The MAKESafe Power Tool Brake
MAKESafe Tools is best known for our Power Tool Brake. The Power Tool Brake is a plug-and-play device that adds motor braking, accidental restart protection, and a category 1 emergency stop to bench grinders, band saws, disc sanders, and other stationary equipment and machine tools. The purpose of this article is to help you identify which model you need for your particular application or machine. And if you’d rather chat to a human instead of reading this, you can always give us a call.
(the concepts in this article also apply to our PTC & IMB product line)
Step 1 – Choosing Your Power Tool Brake
The first step is to select a base unit that matches the voltage of your machine. The voltage of your machine will be listed on the machine itself and the machine’s motor. It can also be determined by looking at the machine’s plug. If you’re not sure, check out our detailed post on determining machine voltage.
We offer three primary voltages that cover most applications. These three models are all the same physical size and they function in the same way, differing only by the voltage they’re meant to work with. They are summarized in the table below.
Have a different voltage or a bigger motor? We also offer this industrial machinery brake that can meet any customer requirements so call us if one of our standard options doesn’t meet your needs.
| Voltage | Single-Phase 120V | Single-Phase 240V | Three-Phase 240V |
| Description | This is the standard voltage in most homes and business throughout North America. | Available in homes and businesses throughout North America. Also the standard voltage in Europe. | A common voltage in commercial and industrial facilities throughout |
| Model Number | PTB-V120-P1 | PTB-V240-P1 | PTB-V240-P3 |
| Rated Horsepower (HP) | 1.5 HP | 3.0 HP | 5.0 HP |
What do these symbol mean? Φ | ϕ | θ | 3ϕ
Many different symbols are used to mean "number of phases". For example, these different representation all mean the same thing.
1Φ = 1ϕ = 1θ = "1 Phase" = "Single-Phase"
3Φ = 3ϕ = 3θ = "3 Phase" = "Three-Phase"
What about 208V, 220V, or 230V?
All of these voltages will work with our 240V products. The terms 220V, 230V, and 240V are used interchangeably and all represent what is now, in modern times, simply single-phase 240V or three-phase 240V.
Our standard 240V product is also made to work with three-phase 208V machines.
What if I'm not in North America and have 50Hz power?
We offer a 50Hz option on all of our products. Just give us a call or let us know when you order by adding the suffix "-50Hz" to your model number.
See our full specifications here or contact us with questions.
Step 2: Choose How to Connect It
Once you’ve determined the voltage of your machine in Step 1, find the plug type that matches what you see on your machine. You can also just give us a call and we’d be happy to help out.
The MAKESafe Tools Power Tool Brake plugs into your existing power cord, between your machine and the power outlet. We include the most common connector type as a standard option with each of our products but we’re also able to customize your product to match whatever plug type you might have. Not sure which plug type you have, checkout our tips below or just send us a picture:
Prefer to hard-wire it? Some of our customers elect to hard-wire our device into their machine (instead of just plugging it in). For these applications we suggest that customers choose our “ROJ/PIGTAIL” option.
Contact us for custom connectors.
Step 3: Choose How To Control It
Our standard machine is our 3-button control panel, pictured below. We made it extra compact so it can fit in the spot you need it most and it simply plugs into our brakes and controls using an industry standard M12 connector.
We also offer a number of alternate options for buttons and controls including a foot switch, a 3-button control that lets you connect a guard interlock, and a control cable pigtail if you want to make your own.
Contact us for integration with other control boxes like magnetic switches.
MAKESafe Part Number Guide
How to Place Your Order
You have options:
- Contact one of our distributors.
- Customize your own Power Tool Brake using our interactive tool.
- Visit our online store.
- Contact us for orders, customizations, or just to say hello.