Finally failed after 17 years

[pineywoods]

Got bit by A new kind of sawmill gremlin. Loaded a fresh log, fired everything up to cut and the head refused to go forward at any speed. Up, down, backwards all worked OK. This usually says broke drum switch, so get out the tools and tear into the control box.  Nope, drum switch is OK, so check out the speed control potentiometer, it's good. About all that's left at that point is a broken wire or the controller circuit board. Looks like after 17 years, the circuit board has given up the ghost. I used woodmizer's on-line parts lookup and just about panicked. This part is no longer available..   A panic phone call to woodmizer where Rick assures me that, yes the factory went to a different controller board starting in 1997, but the new type will work ok in my 95 mill. What he doesn't know is my mill has a home-made wireless remote control, which I'm in no mood to re-engineer. We finally agree that the new style board should work without any changes, and Rick gets one on the way.

The rest of the story..
I took my time getting the old circuit board out, it's a rather tight fit in the back of the control box. In the process, I found a corroded spade lug on the wire between the drum switch and the control board. Cleaned that up, and lo, the problem is fixed...
Those guys at woodmizer are just too DanGed efficient... Fedex already picked up the package, which arrived today. So now I have a spare control board. I think I will go ahead and install the new board, it's a much heavier duty design than the pre-97 version. Maybe it will last 17 more years..

[WH_Conley]

Spare parts. The best insurance that you will never need them.

[MHineman]

  That's a better ending than I have a few years back.
  Same symptoms, no go forward.  The problem ended up being wires in the control box had the insulation eaten off by mice and shorted together.  That blew up the control board.
  The oval hole in the support tube was big enough for the mice to crawl into and setup housekeeping in the control box.  I put some very coarse brass wool pot cleaning pads in the hole and just for good measure I put some mouse poison in the control box.  Not had any sign of varmits in there since.
  And I also had work to do on repairing those wires with the insulation stripped off.

[SwampDonkey]

The latest thing I discovered with a wood shop machine is the contacts of the switch get sawdust packed inside. It can't get in the front through the plate, has to be coming in from underside.

Always challenges. ;D

[paul case]

Spare parts. The best insurance that you will never need them.

Until you cant readily locate the new parts you have, then it will break and you will buy new again only to find the parts you had for spares put away ''where no one can find them'' .   PC

[pineywoods]

Spare parts. The best insurance that you will never need them.

Until you cant readily locate the new parts you have, then it will break and you will buy new again only to find the parts you had for spares put away ''where no one can find them'' .   PC

I seem to encounter that situation on a regular basis.. ;D

[Nomad]

     Me too.  My "patented, secure, top-secret filing system" is a little too secure and top secret.

[kelLOGg]

I think I will go ahead and install the new board, it's a much heavier duty design than the pre-97 version. Maybe it will last 17 more years..

What are you gonna do when you're 93? Better get 2 spares so you're prepared;D
A sawyer neighbor died unexpectedly at 92 (yes, unexpectedly) so if we're lucky we'll still be reading your posts then.

Good engineering,

Bob

[customsawyer]

No worries. I knew you would get it figured out.

[Magicman]

Congrats on the fix. 

Didya find any new hips or knees in that box.  After 17 years.......

[pineywoods]

Congrats on the fix. 

Didya find any new hips or knees in that box.  After 17 years.......

Now what would make you think I might need a new hip or knee  : I haven't owned the mill for 17 years, but I used to off-bear for the original owner back in early 1995...

Now you know why I rigged up a wireless remote control...