How To Make a Speed Controller from a Dimmer Switch
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- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- This is how I made a speed controller for the drill in my homemade mini lathe.
Wiring Diagram: Makify.com/stuf...
Homemade Drill Lathe: • How To Make a Drill Lathe
Twitter: / makify1
corrected: Most dimmers use a TRIAC, which is the exact same way the drill's trigger controls the speed. As long as you don't exceed the dimmer switch's amp/watt rating, it should work great.
Excellent Video... great tone of voice, pace, consideration.... you are a gifted teacher... no distractions... no problems... just good; my absolute best wishes, thank you for posting.
Just a word of caution. when I was getting the stuff to make one of these the guy at my local electrical supply place who I know and trust, explained to me that there is a difference between a "dimmer switch" and a fan control switch. even the lutron company which is what I see used on most of these on youtube has two separate products for these applications. the dimmer switch just limits voltage which on an electric motor can cause damage. the fan controller acts differently and is specifically designed to regulate motor speed and not just limit voltage. they cost about the same but be sure you get the fan control switch and not the light dimmer if your using it to regulate or variate motor speed.
PWM does not change frequency, only pulse width so the average of the voltage. First step in PWM is to convert AC to DC and motor need the AC (+/- alter).
chris malcom wow.... welp im pissed..
chris malcom thank you for pointing that difference between those two switches
Just i thought
Chris Malcom
Your comment was very informative and in my opinion professional. I researched what you said to get more info on it and here's my copy n paste.
"The best dimmers for running an electric motor have an adjustable minimum speed setting. The power switch should match the specifications for the motor for best results. On the hub cover of the ceiling fan there will be a list of the amps and the watts that the appliance will use at maximum power consumption. If the measure of watts is not included, multiply the number of amps by 120 to find the watts number. Always buy a switch that is rated to handle an equal amount for the watts or more, not less, in order for the dimmer switch to work well. A dimmer motor AC switch is suitable for a ceiling fan.
A dimmer can't control a lot of fixtures, or it will overload its maximum wattage. For instance, if a dimmer is equipped for 500 watts and has to control up to six lights at 100 watts each, it can overload the system. If anything, it will be working overtime, which can cut down its lifespan significantly. To keep the dimmer switch working well, only use appropriate wattages. If the fixture requires less than four watts or more than 600 watts, then a dimmer switch may not be the best option."
CAUTION: Working with AC/ mains can kill. Double check your wiring three times before even thinking about it. If you hook up improperly you'll probably short out the dimmer (triac),, and trip your home's circuit breaker or fuse (assuming they work - if not get ready for fireworks)!
Thumbs up if you do it right, this is a good Makify project!
A common lamp dimmer will control the speed of REPULSION MOTORS (AC motors which use brushes) They can also be used for DC motors if you add a bridge rectifier between the dimmer and the DC motor as long as the motor has brushes. Not for use on brushless DC motors. Also, the common lamp dimmer cannot be used to control the speed of INDUCTION MOTORS such as motors used in most audio turntables, window/ceiling fans induction motors on most shop motors such as drill presses and table saws. However check the current draw of your device and compare it with the wattage rating of the dimmer the rating of the dimmer must exceed the requirements of the motor under a load. 1amp = about 120watt so a common 600watt dimmer will handle about 5amps draw from the motor.
Hello what do I need to control an industrial fan, speed one is soo strong I need to make it slow, I wish there's just a smart socket to control the volt/wattage/amp, or it could damage the motor?
Well Done!! What an extremely clever idea. My Variable speed Dremel not real variable. Very frustrating for a lite lapidary hobby. Then I came across this option. It was a fun and simple project. Wow!! Tried on my old Dremel 200 2 speed (Fast & Faster) and it gave me RPM control well beyond my expectations. Big Thanks
It works for me too. But not after I burned out a dimmer switch trying to figure out what you were talking about with the connections. I think better directions would be the two green wires one from each side of the extension cord in the green wire on the dimmer switch should be all wired together. When I looked at the extension cord that I had the wires weren't colored. The only one that was colored was the green wire. I don't know that it makes any difference either but one side of the wires have stamped writing on it so I made sure when I connected the two white wires back together again I made sure that they both had writing on them. Then one black wire from the dimmer hooks to one side of the extension cord the remaining wire and the other black wire on the dimmer hooks to the other. PS I'm using this with a Sawzall for a "different application" / "unrelated project" as well. :) hopefully she likes it.
