CMM 1200 won't re-start

xrt14 · May 28, 2012

Today I was mowing grass that was too tall and the mower shut down, as it has before. Usually it will re-start in about a minute or so, but his time, it won't, even after putting it on the charger and it shows it is fully charged.

I understand there is a breaker that trips in this situation, but usually will un-trip if that is the right term and allow the mower to start again. How would I fix this situation? Is there a reset button of some sort?

Tony

rscamp · May 31, 2012

xrt14 said:
Today I was mowing grass that was too tall and the mower shut down, as it has before. Usually it will re-start in about a minute or so, but his time, it won't, even after putting it on the charger and it shows it is fully charged.

I understand there is a breaker that trips in this situation, but usually will un-trip if that is the right term and allow the mower to start again. How would I fix this situation? Is there a reset button of some sort?

Tony

I'm not familiar with this model so I am of limited assistance. I can suggest a check.

If you are handy you could disassemble sufficiently to get inside and check with a voltmeter to see if there is voltage at the motor when switched on. If there is no power at the motor, then probe with the voltmeter to locate where the circuit is open. This could be at a breaker in series with the motor. And if this part is the cause of the problem, a new one could be ordered. Or maybe it is just stuck and an impact of some sort might reset it.

For all we know it could also be as simple as a bad connection that failed when the motor was under high load (the current was highest). In this case, just an inspection inside could reveal the problem.

floating ground · Jun 29, 2012

Did you ever figure out what the problem was?

Phil

xrt14 · Jul 1, 2012

floating ground said:
Did you ever figure out what the problem was?

Phil

I called Black & Decker and they directed me to a local warranty dealer. They told me they had no idea without me bringing it in, but that the most it would cost would be $189, could be less. But they were an hour away, one way and it wasn't worth it to me to pay that much, plus drive that far two different times and wait a week to get it fixed, minimum, and possibly have it cost almost $200. The grass was getting tall and needed to be cut. I bought a gas-powered Troy-Bilt that got great reviews for $199. So far it has worked great.

For someone like me who puts off mowing until the grass is too tall, a gas mower is better. I really liked the electric, not having to have gas around, etc., however. I am hoping to sell it to a local repair shop or someone else who could fix it themselves and then have a little-used mower to either use or sell.

Mark Widmer · Jul 4, 2012

Ah, replacing the breaker would have been the thing to try.

Sounds like the gas mower is working out though.

Mark

JohnEQuest · Sep 5, 2012

I'm experiencing the same thing and I ordered a new breaker. I'm not too handy, so we'll see how it goes!

Mark Widmer · Sep 9, 2012

JohnEQuest said:
I'm experiencing the same thing and I ordered a new breaker. I'm not too handy, so we'll see how it goes!

Good luck with that. FYI, I discussed the breaker on the CMM1200 with somebody on my blog a few months ago. When you are ready to connect the new breaker, the wiring scheme is:

Copper post on breaker gets the red wire from the battery.
Silver breaker post gets the red wire from the motor and the white wire from the handle.

(Best to verify that your mower is wired the same way -- suggest you take a good look at how the old breaker is wired before removing it.)

Mark

p.s. I'm not sure what would happen if you swapped the roles of the two breaker posts -- would probably work from an electronics standpoint but there might be chemistry or corrosion issues that arise if the breaker posts are wired up in reverse. Whatever the reason, assuming there is one, I wouldn't change how it is wired.

JohnEQuest · Sep 11, 2012

Well I installed the breaker, that went smoothly except the old one had just one bracket whereas my replacement had a bracket on either side. I do't think it'll be an issue though, it just looks a little sloppy.

While I was in there I noticed some magnetized chunks that appeared to have broken off of the center piece (the motor?) where all the copper wiring is. I took some close-up pics of this.

Any clues?

I'm letting the mower charge overnight and I'll give it a try tomorrow.

MowerMike · Sep 11, 2012

@JohnEQuest - It looks like some of the magnets in the motor's stator have broken off. It will be interesting to see if the motor runs properly after you charge the battery.

JohnEQuest · Sep 12, 2012

It would not run. Are broken magnets repairable, or is it time to start shopping for a new mower?

CMM 1200 won't re-start

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