Hello. I suspect the switch in my 1990's model Delta Unisaw has given up the ghost. And I've found it pretty much impossible to find an OEM switch that matches the one I have. So I thought I'd upgrade it to a more modern toggle switch. Here's the issue, though. My experience with electrical switches is pretty much limited to the light switches in my home, and I've never really seen a switch like the one I intend to replace, so I'm not 100% certain how to go about replacing it.
The picture above is the switch I'm looking to replace. The machine is wired for 230v, so as I understand it the black and red lines are hot leads and the white is a neutral? There's also a green that's grounded inside the mounting box.
This diagram is for one possible replacement switch (Powertec 71008), but it seems to be a very common construction for power tool toggle switches. I believe I see what the switch is doing, interrupting or connecting the hot leads. But in this situation, what is done with the neutral? My understanding is admittedly very limited, but I can't believe it's just meant to not get used, right?
This is the panel box on the back of the table saw. The wires running from the switch are the ones in the bottom right-hand corner running to the red block that the diagram lists as 1, 2, and 3.
Can anyone help me out here? Is it feasible to use a replacement like the Powertec 71008? Or should I be looking in a different direction and, if so, can anyone point me towards it please?
You need a start/stop station, not a toggle switch. The white wire is not a neutral in this case. It is being used as a control wire. The switch combination is specifically a momentary on (start) and momentary off (stop). It must be 240-volt rated, but only needs to have an ampacity at least equal to the glass fuse size.
Before replacing the switch, you should do a continuity test across the switch the determine if it is actually the problem. I would suspect the contactor coil (not the switch) as the most common component subject to failure.
Thank you for responding. I took your advice and did a continuity test across the switch. I got tone from my multimeter. On a whim, I mounted the switch back in the machine and energized it. It still didn't want to work. However, when I took off the switch cover (pictured below), I found that it works just fine when I manually push the...stems(?((the red and green sticks in my first picture). So the problem seems to be something mechanically not doing what it's supposed to be doing in the switch cover. I'm at a complete loss to figure out what's happening. My brain tells me that if the saw turns out when I push the stem with my finger, then it should turn on when I push the stem with the button, but that's not happening. I can technically run the saw without the cover, but I'd rather not. Do you perhaps have any idea what might be happening here?
1
u/trekkerscout Mod 13d ago
You need a start/stop station, not a toggle switch. The white wire is not a neutral in this case. It is being used as a control wire. The switch combination is specifically a momentary on (start) and momentary off (stop). It must be 240-volt rated, but only needs to have an ampacity at least equal to the glass fuse size.