I used a 220k pot. But that shouldn’t cause it to spark. Check the brushes and make sure you have it wired correctly from the bridge rectifier. Double check. Where are the sparks coming from?
4000 watts isn’t enough also that sparking is coming from your brushes. You may want to take a look and see what’s up back there. The two things most likely are related but the brushes may have blackened the commutator.
@@HouseMadeUS Why do you say 4000 watts isn't enough? 4000 watts is slightly more than 5 HP .Does the variable resistor size allow the motor to go slower with the 220K you used vs 10K or 100K as others recommend ?Nice setup. I'd never thought of using a computer power supply box.
From experience the ratings of the SCR controllers is highly over rated. So by going to 10,000 watts you negate that and more power isn't a bad thing. I bought a 4000 watt controller that didnt push 4000 watts and popped. Cheap Chinese junk. The 10K worked just fine. Thanks.
I was able to fix my crappy proform treadmill by doing this. It works great. I was able to source the wires I needed from the treadmill and use the parts recommended. Thanks!
Fantastic. I followed the instructions and saved my treadmill. The TM's circuitry was all messed up and not working so I just connected this set-up directly to the DC motor. Works like a charm. I don't have the display but I can tell how fast I'm going. Better than forking out a bunch of cash for a new treadmill. Thanks.
At the end of your video you give a glimpse into what it takes to record these videos, a lot of gear to purchase,set up and move around for different shots! I understand that this is pretty much a paid job but you choose to do this and we all benefit for it so wanted to say thanks!!!!!
As an educator, I enjoy your communication style and your ability to communicate In a clear and understandable way. Many people are unable to do that. Thank You and keep on ďoing what you do. You really do it well.
Thanks for showing the wiring and what to buy. I ordered the 3 piece like yours from Amazon and this video is a lifesaver on knowing how to wire it up. I'm building a 2x72 belt sander. Again thanks, enjoy your videos..
Take your motor and hook it up to your car battery. Do it and don't be shy. Heck you just use your jumper cable even, it won't hurt anybody's feeling especially yours. Why? So you will understand what it is like to supply a DC motor to a DC source, better yet REAL DC SOURCE. Then you will know what it means. You will never even heard of such whisperring sound of beauty.... Over and out.
Awesome. Thank you. I had been looking for an orphan (free) treadmill at our dump for the last 5 years. I finally spied one in our scrap metal dumpster that had already been dis-assembled and just grabbed the motor and took it home. Same plan with mine, 2x72 sander. DC motor controllers seem to be constructed of solid gold.
Yeah, I switched over to AC because my DC fried out. Its the VFDs that are really expensive. Once you go AC though I think you will see the difference. DC has a cooling problem if you dont filter the air they get dirty on the inside and fry. Just a heads up. Cheers!
It's probably best to have it spin in the original direction as it did in the treadmill. It's been a while, but I believe that flywheel just screws on, so if you have it spinning in the opposite direction it could come off.
yes, I have seen those too. got one on my bench right now with a flywheel opposite the pulley, its got a tapered shaft & a draw shaft, so running that type either way is fine. adding a keyway, set screw or pin would take care of the problem too
Good point. Another thing people dont realize is the bearings wear in a certain direction. Spinning them the opposite direction will inevitably cause rapid bearing wear.
Another problem with spinning it backwards is that the carbon brushes also wear in one direction, so reversing the direction will cause a lot of sparking on the brushes, which also reduces the lifespan of the motor.
Never knew this is how you got started with 2 x 72 grinders. Man you have came a long ways. I built a treadmill one back about 7 years ago and keep saying I am going to upgrade to one of your plans. But the damn thing still works and has plenty of power. I did mine different than anny I have seen and ran a jack shaft and geared that 7500rpm motor back down. It makes all kinds of power. I used all the electronics from the treadmill to power it. It is one of two videos I have on my channel. But I am kicking around a house made grinder with possible a brushless scooter motor. You can pick up a motor and controller around $120 for a 2.2kw 48 volt and a surplus 3k 48 volt power supply from ebay used in tella communication for less than $100
Just got my parts from craigslist free section it was in the basement but i brought tools and a friend disassembled and now im ready to build my variable dc motor for electrical testing :) super pumped
Most of these treadmill motors and controllers will come with an inductor in series with the motor. I recommend keeping this and using it because it will make the motor run a bit smoother. Especially if you are just running a rectifier straight to the motor, it will smooth out the pulsed current coming from the rectifier.
@@HouseMadeUS Most treadmill inductors I have seen have a laminated steel core and look like a transformer but with only 1 winding. I would assume some come with a toroidal inductor though. It doesn't make a huge different but I've noticed the motors run a bit quieter at lower speeds.
Thank you for the clear, well explained video Brian. It's surprising how difficult it is to come across such videos. How do I know what size potentiometer I need? Does it matter how many hp the motor is? I have a 3hp out of a Peloton treadmill and want to make a thickness sander, among many other things.
Great reminders. I have two computer cases with power supplies I'd forgotten about. After pricing boxes for projects like this, they're looking pretty valuable. One was up for sale and people would, probably, low ball. After I pull the supplies and fans, I'll just "free" the cases out. SIDE NOTE: Interestingly, one of the two free treadmills I tore apart had a common wall wart charger with its wires snipped and crimped into the system, as a 12volt power source. The first motor I scored for my dismantling efforts was a 10 amp, 90 volt DC motor ideal for some project. The second has 5/8" shafts on each end and is a true 1.5 horse motor so would make a great variable speed buffer. I already have a Redwing buffer on my Air Handler station (a floor model buffing station with lights, a blower and filter that really go a long ways to educating you on why you need dust collection off a buffer - the crap in the 12x25 inch filters is alarming. Anyway, the Redwing is designed for small wheels about 6" in diameter, though there is enough room for up to 10 inch filters, and for this motor. That and the variable speed would really up the versatility of the buffer.
Great tips ... I found a free treadmill advertised, went to see it, it was huge and impossible to move, so I left ... I was still ken on it, so later I dropped them a line suggesting for a fee I'd dismantle it to get it out the door and house ... they ended up paying me! So, I will now be looking to use your tip and possibly make a linisher or wood lathe ?? So many options ! Cheers.
