I was going to get back working on the front truck of my MDC kit 4-6-0 and when I picked it up the frame separated from the boiler. When it dit it pulled the black lead tab from the motor.
My plan was to fix the front truck run it for a while and then convert it to DCC.
Now my thinking is to recconect the lead and cut the wire to add the decoder.
What is the best way to attatch the wire to the right spot on the motor–or is it even possible?
solder
Can you be more specific? Should I be trying to form some kind of pole, or should just try to attach the lead any way I can. Anyone done this?
I should have mentioned this is a can motor and I have to keep the lead isolated from the can. The place I would have to solder is back maybe a 1/16 or 3/32 from the outside of the can.
Chip
Are you saying the tab pulled out of the motor?
Yes I am.
Oh no! [:O] So there really isn’t anything to solder to, right? Does it look like motor can be disassembled?
You know, I really didn’t go that far. I sort of just set it down and moved to another project. I’ll look at it tonight.
Tell me the truth–all you guys went through this kind of stuff during the golden years of model railroading right? Just part of the fun. [:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D] Just can’t help laughing. If I had any more fun my wife would divorce me.
You know, stuff happens. Just ask Chuck (cwclark) about the xacto knife. We all been there done that. When too many thing go wrong it’s best set the project down and go back to it later. Like you’re doing.
If you can post a photo of the situation, that might give us a better idea what to recommend. Taking a motor apart can be tricky because of the springs that keep tension on the carbon brushes against the armature may take off and disappear.
I hate to recommend replacing the motor if it’s repairable.
However, at the rate you are progressing and you get a few more years of experience, think about adding model train repair service to your business.
I’ll see what I can do. I wish I could post using my SLR. I just can’t get the lighting right with my digital.
ROFLMAO!
I need to spend more time developing my business and send all my new engines to Tony for Tidal Wave Sound.
But where’s the fun in that?
Check out Bob Boudreau’s (aka Fundy Northern) photo clinic. What kind of problem are you having with the lighting using the digital?
Huh?
Chat Acronym
Rolling
On
Floor
Laughing
My
Butt
Off
Chip,
Before spending time on the motor and the decoder see if you can get that pilot truck working properly. If you can’t get the engine to track correctly, there is no need to spend the time on the motor. If you get the thing tracking right, then you’ll get some motivation to cure the motor problem!
Dave
I am going to solve both problems. I have too much invested in the boiler and it came out too well to let it sit.
I’m not sure I I can really solve the tracking problem without the motor. And thanks to this group I have two approaches that others have used on this engine with pictures.
The motor will either be easy or it won’t. IF it’s easy, i’ll fix it right away. If it’s not. It’ll go back burner. I have a couple projects that I have set time limits on.
The motor doesnt look like it can be fixed to me. Does one of your 0-6-0s have the can motor that you could swap?
Chip - if you want to get a photo, take a 100 watt light bulb, and a small tabletop lamp fixture. Remove the shade, install the 100 watt bulb. Should be able to get enough light with that for the digital to take the picture. Set the camera on the table and if the motor is too low, prop it up somehow - unless you have a tripod, then use that - just so the camera is NOT handheld. If you want to get a good sclose picture switch ont he macro mode. I pulled this off (mostly) with the old crappy camera, the new Canon is MUCH nicer and I don’t have to fidget so much to get good pictures.
I’d liek to see a picture of where the tab came out, because these things aren’t always soldered in place - it may be a blade that fits into a socket of sorts int he endcap of the motor. It sounds like what you have is a length of wire with a small tab attached to the end, which used to be connected to the motor. Hopefully this is the case, because can motors are usually not meant to be disassembled.
–Randy
If this picture is does not show what you need to know, I’ll try again.
looks to me like it broke off. Its pretty close the the outside so you might be able to solder it if you are very careful. Try putting a tiny bit of solder on the piece that came off and heat it as much as you can. While its still molten try and quickly stick it into the slot. You might want to do this right next to the motor so there is as little cooling time as possible. Might work, might not. but as far as I can tell its your best chance
Chip, you deserve major cudos, for persevering in this hobby after so many set backs. You seemed to have packed more into your few months in the hobby than I have in a few years!!
You might have better luck with just a bare wire, rather than trying to reattach the broken piece of te tab. Because as you heat the tab, the wire is goign to become unsoldered from the piece of tab anyway.
Tin the bare wire and then get ready. You’ll probably need a tweezer to hold th wire, because you need to hold it awfully close to the end where the hot soldering iron is going to be. If you bare a long enough section fo the wire, you ca have the tinned wire touching the tab inside the motor and still have bare wire that you can touch the soldering iron to. I know you’re supposed to heat BOTH sides of the joint, but you’re dealing with small pieces here and enough heat should transfer from the wire to the tab in the motor to make a decent joint. Before reconnecting the other end of the wire, slip a piece of heat shrink over it to cover the excess bare wire.
If you take the motor out, that’s a great chance to fix the derailment and other problems - with the motor out, the drive wheels whould turn VERY freely, take this time to work all binds out of the side rods. The ‘gold standard’ is if you set the loco on a piece of glass and tilt it, the wheels turn rather than skid across the glass.But if you just push it across the track with your fingers you will feel any binds that might be there. Making sure there are no spots where the mechanism binds even a little will go a long way to making it a superior runner.
–Randy