Sailrite LSZ-1 motor upgrade?

[IvoryCreek]

Hi there,

I have a flatbed heavy-duty Sailrite LSZ-1 that I've been playing with and I've found the speed very difficult to control solely by the foot pedal. Looking at videos on youtube, I learned that Servo motors can be bought to retrofit old sewing machines, I wonder if I can do the same with the Sailrite LSZ-1. How would I go about this to figure out if it is possible? The motor on this LSZ-1 is attached to the sewing machine.

Another idea I read somewhere is to add a voltage regulator kinda thing that can more precisely control the speed compared to using a foot pedal...no idea how to do this though 

please help...thank you all!

[Wizcrafts]

Is your machine already equipped with the Monster II balance wheel? If so, does your foot pedal start at zero and slowly increase to speed, or does it change abruptly from zero to some speed too fast for your liking? 

If your pedal has a jumpy start, contact Sailrite about a replacement pedal. If you don't have the Monster II balance wheel, order one, along with the proper longer belt.

[ZigZag]

I've used an LSZ for a few years now and have found the speed control pretty good, so maybe Wiz is right about a faulty foot pedal. I would also agree with upgrading to the Monster fly wheel. Makes a big difference when working with thicker fabric.

[IvoryCreek]

Thanks guys. I can give the Monster II wheel a try, but is it just a heavier balance wheel compared to the one that came with the machine (which can also be hand cranked)? how does that help speed control?

I think the pedal doesn't spike, it's just the slowest speed is still quite fast leaving me little control. and it accelerates quickly if I step a tad harder.

[Yetibelle]

Going from nothing to full speed with a slight press then its probably a pedal issue.  Here is the info on the Monster wheel, plus look at the other Learn to Sew videos Sailrite has and if your machine does not have the same speed control as the machines in the videos then you know you have a faulty speed control issue.

 

 

[ZigZag]

The pedal on my LSZ lets me creep along at very slow speeds and is progressively faster when pressing the pedal. It is sensitive and needs careful foot pressure, but by no means spikey in speed delivery.

The guys at Sailrite are great, I'm certain they will help you out if there is a problem.

[IvoryCreek]

Thanks ZigZag and Yettibelle, it sounds like my pedal may be faulty, I'll talk to Sailrite about this. 

What I’m observing is when I step on it gradually and slowly, the motor will first start making a buzzing sound, and once my foot steps past a certain point, the wheel starts to accelerate to its minimal speed, which is already quite fast. Then if i step a little more, it's really fast...

Thank you all!

[sandyt]

What are you sewing with this machine? Are you testing the speed control with or without material under the needle?

Edited February 11, 2017 by sandyt

[IvoryCreek]

3oz full grain veg tan leather

[sandyt]

How many layers?

[IvoryCreek]

up to maybe 4? you think poor speed control has to do with the type of material I sew?

[sandyt]

I have never owned a Sailrite. So I am just guessing, sorry. But from what I have read about them, it's possible you are just asking to much from this little motor. 

Are you using a sharp and correct leather point needle with the correct thread size? This could also help a lot if it's wrong.

Sounds to me the motor is struggling to punch through at low speed (less power).

But again, I never owned a Sailrite.

Sandy.

 

[Wizcrafts]

Again, the Monster II wheel should help get the machine going when you sew leather. Call Matt at Sailrite and talk to him.

[IvoryCreek]

will do that Monday

[ZigZag]

The buzzing sound is Common and is the machine struggling to get through the material. I would say you are finding the limits of the machine with 4 layers of 3oz leather. It's possible there simply isn't enough torque from the motor to punch through that material at slow speeds.

As a test I would suggest trying just 2 layers of something like jean fabric and see how well the slow speed control works. If you are still having trouble, then almost certainly a pedal issue. On fabrics like that men has a nice linear speed control that progressively gets faster with pedal pressure.

[dikman]

Just looked at the specs. for the motor and at 1/10th HP and 1.5 A I would consider it on the puny side for driving needles through leather. Probably not much different to the motor on my domestic Singer, and that buzzes (and stops) if I try to make it do too much.

[Wizcrafts]

4 hours ago, dikman said:

Just looked at the specs. for the motor and at 1/10th HP and 1.5 A I would consider it on the puny side for driving needles through leather. Probably not much different to the motor on my domestic Singer, and that buzzes (and stops) if I try to make it do too much.

The Sailrite portable machine motors feed a small speed reducer pulley that mounts on the right end of the machine, hidden by the flywheel. It looks to be at least 3:1 reduction. But, as you pointed out, the combination is still weak compared to a half horsepower industrial motor, especially if that motor feeds a 2:1 reducer. Torque is multiplied by the same ratio as the speed reduction.

[dikman]

Thanks Wiz, there's no way I could have figured that out from the photos. Quite a neat setup, in that case, but yeah, that motor is still essentially a domestic machine  motor. I guess they had little choice, though, in trying to make it a compact, portable machine.

[Wizcrafts]

I suspect from reading the description on Sailrite's web page for the Monster II wheel that it is bigger around than the Power Plus wheel. Unfortunately, they don't list the diameters of those "balance" wheels (flywheels). The Monster II Wheel weighs 7 pounds. That, coupled with a probable larger circumference, would make for more punching power at startup speeds. Now, it's up to the OP to contact Sailrite about these differences and let us all know the outcome.

[IvoryCreek]

Thank you for the analysis. I've called up Sailrite and they also think what I'm describing may indicate the pedal control is faulty. I'm waiting for their technical specialist to call me back with the troubleshooting instructions. I will update again then.

[Wizcrafts]

1 hour ago, IvoryCreek said:

Thank you for the analysis. I've called up Sailrite and they also think what I'm describing may indicate the pedal control is faulty. I'm waiting for their technical specialist to call me back with the troubleshooting instructions. I will update again then.

Do let us know if the Monster II wheel has a larger diameter belt pulley than the Power Plus wheel.