# Delta DL-40



## jomarra (Nov 7, 2012)

Anyone have any knowledge about this lathe? Good or bad? Thanks


----------



## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

Looks like a good bundle of lathe and accessories.

What is the motor size? I think perhaps 1 1/4HP which is more than adequate for spindle work, but may be undersized for large bowls.

What is the asking price?


----------



## jomarra (Nov 7, 2012)

Dave, I don't know motor size. He's asking $1,200.00. I'm looking at it Tuesday. I thought with the outboard workrest it could be used for turning bowls. Thanks, thats why I asking.


----------



## jomarra (Nov 7, 2012)




----------



## robert421960 (Dec 9, 2010)

thats a good looking lathe :thumbsup:
check the variable speeds on it and make sure its not to fast for bowls


----------



## jefflatham (Jan 15, 2018)

Good afternoon!

Old post, but figure this may be worth a shot.

I have a Delta DL-40 with a blown resistor (R1) on the motor control board. I'm reaching out all over to try and find a schematic or someone who has access to a functioning board to try and figure out what kind of resistor has burned to a crisp so I can replace it.

Any chance there'd be knowledge of the motor control board, or easy access to help figure out which type of resistor R1 is?

There's a photo attached of the burned mounting location. I'd really, really like to replace a single resistor on the board and save myself hundreds compared to replacing the whole controller!

Thank you for any help you can provide!

-Jeff L.
Boston, MA


----------



## jimlinda (Jun 28, 2018)

did anybody help you with this. If not I could look at mine and get back with you


----------



## mariorb (Feb 23, 2020)

Maybe you already fixed it. I bought one at a school auction but it was missing the control panel and could not find one anywhere. So I bought a dc variable speed motor controller for $200 and bypassed the original electronics. If you want the electronics I'll give you mine as I'm not using it at all. email [email protected]


----------



## jefflatham (Jan 15, 2018)

*Issue fixed...good learning experience!*

Old post - but perhaps valuable to provide some info on this repair to aid others...



The resistor on the control board that blew was the first in the series, R1. My research began by learning a bit about motor controllers and - in particular - those controllers with a "slow start up" feature, which is common motors controlling a decent-sized load.



This feature is important, as it allows the motor to engage gently when turned on, as opposed to perhaps a common lightbulb that receives full voltage the moment you turn on the switch. (Similarly, a treadmill would be rather dangerous if you hopped on, hit the button, and found the belt up-to-speed in no time!)


R1 corresponded to a "varistor", which is a type of resistor whose resistance varies with applied voltage. This makes sense - as the initial voltage is applied when the machine is started, the resistance is initially very high, allowing for a slower application of voltage through the circuit to aid in a slow and controlled start of the motor.


We replaced R1 with a varistor of a reasonable value (not sure what size, to be honest), soldered everything in place and fired it up, and everything worked as advertised! A great old lathe - nearly destined for the scrapyard - saved by a $1 component.


Hopefully this info will help someone else if they're faced with a similar problem.


JimLinda and MarioRB - thank you for replying and offering your help! My apologies for not replying sooner.


----------



## cabinetnut (Jul 14, 2021)

mariorb said:


> Maybe you already fixed it. I bought one at a school auction but it was missing the control panel and could not find one anywhere. So I bought a dc variable speed motor controller for $200 and bypassed the original electronics. If you want the electronics I'll give you mine as I'm not using it at all. email [email protected]


Hi, I read your comment from 02/23/2020, and I also have a DL40 lathe and would like to bypass the electronics. Would you be able to tell me what controller you ended up buying and was it reasonable to hook up? thank you


----------



## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

cabinetnut said:


> Hi, I read your comment from 02/23/2020, and I also have a DL40 lathe and would like to bypass the electronics. Would you be able to tell me what controller you ended up buying and was it reasonable to hook up? thank you


Did you try sending an email message to the email address in his post? 
Did you look at his website (the part after the @ sign in the email address)?


----------

