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#Post#: 10532--------------------------------------------------
Performance electric chainsaw dead
By: mosis Date: July 26, 2012, 4:01 pm
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Hi, I bought an electric chainsaw about five years ago, a
Performance Power Tools PWR1800CSD (the cheapest around at the
time), to cut down a tree in my garden. I only used it for about
five hours maybe, probably less than that, then put it up in my
loft. Last week I got it out to see if I could cut away some
more of the tree stump that I had left five years ago, but it
wouldn't work.
I checked the fuse in the plug was okay, and dismantled the
chainsaw to see if I could find out what was wrong. I am
attaching some photos of the insides to help explain where I've
got to. I have a handheld electric cable detector, which beeps
when it is near a live cable, and by using this I was able to
test that the switch was allowing power through to the cables
going into the motor. The brushes are fine and are touching the
motor (not sure what that part is called). There is a
microswitch which turns off the chainsaw (I presume) when you
bump the black buffer thing at the front, presumably this is to
stop the chainsaw if it snags a branch and pulls it into the
body of the chainsaw.
[IMG]
HTML http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/7320/chainsaw1.jpg[/img]
[IMG]
HTML http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/8638/chainsaw2a.jpg[/img]
[IMG]
HTML http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/4849/chainsaw3.jpg[/img]
[IMG]
HTML http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/7353/chainsaw4.jpg[/img]
[IMG]
HTML http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/1353/chainsaw5.jpg[/img]
I read on another forum that there is (or can be) a capacitor
that is attached to the motor, to stop arcing, and that it could
have failed - is that likely? The inside of the chainsaw looked
fairly clean, and it's only been used for less than five hours.
I don't quite understand what the coiled piece of metal on the
drive shaft does. When I turned the motor by hand, to rotate the
main shaft (not the motor shaft) in the direction that the chain
would normally be turned, the end which connects to the chain
didn't turn. When I turned it the other way, it did turn, but
then the coiled piece of metal rotated anti-clockwise, and
eventually reached the vertical metal bar that pushes down on
it, and this is presumably not the way it normally turns,
otherwise I imagine it would make a hell of a noise as it kept
pushing past the vertical metal bar on every revolution (which
is spring loaded to push downwards).
Many thanks in advance if anybody can help with fixing it, I
don't want to throw it away and waste it if it's fixable.
#Post#: 10533--------------------------------------------------
Re: Performance electric chainsaw dead
By: 660magnum Date: July 26, 2012, 4:29 pm
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The thing that turns in the motor that the brushes ride on is
called the armature.
The coiled spring on the output shaft is a overload device so
that if there is too much load on the chain, the end of the
spring next to the body will push on the micro switch and shut
the power off to the motor.
#Post#: 10536--------------------------------------------------
Re: Performance electric chainsaw dead
By: Chainsawrepair Date: July 26, 2012, 4:38 pm
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Welcome to the site and very neat labeled pics.
#Post#: 10552--------------------------------------------------
Re: Performance electric chainsaw dead
By: mosis Date: July 27, 2012, 6:45 am
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Thanks for your replies, guys, I was thinking of connecting a
battery across the plug terminals, then using a multimeter on
the connectors to the brushes, holding the power switch on, and
seeing if the current is getting through. If there is no current
(presumably there won't be), do I need to do more dismantling?
The worst I can do is find out that I can't put it all back
together again. I was thinking that I would have to take out the
motor to see if there is a capacitor wired into it. I read on
other forums that the windings might be gone, but the chainsaw
was working fine five years ago when I finished the job I was
using it for.
#Post#: 10555--------------------------------------------------
Re: Performance electric chainsaw dead
By: 660magnum Date: July 27, 2012, 11:03 am
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Most likely one of the safety switches are open and not making
contact?
You can disconnect the brushes from the rest of the circuit and
measure across them with a ohm meter to see if they are actually
making contact with the amature.
#Post#: 10588--------------------------------------------------
Re: Performance electric chainsaw dead
By: Al Smith Date: July 28, 2012, 12:14 pm
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Probabley the first thing you need to do is take compressed air
and blow all the crud out of it .
What you'll likely find out is with the push type quick
connectors they use for electrical terminations is one has lost
continiuity .Also those type trigger switchs aren't the best
made for robustness .
On those switchs often times because they break both the hot
wire and the neutral one side has burned out .If so bypassing
the burned out side and just using the good side it should still
work .They break both sides of the circuit on those double
insulated type tools because the plug will fit in the receptical
both ways often times .
It might be such a thing if it is the switch you could find a
replacement because often times it's just a generic switch many
use .
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