If you're doing what I think your doing, then Raw Edge! Man😍😝😈
The green wire is ground. Your breaker panel is is grounded to a long metal rod that's several feet in the ground (Earth). Green = Earth that's how I remember. I learned many things the same way you did and that's fuck shit up sometimes. Word of caution just in case you don't already know. When it comes to extension cords or power tool cords the wires can sometimes be any color. Get yourself a cheap multimeter, harbor freight has them for about $4 and sometimes free with any purchase. Simply Google harbor freight coupons and you'll get 20% every time. Some of their things are amazing and some are junk. Just do you research. Keep experimenting and be safe.
i wanna do the same thing lol, did it work out?
Thank you. I have wanted to slow a fan down for circulation in all seasons Great amount of info. Deadly Deadly..
Drill motors and angle grinders can be controlled excellent from ac dimmers with triac because have brushed motors.
I live beyond the grid and have used a rotary dimmer switch to control things like an electric hotplate. I plug it all in to a kilowatt meter so l can precisely dial in how much power it uses, typically 150-550 watts and allows for a much smaller inverter to be used.
great video this is an awesome way to set up a speed controller for many things I was actually making a homemade rotisserie and was stumped on how to slow the turn speed on a drill without having to fiddle with it and this was my answer thanks and again great video
I'm glad you found the video helpful.
@@Makify1 this video is going to help me with a home made coffee roaster
Line in is more important then the ground for speed control, but having a ground is important for safety reasons, not operation of the controller though. Just what I've seen with the few controllers I've dealt with. Either way, this is helpful, but onlookers, keep in mind, there are electronic rheostat controllers, I think called SCR's, correct me if I am wrong, then there are DC or AC PWM's that should not be confuse with each other. My info is in no way to hurt Makify1, insult him, etc. just wanted to pass along the info. I'm still learning also.
Pulse Width Modulator for a DC motor, i think..lol & a Varible Frequency Controller for an AC motor....i would research it & be safe...
So basically don’t cut the cord all the way in half. Leave the white intact. Cut the black and one connects to black on dimmer the other black dimmer goes to other half of cut black wire. Cut the green and feed all 3 into a wire nut. Correct?
Hope, cause I have it wired this way and getting ready to plug this baby in
Thanks for posting this. It really helped me out.
I have all of my fans on our garage wired the same way as this. Works money!
Most drills have a variable speed trigger which is really no different than the dimmer control. So you can use it in the same capacity. Just always make sure the drills trigger is pushed all the way in so it gets full power
yes it does work.....and most of the time running back and forth a busy highway blindfolded may work too but i wouldnt do it. you are doing nothing more than lowering the voltage...the drills is still needing the same amount of power to run so the amperage goes up. let me know if you destroy your drill or starting a fire comes first
"the drills is still needing the same amount of power to run so the amperage goes up" If it runs slower, it doesn't need the same amount of power to run. How do you think the speed control that's built in to these drills work? This is a perfectly fine method of changing the speed.
@@Netherlands031 actually no its not. it will burn out the motor by driving the amps thru the roof...but you go ahead and think and do anything you want. oh and how do i think its done? ummmmmm most of the time with a VFD. ok genius?
@@emeralddragon2010 an induction motor has, you guessed it, inductors that do the work. In an inductor, current is proportional to the time that a voltage is applied over it. So if you shorten the time that voltage is on the inductors (using a dimmer) the current will be lower. Now, most dimmers are not good at driving inductive loads for various reasons so you can't just do this with a hardware store dimmer but with an appropriate one it will work. Now you tell me if I made a mistake in my reasoning or what the reason is that the amperage will be higher.
@@Netherlands031 I'm not arguing with you. This is my career and I know what I'm talking about. Do what you want
I noticed that some hardware stores sell plug-in dimmer switches. Would something like that work? If so, it could be used for more than one tool.
