3573 replies to this topic

[havlicek]

I did a motor for Bill today...I call it "The New Hampshire Special" The motor started out life as a Russkit and was in pretty sad shape. Bill asked for something endbell drive and not too wild up to and including a #29, so that's what I did for him. It got a Tradeship com with the built in advance, a new can bushing, Tradeship endbell, Camen D can magnets, a pair of Mura light springs, post protectors screwed on , a LOT of body and fender work on the can and a coat of light blue paint. At 50 turns of #29, it sounds really strong and draws only a little over 1 amp...staying nice and cool. I like this color blue, it's bright like most of the old Mabuchi colors and I think it looks sharp with the black Tradeship endbell.



-john

[Pablo]

Very handsome !!

[Bill from NH]

John, that motor looks real nice in the photo. I have both 6T & 7T pinions for it, if needed. Thanks big time! Does that blue can dictate body color?

[havlicek]

Thanks guys. Bill, these things like to wind so you'll have to figure out the gear thing according to your track/power...I just work here It was a real pleasure doing this one up for you Bill, even more so since the Harvey was one of my very faves from when I was a kid! Gotta love those old Mabuchis too, "quirks" and all

-john

[Michael Rigsby]

Now that is beautiful, John.

I don't give a crap what anyone thinks of the old Mabucchi motors, they had an aura all their own. When done right, like this one is, it's a thing of beauty to behold. People can say what they want about the old Globe motors, Kemtrons, and whatever else was around, but when the Mabucchi motor came out, that's when my interest in slots came alive. It was fun to play with them, hop them up, watch them burn, and rebuild them better each time figuring out what you did wrong.

Michael Rigsby

[havlicek]

I'm right there with you Michael. For all their faults, the old Mabuchis were just begging to tear apart and be hot rodded and I spent a lot of time doing that as a kid. I think that's a big part of all this...remembering just how it was. Heck, I like them all; the Mabuchis, the later Champions, the Muras they all have their own appeal and there something really satisfying about bringing one back to life :-) Thanks again.

-john

[havlicek]

I did some more testing today on "The New Hampshire Special" trying different spring types and strengths. I settled on some Camen "regulars" that are stronger than the Mura lights that were in there as the motor runs stronger but doesn't draw appreciably more current (maybe around 1/4 amp more). That seems like a fair tradeoff and the motor probably has more potential even as a #29 with more tweaks, but I think it's time to "leave well enough alone". As Michael said, these old Mabuchis have their own mojo...and it's pretty danged cool

-john

[Bill from NH]

John, for what it's worth, I used to use Mura lights in my 16D program a few years ago but since they're just a 2-coil spring, they "gave up the ghost" at some rather unexpected moments. The Camens are a 3-coil spring & probably of better material too.

[Rick]

John,

50/29 is the current Group 12 wind and might be the best wind ever devised in general. Just IMO.

Some info on Camen strings, they are all made from the same wire and just bent to different degrees for light, med heavy, only the Extra heavy move to another wire diameter. Top qualify spring and they are 5 coil, btw................

[havlicek]

Hi guys. I use several different types and weights of springs for these old motors and sometimes a motor runs best on a spring I wouldn't have guessed at.

Bill...I hear you on the Muras. I use their lights and regulars just because some motors seem to like them. I also use PS springs on some motors which seem similar but are really light. Whatever seems to work. Someday I gotta start looking at all the other aspects of these things like for instance brushes. For 36D and modern C cans, I just use Bigfoot. Why...I dunno For the FT16D-sized brushes I use whatever I can get

Rick...10-4 on the Camens, they're a whole nuther animal altogether. Out of all the springs I use and try regularly, they're clearly better made (at least they seem so to me) and seem to be even a better material. While not always being the best for what I'm trying to get out of a motor, they also will ride up or squish down on the spring post of some motors whether I use "two tops" or "two bottoms" (yeah...vintage motors means using two pairs of double overhead springs to come up with one pair of springs for them).

-john

[havlicek]

I often use rehabbed arms and coms for working out winds and this one is an example. The arm itself was a Mabuchi or similar one that someone had rewound at some point, but I was able to take it apart and clean-up the old epoxy. The com I salvaged from a Mura 15. I used the resulting blank for one of several #27 winds I've done recently to work up some winds for that gauge, both on the high side and the low side. Welding coms that were already factory welded is a little trickier for me as I usually have to slice/saw them open with an X-Acto knife which leaves the tab material thinner. If I'm not careful enough, I can blow right through them by keeping the electrode on the tab just a bit too long. Still, the best way for me to work up winds is to actually try them out and these arms are a good way to do that.



-john

[havlicek]

OK, so I went back to my "Hemi-Buchi" project for the finishing touches. I replaced both the can and Tradeship endbell bushings with ball bearings now that I have some that fit well. I also added some fiber washers over the post protectors as I couldn't get the brush springs to stop riding up on the posts.

