pretty hard when it starts... probably not a bit deal but i'm trying to figure how to soft start it...
Bloody brilliant. Well done.
I have a question could use some help. I am in the US and needed to replace the potentiometer. The new one I received has 3 pins do I only need to use 2? I see there is 3 pins on the circuit board not used was curious what those are for as well. Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks for this! I've been trying to make sense of the treadmill wiring to use its controller but this is so much simpler! Just one question though, if I add a smoothing capacitor in parallel with the bridge rectifier, what size would it need to be and how many uF? My motor is 230v so I'm guessing at least 300 with 200uF?
Hey. Great video. I'm about to do the same converting to an old Waldown drill press. What size plastic enclosure did you use?
Question, the scr your using and the led lamp are both rated for 220v, obviously here in the states were 120v so should I be ordering stuff for 120v?
Hi Kevin, the Scr is definitely ok for 110v or 220v, the lamp, not so sure. My gut says yes, but have no way to test. Cheers mate.
Can you add a Link to where you buy your CD Motors. Or ones like it online
How did you get your motor stand? As I can't find one for my motor?
Great explanation, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for. I have a slightly different situation: I have a 1Hp 5 amp motor. Will I need a different rated scr module for these specs? Regards Barry M.
Nice video. I was about to order and configure the controller and setup a variable speed treadmill motor but realized that you are describing 220 and I have only 110V. I don't have 220V available at the location I will use this at. Do you have a similar video available for us lowly 110V U.S. folks? Or if you can describe the difference I will follow the new differences. Thanks for the nice video either way.
G'day Tim, these components work for both 220 & 110, the only thing you may need to change is the Potentiometer in the SCR to a different value.
Cheers Mate.
Thanks for the video, I am running pretty much the same set up, however whenever I coonect motor to rectifier my circuit breaker trips. Any idea? I have tested motor with 14vdc drill battery and it is working fine.
G'day Mate, no idea sorry. Maybe try another Bridge Rectifier. Cheers.
If i bought the complete treadmill .can i just take motor and speed controller and add it to my wood lathe ?
Thanks for the post! Can wire in a 12 volt fan to help with cooling the same way the power on light is?
Very helpful 👌 new subscriber
Thanks Stevie, Cheers.
just curious, is it possible to wire this setup so I can get forward/reverse switch,have done my drill press, now I want to do this on my lathe, but I need reverse as well as forward. ps thanks for this video found it really easy to do this conversion to my drill press (no more changing belts and pulleys) thanks again Aussie shed
Hey I want to use a treadmill motor to build a alternator tester do you think it will handle the load
Wow what great ideas and easy presentation. I’ve got to convert my drill press as it would be so much more useful. Love the idea of tapping and easy variable speed.Can you make a video on the conversion. I’ve watched the drill to mill video but would like to see more on the drive system. Thanks again.
Hi Chris, Definitely on the "To Do" List, Cheers Mate.
I have this setup on my metal lathe 3hp DC motor 1880W max power, however i find that scr gets quite heated after relatively short time and power cable that comes from the outlet also gets quite warm, my motor doesn't immediately stop when you turn pot to low its still coast on inertia as it has heavy lathe head attached, I'm wondering if that's what generating reverse current into the rectifier and the scr? Is adding a large capacitor gonna make any difference?
Hi...I followed your instructions here and successfully got my treadmill working again. It’s running beautifully ..but the motor does have a hum when I turn up they potentiometer that I don’t remember from the when it was new. Running great so I take it the hum is nothing to worry about?
Thanks.
Hi Chuck, you sometimes do get a bit of a hum, depends on many factors. One of my setups Hums quite a bit more than the others but has been running for years without issue. Cheers Mate.
The Aussie Shed ...thanks for your reply....I’m quite happy with performance of my treadmill...have to say there is a fair amount of electronics I’m bypassing to fit this small power supply....this could be a factor. Anyway thanks again for your help.
Very neat setup and simple - lover simple!
Minor correction: Flat out the output will be closer to 340V peak (1.4 x 240v) from the full bridge rectifier.
How many watts or VA are the treadmill motors you use?
I keep looking for retired treadmills on the street - nada so far. Really hanging out to get a few. One for my pedestal drill, one for the compressor, one for the belt disk sander, and if get enough, I want to convert my metal cutoff saw. Thanks for a very clear and informative video.
Thanks Benny, the bigger ones, like on the drill Press are 2,250w & the sander is 1,150w. Cheers Mate.
Very informative video. Just about to.pick up a free treadmill shortly . Been looking on ebay for the scr and they have 4000w ones. Are these ok to use or should i stick with the 1000w versions. Love the channel to by the way
G'day Mate, I always use the 10,000w versions, they are way beefier than the 4000w ones. Same as the ones in the link above. Cheers Mate.
Thanks. I stuffed up the ones i found are rated at 40000 not 4000
Well done mate awesome video.
And thanks this helps me heaps
My Pleasure Yane, Cheers.
Very helpful, thank you for making this video
Pro form 625 console numbers just scramble when turned on could this be a bad power supply board?
Hi Trev, a very good video.
