wiring from Swiss to American

[willofiam]

Hey guys, I came across a neat little machine, Its a Hauser pivot polisher, the guy who had it said it ran on a 20 amp, 240 volt plug in. I am not that smart about electrical stuff 🙄 The plug end as you can see is a 4 prong, is this a doubled up 120 volt system? I really dont want to ruin anything and my questions may seem ridiculous and hopefully not shocking 😯 , I do have a call into a electrician friend but I did want your input also, what do you do to properly hook these machines up in the USA? Thank you, William

• This topic was modified 3 years ago by Tamas Richard.

[david pierce]

William,
It looks like you have a 220/440 3 phase motor. If that is the case you can not run it on single phase power without a phase converter. The plug is a 3 phase + neutral so that is probably what you have.
david

[willofiam]

Thanks David, here are a couple more photos of the switch box the motor is wired into

• This reply was modified 3 years ago by Tamas Richard.

[david pierce]

William,
The picture of the inside of your circuit panel box is too dark for me to see everything. The leads from the plug wire should terminate in the panel. There should be four wires coming into the box. One will be a ground and the other three should be hot. If three hot wires terminate into the junction block then you have a 3 phase motor. Take an ohm meter and check the copper tabs on the plug to see how they line up in the box. Take a screwdriver and disconnect each lead wire in the box to check them. When you find out which plug tab goes to what wire and you have three results then you will know that it is wired 3 phase. If it is a 3 phase motor then the least expensive alternitive will be to replace the motor with one that is compatable with the power available to your shop.
david

[willofiam]

Here is a shocking little tidbit, ONLY 3 wires from the plug, routed up to the switch. Whats a ohm meter thingy? 🙄 William

[david pierce]

William,
I can’t be there to look at it and determine how it is set up. Your statement that you do not know what an ohm meter is makes me think that you better not go any further on this. At 220/440 vac you could easily kill yourself or catch your house on fire. Get your electrician to check it out and set it up for you. The negative consequences from screwing this up could well outweigh any money you might save.
david

[willofiam]

Hey David, I was kidding about knowing what a ohm meter is, I even have one BUT I do not know how to use it. In this life I have been proficient at just about anything you could have me do except for wiring things, It just ticks me off, I cannot seem to wrap my tiny mind around the concepts of wiring and electrical current….Funny though, my whole family is expert at electronics, electrical, ect.. just opposite of my abilities, I suppose thats how God created family……one guy tends the heard, the other spins the wool and yet another cooks the meat, all experts at one thing or another, makes me think of how wonderful a dynamic family is and how blessed we are to have that weird brother or sister, as someday they may be pulling you out of the fire. ME, as stubborn as I am I usually leave myself cold and hungry…….Speaking of fire………I have NO intention of plugging anything into a electrical socket 😯 until I am completely positive 😯 and am completely happy 😆 to spend obscene amounts of money to have someone smarter than me look at how to do it. I will let yall know what happens. Thank you and have a fantastic day, William

[brianw]

Hi William,
If you are not confident with electrics I would simply look for a 120V motor that is mechanically compatible and powerful enough to drive the equipment and swap motors. If it is three phase you will still have the problem of differing voltage levels in the US. To convert you would need an inverter which would almost certainly be more expensive than a new motor. Perhaps you could negotiate the price down given that anyone else buying the equipment in the US will have the same problem.
Good luck

[willofiam]

Hey guys, it is not a option to swap the motor (only as a very last resort), here is the link that tells about this machine I acquired (model 241) and you will see in the drawings that I would want to keep it original, way below are actual photos but that one has had the motor swapped out and reconfigured. It works but has lost the originality.

http://www.lathes.co.uk/hauserpivotpolishers/

the guy I got this from had a video of it running before we made the trade, unfortunately he is not responding anymore and is 2 1/2 hours away from here, it was at the shop he works at and they used it for burnishing pivots for medical instruments. I am taking it into a electric motor repair-shop tomorrow. This is so frustrating, he said it was plugged into 20amp 240 volts. how simple is that? for me not so simple!!!
William

[david pierce]

William,
Taking it to a motor shop is the best thing for you to do. At the very least they can help you prevent burning up the field coils due to incorrect wiring. Electric motors may look like simple devices but in fact they are not. Many of the employees in motor shops had to study for several years in college to learn about motors and the electronics that make them work.
david

[chris mabbott]

William this is the first time I’m going to disagree with mr David, but, IMHO the best thing you could do is pack it up and send it to me 😆

Seriously, you’re stepping up the voltage, which is always a little more complicated than decreasing, with more chance of frying something.

But, if I were you, in this case, I would toss originality out the window and go for functionality. What I would do is to look for a motor rebuild shop that could convert the electronics to household single phase but leave the motor frame as is. I can’t remember if the rotor/stator is matched to voltage on these motors, but I think they can be re-wired without to much huff. By the time you buy a transformer, set it up, it will possibly have cost the same, and that transformer will run very hot.

Whatever you decide, remember that there is more involved than simply buying a tranny as these parts are designed for a certain electrical flow rate which is NOT constant with a transformer, unless you buy a VERY expensive digitally controlled compensated unit that can maintain the requirements without fluctuation.

Just my two bits. But hey, nice rig, can’t wait to see it work. Please don’t tell me that you got it for $25 and the guy paid shipping 😆

[bobpat]

. William Don’t they run on a different cycle than we do?.. 50 hertz to our 60, I don’t believe its three phase, most three phase motors don’t have a neutral and the motor is really small for a three phase. I think it’s 220 with a ground but check on the hertz. Oh, I am a licensed electrician,have been for 37 years.. :geek:

[bobpat]

answered my own question.. they run on 50 hertz and we run on 60. but they will run on our current here, as long as the voltage is the same, we like to keep voltage within 10%,,nominal voltage, 210, 220 240, all the same..I still think its 10 amps 220 single phase with a ground, If it was 3 phase the amperage would be a lot less,, if it was 3 phase and 10 amps,, you would have a huge motor

[david pierce]

Bobpat,
If you look at another plate the amperage is 1.05 at 440 vac and 2.1 at 220 vac. This should put the motor in the vicinity of around 1/2 hp. This would be very easy to tell if you had the motor in front of you but probably the safest thing for William to do would be to take it to someone like yourself or the electric motor shop. They will know what it is and what to do in order to make it function properly in Williams shop. The shop should also be able to check it out with a Meggar to make sure none of the coils are shorting to the motor casing. The odds are there are no problems but if there are, things could end up badly.
david

[willofiam]

Thanks guys for all you input, I have taken it in to a electric motor specialist company near here, sounded like they knew what they were talking about, (my eyes glazed over and I got dizzy) now I know what happens to most of my customers 😆 ….they were saying it was 3 phase and they would hook up a thingy and test it with a dohicky then wire it up to plug into my 220, all I really know it it should be plug and play when it is done, I will let yall know exactly what they did when it is back home in a safe place. currently going thru all other parts, cleaning ect…there must be a million parts to this machine, very well made piece of machinery, whether it gets alot of use or not (I am thinking so) it has been a real treat and learning experience thus far….having fun William

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