Papatoad Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 I have legs moving freely and he cycles through everything fine. Still no sign of any juice going through him though. I took my tester. (Two D cell batteries in a box with clips on wires.) Hooked one (-neg) to his inner chest and touched other (+pos) to his motor. It should have cranked him over,but no success. I fear the motor is fryed. I am afraid to tackle a motor change. Is there any other way to test the motor? He looks like a changed man,err robot since I cleaned him up. I thought he had a hole rusted through his head when I viewed him on ebay. But he cleaned up nice. IS a motor change over as hard as I think it is? Any thoughts? nelg :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 Papatoad,Have you tried a continuity test on the motor? First off, on small motors like this they tend to lock up when the go bad. The motor shaft will not spin freely. But if you take a voltmeter set to continuity and attach it one for one on the leads coming from the motor (create a loopback from voltmeter to the motor)I believe you should get continuity if the motor is good. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papatoad Posted August 9, 2004 Author Share Posted August 9, 2004 Robert my savior. I will try to lay my hands on a voltmeter. I know my father has one. Gotta make a trip over and get it. The motor spins freely. So that is good news. I will let you know how it goes when I check it. Thank you :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe K. Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 Papatoad -With your tester/external battery box connected did you try turning the motor shaft by hand a few times. I would also try hooking up those clips as close to the motor terminals as possible. There might be a "cold" solder connection involved elsewhere in the wiring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robothut Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 Actualy on these small battery motors they almost never go bad realy, what happens is the grease on the brushes and commutator jells up and keeps the brushes from conducting. So if your problem is not bad wireing or switch problems then I would spray some contact cleaner in the the motor near the bushes and spin the motor by hand with the power ON it will start runing again. Even if you jam a robots gear box so the motor can not turn and turn the robot ON you will not burn out the motor, you will drain the batterys real fast. The only way to burn out the motor normaly is to apply a extrenal voltage that is higher than the intended voltage. Now from time to time I have seen morots where a brush broke off or wore threw (because there was not enoght grease on the brushes when manufactured) then the only way to get thing working is to replace the brushes or the motor. A trip to the dollar store to buy a battery toy car will get you some replacment brushes, and sometimes it is easyer to replace the brushes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papatoad Posted August 10, 2004 Author Share Posted August 10, 2004 Hi, I've been on it for a couple hours with no success. I have some CRC contact cleaner, I applied in small doses. I also tried hooking straight to the motor. I have not had any success there either. I pulled his arm back off for better access, but still nothing. I am afraid that I am going to have to take him apart. It was a scene right out of Frankenstein! Wires coming out of his chest,arm laying next to him. Various screwdrivers and tweezers laying around. My adjustable worklight overhead. Live! I screamed!! :angry: To no avail. Ok, I still have corpse of Spacewalkman, that has been a great organ doner in the past. Pehaps I will rob the grave one more time. But before I do. I'll give another try in the morning. I have to run out in the morning to buy a voltmeter. Father no find his. Later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papatoad Posted August 10, 2004 Author Share Posted August 10, 2004 IT'S ALIVE!!!! ALIVE...ALIVE!!! Finally a bit of success! I took his head off for easier access to motor. Everytime I touched the leads, a little whisp of smoke would rise. So a little contact cleaner, manual moving of gears, adjust leads, a little contact cleaner,gear,leads,cleaner,gears,leads. On one of the moving of the gears step, I heard a whine. Adjusted the leads and saw sparks. Soon, the motor was moving for 1 or 2 second intervals. It is still very weak. But is showing remarkable improvement. I think I need to get the contact cleaner more inside the motor itself. Very hard to do. I hope he'll be walking by this afternoon. Thank you all for your help. I think I will still have to check for a short in the wiring. MRI dept. called this morning. They are checking the amount of metal in my head. I said "I think there is alot in there". Ya know. Megadeth,Slayer,Motorhead,Ozzy,Dio,Maiden,Priest,Sabbath. The list goes on, but I think you get the picture. Later :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robothut Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 Sounds like you need to replace the brushes, I think one of them has worn threw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe K. Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 Also try putting one small drop of oil on both ends of the motor shaft. I use a straightened out paper clip with a drop of oil on the end for "pinpoint" accuracy.I agree with John. A brush/motor replacement may be necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJN Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 In the past, I have experienced similar failures that turned out to be caused by the grease originally applied to the brushes & commutator hardening with age and becoming an insulator, sort of a varnish-like substance. A judicious cleaning with contact cleaner or brake cleaner at the interface between the brushes & commutator has worked for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robot Fool Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 My only experience with a dead motor.I found battery leakage into a otherwisegood Ding-A-Ling power pack. So I used my Martha Stewart skills to fabricate a replacement motor brush after discovering the simplicity of the repair.I also replaced one side of the battery contact.Oh, and I never do this kind of metal work, but I'm the cheapest repair man I know.You have all our support, that old Attacking Martian will be alive and young again. I await your good news.Robot FoolP.S.The Ding-A-Ling Power Packs and Robots are the most clever designs. My childhood memories of them have evolved into a greater respect for them and their uniqueness, from their design to their packageing.I'm amazed by them and more amazed they never turn up in discussion here, except by me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 Nice, infield repair work there, soldier! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papatoad Posted August 10, 2004 Author Share Posted August 10, 2004 Haven't had much of a chance to work on him today. I do my best work at night,alone,in the basement. No kids. Do not disturb sign on the door. No wife. Pot of coffee at my side. Sterile sheets. Sterilized tools. Face mask. Assisting me will be Attacking martian brown. Overseeing will be, Apollo rotateomatic!Camera batteries,charged!New D cell batteries. At my side! On lookers, Mars King!Space Giant! and silver New Astronaut! Chances of thunderstorms tonight! Excellent! Come Igore. To the dungeon. "Yes master." Oh yes, and bring the corpse of walkman. We may have need of him. "Yes master."This may all fall through. But, wish me luck. nelg <_< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry seven Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 :) Papatoad, they should change the name of Space Walk Man to Organ Donor Robot! I've used the battery compartment, arms, etc. -Larry 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 they should change the name of Space Walk Man to Organ Donor Robot! heh heh so true! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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