Thanks I am in Mexico in a little village and I needed this to make my Ventilator speed controller to put on my Blower motor as that would have way to much air to the patient. Hope I don't need this but we have no Ventilators for 200 miles.
Did it work?
You are a genius ! All my problems have now been solved. Excellent video.
Good to know this. I want to build a lathe too - been wondering about how to power it - and yes, maybe with a drill. But, something has occurred to me; the motor in my scroll saw is a variable speed, complete with dial similar to a dimmer switch - that plugs into a regular AC outlet like any other corded power tool. Why isn't a motor like that available for lathes or drill presses? Could anyone answer that for me?
Most likely that drill has a universal motor which is a modified brushed DC motor. It will also run on high voltage DC.
Fire hazard mod.
Use an old cordless drill instead.
Got one with a dead battery? Disassemble it down to the motor and drive/chuck assembly.
Step #2
Buy an(Amazon) A/C to D/C stepdown transformer, that matches the D/C voltage of your drill. 10 amp rated current.
Cut off the female end from an extension cord. Hook up those two wires to black(Hot) and white(Common) to the input wires of
The transformer. A/C =IN.
Step #3
Wire the the transformers D/C=Out. 2-wires. Negative - (Black) and the Positive +(might be: red, or green, or yellow) to the
D/C =IN leads, of An(Amazon) 10 amp, Reversible, D/C motor speed controller. Just watch polarity of + and minus on the little circuit board.
Step #4
The D/C=Out wires from the speed controller, go to the drill motors two wires.
Watch polarity of the + and -
Now you have true safe, variable speed, and it runs on house circuit. You can get creative building the Lathe bed
Built of wood, or metal using a Lead screw for manually adjusting feed rate.
You will need to create an improvised spindle for turning long stock, or boring and threading operations.
A small bench vise secured on the lathe bed could be used as the tool holder. Turn materials like carbon fiber, plastics or Maybe Aluminum.
But remember;
The drills internal clutch will(slip) limiting max torque to your work piece. And the drills 1/4-3/8 inch chuck will need
Improvising of your own design fitting a home made 3 jaw, face plate chuck to turn larger diameter material.
Modify a 1/4 inch 6-inch sanding disc tool?
Build your machine so that you can swing it to vertical(chuck facing downward) and figure out
What next, to also use it as a variable speed, milling machine and drill press.
Many thanks for producing this video...........a big thumbs up from me .
+Neneman Nick Glad you like it!
Great alternative to a cup turner motor.
Great idea !
Time and labor what do you think it cost you? Looks like you had fun.
you shown the drilling machine speed with dimmer under'' no load conditions'' show it with load conditions, the dimmer may burn if it is not designed to with stand the wattage, when speed is rduced
@Andrew Shingange No, people who do not know what they are doing teaching other people that do not know what they are doing is NOT a good idea. This is exactly what is wrong with CZcams and people these days. If you want to learn how to slow down things that use an AC motor then properly educate yourself about various types of AC motors and how to do that.
Very interesting! Thanks!!
+Cactus! workshop Glad you like it.
Another useful video....... Thanks Vinny.
Just made one and it works! Wish it went even slower though, anybody got an idea for adjustable all the way down to stopped?
That was great. It inspired me to try, but no such success. I tried 2 different dimmers, and it would turn unit on and off, but absolutely no speed control, or light dimness. Not sure what I did wrong... bummer
so if you plug a 12volt DC power supply to it, will it regulate the power to whatever is powered by that 12 volt DC Power supply?
Some motors are fine with a dimmer (potentiometer) because this type of motor is capable of operating within a given amp range.
However a normal lathe or drill press is not, pretty much any motor that uses belts to change speeds is only meant to operate at a set voltage/amperage.
Hopefully someone reads this before splicing in a dimmer on their lathe
Thank you! I was wondering how you did this...
Just what I needed . Thanks
Good day. Can I also use this dimmer on a hair dryer that I am using on my coal forge for controlling the fan speed , if it works on the drill it should work on the hair dryer, right?
