MM2 Mill powered with Garage Door Opener?

[jleiii]

The drill sparking at startup ....

FYI, drills spark continuously, not just start and stop.

 

[hunter306]

Just ordered the Cereal Killer from Homebrewing.org and was looking to snag a motor from Surplus Center, but they look to be out. Did anyone snag a few of those motors that might be willing to part with one?? Shoot me a PM if you got a an extra or two.

 

[wilconrad]

Just ordered the Cereal Killer from Homebrewing.org and was looking to snag a motor from Surplus Center, but they look to be out. Did anyone snag a few of those motors that might be willing to part with one?? Shoot me a PM if you got a an extra or two.

I'd send an email to Surplus Center first; the motor disappeared from the website several months ago, then a clever HBT reader emailed them and it popped back up with 300+ in stock. Some sort of error on their end, I guess, so worth trying again.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

The wiring diagram shown.........Will it work with this model # ? :

Lift Bastard, model 1040-6, ser# 0783M00066

1/4 hp.

 

[hunter306]

Good Thought, Email sent to them!

 

[hunter306]

Just a quick update, Surplus Center replied and said they were out of stock with no re-order option. If anyone has an extra shoot me a message!

 

[wilconrad]

Just a quick update, Surplus Center replied and said they were out of stock with no re-order option. If anyone has an extra shoot me a message!

Bummer, sorry man. Someone must have bought a truckload of them, because there were 300 or so in stock quite recently.

 

[funnycreature]

OK, I managed to build my Frankenmill and it appears to be working. I tested with a handful of CaraPils assuming that if it crushed that it will chew through anything.

Here are my observations and I hope others will be able to use them to cut down (more or less literally) on problems:

• Tools and parts. Be prepared to have a selection of tools available when tackling this project. I needed wire cutters, wire nuts, metal saw, drill, hex keys, screws, file and probably more.
• Shaft. This turned out to be the biggest problem. As stated in a previous post the shaft "as is" is too short. I learned that the hard way when I had to take apart my entire construction to cut off some of the bushing. The lovejoy connector would always slip until I had the end of the shaft line up with the end of the connector. The bushing is now protruding about 2 mm, down from 10.
• This motor will stall. I set the gap to 0.36 and could not get the mill to grind my CaraPils; it would always stall. I had to adjust the gap to 0.40 and throw in the grain whilst the rollers were spinning.

I also added a "casing" made from microwave grease traps and some vent cover. Gaps were filled with aluminum tape. My idea was to add a hair dryer set to cold (just blowing air w/o the heat) if the motor gets too hot. I also have an old microwave oven that I have partially disassembled for the fans inside and I might use those in the future. The crushed grain is funneled into a Homer bucket through an 8x8x6" duct

I'll post pictures soon I hope! :rockin:

 

[wilconrad]

[*]This motor will stall. I set the gap to 0.36 and could not get the mill to grind my CaraPils; it would always stall. I had to adjust the gap to 0.40 and throw in the grain whilst the rollers were spinning.
[/LIST]

Odd, something must not be right. I've had mine as tight as 0.025 and it starts just fine with the hopper full. It shows no sign of strain, and isn't anywhere near stalling; crushes whatever I throw at it with ease. Like slbradley said, it'll crush a box of rocks. Post a few photos and hopefully we can diagnose what's going on.

 

[funnycreature]

OK here are the pictures. The mill crushed my ~12 lbs nicely without any hiccup. I used the hair dryer preemptively for cooling and everything worked smoothly. Best efficiency I've had so far!

 

[millstone]

Is there any concern on the capacitor holding a charge? Should a bleed down resistor be installed?

thanks

tom

 

[jleiii]

Is there any concern on the capacitor holding a charge? Should a bleed down resistor be installed?

thanks

tom

Are you referring to the capacitor in the motor starting circuit? If so, no resistor. They are designed and built just as they should be.

 

[millstone]

Yes I was, and thanks for your reply.

Tom


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[millstone]

Looking for help on my build. I'm using a Chamberlain motor with the original capacitor and have the two parts mounted on a three sided wood enclosure. The motor is controlled by a SPST switch connected to a 3Way switch for forward and reverse operation. I did a NO-Load test and ran the motor for about 5 minutes in the direction I need to run the mill. I also put it into reverse, buy either turning the power on for a few seconds or doing short bursts (to simulate a stuck grind). Everything went well. Motor did start to feel warm but it did not cut out. I unplugged the unit and was just walking away feeling very good when I heard a pop and then a very long pssssssssst. I turned to see a 4 foot long discharge coming from the top of the capacitor. A few minutes later I measured the temp of the motor and it was at about 148°, the capacitor was at 168°, I'm sure the temp was higher a few minutes earlier. So, was it something I did, like the short bursts of power in reverse? Is it a bad motor thermal protection? Bad capacitor? Does it matter if the capacitor is facing up or down or sideways? I have mine with the terminals facing up. something else??

thanks

tom

 

[mrstevenund]

Short bursts will cause the cap to work harder. Mounting orientation shouldn't matter. How old was the opener/cap?

 

[mrstevenund]

Has anyone been able to find another source for an opener since Surplus Center doesn't carry them anymore?

