Help with Minimax Classic 300!

[Dory Rice]

Basic question: Have you checked to make sure all of the E-stops are reset? If you press and release an E-stop can you hear the coil in the main switch engage?

Todd, we have checked the E-stops. When we press and release an E-stop we cannot hear the coil in the main switch engage.

[Frank Drackman]

When my Minimax CU 300 Smart had this behavior the micro switch to the blade cover was the issue. Blew it out, reclosed the cover and it started.

[Rick Fisher]

Todd, we have checked the E-stops. When we press and release an E-stop we cannot hear the coil in the main switch engage.

An electrican can probably fix this pretty quick.

[Todd Willhoit]

Is the shaper door fully closed? No coil sound leads me to believe it is a micro switch issue or power issue, as in loose connection or open fuse.

[Erik Loza]

Is the shaper door fully closed? No coil sound leads me to believe it is a micro switch issue or power issue, as in loose connection or open fuse.

This ^^^^...

If you're not getting resistance at the main switch, it means the circuit either is not getting power or is being broken somewhere. Such as an e-stop, micro-switch, etc. That's the first thing I have a customer check.

Erik

[john lawson]

I had an issue like this on a Delta Unisaw. I chased it for a day or two, felt really dumb because everything checked out on the saw. Turns out the power cord from the receptacle had a loose screw. Tightened it up and now it runs great.

Be sure to check the power supply from the receptacle and the power cord for good connection.

[Sean Troy]

Sean,
I went to the website SCMGroup.NA. Under service it says to fill out the form. There is no form shown. There are no phone numbers to call. The rest of the page is just blank.

My mistake, sorry.

[Michael Dye]

I'll give ya ten bucks for it. Be there tomorrow to take it off your hands. In all seriousness, invest in a good Fluke meter so you can isolate these problems. As many others have said, it's probably something simple. Start with the plug. I've had a few that, having been dropped many times, have had the leads come loose from the screw fittings. Good luck

[Dory Rice]

I'll give ya ten bucks for it. Be there tomorrow to take it off your hands. In all seriousness, invest in a good Fluke meter so you can isolate these problems. As many others have said, it's probably something simple. Start with the plug. I've had a few that, having been dropped many times, have had the leads come loose from the screw fittings. Good luck

Believe me, if we get this thing working again, we are seriously thinking selling it. Alas, not for $10.
We have a volt meter and will check what we can, but we know nothing about wiring and do not want to electrocute ourselves, so if Erik's walk thru doesn't help, the electrician is next. But we will check the plug!
Thanks for your suggestion.

[Erik Loza]

Dory, I replied to your email.

For the record, here is my progression of steps for troubleshooting the whole "Machine suddenly won't start"-thing. This is the exact same procedure a factory tech will walk you through if you call. Please do not think I am talking down to a customer when I list these out. Cannot tell you how many times I have had a customer swear up and down to me that they checked all this stuff, then all of a sudden, "Oh, duh. Hahaha, thought I checked that". We are all guilty of this, myself included. Start with the basics and work up from there.

1.) Confirm all E-stops out.
2.) Confirm selector switch in proper position, since there is often a neutral stop between funtions on the rotary switches.
3.) Confirm all saw doors/shaper doors/etc. closed and secured. There are often interlock switches there.
4.) Confirm 220-240V at the machine's terminal. Not, "I know I've got 220V", or, "the electrical dude said I have 220V". Cornfirm voltage at the terminal. Not the wal or at the socket, at the machine's terminal.

If, as the OP has reported, the main start switch feels mushy, that indicates that the coil is not being energized, which means either the machine is not getting power or that the circuit is being broken. Often, it is one of the safety interlock switches. On the CU300C, there is on that is actuated by the sawblade access door, one on the door to change the shaper speeds, and one down in the chassis, behind the jointer table hinges. That one, in my experience, is a frequent culprit, since there is a gravity-operated rod that helps disengage it when you open or close the jointer tables. OP, you can download a schematic for your machine from www.partspronto.com and see schematics of all these switches. I have seen that drop rod get clogged with junk, moisture/corrosion make it stick, etc. Not saying that is the issue, just that of the microswitch issues, it's one of the more common ones.

If I suspect it's a micro-switch, the first step is to manually actuate all of them and see if I can hear an audible click. It's more common for switches to just not get engaged fully than to actually fail but either can happen. If I get an audible click, and machine still won't start, then it's time to get out the multi-meter and see what's really going on.

OP, you told me in your mail that you are afraid working around electricity. In that case, I would pay an electrician to come out. That may be the most direct path to a solution for you. I will add this: You mentioned that you are unhappy with the machine and maybe want to sell it. That's certainly fine but I've been doing this for nearly 15 years and will say without hesitation that you can pay 4X-5X what you did for your CU300 and still have this exact same scenario happen. I see it every day. You have a 10 year old shop machine and shop life is not easy. On the scale of "things that can ruin my day", a simple machine not starting is one of the easiest fixes. Much better than say, "My electronic panel fried", or, "A major component broke and is no longer available from Parts", which I also see happen. I hope you get get it up and running.

Erik