DC motor conversion on chinese patcher machine

[Yankee63]

I have had a idea using parts I already have.

The motor and sprocket from a scooter. The motor is rated 300 watts at 24v DC 16.4 amp.

11 tooth sprocket and 65 tooth for wheel

I can get a variable speed controller for this motor for about $15

Is 300 watts enough at 5.9 to 1 ratio?

It is kind of a hair brained idea but I do have 2 12v marine batteries laying around.

And, I do have a 24 volt DC circuit already installed to inside my house to run inverters so I could easily install a charging station

to recharge my batteries. (they are old but I think still good)

It seems it should work in my mind.

Ideas from others welcomed.

Doug

[Yankee63]

OK, too technical for a leather forum.

I will adapt and test.

Doug

[Yankee63]

Could I get a idea of what wattage motor you guys run on your different machines?

My wifes machine only has a 35 watt motor and I see replacement motors rated at only 90 watts.

Just trying to get a guesstimate of how powerful a motor I may need....

Thanks all

Doug

[CowboyBob]

Yes,I think that setup would work great.

[Yankee63]

Good, I figure at original gearing it would make a scooter move forward.

It should be enough for starting a sewing machine.

It will only cost a few hours and the $15 dollar controller that comes with the On/Off switch and separate dial for speed.

Give me a couple months to put it all together and I will display a few pictures.

I move slowly..first a drawing then gather materials and assemble.

Thanks for your input.

Doug

[SilverForgeStudio]

Doug- your post was not too technical- but many here will use more standard parts- I have a Chinese Patcher I am using manually for now. I hope to upgrade later to something more professional- But as my skills grow I will know more about what I need and what I need to focus on.

Most folks will tell you just "Try it" and see what the results are! Im interested as well... I look forward to your results!

Be safe and as always- have fun!

Silver

[Yankee63]

Sure thing, I understand.

I will take my time at it because I kinda like the crank...lol

I need to just spend time on the machine and get used to it first.

Doug

[vpd66]

In my opinion being able to hand crank sew with this machine is one of its benefits. Being able to sew one stitch at a time and be very accurate with your stitch placement is one of the things that I like about this machine. I know there are other people that have motorized these Chinese patchers but I don't think its necessary. Even when doing longer straight stitching I don't find it very difficult to operate the machine with the hand crank.

[ewepootoo]

Hi, I reckon you will have more than enough torque with that scooter motor to drive the patching machine but l am not sure your particular motor would be happy to run very slowly for extended periods of time. Most electric motors need to turn at a certain speed so the fan on the end can force air through the cooling fins. l bought a 550W AC stepper motor for my patcher on ebay and l run it through an idler shaft set up to give a total of around 25:1 reduction to give it a chance to spin up a bit and this also results in a lot of torque.

[chrisash]

Whilst leather factories are likely to use their machines for many hours a day, I wonder how long most leather workers actually spend on a sewing machine at one time and how many minutes or hours its used in say a week, Bag makers i guess use them a lot more than most other leather work

It seems strange hand cranking a sewing machine these days when all other tools seem to be run on rechargeable batteries, obviously, most they have mains power so silly not to use it, but I guess there are plenty who for whatever reason still hand crank and buy new machines.

[Matt S]

Standard motors for industrial sewing machines tend to start around 500W. Even at gearing between 1:1 and 1:2 they rely partially on inertia to get though the tougher parts of the stitch cycle. It looks like steppers would overcome this low-speed-low-torque issue but there isn't much research out there on their application to sewing machines.

Remember that your patcher is not designed for motorisation -- there's nowhere convenient to mount a pulley and I suspect that it's not very well balanced when spun any faster than you can turn by hand.

[Pezed]

There are many videos on YouTube about these machines with excellent information on all aspects of improving them, including adding a motor. 

The best solution when adding a motor ensures that you retain the hand cranking ability. 

A big advantage of motor drive is being able to use both hands at the workpiece. 

A useful motor will be in the 500-750 watt range, with a controller and a needle positioner. 

The brushless types on eBay are currently £75-£120, depending upon size. 1 horsepower = 750 watts. 

3d printed conversion kits are available for the motor conversion, about £45. 

It's  all on YouTube, a guy called Henskecht does the best I've seen, he prints the kits. 

[Pezed]

Oops, I got the guys name wrong, it's John " Hansknecht".  His video is well worth a look. 

Theres a mad Brit goes by the name of Screaming turbo eagle, his fettling of one these is also worth a look.  I'm in awe of what some people are able to achieve with imagination and industry!