Porter Cable planer smoking

[slipshodcavalier]

Any motor experts?

I've had a Porter Cable PC305TP benchtop planer for about 2 months, and have put about 10 hours on it. Today, while running it, it tripped the AFCI breaker on its circuit (the only thing running on the circuit). I reset the breaker and started working again. After a few minutes, the breaker tripped again and black smoke came out if the planer.

I've taken it apart. The bearings and belt are fine. However, both brushes have chunks missing from the edges, and 3 bars on the commutator are gouged (see pics).

1. Is this a normal amount/pattern of wear for brushes with such little use? Would this cause problems?
2. What could cause gouging in the commutator like this?
3. I'm going to pick up a multimeter tomorrow to check the windings. If everything looks okay, would I still need to replace the armature/commutator due to the gouges?

Thanks.

 

[The Cobbler]

armature is shorted .

 

[neophyte]

Any motor experts?

I've had a Porter Cable PC305TP benchtop planer for about 2 months, and have put about 10 hours on it. Today, while running it, it tripped the AFCI breaker on its circuit (the only thing running on the circuit). I reset the breaker and started working again. After a few minutes, the breaker tripped again and black smoke came out if the planer.

I've taken it apart. The bearings and belt are fine. However, both brushes have chunks missing from the edges, and 3 bars on the commutator are gouged (see pics).

1. Is this a normal amount/pattern of wear for brushes with such little use? Would this cause problems?
2. What could cause gouging in the commutator like this?
3. I'm going to pick up a multimeter tomorrow to check the windings. If everything looks okay, would I still need to replace the armature/commutator due to the gouges?

Thanks.

If you bought it new, and it’s still under warrantee, you might want to reassemble it and check with Black&Decker/Dewalt/Stanley/whatever.
I don’t know hiw they are with warrantee coverage in practice, but this seems like a problem they would want to know about, and it’s not a slight annoyance problem they can ignore.
Unless you did something majorly wrong, I don’t see how the brushes would get chipped, and arbor damaged without faulty design or manufacture.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

+1 to returning it for replacement or repair. The armature would need to be replaced or if it's free of any electrical problems the commutator could be turned. The brush wear is definitely far more should be for only 10 hours of run time and unless something is wrong, they should never chunk out like that.

Upon further inspection, I think you have the commutator confused with the steel laminations forming the armature body, where it's "gouged" is from grinding away the body during balancing. The commutator is all copper at the right side of the picture. It's very likely you have a short or open in the armature either would create significant arcing around the commutator when running and would result in a reduction in power output and a slight drop in unloaded speed.

 

[slipshodcavalier]

I sent it in for repair. They replaced the motor and shipped it back today. Very satisfied with the Porter Cable customer service.

 

[Zexx]

Note about the gouge, pretty sure that is factory to balance the armature.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

I sent it in for repair. They replaced the motor and shipped it back today. Very satisfied with the Porter Cable customer service.

Glad to hear service was good and quick. I know some of Porter Cable's former glory has been stolen by Stanley/B&D as the really good older tools have been discontinued or cheapened up to the point of being disposable. A buddy was working on his house and called me from Home Depot and asked if he should get the Ridgid or PC reciprocating saw, I told him PC as my Tigersaw has never let me down. I was very disappointed to see what he actually got the next time I was over to help him, not nearly the tool my old Tigersaw is.