Not OP but I don't see why not. I followed OP's instructions and my controller works with both my dremel and my bench grinder. One thing I've noticed is that top speed of the tool withOUT the controller is slightly higher than top speed WITH controller(dimmer switch) turned to the highest position. FYI.
Can these be added to a vintage Dunlap 1/4HP split phase 60 cycle / 5 amp electric motor?
I just tried this method but unfortunately, it is not reducing the speed.
first of all thanks for sharing this video,i have an electric motor(3/4 ph 1750 RMP.110 V .3.5 Amp) i am looking for a speed controller for it,dose this system work for that motor or not?please let me know thanks
I don't know, that's a pretty beefy motor. Hopefully, someone more knowledgeable about electric motors will chime in.
thanks anyway
Hey Matt! Did you find a solution for this? I have a 25W 100V motor and looking for a way to control its speed. Any help would be appreciated!
@@shameehaajmal1517 Hello .unfortunately not i could not find it yet .
Very nice video sir. Can i ask if i can also do it on electric motor?
Could also be made in a 2 Gang metal box with single outlet receptacle
@tan j maz yes plastic will work metal is just a little bit more durable and double is fine as well but like you said you can only plug-in things that are going to be controlled
@tan j maz I always try to cut off and save round 3-prong cords.. they work really nice with a connector to put in a box
i wonder what type of drill machine you have. but mine is, if i want more speed, i press hard, slower, press light.
Great video.Would a dimmer plug work on this set up.Thanks
nice you just answered a question ive had for a few weeks! thanks
Can you plug 2 drills?
If you cut the extension cord in half, how is the male end still attached to the female end?
so if you plug a 12volt DC power supply to it, will it regulate the power to whatever is powered by that 12 volt DC Power supply?
Question: I followed the instructions and the diagram but my dimmer switch is acting as a switch only and is not controlling the speed; just full on or off. I have switched the black wires betweeneach other but have the same effect. I looked up "overlamping" but the dimmer is rated for 600W and my bench grinder is about 510. Thoughts? Thank you.
It was a bad switch. Replaced the switch and it works now. Thanks for the great video and ingenious idea!
too late, oh well whatever
universal motors are usable at multiple speeds, this is WHY drills among other things blenders, etc have a variable speed buttons on them no you're fine it won't (or shouldn't) do anything to the motor
the only thing that should is overvolting it (feeding too much voltage through it) not the opposite, meaning limiting it on what it's already got.
.......Vroooom!!!
Every time I try to make one I blow the house fuse! Somethings wrong.
Just found this and I'm in the process of making a lathe with an old drill and wanted to control the speed. This will help lots....
Thanks for sharing.
Also do you have a video of the lathe being used at different speeds?
+Stephen White I'm glad the video was helpful. I don't have a video showing the lathe at different speeds per se but I've run it a various speeds in different videos but the video is usually sped up so it's probably not very helpful.
Light dimmers won't correctly regulate brushless motors
TY, very kind. you rock
It doesn't look like it works. You just fired it up to top speed and then turned it off. Where was the speed control? The variable speed control?
Induction (brushless) motors don't work okay with light dimmers. That's it.
My dimmer blew up
How would you do this with lithium powered?
Is that an AC motor in that drill ?
It is indeed.
I just tried with my drill and it didn't work...
nice
Is it still okay
genius thanks
Perfect
Can u fix a dimmer
Dimmer switch is not a fan control. You could potentially cause a fire or a short. NOT recommended for the DIY. Do your research
It seems like you are only turning on and off the switch
Next time you need to show the whole wiring picture. You have three cords cut off at the top of the picture and disappearing off the table in what could or could not be different directions. Eventually, white male plug goes to wall, brown/black drill cord goes to female plug, and where does the third white wire go (upper left of picture)? We have to assume it comes back to the male based on the diagram but, for some Harry Homeowner newbie, assumptions aren't good when you're working with electricity
Please use stress lelief on cables
does this work for small steel jobs???
No. Not at all.
