CXS issue with triggers

[BCConstruction]

So whilst I’m in the subject of trigger issues with my C18 does anyone else have the issue where you pull the trigger and nothing happens. You have to release the trigger and pull again. My first one I bought does this and I swapped it out for another which still does this and I bought another which also does it so that’s 3 in total. I would assume 3/3 having issues means I’m not the only one.

 

[AlexThePalex]

My C12 NiCd has this issue also. Sometimes I press the trigger, nothing happens. I release and pull again, drill runs. It must be something in the electronics that causes this behaviour, one of Festool's safety mechanisms that's a bit overzealous.

My T15 and Ti15 do not have this, ever. It happens only occasionally with my C12, so not a big deal to me.

 

[six-point socket II]

No issues here.

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[mrboult]

One of my T18s has done this since new. It starts to sound its overload protection beeping but I release and press so quickly it never gets past the first beep. Doesn’t do it enough or result in enough inconvenience for me to have ever done anything about it. That drill is 3 years old, I have a 7 year old one that never does this.

It’s not a great story though, along with other rumblings of discontent in Festools drill/driver quality control recently, Hope festool aren’t slipping.

 

[threesixright]

C18 & CXS Never had that issue.

Does not sound OK, called FT?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Doug S]

I have a 6 month old T18, like MrB every so often when I pull the trigger it just beeps and nothing happens. At first I thought it was a flat battery or something but no it just seems to be random, always works on the next pull of the trigger.

 

[Rick Christopherson]

It's actually safety run amuck. A design constraint of the Festool motor drivers is that they will not permit a motor controller to activate at full-power. It must see a ramp-up in power commanded, otherwise it will lock out. So even if the controller "thinks" it is not starting with a zero-input command, it will still lock-out.

The engineer was too cheap to put in a large enough pull-down capacitor into the trigger circuit. c'est la vie

 

[FestitaMakool]

Is this what you are describing [member=191]Rick Christopherson[/member] true with older FT drills?
Mine C18 or CXS does not lock down on sudden full trigger action, but it starts progressively.
If so, why would one use the trigger as an on/off switch?

 

[AlexThePalex]

It's actually safety run amuck. A design constraint of the Festool motor drivers is that they will not permit a motor controller to activate at full-power. It must see a ramp-up in power commanded, otherwise it will lock out. So even if the controller "thinks" it is not starting with a zero-input command, it will still lock-out.

I'd like to add that with my C12 it always happens right after I have already used it. Like, I am drilling a hole and let the trigger slip for a second, and if I want to activate it again it suddenly does nothing. But that never happens with a fresh start. So with what you say, there must be some residual current in the driver so it thinks it is already activated.

Is this what you are describing [member=191]Rick Christopherson[/member] true with older FT drills?

My C12 NiCd is from before 2008. Can't read the sticker anymore to find the exact production year.

If so, why would one use the trigger as an on/off switch?

Huh? That's what it is meant for, isn't it?

 

[mrboult]

On my T18 that does this, it definitely doesn’t happen just because I grab full power from the trigger. . But as someone else mentioned, it’s always mid use, never first press of the day.

It sounds like a bigger issue as I describe it than I find it in use. It happens maybe once a day and the issue is over so quickly that it’s never caused me to consider sending the drill back. That’s not me trying to justify this issue at all. The issue is bull on principal, but in practice, it turns out I simply don’t care

 

[BCConstruction]

So seems to be normal. As some have said it’s never on a fresh pull it’s only when I’m letting off from driving a screw or drilling and then on trigger pull I get nothing I have to release again and it works. It happens anything from once a day with light use to 20-30x a day on heavy use. Mostly seems to be when I’m trying to start a screw when I’m up on a laser or in a awkward place which is why it annoys me.

 

[FestitaMakool]

If so, why would one use the trigger as an on/off switch?

Huh? That's what it is meant for, isn't it?

[member=5277]Alex[/member] - Please send me your tools, I’d like to replace your triggers and electronics with a toggle switch  [wink] Then I’ll have some spares to choose from  [big grin]

 

[AlexThePalex]

[member=5277]Alex[/member] - Please send me your tools, I’d like to replace your triggers and electronics with a toggle switch  [wink] Then I’ll have some spares to choose from  [big grin]

I don't know what they put in the water up there in Norway  [huh], but fine, I'll send them, what's the adress?  [big grin]

 

[Hawkeye0001]

Same issue with the BHC, haven't figured out how to reproduce it consistently, but mostly it seems to happen using it the first time after it has been without a battery for a while.

 

[sancho57]

One issue Ive had with my C 12 and C18 (not really a issue but something I became aware of) is that if the button that reverses the direction of the drill isn't pushed all the way in for the drill bit to go one direction or te other, the drill will go real slow almost like its dieing. For some reason I inadvertantly push that button al the time.

 

[FestitaMakool]

Same experience here, as Jobsworth’s

 

[AlexThePalex]

One issue Ive had with my C 12 and C18 (not really a issue but something I became aware of) is that if the button that reverses the direction of the drill isn't pushed all the way in for the drill bit to go one direction or te other, the drill will go real slow almost like its dieing. For some reason I inadvertantly push that button al the time.

It locks the trigger if the direction button is right in the middle. If it is not pushed all the way to the middle, it blocks the trigger partially, resulting in slow speed only.

I inadvertantly push that button all the time too. It is too close to the trigger for my taste.