Please don't mess around with mains powered equipment unless you are qualified and know what you are doing. You could be electrocuted even with the switch in the off position if something is horribly wrong inside.
Problem with a used Porter Cable 690
Hello, I'm new to woodworking. I started small making tables and floating shelves, and am now working on making a new kitchen table. I've been looking at pawn shops and Craigslist for affordable tools, and recently happened on a router table and router. I went to the shop, and the person sold me a Porter Cable router table with a Porter Cable router. As we talked, he went to a cabinet and grabbed a second Porter Cable router and said it was broken, but I could have it or use it for parts for the first router.
I took it home and looked at it. First, I noticed that the power cable had been nicked exposing the wires on all three conductors. I purchased a new 690 power cord and installed it. When I plugged it in and turned it on, it ran for about a second, and it shut off. I may have heard a soft pop.
I then checked both brushes, and found one of them broken. I ordered new carbon brushes and installed them today. When I plugged it in and turned it on again, the same thing happened. It ran for a second and then shut off. Both brushes look fine now. I do not see any type of fuse, and the breaker for the circuit is on. I'm wondering if it is the switch. I tried turning it off and on, but it does not try to start or run. Has anyone had any experience like this? I don't want to dump a bunch of money into this, however if there is an inexpensive fix, I'd love to have a router attached to the table and one to use. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!
I took it home and looked at it. First, I noticed that the power cable had been nicked exposing the wires on all three conductors. I purchased a new 690 power cord and installed it. When I plugged it in and turned it on, it ran for about a second, and it shut off. I may have heard a soft pop.
I then checked both brushes, and found one of them broken. I ordered new carbon brushes and installed them today. When I plugged it in and turned it on again, the same thing happened. It ran for a second and then shut off. Both brushes look fine now. I do not see any type of fuse, and the breaker for the circuit is on. I'm wondering if it is the switch. I tried turning it off and on, but it does not try to start or run. Has anyone had any experience like this? I don't want to dump a bunch of money into this, however if there is an inexpensive fix, I'd love to have a router attached to the table and one to use. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!
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I do not feel that I am in over my head. Replacing a cord and brushes is easy. I'm just trying to find out is something else simple could be causing the problem such as a bad switch (if it had lots of dust in it from being mounted upside down in the router table).
One of the best investments you can make is a multimeter. I have had one for over 40 years. Paid for itself scores of times by troubleshooting electrical problems. You can get one at Harbor Freight for free by watching the coupons in the newspaper or magazines. Check for continuity without the router plugged in to see if there are any problems. Youtube should have lots of videos on this plus you can read the instructions for basic usage.
Does it have soft start and or speed control? Some of the older ones don’t.
clean the commentator bar really well....
maybe there's something in these PDF's that will help...
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maybe there's something in these PDF's that will help...
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The PC690 does not have a history of problems with the on/off switch, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to blow it out with compressed air. Or, if you feel it's within your skillset, substitute another switch for testing purposes to determine if that's the problem. I'm assuming that you're already blown all the dust out of it? If it has a lot of dust in it, it can overheat.
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