PDC Drill keeps beeping and cutting out on drill mode

[tazprime38]

My PDC drill is playing up. I was using it to drill in masonary with it set to hammer action and drill mode.  Kept cutting out and beeping. My mate was using his makita drill and was making fun of my festool being very expensive and can't  even drill a hole without cutting out.

Same thing us happening when on normal mode set to drill. Needed to drill in stainless steel sheet using a cobalt step drill. Every second or two it would beep and cut out

This reminds me of Roger Bisby's recent drill tests .

Am I doing something wrong or do I neefd to send my drill to festool uk fir checking?

 

[JBag09]

Make sure your battery is fully charged. I've had the same thing happen before I realized that was the issue

 

[bobfog]

The drill just doesn't have enough torque for a lot of drilling applications, compared to competitors. What you're experiencing is the safety cutoff to stop you smoking the motor.

Some will say the drill isn't designed for heavy duty tasks, but I think that's just fanboy excuses. It's just a product that IMO is high on fancy gimmicks and low on basic raw power.

Have you tried a lower gear? Slower but more torque?

 

[tazprime38]

I will check the battery tomorrow. I hope this is the issue as I just read anthor post that also indicated the battery needed charging.

I have tried all 4 gears and on both  left  and right  drill modes. Hoping a fully charged  battery will solve this.

 

[GhostFist]

For masonry it should be in low to 2nd gear. How thick is the stainless sheet you're drilling? Is it cutting out mid hole? Shouldn't cut out just spinning on the sheet as you're starting

 

[oldie]

Can understand the perception of ‘lack of raw grunt’ leading to such embarrassing encounters.  Potentially highlights a slight limitation of the PDC that, for some, would not be acceptable. 

I view the PDC as a pretty powerful, and, very useful multi-purpose drill – but know it might not excel for all applications. 
(Not that it would have you feel any better - but bet his Makita is no way as flexible, or precise, as your PDC; specially when you factor in right angled chucks etc.) 

For the masonry you were drilling, might have broken out the BHC SDS drill – then the other guy could have even bigger laugh for needing to do that…  [unsure] 

Reckon much the same with drilling the stainless steel with a ‘stepped’ bit.  Quite hard material isn’t it?  Maybe little too much for the PDC – don’t know as never drilled stainless. 

That said, would expect the drill to do tasks as described - so hope charging battery resolves the problem.   

If charging up battery does not solve the problem, then send off for service – maybe the ‘trip’ circuits are kicking in too early. 

Look forward to hearing how you get on. 

Richard (UK) 

 

[GhostFist]

For the record I've drilled 1/8" thick stainless square tubing for a hand railing with my t15. I think something issue offers with is drill

 

[DB10]

I suspect a flat battery, caught me out when I first got mine. I don't know why Festool didn't fit battery charge lights to the newer 5.2 batteries.

 

[tazprime38]

Sorry have not been able to check drill today was busy using my mates 10.5v impact driver.

I was trying to drill some calligrapy letters made from no more than 1mm stainless. Haven't got exact thickness but its thin sheet. The drill kept cutting out before even making the hole.

My milwaukee fuel 2 18v 5Ah impact driver managed the hole. The stepped drill bit are cobalt ones so they can handle stainless no problem just not with the pdc.

I suspect it and hope it is the battery and will update over the weekend.

 

[Simon (UK)]

Exact same happened to me.
Recently charged battery drilling with a 5mm bit into normal house brick. PDC kept cutting out. I checked I was in drill mode and I was. Had to get my knackered out old DeWalt to finish the hole.
I am a bit of a numpty and tend to do most drilling at full speed (learned a lot from the people on here - thank you) so now I know to drop down a speed or two.
I am surprised the PDC can't cope with such a normal task however when doing more delicate tasks it is brilliant. The control you have with it is the best I have come across.
S.

 

[mrboult]

For anyone wanting to know how well a PDC should perform then just look at Peter's video. . .


I'd say I pushed mine considerably harder than shown here. And I think speed 2 will work a lot of the time Peter chooses to use speed 1. One of the things I like about the drill is that speed 2 gives a lot of grunt without being as boringly slow as speed 1.

 

[bobfog]

For anyone wanting to know how well a PDC should perform then just look at Peter's video. . .


I'd say I pushed mine considerably harder than shown here. And I think speed 2 will work a lot of the time Peter chooses to use speed 1. One of the things I like about the drill is that speed 2 gives a lot of grunt without being as boringly slow as speed 1.

Putting those large lag screws into 2x4 softwood isn't much of a challenge. Also the  song and dance about the phone call to demonstrate something more demanding was cut suspiciously short when the drill sounded like it was struggling and didn't complete sinking any if the screws fully.

