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Remotoring with CD tray motors

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  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: New Joizey
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Posted by SteamFreak on Thursday, February 11, 2010 7:18 PM

teen steam fan

What would you use the lazer for?

Zapping the cat. Smile,Wink, & Grin

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Posted by SteamFreak on Thursday, February 11, 2010 7:16 PM

 Trevor, the designs vary, but the squat pancake style mounted vertically in the disk drive is the most common. For pictures I use Photobucket, and find it very flexible. Flickr is probably good too, but I haven't had any personal experience with their interface. Webshots is a nuisance now, with too many ads and only permitting thumbnails to be posted on forums.

Gary, most printers I've stripped either had stepper motors, or a motor so large it would only have been good for G scale, but I'll have to keep my eyes peeled. Many other old home electronics make good sources too, i.e. CD and DVD players, shelf stereos often have carousel and volume control motors, VCRs (remember those? Whistling), etc.

Cacole, haven't had a problem yet with many hours of running on numerous repowers. These motors are very simply built, but extremely reliable, and have low current draw to boot. I've found a few motors that couldn't handle the voltage, but they were from battery operated items like cordless razors or in one case, from an inexpensive Walkman-style cassette player, and the motors weren't rated above 3 volts.

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Posted by teen steam fan on Thursday, February 11, 2010 7:07 PM

What would you use the lazer for?

If you can read this... thank a teacher. If you are reading this in english... thank a veteran

When in doubt. grab a hammer. 

If it moves and isn't supposed to, get a hammer

If it doesn't move and is supposed to, get a hammer

If it's broken, get a hammer

If it can't be fixed with a hammer... DUCK TAPE!

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  • From: AU
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Posted by xdford on Thursday, February 11, 2010 5:49 PM

Hi Nelson,

Thanks for that... I did not get an error message of any kind and as I said it appeared for about 5 minutes or so then I could not get it there at all so what you have said makes sense. 

Do others use photobucket or similar? or is there a "best" one to use?

Hope the pix are a help anyway... I would have thought the motors would have been fairly universal.

Regards

 

Trevor 

 

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  • From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
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Posted by cacole on Thursday, February 11, 2010 5:46 PM

The main thing you need to be aware of in using a motor of this type is that some of them are only rated for intermittent operation, not continuous like they possibly would get in a locomotive.  Don't be surprised if one of these motors gets very hot and fails in short order under a continuous load.

 

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Posted by gmcrail on Thursday, February 11, 2010 5:05 PM

 Another good source of motors is old computer printers.  I remotored a Hobbytown E-7 drive with one from an old low-end HP printer.  A top-grade Johnson Controls motor.  Very strong, smooth runner...

 

---

Gary M. Collins gmcrailgNOSPAM@gmail.com

===================================

"Common Sense, Ain't!" -- G. M. Collins

===================================

http://fhn.site90.net

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  • From: Crosby, Texas
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Posted by cwclark on Thursday, February 11, 2010 3:04 PM

That sounds like a good idea. Maybe you should first check the amperage draw first before installing it in the locomotive. If it pulls more than 1 amp, the DC /DCC system may not be able to handle it....chuck

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Posted by SteamFreak on Thursday, February 11, 2010 12:48 PM

 The best we can do is to copy & paste the text links. The error message I get when I try to display the images is that your web host doesn't allow hotlinking to pictures with free accounts.

http://www.xdford.digitalzones.com/0-6-0a.jpg

http://www.xdford.digitalzones.com/0-6-0b.jpg

I've only found one tray motor that was a narrow flat sided can like that. The most common are pancake style, which is what I've used for some old Rivarossi.

 

They also gave a Bachmann old-time 4-4-0 new life. Nice mounting bracket, btw.

Metro Red Line
Wonder if you can use the laser too? :)

Hmmmm...  

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Posted by Metro Red Line on Thursday, February 11, 2010 6:34 AM

 That's an awesome idea!

 

Wonder if you can use the laser too? :)

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  • From: AU
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Posted by xdford on Thursday, February 11, 2010 4:06 AM

 Hi Nelson and others,

 I have tried to get this right but this server seems to derail me. Try the following 0-6-0 www.xdford.digitalzones.com/0-6-0a.jpg and www.xdford.digitalzones.com/0-6-0b.jpg

Could someone please send me some code off list as I seem to be having arguments with the web page uploading photos. I could see them on the page last night then they dropped off!

The Yellow Cylinders were as I got them from an estate sale...

