Will The $150 Chinese Servo Motors From Ebay Work On An Old Adler 68?

[Vinculus]

So I have the opportunity to buy this Adler 68 here in Finland, but it comes with the original clutch motor. That's no good for me really, since I make shoes and need the control and low speeds of a servo motor. The seller will knock off $100 of the listed price if I take the machine with no motor at all, so that I can buy my own servo motor for it. Post bed machines are rarer than hen's teeth here unfortunately, and I sorely need one to replace my Singer 29K72. Missed out on a Pfaff 471 with a servo motor already, the only one of its sort being sold here in like a year...

Now, I'm on a very tight budged here, being a poor student. I've found some seemingly affordable brushless servo motors on eBay, like this TS550. I have absolutely no experience with industrial sewing machines, so my question to you more knowledgeable people is as follows: will this motor work? Will it even fit? Are these things "universal", so to speak?

The only thing I know that I need is that the motor must be compatible with 220-240 voltage and be single phased.

Alternatively, could I install a "suicide knob" to the sewing machine's wheel and hand crank it? I've become so accustomed to hand cranking machines throughout the years that I would almost prefer this. But the Adler 68's hand wheel looks mighty tiny and I wonder if it would even work.

Sorry for all the stupid questions, I'm obviously new at this.

[Constabulary]

External servo motors for sewing machine will work with 99% - 100% of the V-belt driven industrial sewing machines.

Not sure how much import taxes and custom fees you have to pay for the motor but alternatively you could buy a servo on Ebay Germany or from College sewing in the UK to prevent import taxes and custom fees. And they run on 220V 1 phase. $ : € exchange rate is quite bad atm so I´d check the 2 alternatives.

https://www.college-sewing.co.uk/SewingMachineServoMotors

http://www.ebay.de/sch/Textilgewerbe-Schneiderei-/45033/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=servo+motor&_sop=15

Edited November 30, 2015 by Constabulary

[sandyt]

If the motor runs 1400 rpm (not 2800), you could also place different secondhand pouley's. Realy small on the motor. Realy big (25cm??) On the machine. Takes a little work though. With such a setup you can sew realy realy slow by feathering the pedal with quick movements back and forth.

I had a singer setup like this. I could sew slower as a servomotor. And as a bonus, the machine could not be stalled becouse of the realy big pouley.

[sandyt]

This was my singer 211G166. I bought the pouley's new. Industrial grade. 80 euro's. V-belt 10 euro's.

Lower grade or second hand would be way cheaper ofcourse.

[Vinculus]

External servo motors for sewing machine will work with 99% - 100% of the V-belt driven industrial sewing machines.

Not sure how much import taxes and custom fees you have to pay for the motor but alternatively you could buy a servo on Ebay Germany or from College sewing in the UK to prevent import taxes and custom fees. And they run on 220V 1 phase. $ : € exchange rate is quite bad atm so I´d check the 2 alternatives.

https://www.college-sewing.co.uk/SewingMachineServoMotors

http://www.ebay.de/sch/Textilgewerbe-Schneiderei-/45033/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=servo+motor&_sop=15

Thanks! I hadn't even thought of buying "local" since that's usually a lot more expensive, but those prices are good!

Looks like I'll be getting the machine, as the seller would like to trade my Singer 29K72 for the Adler 68 with me paying €100 in-between. Original list price was 500, so I feel like that's a decent deal.

[Vinculus]

Also, how difficult is it assembling one of these new motors to an old stand? While I can be crafty, I would much prefer a simple job.

[Constabulary]

usually 3 screws and often enough the servos are using the same screw holes so not very difficult. You have to adjust the new Servo in hight and sideways the way the pulley has about the same position as the one from the clutch motor. But thats work you have to do anyway if you do not like the clutch motor.

[Vinculus]

Phew, good to know. I'm actually very surprised that these motors are so affordable. When you think of the cost of industrial sewing machines in general, affordable is usually not a key word.

Just hoping that the machine doesn't have a lot of parts near the end of their lifespan. Adler parts are definitely not affordable! The seller runs a shop dealing used shoemaking machines, so at least I know it's been serviced.

[Constabulary]

when I look close at your Adler 68 it seems as if the lock lever for the stich lenght adjuster is missing or is it just because of the angle?

Edited December 1, 2015 by Constabulary

[Vinculus]

I guess it's possible that it's broken, but picture googling other Adler 68s, it looks like some models just have a round knurled thumb nut and others have a lever knob. This one has the same configuration as the one that is soon to be mine, for instance.

Also, it's impossible to find a manual for this machine that isn't only in German. Hope it's pretty self-explanatory, being a very bare-bones machine.

Edited December 1, 2015 by Vinculus

[Constabulary]

Just wanted to have it mentioned because usually these machines have a lock lever on the adjuster. Try a manual from an Adler 67or 167 flat bed machine or the 168, 268 post bed amchines, they are updated models but pretty much the same technology.

https://www.duerkopp-adler.com/en/main/downloads/manuals.html

[Vinculus]

Thanks again. What would I do without you guys...

