router speed control: voltage or cycles

[SteveS]

OK how do these things work? Do they change the voltage or the cycles.

Steve

PS I don't want it for a motor speed control.

[mdagley]

The speed of the router is controlled by varying the voltage.

Mike

[SteveS]

Thanks Mike just what I was hoping!

Harbor Freight has a 15 amp on sale for 12.50. Plan on making a titanium anodizer with it (just need a bridge). Heck, if it goes down to 12 VAC it'll be my etcher too.

Thanks again.

Steve

[Terry_Dodson]

will those work with belt sanders or grinders?

[sdcb27]

I have seen those advertised for brushed motors only.. up to 15 amp and 3.5 horse but brushed motors only

[tmiller5087]

Hi terry
they will slow a belt sander or grinder down but there will be no torgue. you will stop the grinder or belt sander with the slightest pressure even at speeds just below full. i know I bought one for that purpose. was advertised to work on any type motor but on the control it states for brush or universal type motors only.

terry

[Raymond Johnson]

ok Here is my two cents. You can use them on shop vaccums as blower for your forge, but know what your doing with any forge. You can use them on any brush type motors ( shop vacs and routers ), but don't and I mean don't try to use them as a voltage controller on kilns. They are just not made for this . Even if the number are right, they will burn out quick. And agian I say please don't do it. I did and it wasn't pretty. Be safe
Raymond Johnson

[HayreAss]

I know this is an old thread, but I was just curious if anyone used one of these router controllers in a titanium anodizer, and if so, did it work well?

Thanks.

[PaulD]

Most of the inexpensive ?speed controllers? use a simple silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) circuit. They are NOT potentiometers or rheostats.

SCRs work by stopping the AC wave for a portion of the cycle. This means that there is less voltage as measured by a meter. It also means that for the blocked portion of the cycle there is no current flowing. This results in a loss of speed AND torque.

There are more complicated (expensive) circuits available that ?slice? the wave into smaller bits (rather than one large section), these give better torque. But you wouldn?t know unless you used an oscilloscope to view the wave form.

See this link for basic SCR function.

http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_3/chpt_7/5.html


Use these controllers only on brush type motors and make sure the current (amps) of the motor is less than the maximum rating of the controller.