Hi, I bought an ETS EC 125 sander couple months ago and yesterday it started to act weird. It stops while I'm sanding (I'm not pressing the button by mistake). Then if I try to turn it back on, it sometimes starts, sometimes not, sometimes just half way before stopping again. If I wait a bit, I can start it again. Does anyone have any idea what is going on?
ETS EC 125 / 3 stops randomly and doesn't start again
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Mario Turcot
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[welcome] to he FOG
First clean both ends of the plug-it cord. Make sure you plug it back twisting a 1/4 turn. If it still not working properly test with another plug-it cord if you can. Finally you may have to send it for repair, I would call your country Festool office first tho.
First clean both ends of the plug-it cord. Make sure you plug it back twisting a 1/4 turn. If it still not working properly test with another plug-it cord if you can. Finally you may have to send it for repair, I would call your country Festool office first tho.
Wood-shop-heirlooms 89
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Mine had the same issue and after cleaning the sander completely i came to the conclusion that dust and dirt are not the issue with the hose detection so i sent the sander to festool repair center. If i remember correctly i believe they changed the electronics board inside the case and since then it has worked perfectly again.
The hose connection sensor has been a frequent culprit. Make sure that if you have the new bayonette fitting that it is pushed on all the way and locked. If you are putting an older style hose over the fitting, make sure it is all the way forward on the fitting to meet the ring. You can see there's a little clear plastic piece of the hose fitting - this is the piece that has a little photosensor in it to detect light (and presumably if the hose is pushed on all the way). The sander will shut off if it detects the hose being off, which may just be partially off enough to let some light into the sensor.
rshill said:
No, you can change the settings on the sander. You can change it with the following steps (copied from another post/UK manual):
1. Switch on power tool by briefly pressing the ON/ OFF button [1-1].
2. Switch off the power tool again and hold down the ON/OFF button [1-1].
3. Power tool beeps once.
4. Turn speed control [1-2] to both end positions (Level 1 and 6)
5. Power tool beeps three times for ON and twice for OFF
6. Release ON/OFF button
Extractor signal is activated or deactivated.
My ETS EC sander also randomly stopped after a few minutes run time. Once cooled it would restart for a shorter period of time. Tried turning off the vacuum sensor and same thing, so I sent it in under warranty. Once repaired it has worked flawlessly ever since.
Turn off the vacuum sensor, and retest. If it still fails, send it in under warranty.
Turn off the vacuum sensor, and retest. If it still fails, send it in under warranty.
Thanks everyone for the insightful answers! This forum is really full of knowledge. I will try turning the option off and back tomorrow but none of the other tests worked. I might have to send if for repair. That's the second Festool sander I own that I have to send for repair for IO issue 
It's almost certainly the electronic. While not as common as a kapex motor failure, it is a know occurrence and has been mentioned here before.
Why wouldn't you ?
Not a good track record. What was the other repair? I have numerous FT sanders , but the EC is the only one I've ever had trouble with.
I just bought an ETS 125/3 EC. It arrived yesterday. Within the first 10 minutes it exhibited the problem described on this thread. It would either momentarily lose power then continue, or simply shut off. It was not connected to any dust collection so I can rule out the sensor issue suggested by some. I have just filled out a warranty service request for my brand new tool.
Wood_Slice
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I have bought the same sander about 2 months ago and have sent it for warranty evaluation about 2 weeks ago for EXACT SAME ISSUE. Spoke to Festool today and apparently there is a issue with ETS EC sanders in general and they want to make sure they know what to do as it is probably a recall issue. They might not have enough sanders to replace/fix what is wrong with them.
I have been reading various threads related to this very issue, which happened with two sanders that I purchased in succession. I purchased the sanders in early January 2021. Is there anyone in this forum who was notified by Festool of the problem prior to January 2021? And how were you notified?
I had this issue with an ETS EC 125. I sent it in. A copy of the service department paperwork came back with it, listing a part number that had been replaced. I looked up the number on Ekat. It was an electronics board. I'm assuming that is also the part that was replaced the second time it happened, but there was no paperwork. The third time I sent it to Indiana, I boxed the entire package up in the Systainer, with a note that said to just keep it if they didn't fix it, because the warranty would be up in a month, and I would have to buy another sander anyway the next time it broke.
Festool sent back an entirely new sander, with a new serial number (so a new warranty could be registered) and a new revision number on the label. This new unit has had zero problems in the last year, with more use than the first sander had in a comparable time period. It would seem that Festool found a solution, but if you've already bought one of the older revision sanders, you're going to have to ask for it.
The flow of information about product problems is pretty much one-way. I think If it's a rare safety issue, a mandated recall would be in order, and if there's a class action suit (unlikely), they could be compelled to act. But otherwise, it would be uncharacteristic of Festool or any other manufacturer to reach out to customers to tell them that there might be a quality problem with their product.
Festool sent back an entirely new sander, with a new serial number (so a new warranty could be registered) and a new revision number on the label. This new unit has had zero problems in the last year, with more use than the first sander had in a comparable time period. It would seem that Festool found a solution, but if you've already bought one of the older revision sanders, you're going to have to ask for it.
The flow of information about product problems is pretty much one-way. I think If it's a rare safety issue, a mandated recall would be in order, and if there's a class action suit (unlikely), they could be compelled to act. But otherwise, it would be uncharacteristic of Festool or any other manufacturer to reach out to customers to tell them that there might be a quality problem with their product.
mrboult
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rfm said:
Couldn’t you just return it as it’s so new. Get another. Might be quicker.
However if festool know there is a problem and have identified/rectified it, then sending in your sander will likely guarantee you the updated fix. Can’t see a company knowingly putting parts that will fail back into a newly purchased machine. They’ll just be fixing it again next month. .
I’m sorry people are having this isssue. I purchased mine second hand for a steal, it was used by a decorator and is over 4 years old. I blew an insane amount of plaster dust out of it when I first got it. Hasn’t missed a beat since. It’s my least used sander, as I prefer my Deros, but it gets used. Just finished 3 hrs of using it on both plywood and render.
It’s a really great sander, and if the deros wasn’t around it would be my favourite.
Cheese
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Interesting issue, it must have been a bad batch of circuit boards because all the problems have occurred somewhere between 2020 and 2021. I've had mine since 2015 and it's been used a ton. Others on this board have also owned the ETS EC 125/150 since it was released in early 2015 and haven't had any problems.
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