Thanks Mate, Cheers,
Do those controllers automatically adjust for load, or do they bog down a bit?? Thanks for the video!
G'day Mate, they do to a point, depends on how much load really. Cheers.
smashing vid can,t wait to have a go
Great video mate
Thanks Mate.👍
Hey Hey cracking video mate! Aussie Aussie 🇦🇺
I stumbled across your video because I'm trying to research how to make a rod wrapper/dryer for making custom fishing rods, and quite frankly mate you're so much easier to follow than the... Others lol
Got any advice or suggestions?
Oh.. and didday from Bundy Qld 👋
Sorry Mate, way out of my area of expertise, best of luck with it though. Cheers.
A pwm based controller is the best set up
I have a earth/ground question...I built this using the same scr and rectifier going to a 90v motor. In testing, I only hooked up the power and neutral wires leaving the ground wires dangling. It worked well until one of my ground wires accidentally contacted the heat sink and caused an arc. Now the scr is dead. I found a burn mark beneath the the circuit board. Why did that happen? I have another controller on the way but don’t want to fry it again.
Edit; I just realized that my board is not fried but it did blow the gfci I was plugged in to. Still don’t understand why.
Really stupid question: here in europe we have symmetrical plugs, so there's a 50/50 chance the AC in and neutral get switched in the SCR terminals... or does it matter?
Tried this system using a kbpc5010 rectifier. It works OK for a while then blows the rectifier? is there anyway in stopping a spike / back current? Thanks in advance.
G'day Mate, have you tried another rectifier, reason I ask is I had one go on me a few years ago on my Mill/Drill.
Figured it was because I really load it up at low speed sometimes. I ordered a really expensive rectifier to cure what I thought was the problem but fitted another cheapy kbpc510 I had in the drawer to get me by. That was at least 2 maybe 3 years ago & its still going on the cheapy & I have really punished that sucker in the meantime.
This leads me to conclude there may be some manufacturing issues with the odd one of these cheapys.
Other than that I really have no idea, Its been my only failure & I have many pieces of equipment running this exact setup day in & day out in my workshop.
Sorry I can't be of more help.
Cheers Mate.
@@TheAussieShed Hi thanks for the reply - you could be right regarding faulty diodes. they where ordered from ebay (cheep). It fails at the DC negative point on the rectifier. other option is to put a cheap small amp fuse and a capacitor bridging over the rectifier.
Nice video The_Aussie_Shed , Just one question Why don't you use a capacitor filter across the DC Voltage rectification side of the
KBPC5010 Single Phases Diode Bridge Rectifier 50A 1000V Metal case ? haven't read all the remarks so not aware if the question has been asked!
Doesn't look like it needs it?
Great information and well explained video ordered the parts i need, is i possible to fit a reversing switch inline without having to change the wires on the rectifier? new subscriber, Mike, Lismore.
this is great - I while ago I acquired a 2.75 treadmill motor with this written on the side: 2.75 HP @130 VDC and 2HP @ 100 DVC /1492 Watts.
will those parts work with this motor? many thanks
These parts should work with basically any treadmill motor, just like yours
I tried doing this a few years ago but had issues. I wasn't sure if I had a bad component or motor (it was sparking and making a bad noise). The FBR was also getting incredibly hot within seconds. Was 240v ac to 180v dc a bad idea?
I have connected up two treadmill motors exactly the way you show in your video. They both work perfectly with no load. When I put a load on them, in this case running a 12 volt car generator for testing with a v belt, I turn the pentiometer and the motor starts, but the brushes arc and the motor does not run properly until it gets to 3500 RPM. If I turn the pentiometer down the motor starts to splutter and arc. What can be the problem?
thank you I have been trying to find out how to do this parts ordered thanks
Cheers Mate.
@@TheAussieShed I have watched a couple of others since yours and why is it the voltage of the motor eg12vdc 130vdc I have a 180vdc 4000 rpm and how is it possible for such a small power supply to be able to do it ??
@@rongfucapers9442 G'day Mate, the simple answer is, its not a power supply as such. all this setup does basically, is allow you to vary the voltage supplied from the wall socket & change it to DC. All of my motors are 180vdc. Cheers.
@@rongfucapers9442 all the "supply" does is chop off the voltage at a certain point in the ac cycle. Resistance is the reason why power supplies get warmer and more metal means less resistance and less heat so bigger wires, bigger conductors, bigger transistors, etc means bigger supply and bigger power. Since this supply is either not conducting or conducting completely there's very little resistance and therefore doesn't need to be very big. It's just chopping it so fast that it looks like a single voltage.
Where do you get the treadmill motors , cheers
Grreat video mate, really well explained compared to some of the others i have seen. You mentioned you run most of your power tools on them, do you have a rough idea of the lifetime of the motor using this? I see a few comments on each video and a few videos that mention this but that its not ideal or good for the motor and shortens the life.. Any input on that ? Thank you
G'Day Mate, Honestly I only have my own experience to go on, I have been running this controller setup on 4 pieces of workshop equipment all with very different load & RPM requirements, one of them has been going for nearly 5 years now & others 2 or 3. So far no failures, other than a bridge rectifier. Its pretty hard to know how this controller setup effects motor life without Two identical setups with the only variable being the controller. Makes you wonder how folks draw this conclusion. Regardless, for me personally, if this setup did indeed shorten motor life by even lets say 30% (no idea what the expected motor life is meant to be though) considering the motors cost me nothing, it wouldn't bother me at all.
