Thread: Triton repairs

Paul, that's sad news! Mine could be the same age. Mine has a little hissy fit at times by running up and down its speeds without me twoddling the knob. Other on here have had that speed control replaced, so mine may also have that problem too.
I will be monitoring your saga closely.

Originally Posted by chambezio

Paul, that's sad news! Mine could be the same age. Mine has a little hissy fit at times by running up and down its speeds without me twoddling the knob. Other on here have had that speed control replaced, so mine may also have that problem too.
I will be monitoring your saga closely.

Rod

Sorry to have to tell you this, but the speed control did tend to be a little erratic without permission leading up to this event. It would suddenly lose revs and then increase back to normal. Not a sufficient problem to warrant any action at the time.

I think my machine would be about eight years old. Pre the GMC melt down.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

My Triton (big one, TRA 001) may have carked it! Runs, but trips the power board within a couple of seconds of starting. There is excessive sparking visible (no smoke - smoke still contained within the motor), but the brushes still have 15mm left on them so I have ruled that out.

I am guessing the commutator of even worse, the armature has failed. Any of the you Triton experts familiar with this and is there a preferred repairer? I have contacted a local power tool specialist, who have said they will look at it for me, but have not had the opportunity to travel into Toowoomba at this stage.

Any help, including costs I may be up for, would be appreciated.

Regards
Paul

If the circuit breaker trips after a few seconds, it indicates that that your router is drawing a very large current, probably in excess of 20 Amps. I am assuming the TRA 001 is a 2KW router which would draw roughly 16 ~ 17 Amps for the first few seconds which is OK for a 10A circuit with a 16A circuit breaker. But your router is drawing considerably more which it isn't supposed to do if it was operating normally.

An universal motor draws a large current at the start or when it is under severe load and at the same time rotating at reduce speed. So your problem is probably due to something that is preventing it from rotating freely. It wouldn't be the armature or it wouldn't be running at all. The most likely causes are faulty bearings or housing full of rubbish. You could check the commutator and clean it with a ball point pen eraser and check that the brushes make good contact but that is unlikely to be your cause though it will reduce sparking.

Originally Posted by justonething

If the circuit breaker trips after a few seconds, it indicates that that your router is drawing a very large current, probably in excess of 20 Amps. I am assuming the TRA 001 is a 2KW router which would draw roughly 16 ~ 17 Amps for the first few seconds which is OK for a 10A circuit with a 16A circuit breaker. But your router is drawing considerably more which it isn't supposed to do if it was operating normally.

An universal motor draws a large current at the start or when it is under severe load and at the same time rotating at reduce speed. So your problem is probably due to something that is preventing it from rotating freely. It wouldn't be the armature or it wouldn't be running at all. The most likely causes are faulty bearings or housing full of rubbish. You could check the commutator and clean it with a ball point pen eraser and check that the brushes make good contact but that is unlikely to be your cause though it will reduce sparking.

Shorts within the armature windings or shorts to ground (break down of the insulation coating) will cause high current flow and may also cause sparking.

Originally Posted by Lappa

Shorts within the armature windings or shorts to ground (break down of the insulation coating) will cause high current flow and may also cause sparking.

If the armature windings are shorted, then I suspect it the fuse will blow in milliseconds, not after a few seconds. Anyhow, it is worthwhile checking it out I suppose.

I took it into the repairer today. He said the motor is burnt out and not worth fixing, which I think I knew all along.

If the machine just tripped the power board by drawing high amps I would go along with a mechanical blockage. Unfortunately the excessive sparking doesn't quite fit that scenario and points to a more serious issue. A short circuit would go all the way back to the safety switch so it is probably not that.

I might pull the router apart and have a look. I remember an electrical mate of mine saying it is possible to "restore" the commutator, by cleaning the segments with a suitably modified hacksaw blade.

However, I am probably clutching at straws.

Regards
Paul

The hacksaw (with all teeth set removed) is normally used to undercut the insulation material between the copper segments after the commutator is machined - 0.5mm is common on smaller armatures.

Short or shorts to grounds can take more than a few milliseconds if the shorts only occur with heat or movement. I see this at times with starter motors and wiper motors.

If you pull it apart so, look for arc marks where the windings go through/around the laminated iron core of the armature or thrown windings/solder at the commutator end.

Thanks Lappa

I am firmly in the category of "a little knowledge is dangerous."

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Thanks Lappa

I am firmly in the category of "a little knowledge is dangerous."

Regards
Paul

If you have a friendly auto electrician near you, he should be able to test the armature on a growler for you.

Originally Posted by justonething

If the armature windings are shorted, then I suspect it the fuse will blow in milliseconds, not after a few seconds. Anyhow, it is worthwhile checking it out I suppose.

From this post and justonethings previous one, I suspect that he is not familiar with Triton routers. The speed control also acts as a slow start device, limiting the startup surge current, and making the motor accelerate for a couple of seconds to reach operating speed.

I suspect that a motor fault could delay tripping a breaker or RCD for a similar time if the fault is speed dependant, say an armature winding parted from the commutator and floating in near vicinity of its termination point, but being thrown clear and making contact with other parts of the motor once it is up to speed.

Originally Posted by malb

From this post and justonethings previous one, I suspect that he is not familiar with Triton routers. The speed control also acts as a slow start device, limiting the startup surge current, and making the motor accelerate for a couple of seconds to reach operating speed.

I suspect that a motor fault could delay tripping a breaker or RCD for a similar time if the fault is speed dependant, say an armature winding parted from the commutator and floating in near vicinity of its termination point, but being thrown clear and making contact with other parts of the motor once it is up to speed.

So has it got a soft start?

Originally Posted by justonething

So has it got a soft start?

Yes.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the speed control had become a little dickey too.

Regards
Paul