Yes, this setup may work, but you should really invest in capacitors. SCR controller always let full voltage when turning on an you will always have big current inrush into the motor, which reduces brushes and overall motor lifetime. Furthermore, you don't get real DC with bridge rectifier, but rather 100 Hz dc with ups and downs and who tried this, was able to see that motor is humming. Also, SCR controller cuts AC waves so you get low torque on low RPM. So the AC and the DC comming out of the rectifier needs to be smothed and for such a large motor, you need large capacitance. For example, 5 cappacitors of 470 uF rated for 400V, because you get around 320V DC from 230V ac. One cappacitor is about 5 euros in Serbia, but is cheaper on aliexpress or ebay. And of course, you need some inrush current limiter, such as few NTC thermistors 10D-20 because those cappacitors will blow any house fuse when connected to the grid, because they draw so much electricity, as if there were short circuit. Also, always be aware that, when you turn knob on the scr controller to the max, actually, it not "full rpm", bur way over what is maximum for that motor. Its either 130, 180 or 220VDC motor, and you give him 320VDC. So it would be good advice to make some mechanical limit for the knob or to include some fixed resistor in series in order to limit maximum voltage output of a scr controller.
@@skyedangelo3237 Yes. I am making it myself. I drew the circuit diagram, and prepared everything for the pcb. It will be packed in empty ATX PSU box from some old PC. It includes a soft start system with 12V relay as a soft start and three NTC thermistors so there will be no current inrush, and the relay will eliminate thermistors from circuit after cca. 2 seconds. Also, I drew own controller, with other potentiometer values so it will be impossible to provide higher voltage to the motor (B220k potentiometer with 100k resistor in series, so max will be 180VDC RMS, which was empirically tested with oscilloscope) photos.app.goo.gl/JngHScM1HLWo9VsN8
@@skyedangelo3237 photos.app.goo.gl/fJE45vEKBQW4yoMB8 I decided that four capacitors will do the job, because oscilloscope shows pretty much neat dc wave form so I'll spare one capacitor and spare some space in the box. Also, 12V needed for the time delay circuit is provided through a small aliexpress switching psu 12v 450mA that costs around 0.90$. In the diagram there is screw port labeled as 12DC input or something similar. photos.app.goo.gl/ECmhFhioKRJfyfKX9 This is how it looks without the capacitors. It's 100hz dc, though VRMS is not correct because I have made my own probe withouth correct values of resistors so this picture is just for the sake of showing the form of dc waves.
Perfect video. Watched a few but were always lacking in some fashion. The controller from the old treadmill I have I had robbed to control an extractor for honey. Now I am in the process of building a drum sander. Thanks!
Thanks for this great video. I watched a few but I found yours the most helpful and well presented. My attempt worked out great thanks to videos like this one.
Briiaan!, ( as if stewie from family guy was trying to gain your attn.) Excellent, excellent! I'm doing a drillpress rt. now, and have done a large surface grinder in the past, (still operating) with all the treadmill fixins,bulky, hard to protect in a shop setting, gathering metal as we speak, this REALLY looks like the way to go! I've found low/ no grease in the bearings of these motors, it pays to pull the shields, and loadem' up,if you dont, like I have foolishly done, knowingly, it gets me everytime! Great vids I'm your newest subsciber!
Would be a good idea to connect the SCR to the chassis as a heat sink.. Those can get hot depending on the use. Great video. I may have to build one now.
I have a heat sink on the bridge rectifier and one on the chassis. Its hard to see from the video. None the less, you make an excellent point! Heat kills electronics!
My two motors, the first one runs on 90VDC, 20 A on one and 100VDC and 23A on the other. I have the controller for the first motor and have used it to run the second motor as well. The second motor is twice as heavy and big as the first. When I turn the potentiometer on the controller all the way, the RPM is the uppter teens safe to say. The second motor that runs on 100VDC is far bigger and its RPM is far less and the RPM on it is also in the specs, around 3200. When I build your set up, I used a higher rating of rectifier with a heat sink along with a fuse, a switch, a large capacitor and threw in a big fat choke as well. I figured it will help reduce the spark armature/spark/brushes contact. For ease of usage I also installed an outlet on the box so I can just plug in the motor with its own prong right into the outlet. It is doing what it supposed to do. However the other day I decided to check the out put DC voltage. I turned the knob all the way and checked the voltage on the outlet. It read 180VDC. What is the consequence of such high voltage to a motor which runs on much less voltage assuming it is being cranked up all the way? You got voltage Vs Amperage and total power I suppose is the two multiplied. I don't know how the math and the physics of it works out. I have not installed volt/amp gauge to see what it does at various position and load. These motor certainly run on just regular AC by just directly using the controller without the rectifier. Of course it will have less power and what toll it will have on the motor, plus noisier and more spark.
Hey Brian I really appreciate the time and effort you put into these videos ! I have what it think is a simple question, why not use the speed controller from the tread mill to run/control the motor?
Hey Brian, Really helpful video! On the threaded flywheel motors,what do you suggest for fixing flywheel running anti clockwise ?I'm building a linisher and will probably just use the flywheel as the belt contact driver. Thanks so much
Well done, sir!! Thank you once again for another very informative video. I love the idea of a dc motor for a belt grinder because of the torque factor. Cheers!
I've used this same potentiometer and bridge rectifier on two different treadmill motors (one 2hp and one 1.5hp)...each motor began smoking shortly after it started running...any ideas where I should be looking to find the problem?
If i buy the treadmill that is designed with speed control . Could i just take all the Speed control and motor from treadmill and install it to my wood lathe and it work ?
Two questions: 1 - Treadmill motors usually have 4 wires coming off them - red, blue, and two black. Red and blue connect to the rectifier. What happens to the two black? 2 - treadmills go in residentially-wired homes which usually have 15 or 20 amp circuits. I’ve seen a lot of these motors with current draw way over 15 amps, and often over 20 amps. I know folks aren’t wiring special high amp outlets to hook up a treadmill they are most likely going to ignore. How do these not continually trip breakers? Where does the “extra” amperage come from? Thanks in advance for any enlightenment you can deliver my way! :)
This motor had 4 wires, 2 blue, 1 black, 1 red. The blue wires are for the temp sensor which I removed. The red and the black are positive and negative. And because this is a DC motor they are interchangeable. The amperage is about 15 and if you're popping breakers then you are most likely exceeding that due to other devices pulling amps while running the motor OR you have the wrong gauge of wire (too thin) and its popping to prevent fire. Hope that helps. Thanks!
