Dewalt Speed Controller Shot!

After maybe a few hours of use, my Dewalt DWP611 is already shot. It appears to be the speed controller. When it was cutting I noticed it was stopping and starting. Almost surging if you will. I thought it might be the brushes but they look great and the wires are securely attached. After inspecting the brushes I plugged it back in and noticed it wasn’t actually cutting power it was erratically changing the PWM. After a few minutes the speed control it quit working altogether. Now it’s stuck on one speed. I read one other post where someone’s router died and it was the speed controller, but not like this.

Is anyone using the Harbor Freight speed controller? I was thinking about bypassing the digital speed controller in the Dewalt, but I am concerned about HF’s reliability. I am also hesitant to fix the Dewalt or replace it with another Dewalt, so I might look into a spindle that has equal or better power than the Dewalt.

Pretty frustrating since my machine is hardly used. I have only completed two projects since I got it all dialed in. Now I have to take it apart again…well at least the drag chain and my beautiful wiring harness. I have four other Dewalt routers! Why did it have to be the one tied up in a harness!!!

I know you said the brushes looked good, but how long were they? How much cutting time do you have on the router? What setting do you normally run it on?

1 Like

I had the same problem with mine after less than three weeks of use.
Inventables was good enough to immediately send out a new one.
I did however go out and buy a spare (just in case)
But I haven’t had any problems since. (~5 months)
I think DeWalt is having problems with some of their speed controllers.

1 Like