[Smertrios]

I was starting up my TAIG for the first time today and as usual the first start up was taking awhile. POP everything goes blank! No computer, no aquarium, no spindle motor, no control system... you get the idea. Was making me mad to because I would reset the breaker and it just kept popping until the motor started up. After that I could restart it without a problem.

Obviously when starting up its consuming *alot* more power than when running. I wonder if something like a "kill-a-watt" digital meter could be used as something like a load meter to determine when a cut is getting to be a bit strong? I have to find mine I'm not sure where it is right now but I bet it can work as a load meter where watts or amps == the load.

[LaserImage]

I was starting up my TAIG for the first time today and as usual the first start up was taking awhile.

I don't understand - what was taking awhile to start, the motor? If so, why?

[Smertrios]

When starting the TAIG on the top pulley it always takes awhile before it will start spinning at full speed when starting it for the first time for the day. I dont know how the start capacitor works but maybe it needs to charge up before the phase shift is enough for it to get the motor spinning at full speed?

[fretsman]

That doesn't sound right at all, which motor do you have?

[Smertrios]

Franklin Electric

[Jeff-Birt]

When starting the TAIG on the top pulley it always takes awhile before it will start spinning at full speed when starting it for the first time for the day.

That sounds like it might be a case of the machine being cold combined with (perhaps) the weaker Taig spindle motor. If the machine is setting in a cold environment the grease in the spindle bearings and motor bearings will be thick and they will be harder to spin. If it is the case of being cold then starting/running the spindle with belt on a lower pulley range could be done. It should only take 15 minutes or so to get the spindle and motor warmed up.

Since you say you have the Franklin motor I'm guessing maybe you converted a manual Taig mill? The CNC ready versions have come with a Bluffton motor for the past several years. I'm not sure of the difference in starting torque but the Bluffton motor is a better motor all around (as stated by Taig.)

With an induction motor you can't just use the motors current to estimate load. With an inductive load the the current peak lags behind the voltage peak (often referred to as power factor). This is because as the inductance of the motor opposes a change in current flow. As the load on the motor is changed the power factor can change quite a bit without a noticeable differnce in the amount of current being measured with a current meter. To get an idea of the load on the motor you need to measure the current and voltage peak offset (to calculate the power factor).

[Smertrios]

Very slow to get upto speed. Spins slow for awhile then I can hear it revving up and seconds later its at max speed.

The motor I have is what came with it. It about 6 years now and in near mint condition but its only recently that I have started using it much at the highest speed. It is a cnc ready er-16 spindle.

[BAMCNC.COM]

You must of read my post about me having a kill-a-watt on my taig? And yes it has power factor...

[Smertrios]

Didn't mean to steal your idea! As soon as I read your post I had this vague memory of reading a post about using a kill-a-watt as a load meter. Not sure if I am fooling myself or not. Thanks for the heads up.

[Al_The_Man]

If this is a 1ph induction motor it is a very good sign that maybe the start capacitor requires replacing, it is very important that an induction motor reaches base or normal load speed within a couple of seconds or less.
At switch on an induction motor load has very little inductance and appears to the AC supply as a transformer with a shorted turn secondary, if it does not obtain proper rpm within this time, burn-out can occur, or if lucky, the breaker will pop.
On some recent equipment I purchased that had R.O.C. made motors, the same symptoms appeared, R.O.C. motors are notorious for poor design and capacitor failure.
Al.