How To Motorize Your Mill's Z Axis

[henryarnold]

(06-17-2012, 12:44 PM)stevec Wrote: Henry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to goad you into posting the schematic.
As you may have noticed I posted a pic of my perm. mag. DC gearmotor for my mill drill. I actually have no need for the schematic.

I was just funin' ya about being cautious (not one of my talents, to my dismay I might add).

I am a little curious as to whether or not you are powering your 180vdc gearmotor from a 120 vac line.
Or have I misinterpreted.

(06-16-2012, 12:03 PM)henryarnold Wrote: The schematic I was going to publish used 120 VAC as an input

SteveC,
No problem. The schematic does raise some interesting issues. I suggest someone else's suggestion of using a KB motor controller. They are inexpensive on EBay and they solve the problem of isolation. In regards to your question about the voltage. Our 120V outlets are 120V RMS but are 170V peak. If you full wave rectify and filter the sine wave power, you get a higher voltage depending on the load. In any case its enough to power a 180V motor. You probably won't find a 120 VDC motor. They seem to come in either 90V or 180V versions. Of course an AC motor could work fine if you can find one that is reversible. Reversible AC gear motors are not as common as DC motors.
Henry Arnold