# Mini Mill and Mini Lathe Motor Controller Upgrade



## Alan B (Dec 18, 2009)

I have a Mini Mill on my Grizzly G0516 lathe/mill. It uses the same controller as most other Mini-mills, and is a heavier duty version of the controller on most Mini-Lathes (as I understand it, I don't have one of those).

Mine went intermittent, racing to high RPM and tripping off. It is very mechanically sensitive, tapping on the box might make it work for a few minutes.

I tried to find the intermittent but was unsuccessful. Finally it went to a state where it rarely works long enough to be useful at all.

There are basically three choices. One is to secure a new one for about $150, get it repaired for about $50 or get a different controller. I decided to try the different controller upgrade and got a KBWD-16 for about $80.

The new controller is physically a bit smaller than the original and much better made. I mounted it to a 4x6 inch perf board with a terminal strip to make it compatible with the mill wiring in case I ever need to switch back.

A couple of days ago I fired it up and it works fine. I initally accidentally tested the stall by leaving the shaft lock in place. No problem.

Tonite I used the mill for drilling, milling and tapping and it seems smoother to me than it ever was before. It also has better low end torque for threading at low speed.

I have not completed mounting the controller, it will probably require a clearance hole for a large capacitor that will stick through the cover, or a deeper box extension. This is no problem on the Mill.

This would also potentially make a great upgrade for the Mini Lathe if it will fit mechanically (or be relocated).

There are adjustments on the board that have not been optimized for this configuration, so it can probably be improved further. But it is already more than acceptable.


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## wquiles (Dec 18, 2009)

That is great Alan - glad the new controller is working out better. Any pictures?


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## Alan B (Dec 18, 2009)

wquiles said:


> That is great Alan - glad the new controller is working out better. Any pictures?



They're still in the camera, Will. If there is enough interest I'll upload some in a few days.


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## Alan B (Dec 19, 2009)

Did a bit more work on the Mill controller install today.

Bored a 1.5" hole in the rear cover to allow the capacitor to stick out. The cover holds the board in place pretty well so I installed it and called it done for now.

Works great!


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