AFAIK, all the icon health and fitness motors have 4: pos, neg, and two thermal switch. I’m more concerned about the second part of my question, how do these motors pull so many amps when most houses commonly have 15 amp outlets? See www.surpluscenter.com/Electrical/DC-Motors/Special-Purpose-DC-Motors/ for many examples.
15 amp @ 120 volt is common. Rectification of A.C. voltage (no load) will give you almost 170 volts peak (120vac x 1.41=169.2vdc.) Most dc treadmill motors are soft started and rated for voltages significantly lower than 120, and 15 or more amps. A 15 amp 120v circuit can support 30 amps at 60 volts. Or 60 amps at 30 volts. Some controllers have step down transformers to get lower voltages and most have a choke to reduce the initial current draw at startup.
Very simply explained. Excellent instructions. Can this be used to control the speed for a sewing machine? Could I include a foot peddle to regulate the speed? Any suggestions?
I assume it could power a sewing machine as long as it’s a dc motor. Any actuating foot pedal would work for this. You might need to use a different connector but it’s essentially a potentiometer like I installed just controlled with your foot. Good luck.
Thanks! This video just made life easy for me! I just picked up a 3.75hp ProForm treadmill for $75 for my belt grinder build. Is it ok to leave the blue overheat wires from the motor disconnected? Thanks again, love the videos!
thank you very much for this video and links, my treadmill motor has the black and red wires but it also has 2 blue wires. do I just ignore those ? are these motors very good at retaining torque at lower speeds ?
I have a question. I used this system to put a treadmill motor on my old ShopSmith and it works great. My question is that when I try to read the output of the rectifier sending current to the motor, I get no readings at all. Any ideas on this?
I had a question about a video you posted on eBay “How to: Build a DC treadmill motor soles controller for $20”. In the video when you are showing the wiring I understood most of it except the two items that are at the top of the screen. The potentiometer and the fan. You mention both. “the fan which is up inside of this case and the potentiometer which is her and has a fancy little connector that’s just plugs right into the board down in here” pointing at the motor controller board. How does the fan get power? Does that plug directly into the AC motor controller board as well?
Great video Brian, appreciate the level of details. One question though, as I see it the treadmill motor does not need an individual power supply right? The controller board merely regulates the current sent to the motor.
I see the green ground wire coming from the original power cord is grounded to the switch, does that take care of grounding everything in this setup or do you also ground the motor via the motor housing?
I am in the planning stages of using a treadmill motor as the power drive for an electric bicycle chopper. My question is the feasibility of utilizing a handlebar grip throttle control instead of the dial.
In this set up, Have any chances to burn out the motor ? Because i want to turn my treadmill motor into a portable woodturning/resin work leth inhouse...
I have a 90 volt DC permanent magnet 1/2 hp motor. I would like a dc-to-dc speed control preferably 48 v from batteries. Would you know how to construct the controller like that?
Sometime I saw people wrap the cables to the DC motor around a metal ring. I do not know what is the intention to do that? What is the benefit? Thanks for the response. Cheers from Indonesia.
I know this is not an electrical class but I have a 180v DC treadmill motor and it has a 2800F 250V DC capacitor. I know these large capacitor are for startup when you convert a 3PH to single phase but what is it used for in this scenario? Can you use the scr in line with the capacitor?
Sorry, another comment: the red and black cables coming out from the bridge where them going to? I think I understood everything else I just have that inconvenience (red & black cables coming in or out to the bridge)
Perfect timing, I finally found a donor treadmill and just finished mounting on my lathe. So many videos out there that seem so complicated using complicated boards or expensive controllers, I was sure there is an easier way. my question is if you want to add a switch so you can reverse direction is there a specific one for that. also are the motor controller and bridge rectifier control voltage specifics. my DC motor is rated 120 VDC, I've noticed some control systems are 90 VDC max?
Yeah there is a simple way to do this. Buy a DPDT switch. This will reverse the polarity for you. Very easy to wire up also. Here is the one that I bought.: amzn.to/2Zb8hc0 - Also the SCR controller I bought is rated at 110 which is in line with what you want to use. I bought that on eBay: ebay.to/2N7uOiJ - Very simple to use and install. - Glad you liked the vid. Thanks for commenting.
Hey! Thanks for the great video. I used this method to regulate my dc motor. But it is producing a very strange noise that sounds like the frequence is false. I have a 180 volt DC motor, a bridge rectifier and an scr regulator running on 230 volt ac. It is running.. fast and powerful. But the sound seems pretty unhealthy for the motor. Any ideas?
That hole through the center of the bridge rectifier is to bolt it to a heat sink. That's why the rectifier case is bare aluminum. Heat is what kills them.
good job but can i ask why you didn't utilize the factory plug in the computer power supply ? it would have cleaned up some of the wires and its already there
I have same motor in treadmill.. But speed is too slow. Before it was new it's speed was good. Now speed is slow. Where I can fix this. Please answer 👍
I like you, u made that quite simple, though i do have a question, im building a train, and i want it to come with a push of a button and stop right outside my door, what should i do for that?
I have two of these motors. One has two wires but the other has 4 wires, as in the black and read plus two blue wires. The one with the 4 wires I have the controller too which I took off from the threadmill and I have wired it on the bench with a potentiameter and it works nicely. How can I hook up the motor that has the two wires, like yours using the same controller. One of the blue wires from the motor direclty goes to the AC and is also switched.. Aha, maybe I should see where the other blue wire goes on the controller itself coming from the motor, and that pin is perhaps the input to the controller. In other words all the blue wire does is instead of the input going directly to the controller, it goes to the motor first. Is the case?
@@HouseMadeUS I connected the motor with the blue wire the same way they were when I took them off in the first place. In fact the same switch that was also on the treadmill. I never tested the treadmill. Come to think of it I can bet it was a working treadmill. So I basically throw away a working treadmill ( which I wouldn't have used anyway). I was mostly interested in what I could do with the motor. I like to use it to make a metal cut off saw with a 14 inch cutting blade. I guess I will find out. The other treadmill motor with the two wires black and red also has a fan on the other end. Nothing wrong with that. What will happen if I simply supply 90 VDC to the two wires, what would be the harm in that? using a simple power supply.
