Repairing vari-speed trigger switch

if youre asking that you wont be able to repair the electronics

I'd look out for a faulty tool with a similar speed control and see if it can fit. Freecycle would be a fair place to ask, or the local tip. Why pay if a freeb is on the go.

yes, if you've got the time.

NT

Had exactly the same problem with my 24V drill-driver. It's a no-name Chinese design - but it does have two 24V batteries and a reasonable charger, so I was hoping to keep it going. Also - it was given to me by a biulder friend who was given it as a freebie from the Builders' Merchants (buy 3000 concrete blocks and get a drill-driver free - that type of thing).

Given that it didn't cost anything - it might have been wiser to dump it - but - hey - we're DIY-ers

No - they'll be totally useless unless you want to buy a new one.

Having taken my unit apart - it's something like this. The trigger mechanism works a switch and a variable resistor. The switch puts power on the control electronics, and, when released, shorts out the motor - providing 'braking' when driving screws.

In the same plastic trigger assembly there's the necessary control electronics - and, external to this assembly is a power-fet which does the actual switching of the motor. The powerfets are reasonably cheap to replace - but if the motor works at all (even at full-pelt!) then the powerfet's probably OK. I bought some replacements, fitted them, no change ! The mechanical part of the trigger assembly is full of 'pingfuckits' - so open it over newspaper or something similar - not a deep pile carpet

I lookeed into this. It's _theoretically_ easy to do - but the ergonomics of it are a pest - getting it all to fit inside the existing mechanism. If all you wanted was a variable speed controller

- that's easy - but getting one that's mechanically usable when you're

In the end I cannibalised another drill (batteries u/s). As luck would have it, the other drill (only 12v) had the electrical rating of the controller printed on it - and it claimed to be good to 24V / 8A.

Half an hour or so with and assortment of files and knives, and the replacement controller was persuaded to fit in the space previously occupied by the broken controller - and - hey presto - it's been working fine for the last 18 months....

Now if I can only think of something to do with the motor off the donor drill then I can claim my 'green' Blue Peter badge !

In all honesty the time & effort expended far outweighed the cost of buying a decent driver new - but we don't so it for the money, do we ?

Adrian

LOL !!

Rob

Hi Adrian,

Thanks for the detailed answer. That's really helpful.

Now as well as repairing the switch, I'm going to have drop the word "pingfuckit" into conversation!

Mike

I'm afraid the pingfuckit isn't original - think it came from a dicsussion about motorcycling...?

The odd thing is - once you know that's what they're called then you find them in all sorts of bits of kit

The problem I had was that you couldn't see what was going on with the trigger unless you had it dismantled - but when it was dismantled the pingfuckits weren't in the right place so it didn't do what it should anyway... catch 22....

Good luck! Adrian

Lovely description innit?