What servo motor setup to get?

[Texxut]

I picked up a used, (well used by the looks of the ware on the table), a Consew 206RB-2 ,and am now looking to get a servo motor setup to power it.I will be sewing heavy fabrics, canvas, and leather. What motor do you guys recommend? Also, if you have any do's or do nots,  that would be good to hear . Thanks. 

[Wizcrafts]

I have been buying my servo motors from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines since 2011. In that time they have carried three major brands as previous models went of of production or became untrustworthy. Their current motor is the Consew CSM 550-1 It comes with a 2" pulley unless you request a larger pulley. Smaller pulleys slow down the machine and increase the low end torque.

I have found that these motors can often use your existing motor mounting bolts and pedal rods. There are slots to move the motor sideways to line up the new belt. Chances are that your old belt won't be a perfect fit. You can figure this out by trying to read the size marking on the old belt. It might be marked in inches or millimeters. Let's say the old belt is a type 3L at 44 inches and the old motor pulley is 4 inches diameter. If the servo motor happens to fit under the old bolts and has a 2 inch pulley, chances are the new belt will need to be 42 inches, plus or minus an inch..

As a reference, I ordered a new Consew 206RB-18 for a friend's school security window blinds business, pre-equipped with a servo motor identical to the Consew CSM, with a 50mm pulley. I sewed on the machine for a year as a side job. I could start it going at 1 stitch per second with a little foot finesse. There was enough oomph to keep it moving at slow speeds when tacking on 1 inch wide sew-on Velcro. When I needed to sew long end straightaways, I floored it and blasted through ballistic nylon (and sometimes Velcro) at about 25 stitches per second. Good motors! Great machines!!

[Texxut]

Thanks for the heads up.

[dikman]

There are quite a few different servos available on ebay (and Amazon?), most of them are pretty generic with the major difference usually being how the menus are accessed to change parameters. Wiz's recommendation is probably the safest as if you buy a "generic" off ebay you'll be on your own (other than possible help from here) if you have difficulties setting it up. For some of us it's just a minor challenge if that happens but there have been many requests for help from folks having trouble with the setup menu on their servo.

[Wizcrafts]

35 minutes ago, dikman said:

There are quite a few different servos available on ebay (and Amazon?), most of them are pretty generic with the major difference usually being how the menus are accessed to change parameters. Wiz's recommendation is probably the safest as if you buy a "generic" off ebay you'll be on your own (other than possible help from here) if you have difficulties setting it up. For some of us it's just a minor challenge if that happens but there have been many requests for help from folks having trouble with the setup menu on their servo.

The servo motor I linked to is analog, not digital. It has a simple knob to turn to limit the top speed. There is also a power switch in a separate box. The only other control is a direction slide switch on the back. It is normally shipped to the buyer rotating in the standard ccw direction for typical industrial sewing machines. All of mine have included extra brushes on coil springs in case the originals wear out from prolonged high speed use.

[nylonRigging]

last drive I got, This one I am pretty happy with . Japaneses brand, Nitron , NT-750 brushless servo , and with using a 'small' belt-pulley . very user friendly on the button controls also . Plenty of Punch power behind needle even crawling along slow .

https://www.amazon.ca/NITRON-NT-750W-3500RPM-Sewing-Machine/dp/B07SRH41Y8

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Edited August 16, 2022 by nylonRigging

[Wyowally]

I have seen some comments on brushed vs. brushless servos but have no experience. Not sure what the true differences are in terms of super slow speed running vs. torque. Some say brushless is the only way to go, yet my brushed CSM550-1 does everything I want on a Singer 111W155 without needing a speed reducer. I did go with a smaller motor pulley. YMMV

[Wizcrafts]

I bought a used cylinder arm machine from the original owner in late 2019. It had a push button digital servo motor that started with a jolt, running at a minimum speed of 100 or 200 rpm. I ordered a Family Sew 550s the next day. It starts at zero and gradually speeds up as I engage the foot pedal. I have enough pushbuttons on my phone. I don't need more on my motors.

[bruce johnson]

Wiz, Thanks for the link to that servo motor. I just bought my wife a Singer 17-1 with a speed reducer and clutch motor. I can sew with it but I expect she will have some speed control issues. When I got my Ferdco 2000 several years ago it had an analog servo. Within 5 minutes of sewing with it I was on the phone ordering the same motor to go on my Adler 205. I like the smoothness, performance, and simplicity of the analog servos over the digitals and you saved time me from searching for another. Appreciate it! - Bruce

[Texxut]

I wanted to post an update to my question on servo motors. I ordered an Enduro 550 watt servo motor, replaced the pulley that came on it with a 1.7" pulley and mounted it on the table I made for the Consew 206RB-2. I really like the control I have with that setup. I made the table and legs from stuff in my shop materials pile. The top is 1-3/4"  thick and the frame is made from 2" angle iron. Probable a bit over built, but solid as a rock. I did add a drip pan.