Variable speed cordless drills not variable?

Hey (is for you),

Apparently all DeWalt variable speed cordless drill owners manuals say this:

"NOTE: Continuous use in variable speed range is not recommended. It may damage the switch and should be avoided."

What's that mean?

Thank you.

Here are some specific questions:

How serious are they? Or is that like saying "always unplug your TV when not in use"?

What is that warning based on?

Is the switch bypassed when fully pressed?

Do they mean only when under heavy load?

Thank you.

Extraneous information, for what it's worth, this is my intended use. I found a 36 V cordless hammer drill made by DeWalt, the bare tool is very inexpensive. I already have three 12V 3.5AH Panasonic batteries (need to make a battery holder for them). Planning to use that monster drill for an in-line skate board/scooter motor. I'm sure it has enough power. Even if their warning about variable speed is for real, it should still work just fine IMO. A cordless drill fits the application well for several reasons (inexpensive, rigorously designed to be light weight, two or three speed settings which isn't a gear shifter but is usable for varying terrain, and a highly variable clutch to help prevent throwing the rider off-balance).

Reply to
John Doe
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It probably means that the PWM pulsing circuit is not properly heat sinked, and will overheat if used more than intermittently.

Product failures and returns or in house testing.

The speed control pulse switching electronics are short circuited by a contact when the tool is run at full speed.

The heavier the load, the sooner the speed control will overheat.

Reply to
John Popelish

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