Faulhaber gearheads?

[mike_lawyer]

Hi guys -

I am looking to purchase some Faulhaber 10/1 planetary gearheads for remotoring projects.  I haven't bought any since Motorman's unfortunate passing.  Does anyone have recommendations on a source to buy them?  Thanks.

[Chris333]

You can get them from Faulhaber.

Do you really want 10:1? Most people use 4:1.

[mike_lawyer]

10/1 is the size of the gearhead.  I want to get that size in a 4:1 gear reduction.

[mmagliaro]

I really don't have any suggestions as to where you can get those gearheads for a good price.
Since Eldon passed away, getting 10/1  4:1 gearheads is darn near impossible.  You can find a lot of 10mm Faulhaber motors with gearheads on them on EBay at good prices, but they all have 1024:1, 256:1 and sometimes 64:1 gearheads on them.  Buying them direct from Faulhaber is always an option, but it's an EXPENSIVE option.
I managed to cut the back off some of the high-ratio eBay ones, pull out the gears, then cut the case shorter and put it back together with only one planetary stage to make my own 4:1.  But it ain't easy.  I did that when I only had my milling machine.  Now that I have a lathe, it should be an easier job, so I may try again.  But it's a "round tu-it" job.  I just have too many other things going right now.
The nice thing I discovered by cutting down a gearhead was that the Faulhaber cases are just plain soft steel.  They are not stainless, as I had always assumed, so they cut easily.  The teeth on the gears are stainless, but not the cases.

[metalworkertom]

I have a few.  I'll check inventory in a little while and send a PM

[mike_lawyer]

I have a few.  I'll check inventory in a little while and send a PM

Thanks, much appreciated!

[mike_lawyer]

Max -

I haven't ordered from this shop from Germany, but the prices look decent especially if you buy 5.  I emailed them about whether VAT tax would be deducted from the price, I will let everyone know what I hear:

https://www.glockenankermotor.com/planetengetriebe-faulhaber/101-faulhaber/

[C855B]

I haven't ordered from this shop from Germany, ...

Watch out for shipping. Germany was waaaaay over-the-top with pandemic shipping restrictions earlier this year; I don't know how much they may have eased things or even if they did. The only way around it then was to pay hundreds to handle through brokers or consolidators. 

[mmagliaro]

Max -

I haven't ordered from this shop from Germany, but the prices look decent especially if you buy 5.  I emailed them about whether VAT tax would be deducted from the price, I will let everyone know what I hear:

https://www.glockenankermotor.com/planetengetriebe-faulhaber/101-faulhaber/

Mike,
I've known about that place for a while.  The price looks like $38 per gearhead, if you buy 5.  That seems like a lot to me, even though it is way less than Faulhaber's retail price.  That's why I didn't think to suggest them.   I have never ordered from them, so I don't know about shipping costs or time.

[peteski]

The nice thing I discovered by cutting down a gearhead was that the Faulhaber cases are just plain soft steel.  They are not stainless, as I had always assumed, so they cut easily.  The teeth on the gears are stainless, but not the cases.

I don't think that stainless steel automatically means that it is hard steel.  It probably depends on the alloy. I have some soft and pliable stainless steel wire.
The gearheads could be soft stainless steel.  Regular steel rusts readily. Have you actually see any rust on them? 

[narrowminded]

303 SS isn't terrible to machine.  Nor is 17-4 PH. 

[reinhardtjh]

Mike,
I've known about that place for a while.  The price looks like $38 per gearhead, if you buy 5.  That seems like a lot to me, even though it is way less than Faulhaber's retail price.  That's why I didn't think to suggest them.   I have never ordered from them, so I don't know about shipping costs or time.

About $41.11 currently.  The $ to € about 1:.79 at the moment. (just sent some € on Paypal so some of that could be fees).

[randgust]

I got a couple 0816's and 1016's from Eldon early on, and a couple gearheads.  I never did have a 4:1, and the problem with all the gearheads I saw was that they made everything just too long to be useful.   My Climax B has an 0816 in it with a resistor, amazed how well that worked without a gearhead at all.

While gizmoszone was in business, I discovered that they had a 3v 5.14:1 gearhead, and the motor was swappable with the Kato 11-105 12v. motor.  That was my go-to gearhead driver for years.    Then Gizmoszone, which I think sold Marsten (China) parts, dissapeared into the ether.  I've never been able to get a response from Marsten even as a 'manufacturer' of sorts.   They had a huge asssortment of tiny gearmotors, this was just my favorite.

I'm still using Solarbotics GM15A's on my Climax models, which are a 3.5V 25:1 reduction on a really tiny package.   A 100-ohm 1/8 watt resistor seems to work just fine.  A little buzzy, but the torque and speed are excellent for a $25 or less package.   The problem is the plastic shaft, so you're kind of stuck with a universal in there as the end bearing is not load supporting.

I ended up pulling the Faulhaber out of my original scratchbuilt 44-tonner and replacing it with the Gizmoszone option.    Improvement for sure.  Now if somebody, anybody, could break through to Marsten and see if that gearhead is...anywhere.... I can't even find a cold trail.

Meanwhile, there's other manufacturers out there for high-precision tiny gearmotors, none of which I've tried yet.   I have tried Polulu, they are easily available but a lot bigger than I thought although there's a ton of options.    These guys might have some promise....
https://www.precisionmicrodrives.com/product/206-101-6mm-dc-gearmotor-16mm-type

[mmagliaro]

303 SS isn't terrible to machine.  Nor is 17-4 PH.

Peteski's note about rust is duly noted.  I never seen rust on a faulhaber gearhead.
This stuff is mighty soft.  A simple high-speed-steel cutter that I shaped from a HSS blank
sliced right through it.  It's even softer than a basic grade 2 bolt from the hardware store.
I just checked a case with a magnet and it is definitely non-magnetic.  I also noted now that in one spot
where I cut a wide swatch off the outside, that it looks brass-colored.  I wonder if they would be plated brass?

[peteski]

Peteski's note about rust is duly noted.  I never seen rust on a faulhaber gearhead.
This stuff is mighty soft.  A simple high-speed-steel cutter that I shaped from a HSS blank
sliced right through it.  It's even softer than a basic grade 2 bolt from the hardware store.
I just checked a case with a magnet and it is definitely non-magnetic.  I also noted now that in one spot
where I cut a wide swatch off the outside, that it looks brass-colored.  I wonder if they would be plated brass?

Isn't all stainless slightly ferromagnetic? Maybe they are made from nickel-silver?  Just like N scale track - it is a type of brass alloy, "warm" silver in color.