Operation – Ryobi P201 User Manual
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OPERATION
TWO-SPEED GEAR TRAIN
See Figure 7.
The drill has a two-speed gear train designed for drilling or 
driving at 
LOW (1) or HIGH (2) speeds. A slide switch is lo-
cated on top of the drill to select either
LOW (1) or HIGH (2)
speed. When using drill in the
LOW (1) speed range, speed
will decrease and unit will have more power and torque. 
When using drill in the 
HIGH (2) speed range, speed will
increase and unit will have less power and torque. Use
LOW
(1) speed for high power and torque applications and HIGH 
(2) speed for fast drilling or driving applications.
MAGNETIC BIT HOLDER
See Figure 8.
The magnetic bit holder extends the reach of the bit and holds 
the bit and screws until you are ready to drive them. Storage 
for the bit holder is located on the front of the tool’s base.
INTERNAL SPINDLE LOCK
The internal spindle lock allows the user single-handed 
control of chuck adjustments and bit changes. Squeezing 
the chuck body stops the chuck jaws from turning. For bit 
changes and chuck adjustments, squeeze the chuck body 
and turn.
INSTALLING BITS
See Figure 9.
n
Lock the switch trigger by placing the direction of
rotation selector in the center position.
n
Open or close the chuck jaws to a point where the open-
ing is slightly larger than the bit size you intend to use. 
Also, raise the front of the drill slightly to keep the bit from 
falling out of the chuck jaws.
n
Insert the drill bit.
n
Tighten the chuck jaws on the drill bit.
WARNING:
Make sure to insert the drill bit straight into the chuck 
jaws. Do not insert the drill bit into the chuck jaws at 
an angle then tighten, as shown in figure 10. This could 
cause the drill bit to be thrown from the drill, resulting 
in possible serious personal injury or damage to the 
chuck.
n
Rotate the chuck clockwise to tighten the chuck jaws 
securely on the bit. 
NOTE: Rotate the chuck body in the direction of the ar-
row marked 
LOCK to tighten the chuck jaws. Do not use
a wrench to tighten or loosen the chuck jaws.
Fig. 7
LOW
SPEED
HIGH
SPEED
TWO SPEED
GEAR TRAIN (HIGH-LOW)
Fig. 8
2
1
Fig. 9
RELEASE
(UNLOCK)
GRIP
(TIGHTEN)
CHUCK BODY
CHUCK
JAWS
DRILL BIT
MAGNETIC BIT
HOLDER
BIT HOLDER
STORAGE