Any idea what's wrong with this motor circuit?

MillenniumFalsehood · Post by **MillenniumFalsehood** » Wed Oct 05, 2011 9:10 pm

I've been wrestling with this problem for a few days, and I now need help.

I'm putting together the Pro-Shop X-wing. And yes, I am using the electronics included with the kit.

The other day I noticed a problem with the canopy motor mechnism that hasn't happened before. I turn on the whole circuit, and when I push the button, nothing happens other than the sound effect playing and the engine lights dimming slightly. I push it again and nothing happens. Eventually, after several tries the motor kicks in and starts raising the canopy, but at a slow rate. Eventually the rate gets faster until it gets to the maximum speed. Basically it had been ramping up to that speed until now. I have no idea what is causing this behavior.

Here's what I did to modify the electronics before this:

I soldered a resistor and LEDs to the connections for the lamps included in the kit and only used one connection.

I ground down the back of the gearbox and the back of the motor. Not all the way through, but enough that the plastic is slightly translucent.

I added some wire to stretch the leads from the canopy motor so they'd reach the connections.

I made sure there are no solder bridges, stray strands of copper wire making a short, or bare connections touching.

The wires included in this kit are beyond crappy (like five or six strands per wire), but I doubt they are the problem. The other circuits work just fine, so I'm not sure why this is a problem.

Styrofoam_Guy · Post by **Styrofoam_Guy** » Thu Oct 06, 2011 11:01 pm

Out of your entire list the LED and resistors is the only thing I can think of that is causing your problems.

How did you determine how many LEDs and resistor ratings to use?

What is the voltage of the lights that were in the kit. What is the voltage of your LEDs?

MillenniumFalsehood · Post by **MillenniumFalsehood** » Fri Oct 07, 2011 1:36 am

I can't tell you precisely. I chose the lazy way out and grabbed a couple of pot trimmers and soldered them to each LED string, then turned them up until they were just bright enough. They shouldn't be sucking too much power.

But I doubt the LEDs have anything to do with it. The motor for the wings works just fine, with no delays. It's just the canopy motor, which makes me think it's that and not the LEDs.

I asked the LHS owner what he thought the problem was, and he told me it might be either the motor or the capacitor soldered to the motor's posts.

Styrofoam_Guy · Post by **Styrofoam_Guy** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 11:51 pm

A motor doesn't have much to it so I would not think that is the problem. Either it works or it doesn't

I didn't know there was a capacitor in there but that could be the problem. Those things do store and release energy. Not sure what would happen with a bad capacitor.

DennisH · Post by **DennisH** » Sun Oct 09, 2011 11:33 am

Are you sure it's electrical?

I ground down the back of the gearbox and the back of the motor. Not all the way through, but enough that the plastic is slightly translucent.

If you weakened the motor/gearbox housing, it could be that the gears/shafts are now jacked out of alignment due to the thinner/flimsy support strucure.

MillenniumFalsehood · Post by **MillenniumFalsehood** » Sun Oct 09, 2011 9:05 pm

No, I don't think so. The gears and axles are all working smoothly; in the absence of the motor they move without resistance. But the motor's axle may be out of alignment. Also, the capacitor may have been heat-damaged by my soldering gun.

I'm going to junk this gearbox I think. Robiwan was kind enough to offer to send me his Pro-Shop X-wing's electronics (thanks again, Rob!

).