Fixing a motor

[Dangermouse]

morning all

A mate of mine purchased some of the M/T Motors - he gave me a couple to try - an FF050 and a regular FC-130

The 130 - is only revving at around 8k in one direction and 10k in the other - it seems really unresponsive.

I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions that might revive it?

cheers
David

[HomeRacingWorld]

Dunk it. Get a jar, fill with cheap 70% alcohol, and dunk the motor in it for about 5 minutes. Keep the volts low around 5 or 6.

It happens once in awhile. Had some Scalextrics in my last batch of TA cars that were that way. Flushed them out and good to go.

[Ky.Slot Racer]

hi David,
Is it a new unused motor?
Are you pushing 12 volts?
sometimes if the motor has no side to side play in the shaft, you can tap the shaft end on a flat surface and slightly move the trust washer inside.

give it a try, also message me a address and I`ll send you a replacement. :handgestures-thumbup:

[RichD]

It is nice to have a power supply with volt and amp meters. A possible problem with the motor is that dust from the motor brushes has shorted the commutator. If that were the case the motor would draw more current than a good one. If you were using a regular set type power supply the voltage would really take a nosedive. A big regulated power supply would cause the commutator to get hot and if you ran it long enough the motor would probably burn out. Running the motor in alcohol will often remove the dust and restore the motor to full performance. If you try that turn off the power before you remove the motor from the alcohol bath or you could start a fire. If that does not work you could remove the end bell, armature and motor brushes as a unit. If you just pull on the end bell as you remove it the brushes could be damaged, you need to grip the motor shaft. Once you have that assembly clear of the can and magnets carefully remove the brushes and remove the armature from the end bell. You can scrape the dust out of the commutator slots using a bit of stiff plastic, like the stuff that is used for clear blister packaging. Resist the temptation to use an X-acto knife blade, you might scratch the commutator. At this point it would be a good idea to check the ohm value of the commutator. There is a slight chance that the armature might be defective. You need a digital meter that reads tenths of an ohm to do the test. Be sure that the meter is operating correctly, it should read zero when the test leads are shorted. Mark the three poles and measure across 1 and 2, then across 1and three and finally across 2 and 3, all three measurments should be the same. If they are not all the same either there is still a short in the commutator or the armature has a defective pole.

[Dangermouse]

Bit remiss of me not to post this earlier

Mark contacted me and organised to send me a replacement motor.

I know why folks like these motors - they are a handy option for classic cars like the Ninco XK120
cheers
David