Shopsmith Forums

garys wrote: ↑Sun Jul 18, 2021 9:41 am It seems to me that the original post was looking for suggestions on getting the machine running again. How did we get so lost in stray discussion?

CHECK THE SWITCH.

RFGuy wrote: ↑Sun Jul 18, 2021 11:33 am Now forum members have become "rectifiers" as well....will the re-definition of technical terms ever end?

JPG wrote: ↑Sun Jul 18, 2021 11:36 am Only problem is, some are half wave.

BuckeyeDennis wrote: ↑Fri Jul 16, 2021 1:43 pm When I replaced my failed switch, I wired both contacts in series, like Shopsmith used to do. When you open the switch contacts (i.e. turn off the switch), the inductance of the motor windings forces the current to continue arcing across the open contacts, just like the coil in an old-fashioned engine distributor forced an arc across the spark-plug gap. The arc continues until the inductive energy is dissipated, mostly as heat in the contacts themselves. So I figure that with two contacts sharing the energy-dissipation duties, they should last much longer than if using just one contact.

I saw a switch specification the other day that tends to support that theory. It was rated for 1 hp if using just one contact, but for 2 hp if both contacts were wired in series.