Save Money when buying Record Power Extractor Spares

[Tim Pettigrew]

My Record Power RSDE2 Extractor was purchased way back in 2009 and has been used extensively for over ten years.  Recently when switching on there has been a firework display of sparks beneath the yellow cover lasting no more than a couple of seconds.  This can be caused by worn brushes, a loose terminal connection or possibly (as suggested in another Forum) an indication that the interference suppression capacitor has reached the end of it's life! 

The first thing to check are the carbon brushes.  One in particular was almost completely burnt away and needed replacement (See photo).  Always replace both even if they show unequal wear.  Here you can make a big saving.  Each brush can cost up to £16.40 (including delivery) which is a hefty £32.00 for a double replacement.  However the part number for these (2311480) shows that they are identical to those used for the Numatic Henry vacuum cleaners.  Two brushes on Amazon for next day delivery cost £6.99 (inclusive of delivery).  There are even cheaper deals on E-bay but with longer delivery times.

What I did not do (and probably should have done in retrospect) was re-assemble the machine to see if that had stopped the sparking.  As the sparking seemed to come from the vicinity of the capacitor (NOT the motor) I decided that this was probably the main cause (although it might also have been a loose terminal connection which was also identified and repaired).

I have not been able to find a replacement capacitor but as it is not essential for the running of the machine I cut through the connecting wires and slid it out of the containing sleeve as shown in the photograph.  This does not affect the functionality of the machine but may cause interference to TV reception etc. 

Whilst I was at it I decided to replace the DX1500F Filter Cartridge which is advertised at a cost of £20.00 (including delivery) as a Record Power spare part.  However this is identical to Paxanpax 27-UN-65 High Quality Universal Cartridge Filter which on Amazon is currently available at £7.73 (including delivery).

The extractor is now fully functional again and hopefully will last for another ten years!

Hope this is a help to other users of Record Power extractors.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MACHINE MUST BE COMPLETELY DISCONNECTED FROM THE POWER SUPPLY BEFORE MODIFYING


One of the burnt out motor brushes.  The arrow shows where the black carbon brush has almost completely burnt away


Shows where the suppression capacitor wires were cut.  Loose wires in an electrical appliance can be dangerous! So the blue capacitor with trailing wires should be slid out of the black plastic sleeve and removed completely

[Bill21]

Thanks for sharing the tip Tim, I’m sure it will help others.

[Tim Pettigrew]

Thanks for sharing the tip Tim, I’m sure it will help others.

Thanks Bill, hope it helps as I think a lot of turners use Record Power extractors.

Cheers

Tim

[Sandy]

Hi Tim,

Recently when switching on there has been a firework display of sparks beneath the yellow cover indicating that the interference suppression capacitor had reached the end of it's life!

I'd be interested to know whether it was the motor brushes that were causing the sparking, especially given the state you found them in.  Haven't come across a capacitor that created sparking as described.  Would be good to know if reconnecting the capacitor recreated the sparking.

[Philip Green]

Sandy has a valid point.

The brush in the photograph is completely worn and was probably bouncing on the commentator which would cause sparking. What was the other one like? Personally, I would always replace brushes in pairs.

Why was it necessary to cut the capacitor wires as they are terminated in 1/4" fast-on connectors? You could have connected them again once the brushes had been changed to see if it had failed.

Could have done with finding a cheaper source of brushes a couple of years ago when mine wore out. Thanks for the info.

[Tim Pettigrew]

Philip and Sandy
Thanks for your comments.  A few additional observations: the sparking was just for a few seconds after switching on the machine and as far as I could tell (as seen through the very thin yellow plastic of the cover), the sparks were definitely NOT from the vicinity of the motor unit (expected if from worn brushes), but more in the vicinity of the capacitor.  I had picked up on the possibility of a capacitor fault from a posting on another forum where someone had had the same problem which was solved by removing the capacitor on the same model of extractor.  In retrospect I should have fitted the brushes and re-assembled the unit and re-tested as you suggested, but I was in a hurry to repair it as it is an essential bit of kit.  There was a loose (broken) crimped terminal connector which I replaced and this also might well have been the cause of the sparks?

Whatever, I now have a fully functional extractor again and I haven't the inclination (or time) to disassemble and re-attach the capacitor.  I have edited the original post to suggest fitting new brushes and testing before taking any additional action.

Tim

[julcle]

Tim - The Capacitor is there to suppress the sparks when the motor is running (this may well be why the brushes have worn a lot quicker than they should), you will find that without it you may well get a lot of sparks from the motor and in addition to (and as a result from) this you may find that you get a lot of interference on things like radios that may be running. unsuppressed motors can also cause problems with digital equipment like computers  so it would be a good idea to replace the capacitor if you can. It's value will be on the case of the old unit and shouldn't cost more than a few pounds, they do explode quite often.  --  Julian

[Tim Pettigrew]

Tim - The Capacitor is there to suppress the sparks when the motor is running (this may well be why the brushes have worn a lot quicker than they should), you will find that without it you may well get a lot of sparks from the motor and in addition to (and as a result from) this you may find that you get a lot of interference on things like radios that may be running. unsuppressed motors can also cause problems with digital equipment like computers  so it would be a good idea to replace the capacitor if you can. It's value will be on the case of the old unit and shouldn't cost more than a few pounds, they do explode quite often.  --  Julian

Very many thanks for that very useful advice.  The inscription on the old one was
LCR0814
0.1uFX
2X5000PFY
250VAC

Will see what I can find.

Tim

[julcle]

As you say Tim, it should be easy enough to get a replacement. I will also have a look for you.  Julian

[Tim Pettigrew]

OK, I have found what looks like to be a replacement on Amazon for a cost of £10.22.  The size is 15mm diameter and length 35mm (The original is 18mm diameter, length 45mm).  The rating is 0,1µF + 2x 0,0027µF (27nF), Voltage AC: 250V, which appears to be a good match with the original component.

[julcle]

that should do the job fine Tim, I am surprised how much these things cost now. I used to buy these at about £2.50 when I was working (which was not that long ago). Julian

[Sandy]

Hi Tim,

I didn't go into detail with my post, the main pointer for me in thinking it would be the motor brushes at fault was that the original capacitor cables showed no sign of overheating / discolouration nor the capacitor end caps, whereas the motor brushes definitely needed changing.

Looks like you've got it in hand now so well done you.  Hopefully you'll be 'sorted' once the new brushes are fitted and the replacement capacitor too.  Given it wasn't a long term issue I think the motor commutator should be fine.

[Tim Pettigrew]

Hi Sandy

Very many thanks to you and everyone else who has taken the trouble to contribute to this thread which has been very useful and much appreciated.  I now know a little more about interference suppression capacitors and how they work.  So far I have fitted the new brushes and the extractor is now working fine.  Am waiting for delivery of the new capacitor (plus some crimp connectors) and will modify my original post when fitted, tried and tested.

Thanks again

Tim