Need help finding a router for the Japanese market

I live in Japan and will soon have the X-50 woodworker, but I have a problem, Makita does not make the same router for the Japanese market, it has a fixed speed of 30,000rpm and so far I have not been able to find a 65mm router that will work with Japanese current of 100V and 50Hz. If anyone know of something, please let me know.

Thanks,

Mike

Hey Mike,

I don’t think there should be a problem to use the US Version of the Makita Hand Trim Router there, and it seems in Japan you find the same NEMA 1-15 wall outlets. This is a universal motor where the frequency of the AC is irrelevant and the slightly lower voltage will not make a big difference.

When I look at the hand trim routers on the japanese Makita website, it seems their hand routers are exclusively cordless with LiIon battery now (which makes sense for a hand trim router in my opinion :slight_smile:).

I couldn’t find any information on their diameter, however the accessories of the RT002GRDX and the RT001GRDX look identical to those for the corded Makita hand trim routers often shown here in this forum. Also their rated speed is 10,000 – 31,000 rpm similar to the corded versions.

From what I am hearing from others, because the voltage is lower, it will draw more amps making it run hotter and eventually burn up the motor. I already had looked into the RT002GRDX, but when the battery runs out, your work piece get destroyed and the bit broken, not a good idea. I had thought about replacing the batteries with a DC power source but not sure that is a good idea either.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to respond to my post and hope someone is aware of something in Japan that I can buy here at the right voltage and hertz.

Can you get a US router? If so a step up transformer should be all you need to operate it.

Yes I can do that but a transformer is never a good long term solution. I want to buy a router that has 100V 50HZ, thanks.

Transformers are used throughout the world. There’s no reason why one couldn’t a permanent solution. After all the trim router is really only a temporary solution. Personally I would look into an air cooled 1500w spindle / VFD combo. It’ll be more up front but it’ll last a lot longer than a trim router, it’s quieter, and it’ll offer better control.

The other option is the fixed speed Japanese market Makita router with an external speed control.

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Hey Mike,

Yes, but this is a problem with the correct voltage too. This is due to the type of motor. You can avoid this by using an induction motor instead (also called spindle in this context), however this requires the use of a VFD. There are a lot of 100 V class VFDs on the market and a spindle runs very well with 100 – 120 V. It is another type of motor that will not get hot when driving low.

However I don’t think that a 10-20% lower voltage will make that much difference with the Makita router. The same thing happens when you lower the speed at the speed dial: The voltage will be reduced. A hand trim router with its universal motor is always a tool that you can’t leave running unattended and that can always burn your place down if you put too much chip load on it anyway, even if you drive it with the exact voltage. However I believe many people who show their projects here never drive the router to its limits, otherwise noone would use it in a CNC. And as explained above, neither the 50 Hz frequency nor the 100 V voltage would be something strictly prohibitive with such type of motor. A universal motor like this is in fact a DC motor that runs on AC. The commutator is the technical solution that makes the AC frequency absoutely irrelevant.

Sure! It is a hand router. According to the manufacturer, even the corded version is not allowed to be used in a stationary machine like a CNC.

If you manage to wire it to the battery contacts, that could very well be a solution. The good thing about the LiIon battery models is that they have a DC motor which is much superior to the one in the AC versions. I think in your situation I would try that if you don’t want to use a spindle (which would be the best solution).

If you can share with me a link or links for a 100V spindle that is 65mm, that would be great, because I have not found anything like this so far in Japan. Thanks for helping me out with this.

Hey Mike,

you can run any VFD/spindle that is rated for 110 V at 100 V. At Hitachi, these models are known as “100 V class” because they are for countries with voltages of 100–120 V, they have the “200 V class” that are for countries with voltages of 200–240 V and there is the “400 V class” which means they are for countries with voltages of 380–480 V. For example, the 100 V model says explicitly “100V –10% to 120V +10%, 50/60Hz±5%”. The same applies to other manufacturers. A VFD does by itself not produce the voltage. It takes the AC voltage at its input, rectifies it (transforms it into DC), stores it in capacitors, and by using six IGBTs, it forms a three-phase current. The frequency at its input is irrelevant since it is transformed into DC anyway. And at the output, it produces the frequency itself, which is usually 100–400 Hz for driving 6,000–24,000 rpm spindles. But it just uses the voltage you give to it at its input. And a spindle, which is an induction motor, can be driven with any voltage. You can drive a 220 V spindle at 380 V and vice-versa. What matters is the current, and the currrent is always set and controlled by the VFD.

However I would avoid to buy a 65 mm spindle because of this known disadvantage. With the additional 80 mm mount, the spindle clears the stepper cage.

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