Thread: Cougar EVS350 digital display kaput

Originally Posted by Evanism

Started doing a big turning tonight and noticed the digital readout was showing 0 rpm....

Weird, it was working last week and the lathe is running perfectly fine.

The dudes it was purchased from are closed tomorrow, so I thought to harness the wisdom of the crowd to see if anyone knows a fix.

I looked inside the casing. Next to the shaft is a small device with a LED. It sits very close to four screws that are concentricly placed around the shaft. I've seen this in action before...it blinks as one of the screws passes it, so perhaps it's magnetic(?). Now, it is still lit, but doesn't blink.

I cleaned the shaft, blew out all the dust, cleaned the small device, cleaned the pully too... It has a small dimple drilled into it that the LED just happens to shine in/on, but it's a good three inches from the "reader". Perhaps the unblinking LED is an interferometer that uses the dimple somehow?

Anyway, after a good clean it displayed wildly fluctuating numbers for 30 seconds when I set it to 300 rpm. I know it's 300 rpm as I use it all the time. The motor was rock steady in its rpm but the reading heaved 56.... 370.... 120....200....75.....300... And so it spasmed. Then the numbers completely died and displays only 0.

Has anyone ever experienced such a thing? Or know a fix?

Anyone know the warranty is on the beast?

It's not a show stopper as I do the rpm by ear, like everyone, but it sure is nice to see them....plus I'd hate to think this might be the beginning of the end for the "computer" if it's out of bloody warranty.

Can't recall the name of the part, but I was told at trend Timbers it is easily replaced. I think trend keep it stocked. Hopefully not expensive. The part gives a spreads the speed from the spindle, I think.

The device with the LED is an inductive proximity switch. It senses when metal is close and closes a contact (and lights the LED so you know it's operated.), ie the four bolts. If the LED is on all the time, it may have moved too close to the bolts. Try adjusting the position of the prox so that the LED is only lit when a bolt head is directly below/beside it.

These make me feel warm and cosy now if it's a six cent part then I'm saved!

I did think that this would be the case, but I enjoy the wisdom of others. Many thanks.

I'll take some photos of the process so google can find it and maybe others can learn from my spanner work.

It really is a great lathe. I really love it.

1000 thanks to NCArcher, solved!

Took t out, put smaller washers on and backed it off a bit (not much wiggle room) but it worked. Blinking lights restored and readout now reading out.

Nope, it's kaput.

Was working beautifully up until 1am last ight, turned it off and at 8am it was dead.

What a day. Turned up 16 shaker pegs, all identical. Used new techniques taught to me recently by . Very very happy, but I'll call Trend tomorrow and see what they say about another field sensor.

Has any electrical storms hit close by recently.??

With digital age coming into the workshop surge boards seem to be more in need to protect the motherboards in machines to reduce the possibility of s spike.

I am not saying this is what has happened but a possibility. Look at Microwave displays on flash and they are ash.

5 months now....no part.

Must be rare.

Not the best service I've received from Trend Timbers...

The Cougar EVS 350 doesnt get a lot of parts support. Id hate for something big to go bang... Id be really stuffed then.