[sandyt]

I guess it has something to do with the air operated back stitching. Just a thought.

[Vinculus]

Weird, the listing for the machine says it doesn't use air.

Anyways, I ordered the JK511/513 motor for the machine and will pick up the machine itself on Thursday. Hopefully everything works out. Really, really looking forward to closing uppers with a roller foot machine.

[Darren Brosowski]

I know that supplier and they are very good motors but you need to consider the import costs and lack of warranty.

[dikman]

Vinculus, the Chinese servo should be a straight swap for the existing motor (mounting points the same). The only thing you may have to do is buy a replacement belt as the pulley spacing may change slightly. I notice it comes with a 75 mm pulley (most do) but you can pick up a 45 mm replacement pulley pretty cheap on ebay from China. I strongly suggest you consider getting one - I fitted them to my two servos - as it will help with getting the lower speeds.

Sandyt, an impressive job with the pulley on the G166. I tried the same thing on mine, but found that the design of the existing handwheel created a problem - the handwheel has a sleeve, for want of a better word, as part of the wheel, that fits inside the main bearing on the head. Without that sleeve I found the main shaft could oscillate, which was not a good thing! So I didn't fit a larger pulley.

Curious how you did it.

[sandyt]

Haha, I was surprised also when I took the original wheel off.

I went for a cheap temporarily fix. I just cut off the 'sleeve' from the wheel and put that piece back on the shaft and in the bearing. Locked everything in place with a little bit of locktite. Not to much, so I could take everything easily apart for maintanance in the future when I had too. Bit it sat realy sturdy and did not move or whatever. So I left it that way.

Great setup. I regret selling it. Realy smooth and powerfull machine.

I always make these 'conversions' on my machines when it has just a clutch motor. Sometimes I also put a frequentie converter on it.

[Vinculus]

Alright, so I picked up the machine yesterday. The stitch length lock lever is there, so it was probably just missing at the time the picture was taken, but the seller has installed a new one. As a side-note, it's a model 68-2.

Since it doesn't have any motor at the moment, I've only been able to test the machine by rotating the handwheel manually. It sews nicely on the piece of folded chrome tanned leather that came with the machine. When I tried doing a few stitches on a piece of 6 oz. veg tan leather, however, it made a mess on the underside of the material and didn't properly tighten the bobbin thread. It was all just a cluster of thread and the bobbin thread laid in the middle of it. The top thread also got stuck where the bobbin thread comes up at the end of my row of stitches. I did a few rows of stitching, but they all ended up the same. When I put the chrome tanned piece back and did a few stitches on that, it worked fine again.

This is probably just a simple tension issue, but where might the adjustment need to be made?

Gotta say it's pretty confusing to be using an industrial sewing machine for the first time. Lots of growing pains!

Edited December 4, 2015 by Vinculus

[Northmount]

Needs more top tension, or larger needle, or more pressure on the presser foot to keep it from lifting on the upstroke. Veg tan is harder than chrome tanned.

Tom

[Vinculus]

Thanks Tom! I switched to a lighter thread (Serafil 40/tex 70) and actually had to decrease the top thread tension by a lot, but it seems to be making nice stitches now. I also found it helped to hold on to the ends of both of the top and bobbin thread when starting a seam. Otherwise the threads would get "sucked" under the feed dogs and birds nest galore. Guess it's just a learning process.

Edited December 4, 2015 by Vinculus

[Northmount]

Yup, thinner thread in the same size needle makes it easier to pull the knot up, so would as you found require a decrease in top tension.

Lots of playing and practice will go a long ways toward "making the machine" behave. Overcomes the operator error problem.

Tom

[dikman]

Welcome to the wonderful world of industrial sewing machines! I too soon learned that if I didn't hold onto the two threads it created a wonderful mess!

[Vinculus]

Thought I'd give you guys an update on this.

I received my Jack JK-513A servo motor from College Sewing today and installed it - and everything works, so thanks for all the help! It still sews a little fast at the lowest speed setting, so I will be getting a 40 mm. pulley for the motor. Probably won't bother with a speed reducer since it seems like a lot of work that I don't know how to do.

Do any of you know what kind of bore the JK-513A pulley uses? I don't feel like removing the original one just to find out and put it all back together again

[dikman]

To the best of my knowledge they are all the same size. If it is listed for a sewing machine it should be the correct size (my local industrial sewing machine shop told me this). I've ordered several different diameter pulleys from China (ebay) and they are all the same shaft diameter.

[Kohlrausch]

To the best of my knowledge they are all the same size. If it is listed for a sewing machine it should be the correct size (my local industrial sewing machine shop told me this). I've ordered several different diameter pulleys from China (ebay) and they are all the same shaft diameter.

Oh, I thoght there were all kinds of diameters like 8,5 mm, 9,3 mm, 10 mm, several tapered bores, all kinds of inch fractions. You probably got lucky.

When I asked Colege Sewing about exchange pulleys they said, there were none. I should change the speed settings.

Greets

Ralf C.