Snap crackle & heat

I have an older Foredom flexshaft. When the foot control started to
snap, crackle, and heat up, I purchased a new CFL-15 control.
However, it too snaps/crackles and heats up. Does anyone have any
thoughts as to what is wrong? I’m afraid to use it.

try cleaning it with electronic parts cleaner or canned oxygen. jh

You might check the brushes in the motor and as well change the shaft
and sheath… sounds like just a small amount of maintance.

Andy “The Tool Guy” Kroungold
e-mail @Andy_Kroungold

Richard on your foot-pedal don’t use the thing, take it to an
electrician or have the “tool supply” house look into it. I bet it
could be an errant ground connection loose! new pedals don’t do such
bad things!..gerry!

Richard: I was at “Eisinger’s Tool Supply” this morning in Toronto and
mentioned your problem. They collectively said, you should bring back
the whole mess to your own supplier and let them do the dirty work and
find out the problem! Let them fix it, a new pedal should not
"sparkle" so fast! Hope you get a decent asnwer from them on
your problem…gerry!

Attn. Richard CFL-15 is the least expensive mechanical old fashion
foot pedal like grandma had for her sewing machine. You should get
the better models which are electro mechanical with a circuit board.
They have two kinds the inexpensive one (plastic body FCT-1) around
$28.00 or a metal body SCT-1 $45.00 Before you order check the model
on the Foredom as some motors have different connectors. The two
models that I have suggested will not work with Model H & Model R.

Hope this helps you
Kenneth

I’m not an expert in wiring, but have done quite a bit of it than I
wish during my life. Since your old foot control was working fine for
a long time, and then your new one now has the same problem, that
suggests perhaps the problem doesn’t lie in the foot control, but your
house wiring. If I were you, I’d get an electrician in to check to
make sure the wiring in that outlet isn’t going bad, and the breaker
is rated for the load you have on the outlet. I would have more
concern with wiring shorting out in the wall and causing a fire. In
the meantime, unplug everything from that outlet until you find out.

Hello Richard, I think you have a problem. The electrical motor is
absorbing to much energy and burns the resistor out. This can mean, if
your are lucky and it is an electrical motor with brushes that these
are worn down and cause current leakages. You can replace them.
However it can also mean that you electrical motor has internal a
short circuit. and that is and of life for your Foredom. I am sorry

Martin Niemeijer

    I have an older Foredom flexshaft.  When the foot control
started to snap, crackle,  and heat up, I purchased a new CFL-15
control. However, it too snaps/crackles and heats up. Does anyone
have any thoughts as to what is wrong?  I'm afraid to use it. 

I’d check the brushes in the motor-head (heck, replace them on spec,
I’ve seen motor brushes that looked and tested good, but wouldn’t
work properly). If those are good, try to wiggle the prongs on the
plug end, it those are loose, you may need to replace the plug end.
Basically, it sounds like a high resistance connection somewhere in
the motor unit or power cord.

Ron Charlotte – Gainesville, FL
@Ron_Charlotte1 OR afn03234@afn.org

Hi Richard, The CFL foot pedal is considered a throw away unit. It
uses a carbon rod called a carbon pile. The electricity flows through
it to make the curcuit and depending on how much the pedal is closed
it allows more or less electricity to flow. As this is done it uses
up a part of the carbon pile. Over time it will no longer work becuase
it has been used up. My suggestion is to buy one of the other pedals.
For instance the FCT1 foot pedal is just a couple of dollars more and
uses a better mechanisim for controlling the speed of the motor. I
really am not sure why anyone would buy the carbon pile foot pedal. It
isn’t worth the hassle and you end up spending more money in the long
run. If you bought it because someone recommended it you should think
twice about any they give you in the future.

We sell the FCT-1 foot pedal for $29.00. By the way if anyone is
interested we have a used 100 oz electromelt for sale.

If your CFL foot pedal is brand new it could be bad from shipping or
some other reason. Your motor may also need new brushes. You state
your motor is older. If it is there is the possibility that the
armature may need to be replaced. The armature is basically the shaft
and the part that the brushes ride on. Depending on how old the motor
is it may have bronze bearings and the bearing are no longer available
and the armature may not be available any more as well. All the new
motors are ball bearing. If you or anyone needs help in determining
what parts are bad with thier motor you can contact me off list at
ken@mpgrepair.com or toll free in the US at 1-877-262-2185 outside the
US call 1-406-222-2196.

Thanks,
Ken Kotoski

Hi Richard, The CFL foot pedal is considered a throw away unit. It
uses a carbon rod called a carbon pile. The electricity flows through
it to make the curcuit and depending on how much the pedal is closed
it
allows more or less electricity to flow. As this is done it uses up a
part of the carbon pile. Over time it will no longer work becuase it
has been used up. My suggestion is to buy one of the other pedals.
For
instance the FCT1 foot pedal is just a couple of dollars more and uses
a better mechanisim for controlling the speed of the motor. I really
am not sure why anyone would buy the carbon pile foot pedal. It isn’t
worth the hassle and you end up spending more money in the long
run. If
you bought it because someone recommended it you should think
twice
about any they give you in the future.

We sell the FCT-1 foot pedal for $29.00. By the way if anyone is
interested we have a used 100 oz electromelt for sale.

If your CFL foot pedal is brand new it could be bad from shipping or
some other reason. Your motor may also need new brushes. You state
your motor is older. If it is there is the possibility that the
armature may need to be replaced. The armature is basically the shaft
and the part that the brushes ride on. Depending on how old the motor
is it may have bronze bearings and the bearing are no longer available
and the armature may not be available any more as well. All the new
motors are ball bearing. If you or anyone needs help in determining
what parts are bad with thier motor you can contact me off list at
ken@mpgrepair.com or toll free in the US at 1-877-262-2185 outside the
US call 1-406-222-2196.

Thanks,
Ken Kotoski

Good morning, I agree with Ron, check the motor brushes and maybe
change out the sheath and shaft.