Cheers Mate.
good work
Cool. Built in work lught.
Guday Trev
Just come across your Channel n watched your vids about Treadmill Motors n how you wire them.
On other Videos ( other youtubers ) they all so to go with using the component parts from within the treadmill, you however just use the SCR Motor Controller Bridge Rec etc.
When viewing how your motors run they seem to be more responsive to powering up (high) & slowing down to a stop.
Others have mentioned that they’ve kept the Coil/inductor ( one you tuber showing how it both with and without it’s being integrated) had different effects, ( that though was with the flywheel in situ )
Gotta say yours seems to ramp up & go to a dead stop as I would want.
Any thoughts ?
By the looks of it I’m gonna have to spend a whole lotta time now checking out the rest of your bids cos from what I’ve seen so far the machines all look to be up my street.
Keep up the good work it’ll keep me busy in catchup!
Cheers Bob UK
Thanks Bob
great explanation but where can I get a Treadmill motor and what do they cost?
G'day Pat, I pull them out of Treadmills left out for rubbish pickup. A lot of folks buy them with the idea of loosing weight, getting fit etc, then realize that requires actual effort. I guess sometimes the driver boards might be fried also but the motors are always perfect, most are like brand new. And best of all trey're free.
Cheers Mate.
Where did you locate the power switch? AC side or the DC side? Where on this unit?
G'day Mate, Always on the AC Side. Cheers.
G’day Trevor. Would a treadmill motor and this setup be powerful enough to operate a small’ish lathe ( not a mini-lathe ) ?
It’s an old Aussie made lathe called a Premo Mk.2 by Blackenbury & Austin. I’m guessing maybe not but it certainly would be a very cheap way of having variable speed.
Cheers mate.
Most treadmill motors are around 2 hp. Mini lathes are about 1/4 or 3/4 go so it’s should very much enough power.
Abel ... thanks for the reply !
My treadmill motor is rated at 2.5hp.
Well it’s all up and running .... until you put it under load or increase speed higher than about 500rpm then it trips out the little 8amp resettable fuse that was part of the original treadmill switch assembly. Obviously more load than what fat bastard the treadmill was designed to carry 🤣
I will use a clamp meter today to see what amps it’s actually tripping at and if I’m game I might bypass the resettable fuse and plug the power into a power board which has a slightly higher resettable fuse in it. Will let you know how I go.
Thanks again for you’re advise.
Guday Trev merry Crimbo
Got a quick question for when you’re able to reply ( if at all possible !)
Do you take off the flywheels of the Treadmill motors that you use ? & if so is this because it slows down the inertia of the motor quicker ?
Regards Bob
Hi Robert, depends on the application, I have both setups currently running. The mass of the flywheel does help the motors resist dropping speed in some intermittent light load situations. Cheers Mate.
Hey Trev, great help dude and thanks. One problem I have is firing the emergency stop switch. I've placed it at the power in end, but the green button won't stay depressed unless held. I've linked the small A1 terminal to the neutral 'out' terminal as i believe should (and tested it linked to the neutral 'in'), but the problem of the on button persists. Any suggestions? Ian.
Hi Ian, my first thought would be to reverse the polarity of the switch wiring, they will work either way, the winding in the switch gets either power or neutral from the switch depending how it is wired. sounds like its getting a neutral from the switch not an active. Remember to change your output wires around if you do this. Cheers Mate.
@@TheAussieShed Great and thank you- this solved the problem. very much appreciated.
Hi, great video. Just one question. All fine but wondering, I'm on the Gold Coast so running 240v mains but have a 112v dc treadmill motor. Would there be any problem with the voltage output at the treadmill end? Thanks.
@@ronaldcassar3143 G'day Ronald, yep you will have issues. The Voltage out with this type of controller is very close to the voltage in, actually slightly more. It works ok with the 180v dc motors but I wouldn't push it with a 112v version. Cheers Mate.
is that one of AvE sticker in the background
Yup
Noticed that too
What's ave Stricker?
@@Iamsuccesspro Check out Ave channel, lot of shop and machine stuff. See if you can find a close-up on that sticker.
Is your treadmill motor a permanent magnet motor? Are you running it in reverse, if so has there been any negative things with the motor when running it in reverse?
G'day Mate, apologies for the late reply. Yes it is, no issues. The Brushes are 180deg to each other, i think that may help. Cheers.
excellent video mate from one aussie to another i am in w.a i am trying to get the flywheel of these motors any ideas i want to put a different pulley on it thanks mate very helpful
G'day Mate, most of the ones I have dealt with use a Grub Screw or 2 through the flywheel. Cheers.
I probably have a couple of flywheels you can have @malti2104 im also in wa. Whereabouts are you?
@@bushratbeachbum have u got an email i am in the south of perth
Yep, send me a message with your email and ill give you a holla
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