botrytis Posted December 11, 2023 Report Share Posted December 11, 2023 I've been gifted an old alpine inc wheel, it trips the breaker everytime i switch it on. Looking for some help or someone that has experience with these wheels. I've replaced the power cord and switch. I've sanded and cleaned where the ground connects to the control box. I've also scoured the internet but not much info on these wheels. I have also read through all the posts on forums containing the word Alpine. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Not to push my luck but a wiring diagram would be very helpful too. Thank you for your time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted December 11, 2023 Report Share Posted December 11, 2023 There is very little information available on those wheels. As far as I know there isn't anyone active on the forum who has one, but fingers crossed someone will pop up. Typically wheels have 3 major components- the pedal which contains some sort of potentiometer, the control board, and the motor. The motor is not usually the problem when things go wrong with a wheel. 99% of the time it's the pedal or the control board. Have you tried taking the pedal out of the equation and running the controller directly to the motor? That would help narrow down where the problem is happening. Also check the cord grips where the pedal cord goes into the pedal assembly and the control box. On a couple of my wheels I've had the cord wear out at the cord grip at the pedal, and the pedal has stopped working. It's possible those wires have worn through and they're grounding out on each other or on the pedal itself. Hulk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted December 11, 2023 Report Share Posted December 11, 2023 (edited) Welcome to the Forum botrytis! I'm not recalling finding detailed documentation on Alpine wheels. This potters.org thread might be helpful clayart - thread 'alpine electric wheels' (potters.org) Alpine may still be responsive? Alpine Kilns | Contact Us Pottery Wheel Foot Pedal Stuck To On - Equipment Use and Repair - Ceramic Arts Daily Community Refers to threads above, AND there are scans of original docs! !!! A.D. Alpine, Inc Pottery Wheel Repair - Equipment Use and Repair - Ceramic Arts Daily Community Confirms model designation (DCW-2) Amaco 1-101 Motor Hums but Wheel does not turn - Equipment Use and Repair - Ceramic Arts Daily Community Added: Forum internal search feature only returns "open" (UNarchived) threads; to search all, try using an external search engine, and include somewhat like "community.ceramicartsdaily.org" in your search string... Edited December 11, 2023 by Hulk added ...&edited Rae Reich, PeterH and Bill Kielb 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted December 11, 2023 Report Share Posted December 11, 2023 21 hours ago, Hulk said: Alpine may still be responsive? Nope. Alpine hasn't seen one of these wheels in decades. When I worked for them 2001-2004 I don't think we even had plans for them. I remember organizing all their wiring diagrams and assembly blueprints before I left, but not seeing anything for the wheel. I believe they were made when Alpine was in California, which was before they were in Elk Grove Village, IL, before they were in Sturtevant, WI, before they were wherever they are now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterH Posted December 11, 2023 Report Share Posted December 11, 2023 2 hours ago, Hulk said: Added: Forum internal search feature only returns "open" (UNarchived) threads; to search all, try using an external search engine, and include community.ceramicartsdaily.org in your search string... Good advice, but I think it should be site:community.ceramicartsdaily.org For example google PeterH community.ceramicartsdaily.org gave me 76,400 hits, while google PeterH site:community.ceramicartsdaily.org gave me 186 hits PS Note that these figures vary between users and invocations. A second call produced 957 & 76,400. Rae Reich and Hulk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
botrytis Posted December 12, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2023 The pedal and the control box are one unit sort of speak. The pedal is on the outside of the control box, that manipulates the potentiometer inside the box. Its super basic, just can't seem to nail down where the short is coming from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted December 12, 2023 Report Share Posted December 12, 2023 I see open wire connectors laying in the bottom of the tray, couldn’t be that simple I suppose. What have you tested already and how? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
botrytis Posted December 14, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2023 They are definitely not open wires connectors, but I wish they were!! Things would be much easier. My brother is coming up on saturday, he's much better at electrical. I will definitely keep you all informed. Hulk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.