Hello Btiant! somebody gave me their Tempo treadmill 612T. I brought it home, switched it on, the console lit but no motor movement. I am not sure if it has to do with the motor or controller. the treadmill looks neat and I do not want to throw it away. what should I do?
I enjoyed your video and actually bought the parts and made it to upgrade the motor on my Harbor freight Lathe. I added a reverse switch as well. However I find that the lathe spins well, and reverses directions fine, but it has very little torque. When attempting to rough out a bowl on a soft piece of cedar, it doesn't take much pressure to slow the motor down, even at higher speeds. Suggestions?
Would it be possible to use this SCR/Rectifier combo to make a DC power supply for non-motor purposes? I need to feed 80 VDC into a stepper motor controller that pulls 12 amps. My logic is saying that it will just need an added capacitor on the output side.
Hi Jake, I would suppose it could work, not sure about the AMPs though. Sorry I am not much help here. That said its the same for steeper motors from what I understand, so in theory it should work.
I'll tell ya one thing i've learned when trying to show people electronics, anything we think is "easy", most people can't comprehend... I made 2 video trying to show how to make an AC/DC etching machine. The 1st, I took apart a wall wart & just tapped wires off the transformer, ran that & the regular output(DC) to a switch, people were lost... 2nd video, i made it easier. 120v to a transformer & a wall wart with a switch in between, people were still lost... Good explanation though, looking forward to how the build goes... take it easy...
Yeah I know Dave I was wondering if I was explaining it properly. Hope someone gets some use from it! How’s that new grinder working out!? Super jealous!! :)
@@HouseMadeUS I haven't build it, but it seemed correct... The thing is people are scared of electronics, when basically they can be pretty simple, if you take your time... Getting ready to go work on it now...
Thanks for the vid, questions i have 1. How do you clip the output voltage to not exceed motor rateing...is this done by the potentiometer you added, a bridge rectifier will multiply the AC input by 1.414 factor thus my question, 2. How do you gain "soft start" ...once speed set and you do power cycle, the motor needs to return to speed set from previous use Thank you
How do you know if the circuit board is still good? I broke down my whole treadmill pro form 505 CST & the light works my motor works but when it was all together it won’t run oh & my control panel light up too .. so I’m thinking it’s the data cable or
much thanks for the great video. question is, what if you are using a speed controller with only an one in, one out, and one com? Also the on off rocker i have has three prongs (one being copper).
Sir I'm Danny just asking if can give me an idea regarding drillmill motors, is this dreadmill motor can make as a generator, ? I'm planing to make hydro generator using this motor,
Awesome video and really easy to follow. One question please…my treadmill motor is still running too fast for what I need (450rpm). Is there a way to control the speed to a lower rpm?
Since this is about building a speed controller, I would assume you mean slowing it down from at the lowest speed, I would think you would have to think like a gearbox meaning putting a small pulley to a large pulley.
The board on my treadmill is not working. So I followed your example on this video and it allowed me to use my treadmill. However, it does run a little rough. Any ideas to make it run smoother?
10,000 Watt SCR Motor Controller - amzn.to/2Zl3WmG
Bridge Rectifier - amzn.to/2MOmViv
I used a 220k pot. But that shouldn’t cause it to spark. Check the brushes and make sure you have it wired correctly from the bridge rectifier. Double check. Where are the sparks coming from?
4000 watts isn’t enough also that sparking is coming from your brushes. You may want to take a look and see what’s up back there. The two things most likely are related but the brushes may have blackened the commutator.
@@HouseMadeUS Why do you say 4000 watts isn't enough? 4000 watts is slightly more than 5 HP .Does the variable resistor size allow the motor to go slower with the 220K you used vs 10K or 100K as others recommend ?Nice setup. I'd never thought of using a computer power supply box.
Just looked at the controller referenced on eBay and it says only use 2/3 capacity of SCR if I understand their note which would allow approx 3HP .
From experience the ratings of the SCR controllers is highly over rated. So by going to 10,000 watts you negate that and more power isn't a bad thing. I bought a 4000 watt controller that didnt push 4000 watts and popped. Cheap Chinese junk. The 10K worked just fine. Thanks.
I was able to fix my crappy proform treadmill by doing this. It works great. I was able to source the wires I needed from the treadmill and use the parts recommended. Thanks!
Nice work!
Fantastic. I followed the instructions and saved my treadmill. The TM's circuitry was all messed up and not working so I just connected this set-up directly to the DC motor. Works like a charm. I don't have the display but I can tell how fast I'm going. Better than forking out a bunch of cash for a new treadmill. Thanks.
Update. After ~20 min of working out, it all of a sudden stopped working. There was what sounded like an arc and then kaput. Damn
At the end of your video you give a glimpse into what it takes to record these videos, a lot of gear to purchase,set up and move around for different shots!
I understand that this is pretty much a paid job but you choose to do this and we all benefit for it so wanted to say thanks!!!!!
Very true! Thank you! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
As an educator, I enjoy your communication style and your ability to communicate In a clear and understandable way. Many people are unable to do that. Thank You and keep on ďoing what you do. You really do it well.
I appreciate this very much. Cheers to you. - Brian
Yes you are right, heck even i can understand this Man.
I recently dismantled a treadmill for the motor ... no idea what I'm going to do with it yet but thanks for posting. That is so simple!
Thanks for showing the wiring and what to buy. I ordered the 3 piece like yours from Amazon and this video is a lifesaver on knowing how to wire it up. I'm building a 2x72 belt sander. Again thanks, enjoy your videos..
Take your motor and hook it up to your car battery.
Do it and don't be shy. Heck you just use your jumper cable even, it won't hurt anybody's feeling especially yours.
Why?
So you will understand what it is like to supply a DC motor to a DC source, better yet REAL DC SOURCE.
Then you will know what it means.
You will never even heard of such whisperring sound of beauty....
Over and out.
Hey thanks Blue. I'll give it a shot. I appreciate your input on this and sharing your knowledge
Awesome. Thank you. I had been looking for an orphan (free) treadmill at our dump for the last 5 years. I finally spied one in our scrap metal dumpster that had already been dis-assembled and just grabbed the motor and took it home. Same plan with mine, 2x72 sander. DC motor controllers seem to be constructed of solid gold.