Regards from Oz ( and frustrated with Kalmbachs site)

Trevor www.xdford.digitalzones.com for your interest!

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Posted by SteamFreak on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 11:15 AM

 Hi Trevor,

The eBay seller with the remotoring kits is cv-backshop. He doesn't have anything for sale right now, but you can contact him if you have a specific request. I haven't bought from him, but I've heard nothing but good things about the guy.

I used a tray motor in a Rivarossi Y6b in conjunction with some NWSL reduction gears. I was surprised it had enough torque for the job.

 Post that Mantua picture!

 

  • Member since
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  • From: Lake Havasu City, Arizona, now in Guthrie, Oklahoma
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Posted by luvadj on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 7:19 AM

 I've had this EMD for about 10 years now...maybe someone could identify it from a pic. I'll post some of it today along with the remotoring work.

Tape backup drives are a good source as well 1948PRR...I have one in storage that I wouldn't mind tearing apart to see if it might be useful somewhere.

My buddy at the recycling center told me he has a 6 foot high pile of computer parts at work, so I have an unlimited supply of motors if need be. He'll be happy to see that I tried his suggestion.

Bob Berger, C.O.O. N-ovation & Northwestern R.R.        My patio layout....SEE IT HERE

There's no place like ~/ ;)

  • Member since
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  • From: AU
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Posted by xdford on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 4:47 AM

 

Hi Nelson,

 Would you have a link for the guy that does the retrofits for Rivarossi by any chance please? I have had a CD drive motor in a Mantua/Tyco 0-6-0 for a few years now. Apart from a slight out of balance issue, it runs fairly well and the cost was right!

TIA and a photo coming if you want to see it. Perhaps PM me!

Regards from Australia

Trevor

 

 

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Posted by SteamFreak on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 11:56 PM

 You rang?  Smile,Wink, & Grin

 That was a good call, Bob. I don't know what brand the loco in question was, but those motors have made very suitable substitutes for the cheap pancake drives in old, inexpensive locos like 70's Tyco. They're great for getting some of those clunkers with sentimental value to perform reliably. Even those that are rated at 5.9v run comfortably at 15.

 There's even a guy on eBay who sells retrofit kits using CD tray motors to repower old Rivarossi steamers. Disk drive design will no doubt change over time, but hopefully there will be a healthy supply of obsolete tray motors to keep us repowering for some time to come.

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Posted by 1948PRR on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 9:12 PM

Have your friend look for tape backup drives too. I found one that had a direct replacement motor for a Trix 4-6-2. It was about 6mm x10mm and purred.

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Posted by richg1998 on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 6:26 PM

Generally, the can motors measure 28mm X 11.5 mm X 15.8 mm with a shaft that measures 1.5 mm O.D. and is 9.5 mm long. NWSL has worms that fit the shaft.

Some newer vintage CD drives do not have this type of motor.

Rich

If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.

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Posted by Darth Santa Fe on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 6:14 PM

Broken electronics are a good way to get extra motors (just ask SteamFreak)! I've got a couple of great Mabuchi motors from an old burned-out SCSI CD drive which I'm trying to find a place for.

_________________________________________________________________

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Remotoring with CD tray motors
Posted by luvadj on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 5:21 PM

 I've had this single truck drive N Gauge loco hanging around for almost 10 years in need of remotoring. No idea what brand, but I couldn't toss it for one reason or another, so to the display shelf it went.

The other day, my buddy was over and I was showing him my collection. He picked up the SF diesel and I told him that it needed a motor. After I opened it to show him, he said something that I never thought of...The tray motors from CD-ROM units in computers are 12V and might be small enough to fit inside the shell....What an idea.

The thought of doing surgury on something that small had me worried, but I figured I had nothing to lose. So out came the loco and I removed the old engine without any problems. My friend works in a recycling center and has access to lots of old computer parts. I reasoned that the lens would go out before a motor would, so I asked him to be on the lookout for a CD-ROM unit for me.

Yesterday, he showed up with a tray motor and today I got to see if it would work. I wired the motor in and lo and behold, it worked. It still needs some chassis mods and trimming, along with some silicone for mounting but I was surprised and delighted to see that old boy running again. 

I would have rather spent good money to have it fixed, but I've always taken pleasure in doing things for myself and it will be a good feeling when it's finished.

Bob Berger, C.O.O. N-ovation & Northwestern R.R.        My patio layout....SEE IT HERE

There's no place like ~/ ;)

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