This performs the same function as the harbor freight tool for $14 .. I bought one of those years ago for porting and polishing cylinder heads and worked awesome till I dropped it.. replaced it with a new one and it only redused the speed by about 20% where old one can reduce to 0% ... decided to make one of these to get back my full control ... alas the dimmer switch I made cost about $10.50 to make and it worked only as good as new harbor freight model .. don't waste your time just buy the harbor freight model.. also regardless of which black positive wires used (polarity) when turned on it was full speed and you had to turn dial to slow it down ..reversing the black wires and no affect on this .. waste of time but worth it for the chance to slow my 20k rpm porting tool
is that a 3 way switch?..... i did not get a 3 way...
No, it's not a 3-way switch.
well done thank you for sharing
It's kind of alarming this is being taken seriously by some people as a legit "How-To" video, when it's wrong... and actually dangerous. I wonder how many house fires some people will "makify" because they "saw it on CZcams". --- Do it right or don't do it at all. Get a RHEOSTAT, they're cheap.
[ a.co/bp97m5D ]
[ a.co/bcVI6Kj ]
would this system work for an electric bike?
Probably not. I don't think dimmer switch will work with DC and electric bikes are usually DC.
What would I use to control the speed then? I've seen controllers before but don't fully understand how they work, nor how they are wired
Coco Puffs Unfortunately, I'm not very familiar with electric bikes. Maybe someone with more knowledge with chime in.
+Makify1 if the motor were to run on DC like this hand drill, wouldn't the dimmer switch be a good way to control the speed?
This drill runs on AC.
Could you wire the dimmer switch to a variable speed D.C. output?
Andrew Shingangees
Shut up
how to dimmer copacit
Highly recommend do not do this unless you wish to burn up your drills.
He won't. It's probably a universal motor
I'm using a $24 sawzall for what I need. So if it burns out a motor I don't care.
Why dont you use the drill to screw the electrical box together..oh wait wut... :) GREAT VID!!!
“It needs to be grounded because every dimmer switch I’ve seen needs to be grounded”
Circular argument much? Lol
what do you use that drill for modified like that
I put a sanding disc and sanding drums on it and use it as a sander or I use it to turn fishing bobbers from wine corks (czcams.com/video/rxruaqpR5xM/video.html).
it can work for 2 Hp 3 phase motor???? plss reply me early
I have no idea but if I had to guess, I'd guess it would not work with 3 phase. Maybe someone more knowledgeable will chime in.
ok... thank u...
No, not for a 3ph. You need a VFD for that.
Crazy dangerous, if you didn't turn 'off' the drill and left the dimmer at 'near' zero, what is your plan for the amperage? A dimmer switch isn't a speed controller. You could burn down someone house.
it is harmful to the motor so...but its a cheap drill
The compulsion to make both screw slots set at precisely the same angle or position inside and outside, visible or not (and continue doing so on every screw throughout a job..) has caused me to over tighten and crack more than one face plate... every job I do looks perfect..never a complaint (even gets compliments from city inspectors) but means I always have to purchase 5-6 extra plates and switches, receptacles and light fixtures per job site...hmmmm...OCD, a blessing and a curse..
so whats the point?
...the point is to regulate, or being able to controll the RPM of a drill specifically used for this mini lathe. Most modern drills have a speed controll built in, but his one doesnt. And since a speed controll on a lathe is absolutely necessary, he made this. Keep the nonsense comments for yourself.
this wasn't even a show and tell or even educational guidance. didn't even demonstrate if the thing actually works.
If you gonna make a video, don't go half way in teasing us like that.
I grounded the wire he was mad at me he was grounded for 1 day lol
k
What you didn’t show it in action why even make a video if you’re not gonna show the results
can it be used for DC motors?
I don't think it will work on DC only motors, I might be wrong though. Some motors, like many used in power tools, are universal motors that will work on AC or DC. Dimmer switches WILL work on universal motors, as demonstrated in the video.
i already searched about on how to control the speed of a dc motor and many of them said that they are using potentiometer,recently i bought one and used it on my dc motor and im happy of it
so if you plug a 12volt DC power supply to it, will it regulate the power to whatever is powered by that 12 volt DC Power supply?