Yeah, I switched over to AC because my DC fried out. Its the VFDs that are really expensive. Once you go AC though I think you will see the difference. DC has a cooling problem if you dont filter the air they get dirty on the inside and fry. Just a heads up. Cheers!
Got my treadmill running again. Thank you very much!
It's probably best to have it spin in the original direction as it did in the treadmill. It's been a while, but I believe that flywheel just screws on, so if you have it spinning in the opposite direction it could come off.
yes, I have seen those too. got one on my bench right now with a flywheel opposite the pulley, its got a tapered shaft & a draw shaft, so running that type either way is fine.
adding a keyway, set screw or pin would take care of the problem too
Good point. Another thing people dont realize is the bearings wear in a certain direction. Spinning them the opposite direction will inevitably cause rapid bearing wear.
Another problem with spinning it backwards is that the carbon brushes also wear in one direction, so reversing the direction will cause a lot of sparking on the brushes, which also reduces the lifespan of the motor.
Brian, Thank you for your excellent videos. Just wired up my grinder, using the parts you suggested. No problems, worked without issues!
Excellent!
Never knew this is how you got started with 2 x 72 grinders. Man you have came a long ways. I built a treadmill one back about 7 years ago and keep saying I am going to upgrade to one of your plans. But the damn thing still works and has plenty of power. I did mine different than anny I have seen and ran a jack shaft and geared that 7500rpm motor back down. It makes all kinds of power. I used all the electronics from the treadmill to power it. It is one of two videos I have on my channel. But I am kicking around a house made grinder with possible a brushless scooter motor. You can pick up a motor and controller around $120 for a 2.2kw 48 volt and a surplus 3k 48 volt power supply from ebay used in tella communication for less than $100
Just got my parts from craigslist free section it was in the basement but i brought tools and a friend disassembled and now im ready to build my variable dc motor for electrical testing :) super pumped
That is awesome!
Most of these treadmill motors and controllers will come with an inductor in series with the motor. I recommend keeping this and using it because it will make the motor run a bit smoother. Especially if you are just running a rectifier straight to the motor, it will smooth out the pulsed current coming from the rectifier.
I did not know that. Thanks Carson. Is that inductor the metal ring that is in the wiring that goes to the motor itself?
@@HouseMadeUS Most treadmill inductors I have seen have a laminated steel core and look like a transformer but with only 1 winding. I would assume some come with a toroidal inductor though.
It doesn't make a huge different but I've noticed the motors run a bit quieter at lower speeds.
nice simple project. A nice addition is a reversing switch on the DC output. Thanks for sharing this.
Thank you for the clear, well explained video Brian. It's surprising how difficult it is to come across such videos. How do I know what size potentiometer I need? Does it matter how many hp the motor is? I have a 3hp out of a Peloton treadmill and want to make a thickness sander, among many other things.
Great reminders. I have two computer cases with power supplies I'd forgotten about. After pricing boxes for projects like this, they're looking pretty valuable. One was up for sale and people would, probably, low ball. After I pull the supplies and fans, I'll just "free" the cases out.
SIDE NOTE: Interestingly, one of the two free treadmills I tore apart had a common wall wart charger with its wires snipped and crimped into the system, as a 12volt power source.
The first motor I scored for my dismantling efforts was a 10 amp, 90 volt DC motor ideal for some project. The second has 5/8" shafts on each end and is a true 1.5 horse motor so would make a great variable speed buffer.
I already have a Redwing buffer on my Air Handler station (a floor model buffing station with lights, a blower and filter that really go a long ways to educating you on why you need dust collection off a buffer - the crap in the 12x25 inch filters is alarming.
Anyway, the Redwing is designed for small wheels about 6" in diameter, though there is enough room for up to 10 inch filters, and for this motor. That and the variable speed would really up the versatility of the buffer.
Thanks for the help my treadmill wasn't working and I just couldn't find a circuit suitable for the job now. I know what to use and how to do it.
Great tips ... I found a free treadmill advertised, went to see it, it was huge and impossible to move, so I left ... I was still ken on it, so later I dropped them a line suggesting for a fee I'd dismantle it to get it out the door and house ... they ended up paying me! So, I will now be looking to use your tip and possibly make a linisher or wood lathe ?? So many options ! Cheers.
Thank you so much! I determined that I needed a DC motor for my mini lathe project but have no clue how to wire one up! This helps me immensely!
What a perfect and understandable video. By far the best I’ve seen. I’ll darn sure subscribe
Yes, this setup may work, but you should really invest in capacitors. SCR controller always let full voltage when turning on an you will always have big current inrush into the motor, which reduces brushes and overall motor lifetime. Furthermore, you don't get real DC with bridge rectifier, but rather 100 Hz dc with ups and downs and who tried this, was able to see that motor is humming. Also, SCR controller cuts AC waves so you get low torque on low RPM. So the AC and the DC comming out of the rectifier needs to be smothed and for such a large motor, you need large capacitance. For example, 5 cappacitors of 470 uF rated for 400V, because you get around 320V DC from 230V ac. One cappacitor is about 5 euros in Serbia, but is cheaper on aliexpress or ebay. And of course, you need some inrush current limiter, such as few NTC thermistors 10D-20 because those cappacitors will blow any house fuse when connected to the grid, because they draw so much electricity, as if there were short circuit.
Also, always be aware that, when you turn knob on the scr controller to the max, actually, it not "full rpm", bur way over what is maximum for that motor. Its either 130, 180 or 220VDC motor, and you give him 320VDC. So it would be good advice to make some mechanical limit for the knob or to include some fixed resistor in series in order to limit maximum voltage output of a scr controller.
could you post a diagram for the set up you described?
This is very interesting what you discuss
@@skyedangelo3237 Yes. I am making it myself. I drew the circuit diagram, and prepared everything for the pcb. It will be packed in empty ATX PSU box from some old PC. It includes a soft start system with 12V relay as a soft start and three NTC thermistors so there will be no current inrush, and the relay will eliminate thermistors from circuit after cca. 2 seconds. Also, I drew own controller, with other potentiometer values so it will be impossible to provide higher voltage to the motor (B220k potentiometer with 100k resistor in series, so max will be 180VDC RMS, which was empirically tested with oscilloscope) photos.app.goo.gl/JngHScM1HLWo9VsN8
@@skyedangelo3237 photos.app.goo.gl/fJE45vEKBQW4yoMB8 I decided that four capacitors will do the job, because oscilloscope shows pretty much neat dc wave form so I'll spare one capacitor and spare some space in the box. Also, 12V needed for the time delay circuit is provided through a small aliexpress switching psu 12v 450mA that costs around 0.90$. In the diagram there is screw port labeled as 12DC input or something similar.
photos.app.goo.gl/ECmhFhioKRJfyfKX9
This is how it looks without the capacitors. It's 100hz dc, though VRMS is not correct because I have made my own probe withouth correct values of resistors so this picture is just for the sake of showing the form of dc waves.
