Dremel died - repair (if possible) or replace?

[clive.r.long]

Hi

I have used my Dremel 3000 on and off for 2 years. I like the size and the flexibility of the tool to clean up bits of rust, polish details or smooth rough edges after cutting wood.

Today I was using the Dremel to remove an old plastic gutter pipe glued int o a bend fitting. The Dremel just stopped. No laboured sounds . No smell of burnt coils or whatever burns in an electric motor.

I have checked the fuse on the Dremel and the power socket. Is there any c hance of getting this serviced (I doubt it) or is it another device for the landfill? Amazon are advertising a similar "Apollo" 170W device for £

25 but of course its bulkier than the Dremel 3000 and the Apollo doesn't se em to have the neat chuck unscrewing setup the Dremel has.

Clive

[tabbypurr]

e flexibility of the tool to clean up bits of rust, polish details or smoot h rough edges after cutting wood.

nto a bend fitting. The Dremel just stopped. No laboured sounds . No smell of burnt coils or whatever burns in an electric motor.

chance of getting this serviced (I doubt it) or is it another device for t he landfill? Amazon are advertising a similar "Apollo" 170W device for ? ?25 but of course its bulkier than the Dremel 3000 and the Apollo doesn't seem to have the neat chuck unscrewing setup the Dremel has.

check the switch if you can access it

NT

[Jeff Layman]

Did you check the brushes?

[Andy Burns]

Try unscrewing then re-screwing the brush-holders (the tip of the collet spanner is designed to fit if you haven't mislaid it).

[Brian Gaff]

Or any brushes, wiring etc. Lots of tools seem to fail for the iddest reasons. I had an old b/D dril stop and it had a wire broken inside the moulded in strain releif, new cable and off it went.

Brian

[Tim+]

First think I?d test is the continuity of the cable. Repeated flexing of the cable at the appliance end is a very common cause of internal breaks in the wire.

Tim

[Roger Mills]

+1 I've had several power tools fail because of discontinuities just inside. Try turning it on and waggling the cable where it enters the tool. If you can get it to run - albeit intermittently - by doing that, it will point to the problem.

If this *is* the problem, you'll need to cut a few inches off the end of the cable and then re-make the connection.

[tabbypurr]

and if it's moulded onto the cable, make a new strain relief.

NT

[clive.r.long]

The carbon brushes seemed to me to have a decent length and the spring has to be substantially compressed when the plastic caps are replaced so I am s ure good contact is being made with the motor armature (?). Reminded me of the motors of Scalextrics cars from my childhood.

I waggled the power cable near the "strain relief" to see if there was some kind of intermittent connection. This didn't cause the Dremel to burst int ermittently into life.

I will try and take it all apart tomorrow and see if the appearance of a l oose wire jumps out. I know I cant make the situation worse than it is.

[tabbypurr]

s to be substantially compressed when the plastic caps are replaced so I am sure good contact is being made with the motor armature (?). Reminded me o f the motors of Scalextrics cars from my childhood.

do you get continuity through the motor?

me kind of intermittent connection. This didn't cause the Dremel to burst i ntermittently into life.

loose wire jumps out. I know I cant make the situation worse than it is.

You've accessed enough points to narrow down where the break is to a useful extent. If you don't have a multimeter, get one!

NT

[clive.r.long]

On Monday, 1 January 2018 22:43:06 UTC, [e-mail] wrote: With the help of You Tube videos I managed to get the case off.

some kind of intermittent connection. This didn't cause the Dremel to burst intermittently into life.

a loose wire jumps out. I know I cant make the situation worse than it is.

ul extent. If you don't have a multimeter, get one!

The videos show where to test for power continuity. The common failure seem s to be the fine armature wires on the stator (I think that is the correct term) are push-fit into an aluminium connector that then connects to the el ectronics. Often that clip to wire connection fractures. If that is the pro blem, and it will be pretty visible when I take it apart more later (tomorr ow), then unwinding some armature wire and refitting the clip seems pretty straightforward.

I will keep you updated.

[newshound]

I had one die a while ago, from Mr Google the chip in the speed controller is a known weakness, checked and found it blown, so replaced it. Still didn't work. At that point I engaged the brain, checked the field coil and found that blown too.

Replacement coils are readily available for half the price of a new one, but by then my confidence in their reliability was blown, and someone posted a Draper offer here about the same time so bought one of them.

A shame really, the proper "industrial" Dremels are virtually indestructable but it comes at a price.

[tabbypurr]

the flexibility of the tool to clean up bits of rust, polish details or smo oth rough edges after cutting wood.

into a bend fitting. The Dremel just stopped. No laboured sounds . No smel l of burnt coils or whatever burns in an electric motor.

ny chance of getting this serviced (I doubt it) or is it another device for the landfill? Amazon are advertising a similar "Apollo" 170W device for £25 but of course its bulkier than the Dremel 3000 and the Apollo does n't seem to have the neat chuck unscrewing setup the Dremel has.

I'm lucky, mine's 40 plus years old, and as you say it was not cheap.

NT

[clive.r.long]

ems to be the fine armature wires on the stator (I think that is the correc t term) are push-fit into an aluminium connector that then connects to the electronics. Often that clip to wire connection fractures. If that is the p roblem, and it will be pretty visible when I take it apart more later (tomo rrow), then unwinding some armature wire and refitting the clip seems prett y straightforward.

As in the several YouTube videos on fixing a Dremel 3000, one of the very t hin wires from the stator coil had broken near the push fit connector. I pr ised out the connector, unwound some coil and pushed the wire and connector back into the plastic body of the stator. The Dremel now works (for how lo ng?). I guess similar to any modern manufactured good, the materials from w hich the Dremel is made look a bit flimsy and the connections are pushed to gether. Cheap to manufacture. I'm going to buy the Apollo 170W device which looks a bit more heavyweight and use that for more "heavyweight" jobs.

Clive

[The Natural Philosopher]

Indefinitely probably.

[clive.r.long]

I very much hope you are right but given the wire fractured for no apparent reason I'm not holding out hope that I will get a year's light use out of the Dremel. I'll put a reminder in my diary to report back New Year's Day 2019.

[Roger Hayter]

I would be optimistic that the unwound bit of wire had never been subject to the fagiguing stresses that the connecting bit had suffered, and that the it should last as long as the originai did.

[Peter Hill]

You have removed the weakest link. It will last a very long time.