Need motor specs on a Micro Ace 0-6-6-0 #0652

[mmagliaro]

I'm doing some kitbashing and repairs on a Micro Ace 0-6-6-0.
While the mechanism seems to run well, the current draw strikes me as high -
about 300 mA at 7 volts.

Does anybody own one of these, and would they mind measuring the current if possible?
I want to find out if this is typical for this engine.

Thanks.

[peteski]

Would it be the same motor that is in the MicroAce Pashina loco I just reviewed (in the New Products section)?

[mmagliaro]

Would it be the same motor that is in the MicroAce Pashina loco I just reviewed (in the New Products section)?

No idea.  It is a short, fat motor, kind of like that, but I don't know if it's the same one.

[peteski]

I specified the motor's dimensions in my thread. If you can measure your motor and they are similar size then they are most likely the same.  I can then take current measurements and compare to yours.

[victor miranda]

Hi Max,

Where do you keep finding these hard to locate models?

I am thinking 300 ma and 7 v. is high for any n-scale loco.

Even the loco I think of as the "POWER HOG" a kato 4-6-4
rarely uses more than 200 ma and 5 volts.

doesn't it get hot?

victor

[mmagliaro]

Hi Max,

Where do you keep finding these hard to locate models?

I am thinking 300 ma and 7 v. is high for any n-scale loco.

Even the loco I think of as the "POWER HOG" a kato 4-6-4
rarely uses more than 200 ma and 5 volts.

doesn't it get hot?

victor

Just lucky I guess..   

The motor didn't seem to get hot.  I held my finger on the back after running and it didn't feel
especially warm.   This thing does have an incadescent headlight bulb in it, which might account for 50 ma,
so that would put the motor at 250.   Still high in my book.

The Kato Mikado and the old Kato/Con-Cor 4-6-4 can both easily draw over 200mA.  Most examples I've had of
both will do that.  But it's usually about 220-230, and that's even cranked up to nearly a full 12 volts on track with a load.  This thing is on it s back on the bench, so 300 seems mighty high.

I shall investigate further.  I was just hoping somebody had one of these so I would have a reference point
of what to shoot for for proper current draw in this particular model.

[mmagliaro]

Having removed the motor, I do believe it is the same one in Peteski's review.
However, new though this engine is supposed to be, removing one brush revealed that
the armature slots were badly loaded up with carbon.   One was so bad that I couldn't
actually find the slot to clean it out!   I cleaned them out with a toothpick and some alcohol,
and after washing the armature off with a small brush and some alcohol, I could finally find
the remaining slot so I could clean it out.

The free-running current draw on the motor at 8v dropped from 190mA (yikes)  to
about 85mA (whew).

[Chris333]

Could have sworn I read that these locos had binds in them, this was many years ago (when you could still buy one). I've never touched one.

[victor miranda]

the bridged commutator gaps would explain the current draw and low temps.

... as long as the springs didn't overheat...  life is good!

just reviving it?
or are you planning to go logging?

Chris333,
I thought at one point you made an Nn3 logging loco from one of these?
ETA( oops  I meant HOn3)

victor

[mmagliaro]

The bridged commutator slots account for the high current draw, yep.   
The brush springs still seem springy, and the motor seems to run good.  We'll see.
I am more disturbed by the fact that this is supposed to be a new loco, and the armature looked
like this.

No, I'm not going logging.  I am doing some cosmetic mods for a customer - a pilot truck and new tender, etc, -
to make it look a bit more Americanized.  And maybe isolating the motor so a decoder can be put in it.

[victor miranda]

Hi Max,

... new is an interesting idea.
the comm/brush proves it has run past... new...
but is a couple of hours 'used'?

I have seen short time motors clog up because there was grease on the comm...

If price negotiations are still possible... one can state it is not 'new'
wheel treads need 50 to 100 hours to show much wear.

so the loco is likely to be less than 50 hours...

victor

[peteski]

Max, aren't you glad that you took the motor out and examined it?     Powdered brush material (conductive) will act like relatively low resistance shunt across the commutator, increasing the current draw. But you know that.

This usually happens if the motor bearings are over-lubricated and the oil oozes out onto the commutator. That makes the brush dust stick in the commutator gaps.  Looks like it ended up being an easy fix.

[mmagliaro]

Ya know the oil in the commutator is a good bet.  I've fixed some of those first-run Athearn Challengers
that had that problem.  And when I took the shell off this engine, I do remember noticing that there seemed
to be oil just.... everywhere.  So much so that I was wiping down the frame and the inside of the shell with a
paper towel before I could even go to some Q Tips and brushes with alcohol to get rid of the rest.

The motor itself had a film of oil on it, which is really a bad thing.

So that is probably what caused this.