@@LukaLatinovic Did you manage to complete the build?
This is such a great and simple explanation. Phenomenal!
Awesome, glad it was helpful! 🤩
Found you from the podcast love what you showed here I have a treadmill motor and this is exactly what I needed to see.
Awesome, glad it helped out. 😁👊🏻⚡️
Perfect video. Watched a few but were always lacking in some fashion. The controller from the old treadmill I have I had robbed to control an extractor for honey. Now I am in the process of building a drum sander. Thanks!
Glad I could help!
Thanks for this great video. I watched a few but I found yours the most helpful and well presented. My attempt worked out great thanks to videos like this one.
Briiaan!, ( as if stewie from family guy was trying to gain your attn.) Excellent, excellent! I'm doing a drillpress rt. now, and have done a large surface grinder in the past, (still operating) with all the treadmill fixins,bulky, hard to protect in a shop setting, gathering metal as we speak, this REALLY looks like the way to go! I've found low/ no grease in the bearings of these motors, it pays to pull the shields, and loadem' up,if you dont, like I have foolishly done, knowingly, it gets me everytime! Great vids I'm your newest subsciber!
Would be a good idea to connect the SCR to the chassis as a heat sink.. Those can get hot depending on the use. Great video. I may have to build one now.
I have a heat sink on the bridge rectifier and one on the chassis. Its hard to see from the video. None the less, you make an excellent point! Heat kills electronics!
Grinding in flip flops 🤣 i admire your bravery !
I have since learned my lesson. I bought shoes this week. (Watch my latest video) lol. 😂
@@HouseMadeUS 😁
great video i only found you channel today ...subscibed just there !!
HarshTruth Engineer - Thank you! Glad you joined up! 👊🏻👊🏻👊🏻
My two motors, the first one runs on 90VDC, 20 A on one and 100VDC and 23A on the other.
I have the controller for the first motor and have used it to run the second motor as well.
The second motor is twice as heavy and big as the first.
When I turn the potentiometer on the controller all the way, the RPM is the uppter teens safe to say. The second motor that runs on 100VDC is far bigger and its RPM is far less and the RPM on it is also in the specs, around 3200.
When I build your set up, I used a higher rating of rectifier with a heat sink along with a fuse, a switch, a large capacitor and threw in a big fat choke as well. I figured it will help reduce the spark armature/spark/brushes contact.
For ease of usage I also installed an outlet on the box so I can just plug in the motor with its own prong right into the outlet.
It is doing what it supposed to do. However the other day I decided to check the out put DC voltage.
I turned the knob all the way and checked the voltage on the outlet. It read 180VDC.
What is the consequence of such high voltage to a motor which runs on much less voltage assuming it is being cranked up all the way?
You got voltage Vs Amperage and total power I suppose is the two multiplied.
I don't know how the math and the physics of it works out.
I have not installed volt/amp gauge to see what it does at various position and load.
These motor certainly run on just regular AC by just directly using the controller without the rectifier. Of course it will have less power and what toll it will have on the motor, plus noisier and more spark.
Great video! I like the way you work and explain things. I am on the hunt for a treadmill with good quality motor for use on a lathe. Well done.
Hey Brian I really appreciate the time and effort you put into these videos !
I have what it think is a simple question, why not use the speed controller from the tread mill to run/control the motor?
That would be a good option too. I wish I would have just done that.
I wonder if the rectified dc part of the pc power supply could just be used directly into a dc motor controller
Hey Brian,
Really helpful video!
On the threaded flywheel motors,what do you suggest for fixing flywheel running anti clockwise ?I'm building a linisher
and will probably just use the flywheel as the belt contact driver.
Thanks so much
Well done, sir!! Thank you once again for another very informative video. I love the idea of a dc motor for a belt grinder because of the torque factor. Cheers!
Thank you! I appreciate the kind words. Keep on going! 👊🏻
Great video !!! Thank you for taking the time to produce and post !!!
My treadmill motor has 4 wires. A black and red (on opposite sides) and then two blue wires. Do ignore the two blue wires?
I've used this same potentiometer and bridge rectifier on two different treadmill motors (one 2hp and one 1.5hp)...each motor began smoking shortly after it started running...any ideas where I should be looking to find the problem?
I'm no expert so don't expect anything but, did the motor run?
Treadmill Motor rates 180v only
Your wall socket AC will go up to 240v ac, hence motor got burnt
So how have you solved the lack of torque at low speed due to lack of PWM?
Subbed and liked, I look forward to seeing what other content you have. Loved this one great job! Clear and to the point.
Thanks Brian. I like your name, spelled correctly too. 😎 Thanks for liking and subbing!
Wondering how this has held up? I watched one video where a choke was used. He stated it protected the motor.
So the only reason you take the guts out of the controller and pout it in the old PS box is to that you have room for the rectifier?
I cannot find where you explain how the fan is wired into the power source?
If i buy the treadmill that is designed with speed control . Could i just take all the Speed control and motor from treadmill and install it to my wood lathe and it work ?
hi Brian.it would be a good idea to update us about your conclusions on this motor control and why you abandoned the idea afterwards.
Two questions:
1 - Treadmill motors usually have 4 wires coming off them - red, blue, and two black. Red and blue connect to the rectifier. What happens to the two black?
2 - treadmills go in residentially-wired homes which usually have 15 or 20 amp circuits. I’ve seen a lot of these motors with current draw way over 15 amps, and often over 20 amps. I know folks aren’t wiring special high amp outlets to hook up a treadmill they are most likely going to ignore. How do these not continually trip breakers? Where does the “extra” amperage come from?
Thanks in advance for any enlightenment you can deliver my way! :)
This motor had 4 wires, 2 blue, 1 black, 1 red. The blue wires are for the temp sensor which I removed. The red and the black are positive and negative. And because this is a DC motor they are interchangeable. The amperage is about 15 and if you're popping breakers then you are most likely exceeding that due to other devices pulling amps while running the motor OR you have the wrong gauge of wire (too thin) and its popping to prevent fire. Hope that helps. Thanks!
