Enduro Pro, Limited Arm Movement

[Ken B]

I'm wondering if anyone else finds the limited arm movement on the Enduro Pro / similar motors to be problematic?

I bought a servo motor to gain control over my stitching, but I've only got about 1/2" of pedal movement to cover the entire range of the motors 0-5000rpm spectrum.

I have done the custom, paper shading trick, to make the motor rev smoother. It worked great.

But, the arm itself only moves 1/2", and I've got this giant pedal that lifts 2.5" until it is parallel with the floor. It would be very nice if I could use the entire range of that movement to control the speed of the motor.

Further compounding the problem is that the control arm on the motor faces forward, toward the operator, so making it longer causes problems with the geometry of the linkage, especially with the 4:1 reducer that's installed, which drops the motor down closer to the pedal. I've already had to move the pedal all the way forward in order to keep the linkage perpendicular with the floor.

If anyone has a clever solution to this problem, I am more than interested!

If nobody's tackled this problem, then I'll post what I come up wither here.

Edited November 20, 2014 by Ken B

[gottaknow]

Those are kinda goofy motors. I have extended the arm on the Enduros to obtain a longer travel for your pedal. It really doesn't take much to make a difference. As for the pitmann rods, don't be afraid to bend them to achieve better angles. This isn't a new problem at all, I first encountered this in 1983 with the Variostop motors with a rather large control box under it. For machine stands that were lowered for short operators, it wasn't uncommon to have 6" to make a smooth connection and correct angles. I noticed in your picture, you have another notch towards the operator side of the machine. It will feel better to you if you move that spring into that notch. I've also gotten heavier springs. The biggest improvement you'll notice is to lengthen the control arm and bend your pittman rods as needed.

Regards, Eric

[SARK9]

Another solution which you can apply (in addition) is to relocate the attachment point on the foot pedal to reduce the amount the pittman link moves vs. your perceived foot travel. See photo.

-DC

Edited November 20, 2014 by SARK9

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

I'll play around with some of that stuff too, see how much improvement I can squeeze out of it. I would like for the range of speed to be greater on some of these motors as well.

[Ken B]

Thanks for the ideas guys, I'll give these a try and report back with some pictures of what worked for me and what the improvement is like.

[steadybrook]

How did the installation work out?

[Darren Brosowski]

I like to set the foot pedal up at a bit steeper angle than that so it is more like the accelerator pedal in the car. The angle seems more natural for your ankle and allows better control. Unfortunately it looks like you would need to mount the cross member on top of the members on the side which would further shorten the pitman rod.

[Ken B]

Well, I've had some frustrations with this machine, and I've decided to sell it.

By moving the pedal all the way forward, and doing a custom gradient on the optics for the servo motor, and adjusting the pedal to sit more flat and at less of an angle, I was able to get decent results. I didn't like having the pedal all the way forward, but it was okay, and now I'm selling it, so on to the next machine.