 

[kixnbux]

Just got mine this week. So far it's great but I haven't really pushed it hard yet

 

[greg mann]

I recently put up a mailbox on an ipe post. I bought a swing away stamped metal joint from LeeValley and used my PDC to drive 1/4 inch lag screws. I snapped of several heads before I could get off the trigger. In ipe there is no delay when the head contacts the bracket. I wound up using my makita 18v impact because the PDC was too powerful. All this talk about lack of torque does not coincide with my experience at all. It snapped the 1/4 lag bolts so easy I could hardly believe it. Just went from 2nd to 3rd gear to try to reduce the torque and it still didn't care.

 

[bobfog]

I recently put up a mailbox on an ipe post. I bought a swing away stamped metal joint from LeeValley and used my PDC to drive 1/4 inch lag screws. I snapped of several heads before I could get off the trigger. In ipe there is no delay when the head contacts the bracket. I wound up using my makita 18v impact because the PDC was too powerful. All this talk about lack of torque does not coincide with my experience at all. It snapped the 1/4 lag bolts so easy I could hardly believe it. Just went from 2nd to 3rd gear to try to reduce the torque and it still didn't care.

You're right, it doesn't coincide. But then I suppose I've snapped large screws and wood bolts using an old green Bosch DIY drill, so maybe it's not quite the yardstick required to make that judgement.

What also doesn't coincide is that others say the PDC apparently has more control and precision than most competitors. Yet you seem to have had trouble controlling the speed, hence snapping the heads off your bolts. This links in to your Makita 18v impact. Now, even the oldest 18v model impact will have more torque than the 60nm the PDC has, so it must come down to the trigger on your Makita impact is more precise and controllable. (BTW the latest brushless drills from Milwaukke/Makita put out ~130nm and the impacts 200+nm and the triggers are as precise as anything including Festool.)

 

[Throwback7r]

That video shows the PDC drilling into a concrete block. If you have harder concrete " older it is the harder it becomes " the PDC will not drill it, if you hit rocks inside the concrete it will not drill. Etc. That is the reason why I sent mine back.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I recently put up a mailbox on an ipe post. I bought a swing away stamped metal joint from LeeValley and used my PDC to drive 1/4 inch lag screws. I snapped of several heads before I could get off the trigger. In ipe there is no delay when the head contacts the bracket. I wound up using my makita 18v impact because the PDC was too powerful. All this talk about lack of torque does not coincide with my experience at all. It snapped the 1/4 lag bolts so easy I could hardly believe it. Just went from 2nd to 3rd gear to try to reduce the torque and it still didn't care.

You're right, it doesn't coincide. But then I suppose I've snapped large screws and wood bolts using an old green Bosch DIY drill, so maybe it's not quite the yardstick required to make that judgement.

What also doesn't coincide is that others say the PDC apparently has more control and precision than most competitors. Yet you seem to have had trouble controlling the speed, hence snapping the heads off your bolts. This links in to your Makita 18v impact. Now, even the oldest 18v model impact will have more torque than the 60nm the PDC has, so it must come down to the trigger on your Makita impact is more precise and controllable. (BTW the latest brushless drills from Milwaukke/Makita put out ~130nm and the impacts 200+nm and the triggers are as precise as anything including Festool.)

I can snap a screw off in Ipe with my CXS. 

Impact driver impacts, that is a major difference.

I have had to finish off 9" timber locs with my Quadrive because the impact just twists the screw shaft. 

Right tool for the job. 

 

[demographic]

How well does that belt clip thing work on those drills?
Doesn't look upto much to me and I use those clips a LOT with my Hitachi, just drip the drill onto my spare hammer loop and its there when I want it.
I never got on with those shonky looking holster things some people have.

 

[joiner1970]

I think the trouble is that we are all used to the drills we've owned before that would drill big holes even in top gear. Then you use the pdc as you would use your other drills and it keeps cutting out.

That's what I've found anyway. My old makita's I've had years would hardly ever cut out but one has 2 speeds the other 3. Saying that though quite often doing that you would smell the motor melting lol.

My pdc cut out loads the other day while drill brick but not using the hammer. I was using my vac with the dust suction device so I couldn't actually here a beep but the drill kept stopping.

I tend to avoid drilling brick with it if I can help it , my sds is way less noisy and faster

 

[tazprime38]

Just got mine this week. So far it's great but I haven't really pushed it hard yet

Kixnbux, I see festool have changed the layout of the plastic tray. I guess this is for the 5.2Ah drills as mine is 4.2Ah.