I've pulled 5 motors out of treadmills so far and never run into a 4-wire. They are mostly 2-wire and sometimes have a ground.
AFAIK, all the icon health and fitness motors have 4: pos, neg, and two thermal switch. I’m more concerned about the second part of my question, how do these motors pull so many amps when most houses commonly have 15 amp outlets? See www.surpluscenter.com/Electrical/DC-Motors/Special-Purpose-DC-Motors/ for many examples.
15 amp @ 120 volt is common. Rectification of A.C. voltage (no load) will give you almost 170 volts peak (120vac x 1.41=169.2vdc.) Most dc treadmill motors are soft started and rated for voltages significantly lower than 120, and 15 or more amps. A 15 amp 120v circuit can support 30 amps at 60 volts. Or 60 amps at 30 volts. Some controllers have step down transformers to get lower voltages and most have a choke to reduce the initial current draw at startup.
Excellent video. Exactly what I was looking for. I'm building a grinder with a treadmill motor as well. Thank you
Glad it could help you out! I appreciate you saying so. 👊🏻
Very simply explained. Excellent instructions.
Can this be used to control the speed for a sewing machine? Could I include a foot peddle to regulate the speed? Any suggestions?
I assume it could power a sewing machine as long as it’s a dc motor. Any actuating foot pedal would work for this. You might need to use a different connector but it’s essentially a potentiometer like I installed just controlled with your foot. Good luck.
Parts ordered. Thanks for the how to!
Happy to help!
Thanks! This video just made life easy for me! I just picked up a 3.75hp ProForm treadmill for $75 for my belt grinder build. Is it ok to leave the blue overheat wires from the motor disconnected? Thanks again, love the videos!
I always disconnect them. 😁👊🏻
thank you very much for this video and links, my treadmill motor has the black and red wires but it also has 2 blue wires. do I just ignore those ? are these motors very good at retaining torque at lower speeds ?
Why the yellow wire? Doesn't look like it's in the circuit, is it necessary?
I have a question. I used this system to put a treadmill motor on my old ShopSmith and it works great. My question is that when I try to read the output of the rectifier sending current to the motor, I get no readings at all. Any ideas on this?
I had a question about a video you posted on eBay “How to: Build a DC treadmill motor soles controller for $20”. In the video when you are showing the wiring I understood most of it except the two items that are at the top of the screen. The potentiometer and the fan.
You mention both. “the fan which is up inside of this case and the potentiometer which is her and has a fancy little connector that’s just plugs right into the board down in here” pointing at the motor controller board.
How does the fan get power? Does that plug directly into the AC motor controller board as well?
nice job as always. Like the speed ups! Cant tell how many times I stop videos cause the people are so wordy
Yeah I tend to ramble and have learned to edit myself! Shut the hell up Brian and do the work!! Lol. Thanks as always James. :)
Great video Brian, appreciate the level of details. One question though, as I see it the treadmill motor does not need an individual power supply right? The controller board merely regulates the current sent to the motor.
can you put a switch on either the black or red motor wire to turn it off and on and it go back to the same speed as it was previously running
I see the green ground wire coming from the original power cord is grounded to the switch, does that take care of grounding everything in this setup or do you also ground the motor via the motor housing?
I like to ground everything, a very good practice. So yes, ground the motor as well.
I am in the planning stages of using a treadmill motor as the power drive for an electric bicycle chopper. My question is the feasibility of utilizing a handlebar grip throttle control instead of the dial.
In this set up,
Have any chances to burn out the motor ?
Because i want to turn my treadmill motor into a portable woodturning/resin work leth inhouse...
I have a 90 volt DC permanent magnet 1/2 hp motor. I would like a dc-to-dc speed control preferably 48 v from batteries. Would you know how to construct the controller like that?
Sometime I saw people wrap the cables to the DC motor around a metal ring. I do not know what is the intention to do that?
What is the benefit?
Thanks for the response.
Cheers from Indonesia.
I know this is not an electrical class but I have a 180v DC treadmill motor and it has a 2800F 250V DC capacitor. I know these large capacitor are for startup when you convert a 3PH to single phase but what is it used for in this scenario?
Can you use the scr in line with the capacitor?
Sorry, another comment: the red and black cables coming out from the bridge where them going to? I think I understood everything else I just have that inconvenience (red & black cables coming in or out to the bridge)
Red and black from the motor into the DC side of the bridge rectifier.
So, is the potentiometer built into the power supply??
Perfect timing, I finally found a donor treadmill and just finished mounting on my lathe. So many videos out there that seem so complicated using complicated boards or expensive controllers, I was sure there is an easier way. my question is if you want to add a switch so you can reverse direction is there a specific one for that. also are the motor controller and bridge rectifier control voltage specifics. my DC motor is rated 120 VDC, I've noticed some control systems are 90 VDC max?
Yeah there is a simple way to do this. Buy a DPDT switch. This will reverse the polarity for you. Very easy to wire up also. Here is the one that I bought.: amzn.to/2Zb8hc0 - Also the SCR controller I bought is rated at 110 which is in line with what you want to use. I bought that on eBay: ebay.to/2N7uOiJ - Very simple to use and install. - Glad you liked the vid. Thanks for commenting.
@@HouseMadeUS Thanks. You already answered my question.
Hey! Thanks for the great video. I used this method to regulate my dc motor. But it is producing a very strange noise that sounds like the frequence is false. I have a 180 volt DC motor, a bridge rectifier and an scr regulator running on 230 volt ac. It is running.. fast and powerful. But the sound seems pretty unhealthy for the motor. Any ideas?
My treadmill motor has 4 wires and two of them are blue,. What would you use these two wires for?
That hole through the center of the bridge rectifier is to bolt it to a heat sink. That's why the rectifier case is bare aluminum. Heat is what kills them.
good job but can i ask why you didn't utilize the factory plug in the computer power supply ? it would have cleaned up some of the wires and its already there
I thought about that after the fact actually. I think next time I wire it up I would do that. Good suggestion. 👍🏼
I have same motor in treadmill.. But speed is too slow. Before it was new it's speed was good. Now speed is slow. Where I can fix this. Please answer 👍
I like you, u made that quite simple, though i do have a question, im building a train, and i want it to come with a push of a button and stop right outside my door, what should i do for that?
