Dremel die Grinders - 240V vs. 110V question

[jkn]

Short version: Anyone know if the 240V Dremels differ from the 110V one in the motor windings, or the controller?

Longer version: I have a variable speed 240V Dremel. The (cheap, internal) speed controller on this broke a while ago. As an interim fix I bypassed the triac- based controller and have been running it with a variac.

I have been thinking of fixing the controller, but it occurred to me that a better/more versatile approach would be to run the drill from a proper speed controller, these being pretty cheap these days from eBay etc.

But I am not sure if a 240V-based one would work, since (I am guessing) it is possible that the UK and US Dremels share the saame motor, and only differ in the controller.

As I write this it seems less likely than I originally thought, but I would appreciate any information on this.

Thanks, J^n

[Cursitor Doom]

Dunno, but I'd be very surprised if they used the same motor, because to get the same power, the US ones would have to use thicker wire in its windings for starters.

[newshound]

Don't know either, but I was pissed off after replacing the chip to find that the new one failed instantly from a deeper fault.

They've lost the quality control that they used to have in the industrial market when they moved into the DIY sector.

[jkn]

Yes ... IIRC I had to remake part of the commutator winding after mine blew. I think one arm is running with one less winding. Seems to be OK though. It's a fair point, the internal speed control was poor, with an exposed carbon track on a pcb and cheap wiper derived from the speed control wheel.

I am getting more inclined to get a proper 240V speed controller and just use that instead of the variac.

Thanks, J^n