Then I had to figure out a way to strengthen the can-mounting because of the thin metal, and the lack of even the brass grooved boss on the Mabuchis for C-clip mounting. I was going to just solder a backing plate behind the can mounting holes to give self-tapping screws more to bite into, but instead did it the way Rick T and Philippe recommend...soldering a #2-56 nut to the inside of the can. I wasn't really looking forward to doing this, thinking it would be difficult to do without getting solder inside the threads (not that that would be the end of the world). It turned out to not be very difficult at all...a little "fiddly" for sure, but not too bad. Anyway, the motor sounds nice and I'm sure it can take a more aggressive wind than the mild-ish #27 that's in there.



-john

[chaparrAL]

Nice job John! I like the phonelic washers on the spring posts. Slick!

[dc-65x]

Very nice motor john .

The 2-56 nuts work slick to bullet proof the motor mounting. If you use a stainless steel screw to hold the nut in place the solder that flows into the nut won't stick to it and the screw will back right out.

[havlicek]

Thanks guys.

Al, no matter what I did and what springs I chose, they rode up on the posts on this motor and I was going round in circles I decided to fall back 10 yards and punt at that point and just put the washers on there. I will turn them down a little because they just look too darned big on there. I also might just cut off what's left of the original plastic posts and flip the spring cups up the way they're supposed to be which would be a cleaner-but-less-"period" way to handle the problem. Only thing about that (besides the more modern appearance) is that there isn't a whole lot of material to screw into on these endbells. I suppose if that method failed, I could always get some #1 or #0 screws/nuts/washers for a secure means of through-fastening.

Rick, I had thought of that but wasn't sure it would work because you can solder stainless with acid (which I used here). I do also keep a small jar of Nokorode paste flux as well, but figured the acid would ensure a better bond and solder-flow. I guess it depends on the alloy or something???

On the spring thing, I got some of the Koford Conductive Springs to try. They're made from a silver plated copper alloy (I guess beryllium copper?) and look very close to vintage springs. The coils look a bit smaller also than some of the modern ones which is part of the reason they slide up on post protectors (unless you're fortunate enough to have some of the Steve O'Keefe post protectors!). I was thinking these are JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED and was stoked about trying them. Only one problem, the long leg of the spring is a tad too short for the FT16D hardware They might work OK with spring insulation though...grrrr.

-john

[Champion 507]

John,

The manufacturers of today's slot equipment just don't understand the need to also make their new parts adaptable to the older stuff.

I sure like the "orange picker" bulletproofing you did to the endbell. With a 27 in there it ought to zing pretty nicely. Good work!

[havlicek]

Hi Doug,

The 27 that's in there is just OK...especially for a 27. I'm still working out winds for #27 wire and that was one of the first ones I did. I've got a pretty cool #26 in the easy-bake oven right now for this motor Let me know when the package gets there too. I wrapped it as best as I could and sealed everything, but when the Post Office asked me if the contents were hazardous...I kinda fudged a little on the answer. I'll be a bit relieved to know it arrived OK.

-john

[Champion 507]

I'm hoping it arrives Monday. Thanks.

[Don Weaver]

It'll have to be Tuesday, Doug. The USPS is sleeping in tomorrow

Don Weaver

[Champion 507]

Don, you're right...duh. Age and senility ain't cracked up to be what's it's supposed to.

[Pablo]

Question:
Wouldn't the spring ride better with the long part towards the can?
Is there are reason why sometimes they are installed long side towards the EB ?

[Horsepower]

Hi Doug,

The Post Office asked me if the contents were hazardous...I kinda fudged a little on the answer. I'll be a bit relieved to know it arrived OK.
-john

Only when power is applied!

[havlicek]

Question:
Wouldn't the spring ride better with the long part towards the can?
Is there are reason why sometimes they are installed long side towards the EB ?

Hi Pablo,

From what I see, the spring will ride better either with the short leg (the part that contacts the brush) on the top of the coil or the bottom depending on the height of the groove in the brush carrier relative to the height of the bottom of the coil where it sits on the spring post. I can also depend somewhat even on the angle the spring retainer tab is bent at. When the tab is bent more than 90 degrees, it forces the long arm of the spring down towards the surface of the endbell. Since every endbell is different, I just try the springs in either orientation and go with what distorts the spring least and keeps it in a relatively level position and it's not always how you think it will work. With modern dual overhead springs, you're wasting two spring pairs to make one pair for use, but sometimes the other two can be used on a different motor because of how things change.

-john

[Pablo]

Understood, thanks !

[havlicek]

A 24S on a .007" Mura blank. This one is about as good as it gets from me and will go right into either a vintage or current setup. Sometimes it all seems to come together for an arm and this is one of those. When they come out like this one, I think it will run with about any similar arm. I'm stoked !


-john