Read and article that seemed very complicated and your video Uncomplicated it thanks
Thank you. Ordering parts right now.
I have two of these motors. One has two wires but the other has 4 wires, as in the black and read plus two blue wires.
The one with the 4 wires I have the controller too which I took off from the threadmill and I have wired it on the bench with a potentiameter and it works nicely.
How can I hook up the motor that has the two wires, like yours using the same controller. One of the blue wires from the motor direclty goes to the AC and is also switched..
Aha, maybe I should see where the other blue wire goes on the controller itself coming from the motor, and that pin is perhaps the input to the controller. In other words all the blue wire does is instead of the input going directly to the controller, it goes to the motor first. Is the case?
The blue wires are for a temp sensor. Depends on the application but most likely they can be removed.
@@HouseMadeUS I connected the motor with the blue wire the same way they were when I took them off in the first place. In fact the same switch that was also on the treadmill. I never tested the treadmill. Come to think of it I can bet it was a working treadmill. So I basically throw away a working treadmill ( which I wouldn't have used anyway). I was mostly interested in what I could do with the motor. I like to use it to make a metal cut off saw with a 14 inch cutting blade. I guess I will find out.
The other treadmill motor with the two wires black and red also has a fan on the other end. Nothing wrong with that.
What will happen if I simply supply 90 VDC to the two wires, what would be the harm in that? using a simple power supply.
Hello Btiant! somebody gave me their Tempo treadmill 612T. I brought it home, switched it on, the console lit but no motor movement. I am not sure if it has to do with the motor or controller. the treadmill looks neat and I do not want to throw it away. what should I do?
I enjoyed your video and actually bought the parts and made it to upgrade the motor on my Harbor freight Lathe. I added a reverse switch as well. However I find that the lathe spins well, and reverses directions fine, but it has very little torque. When attempting to rough out a bowl on a soft piece of cedar, it doesn't take much pressure to slow the motor down, even at higher speeds. Suggestions?
Thanks for the information on the rectifier
Youre welcome Richard. Thanks for watching and commenting.
at 5:54 you tighten the yellow/green wire from the old power in to the ac controller. whats that for?
Would it be possible to use this SCR/Rectifier combo to make a DC power supply for non-motor purposes? I need to feed 80 VDC into a stepper motor controller that pulls 12 amps. My logic is saying that it will just need an added capacitor on the output side.
Hi Jake, I would suppose it could work, not sure about the AMPs though. Sorry I am not much help here. That said its the same for steeper motors from what I understand, so in theory it should work.
I'll tell ya one thing i've learned when trying to show people electronics, anything we think is "easy", most people can't comprehend... I made 2 video trying to show how to make an AC/DC etching machine. The 1st, I took apart a wall wart & just tapped wires off the transformer, ran that & the regular output(DC) to a switch, people were lost... 2nd video, i made it easier. 120v to a transformer & a wall wart with a switch in between, people were still lost... Good explanation though, looking forward to how the build goes... take it easy...
Yeah I know Dave I was wondering if I was explaining it properly. Hope someone gets some use from it! How’s that new grinder working out!? Super jealous!! :)
@@HouseMadeUS I haven't build it, but it seemed correct... The thing is people are scared of electronics, when basically they can be pretty simple, if you take your time... Getting ready to go work on it now...
Is there a way to add a reverse switch to make it spin backwards, also an emergency kill switch to stop it would be nice. Thanks awesome video
Yes there is an easy way to reverse the motor. Its called DPDT switch. Here are the one's I use: amzn.to/2NGHRb1
House / Work, is that also the on/off switch, Thank You
Yes you can use that as an on/off switch if you like. The center rocker is just off.
This ones a classic, thanks for sharing.
You’re very welcome. Thank you.
Mine just started really fast and blows the fuse. Any ideas on what’s happening?
Thanks for the vid, questions i have
1. How do you clip the output voltage to not exceed motor rateing...is this done by the potentiometer you added, a bridge rectifier will multiply the AC input by 1.414 factor thus my question,
2. How do you gain "soft start" ...once speed set and you do power cycle, the motor needs to return to speed set from previous use
Thank you
Question. Could you use this setup, will a few Milwaukee m18 batteries?
How do you know if the circuit board is still good?
I broke down my whole treadmill pro form 505 CST
& the light works my motor works but when it was all together it won’t run oh & my control panel light up too .. so I’m thinking it’s the data cable or
much thanks for the great video. question is, what if you are using a speed controller with only an one in, one out, and one com? Also the on off rocker i have has three prongs (one being copper).
I'm in the same boat, trying to figure out how to wire this with only three pins on my controller. :(
how does this compare to using the speed control; the treadmill came with?
I prefer the treadmill controllers actually. They are more reliable. 😁
@@HouseMadeUS ok cool I get all my motors from free treadmill anyway. BUt I always admit there is more to know
I was just curious. How could I limit the motor speed to no more than 3,000rpm ?
Sir I'm Danny just asking if can give me an idea regarding drillmill motors, is this dreadmill motor can make as a generator, ? I'm planing to make hydro generator using this motor,
My Treadmill motor is 3 HP. 110 VDC 21 A.
What set up can I use?
Awesome video and really easy to follow. One question please…my treadmill motor is still running too fast for what I need (450rpm). Is there a way to control the speed to a lower rpm?
Since this is about building a speed controller, I would assume you mean slowing it down from at the lowest speed, I would think you would have to think like a gearbox meaning putting a small pulley to a large pulley.
Very nice, how would you set up a switch to have forward & reverse?
Do you have another video on how to build the grinder?
Yes I do: How to: 2x72 Belt Grinder Build - Treadmill DC Motor Driven For Knifemaking - Homemade Tools th-cam.com/video/5LvCjaxQ0_I/w-d-xo.html
Why don't you use a capacitor across your rectifier to give you a smoother scien wave ? I think it would be easier on the motor
The board on my treadmill is not working. So I followed your example on this video and it allowed me to use my treadmill.
However, it does run a little rough. Any ideas to make it run smoother?
Can i use 240 volts for these parts. I can only find 220/240v max 2000watts
Kool stuff, but, Dude, hot glue? ...love that stuff!