huskeric
spending too much on rocks
Member since May 2016
Posts: 353
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Post by huskeric on Sept 1, 2016 10:04:10 GMT -5
I *may* have blown up one of my garage door openers while lubricating the chain by letting some lubricant drip into the case and onto the logic board, nearly starting a fire and burning down my entire house. Nearly.
I'm a glass half-full guy, and the way I see it, after spending $175 replacing the garage door opener, I have a "free" 1/2 HP motor. I don't know if that kind of motor is well-suited for rock tumbling or not. I would think that it's pretty "torquey" seeing that it lifts garage doors and prevents them from slamming down, and it probably runs at a relatively leisurely pace for tumbling, but I don't know if it is well-suited for 24/7 running or if it's very power-efficient, etc.
Has anyone used one of these fellas before? I can get more specs on it if that helps.
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Post by captbob on Sept 1, 2016 10:21:07 GMT -5
That's a lot of motor for a rock tumbler. Unless this is your tumbler -
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huskeric
spending too much on rocks
Member since May 2016
Posts: 353
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Post by huskeric on Sept 1, 2016 10:36:37 GMT -5
That's a lot of motor for a rock tumbler. Unless this is your tumbler - Hmmmmmm (so many lights going off in the "don't do it" section of my brain, but even more in the "aww heck yeah" section....) I think I need to go lubricate the chain on my wife's car. She's got a low-mileage VTEC V-6 that would make one HELL of a tumbler motor. ;-) And, being that glass half-full guy, I bet she'd LOVE a new SUV. So what you're telling me is that might be a bit much for a typical tumbler motor... I will pull it and put it aside, maybe I could make a cabber or something like that someday.
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Post by captbob on Sept 1, 2016 10:56:08 GMT -5
Good sized motor for a cab machine.
The tumbler idea above has been discussed here a time or two. Major downside foreseen was the noise.
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Post by jakesrocks on Sept 1, 2016 10:58:55 GMT -5
Don't use it. Those motors are intended for intermittent use, not continuous use as they would be in a lapidary machine. It would be prone to overheating within the first few minutes of use.
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huskeric
spending too much on rocks
Member since May 2016
Posts: 353
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Post by huskeric on Sept 1, 2016 11:27:32 GMT -5
Don't use it. Those motors are intended for intermittent use, not continuous use as they would be in a lapidary machine. It would be prone to overheating within the first few minutes of use. That's kinda what I wondered. I might play around with it and just see how it holds up to running for even a few minutes without being under any sort of load. I looked it over, and it's a 1,500 RPM motor that is thermally protected. If I could rig it up, I could even leave the chain drive in place and have a WICKED looking tumbler. Probably about 3x as loud as any other tumbler as well.
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NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Sept 6, 2016 13:05:39 GMT -5
Don't use it. Those motors are intended for intermittent use, not continuous use as they would be in a lapidary machine. It would be prone to overheating within the first few minutes of use. +1. Had the same idea myself, but after researching it seems they overheat and shut down quick - in a matter of minutes as Don has stated.
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Post by greig on Sept 6, 2016 14:31:36 GMT -5
It probably is not going to work for your application and we don't know the specs for the motor you are using. There are a few switches that can slow down an AC 110 v single phase induction motor, but they are somewhat expensive (over $100 new) and you risk burning out the switch. If the motor contains a centrifugal switch, it will cut out after the motor hits about 3/4 of its rated speed - which it will do quickly without load, because it was designed to lift a heavy door. If you try to go slower, you risk the motor getting really hot - at best it might just burn out and fail. At worst, you could have a fire.
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huskeric
spending too much on rocks
Member since May 2016
Posts: 353
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Post by huskeric on Sept 9, 2016 8:44:34 GMT -5
The motor in question is an A.O. Smith F43D37B08 1/2HP 1,500RPM motor that is capacitive start/run and is thermally protected. I will point out that on the label with the various specs, the one that has "HRS," presumably "hours," reads "INT," which I would assume to be "intermittent."
Keep in mind, this is purely a philosophical discussion at present. The motor is the only component in my possession that would be a part of this tumbler. I appreciate the feedback, because it goes into my brain in context, and can be applied at other times.
Again, hypothetically, I was going to leave the motor/chain drive mechanism married together, as I figured that would be a good reducer. It goes into a housing that is basically a differential. I haven't measured the speed on this, but in my Rube Goldbergian brain, I thought, well, if there's a chain drive, why not throw an old bicycle derailleur on there, and I could gear it.
I haven't gotten to the point where this machine is powered by dominoes or activated by a chicken pecking the switch yet, but that's mainly because I don't have a chicken...yet. =)
Would this motor have any application as a flat lap motor or any other application? What I NEED to do is figure out out to make a vibe with it.
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Post by jakesrocks on Sept 9, 2016 9:39:19 GMT -5
You are right. "INT" does stand for intermittent use. As in running long enough to raise or lower a garage door. Running continually on a piece of lapidary equipment it will quickly overheat. The chain drive might be able to be salvaged & used with a continuous duty motor, but the intermittent duty motor is a no go. Hmm, Derailleur gears ? That just might work for some applications. Just keep things well oiled, and a good chain guard to prevent throwing oil all over your work area. Once you get that chicken trained to peck a switch, post a video. I think we'd all like to see that.
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huskeric
spending too much on rocks
Member since May 2016
Posts: 353
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Post by huskeric on Sept 9, 2016 15:26:31 GMT -5
Well, if I'm anywhere near as good at chicken training as I am at rock polishing, the video will conclude with the chicken running out of frame completely engulfed in flames, dominoes flying EVERYWHERE, and still a dull finish on my rocks. (sigh)
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2016 17:05:13 GMT -5
+1 for trained chickens!
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Post by greig on Sept 11, 2016 0:11:04 GMT -5
Hey, I will give you a chicken and you can train it. My daughter brought home 7 from school, where they hatched them. We have a backyard coop and I was happy it was empty... The new chicks got lots of attention when they were tiny, but now they are my burden and winter is coming. Also, my family won't eat them - because the chicks all have names. I know the roosters won't lay eggs and there are a few of them - they just eat and make noise. LOL
Good luck on your project. Personally, I would use that motor as a boat anchor before trying it for the purpose described, but that is just me. My only advise is to use it in a safe location for your first run.
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Sept 11, 2016 5:20:21 GMT -5
That's a lot of motor for a rock tumbler. Unless this is your tumbler - The obvious was staring me in the face for so long ...
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