 

[millstone]

The cap and motor are about 15 years old, maybe it was just time. Did have another cap, about the same age, tested it under no- load. The motor timed out after about 4+ minutes, the motor temp was about 150F and the cap was 100F

Tom
edited for sp

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[Airplanedoc]

subed

 

[slbradley01]

I assume you are using the worm gear reduction with the motor. The motor by itself lacks the torque to turn the mill. The motor/worm gear setup will not get stuck no matter what grain you put in your mill. It would probably mill rocks. With repeated stats, the cap will heat up and fail. It's a motor stating capacitor.
Since the motor isn't designed for constant use, it lacks a fan. Installing a fan to cool the motor is a good idea. Without a fan, I can mill about 20lbs of grain before the overheat protector trips. I just unplug it and wait a few minutes, then mill the remaining grain.

To source a motor, go to your local garage door dealer and ask them for a used lift master/Sears craftsman/chamberlain motor head. They probably have a dumpster full. Just needs to have a good motor, worm gear and capacitor.

 

[millstone]

Yes, I'm using a worm gear to reduce the motor speed. During my first test, I was switching the motor from forward to reverse a number of times, so that could have caused the geyser I had coming from the capacitor. I replaced the cap and this time ran the motor until the overheat protection kicked in. The cap was about 100°, and the motor, at shut-off, was about 145°. I have attached a pic of my setup, still waiting for my lovjoy connectors to show, should be mid week. I have installed a fan, so I hope this helps the cap and motor run cooler.

thanks

tom

 

[SliverXZennon]

To source a motor, go to your local garage door dealer and ask them for a used lift master/Sears craftsman/chamberlain motor head. They probably have a dumpster full. Just needs to have a good motor, worm gear and capacitor.

This right here is good advice for anyone looking to get a motor.

I called a place local to me, he was going to give me a few of them for some homebrew and a few dollars. Not a bad deal if you ask me..

 

[mattd2]

Yes, I'm using a worm gear to reduce the motor speed. During my first test, I was switching the motor from forward to reverse a number of times, so that could have caused the geyser I had coming from the capacitor. I replaced the cap and this time ran the motor until the overheat protection kicked in. The cap was about 100°, and the motor, at shut-off, was about 145°. I have attached a pic of my setup, still waiting for my lovjoy connectors to show, should be mid week. I have installed a fan, so I hope this helps the cap and motor run cooler.

thanks

tom

How long did it run for before it tripped out on overheat, and how long did it take to cool back down?

 

[millstone]

It took about 4 minutes to kick out, I did not have a fan installed during that test. I probably let it sit for 10 minutes before running it again. But remember I was doing a no load test just to see what the temps of the cap and motor would be at shutdown. My lovejoy connectors came in today, need to align the two shafts, the garage motor is 3/8" higher than the MM shaft. Need to make a spacer/platform from some 3/8s plywood to raise the mill. Hope this helps.

Tom


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[SliverXZennon]

Did any of you have to shave down the shafts on either the mill or the motor to get the lovejoys to fit? For some reason neither will fit for me...

 

[millstone]

Make sure the allen screw is not stopping the coupler from sliding onto the shaft, also put a little bit of lub on the shaft, it made it easier for me to slid on. The only filing I did was to make a flat on the shafts so the allen screw would not slip.

tom

 

[SliverXZennon]

Make sure the allen screw is not stopping the coupler from sliding onto the shaft, also put a little bit of lub on the shaft, it made it easier for me to slid on. The only filing I did was to make a flat on the shafts so the allen screw would not slip.



tom

Sanded down the motor shaft, 1/2 coupler slid on no problem. The 3/8 coupler will not slide on the cereal killer 3/8. I'm going to have to really sand down the 3/8 on the mill in order for it to fit. Kinda disappointing.


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[dsmith1279]

I just finished mine. I had bought a motor etc from the surplus shop and used MDF to build the case. Unfortunately the screws ripped out of the MDF and basically it proceeded to crack the pulsing etc. My buddy, who owns a garage door company hooked me up with a couple of motors. I wired it up and put it back on my Rubbermaid lid.

Essentially I'm trying to make it storable in my brewing closet. So far so good. I've got a 5g cullingan type water bottle that I cut the end out of as my hopper. I also added a 110v fan to the top to keep the motor cool. I'll figure out a cover for the fan so that it doesn't eat a finger! :rockin:

 

[funnycreature]

Did any of you have to shave down the shafts on either the mill or the motor to get the lovejoys to fit? For some reason neither will fit for me...

I filed some flat parts so the screws have a better surface to sit on... However, if the LoveJoy couplers do not fit at all you might have ordered the wrong size; they should be "snug as a bug in a rug"

 

[SliverXZennon]

I filed some flat parts so the screws have a better surface to sit on... However, if the LoveJoy couplers do not fit at all you might have ordered the wrong size; they should be "snug as a bug in a rug"

Cereal Killer has 3/8" shaft, ordered a 0.375" bore Lovejoy, should have fit nicely but oh well. I shaved down the mill and it fits snug now. Thank god for a dremel!

 

[mattd2]

Cereal Killer has 3/8" shaft, ordered a 0.375" bore Lovejoy, should have fit nicely but oh well. I shaved down the mill and it fits snug now. Thank god for a dremel!

Have you used you mill before, with a drill? I have found that if my drill slipped it would gall the shaft a bit - didn't look like much and the drill didn't care but if you tried to put a coupling on it it would of gone due to the tiny peaks of metal. What you did would be the fix, good to here it is all working now.