HH 21t Comm Cleaning Issue?

[ngaanfan]

My Wraith seemed pretty sluggish so I pulled the motor to give it cleaning. 21T torquemaster pro. Trying to clean the communicator I'm finding it seems quite worn between each of the comm segments. Is this out of the ordinary to be worn this way?

[hatefulboy]

Don't know how old it is, but needs to be turned.

[EeePee]

Yeah, that communicator should have been turned a long time ago.

[LuvMyTJ]

How many hours do you think you have on it? Have you contacted Holmes on that?

[ZippoMan]

Do you guys all have your own tools for turning? I live in a tiny town with no LHS or really any stores so just curious where to get the motor tuned up if I don't have the tools? Can simple maintenance prevent what happened to his comm? I am a total newbie to motor maintenance. I have always used the cheap no maintenance motors...until last year when I bought my first HH 35T Tourqe Master Expert and also a 55T Torque Master Pro.

[EeePee]

Cutting a motor commutator & motor tweaks

[ZippoMan]

I just read this on Holmes Hobbies website. Good info: Be sure to clean your commutator often to prevent electric shorts, the brush dust is very conductive!

[ngaanfan]

I don't run my Wraith very often but probably 10-15 packs through it without a cleaning over the course of almost a year. (once or twice a month) A good number of those packs would have included copious quantities of mud, and some puddle jumping...

Lack of knowledge, intimidation of the cleaning task, were really the only reasons I hadn't cracked the can till now.

I thought it was funny that it seemed like the brushes were wearing in that pattern almost as if the comm was a bit square and the brushes were contacting the four corners. The brushes aren't that bad, half down without any significant damage, pitting or scoring...

Was going to chuck it in my drill and clean up best I could with 600grit...see if I can take to the LHS to get it properly turned next week or something.

[ZippoMan]

Yeah I saw that youtube video of the guy cleaning the comm with a cordless drill and 600 grit or finer sand paper. I see he got quite a few bad comments about the video....like it is totally bad to do it this way?? If that is all you have for tools can't it work? I mean we all don't have an LHS or own lathe......how much are the fancy lathes??

[Tuffguy]

Whatever you do, please don't call Holmes hobbies looking for a warranty replacement. That is normal wear on a brushed motor. Invest in a motor lathe or find someone who has one and get it turned. Don't use a drill and sandpaper, that is a good way to fwck up a good comm.

[EeePee]

I posted a good link that will answer every question about motors you could think of.

[hatefulboy]

One way to prolong life of a brushed motor is to:
Keep it out of water
Clean it regularly with motor spray
Keep an eye on brushes
Get some com sticks to help clean brushes and com in between com cuttings.
Keep bearings and bushings lubed.

[ZippoMan]

Originally Posted by EeePee

I posted a good link that will answer every question about motors you could think of.

Yes the links help but do not explain why simply using the drill and sand paper ruins the comm. If it isn't badly worn why can't this work? I don't have $300+ to be buying all stuff needed to do it professionally.

Maybe I am paranoid too but so far I have not been hard on my HH 35T TourqueMaster Expert. The worst conditions it has seen is maybe a little dust. No mud, no water and very little run time. I just don't want to ruin things if it is a bad idea to use the lame tools I have....lol.

I wish I knew someone close that has a lathe but I do not. I read too much into all this and my mind just gets numb thinking oh noooooooo I am going to have problems.

I know lots of newbies like myself have no clue and just run stuff until it breaks...the wonder what the?? Hehehe. I want to be more involved and take care of my stuff. I have OCD and that isn't always good. I also don't have zillions of dollars being on a low income. Yeah people can flame me and say then why are you in this hobby!! You know it takes money. I do know that but I love this hobby and it is fun.

Sorry for the rant..lol

I guess I need to save money and maybe I can be the guy locally fixing motors, hehehe. Sadly this town is very tiny....so my guess is there aren't many people in the hobby or care enough about their stuff. DOH!!

[EeePee]

The lathe will cut the comm back to perfectly round and true. No way can that happen with a drill and sandpaper. It might get all shiny again, but probably more out of round and more out of true.

Check the Holmes site for the services he offers, should be cheap.

[k7zpj]

Originally Posted by ZippoMan

Do you guys all have your own tools for turning? I live in a tiny town with no LHS or really any stores so just curious where to get the motor tuned up if I don't have the tools? Can simple maintenance prevent what happened to his comm? I am a total newbie to motor maintenance. I have always used the cheap no maintenance motors...until last year when I bought my first HH 35T Tourqe Master Expert and also a 55T Torque Master Pro.

Holmes Hobbys does motor rebuilds. If you don't have the tools/skills to do a rebuild this is a good deal.
Holmes Hobbies / Holmes Bikes :: Service and Labor :: Brushed Motor Rebuild

[ZippoMan]

Guys I wonder if you could comment on this lathe. I just bought of ebay...It is a Team Cobra. I am not even sure how old it is. I think the price was good. Any thoughts: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/181056178433?...#ht_500wt_1203

[EeePee]

Are you sure you clicked the link I posted that has me and others using the Cobra lathe?

[ZippoMan]

Yes but I was just wondering if this was a good deal or did I get taken That is all. I see the post with the lathe.

[ngaanfan]

Seems like most hobby shops don't even have comm lathes anymore. Seb's in Coquitlam was able to do it for me but he said he hadn't used it probably in four years. It took quite a number of passes to get it round...probably 8-10... I wish I'd known a bit more about brushed motor maintenance before I got one...I didn't realize it was such a novelty. At least now I feel comfortable maintaining it and can keep a really close eye on it.

[ZippoMan]

Yeah I am in the same boat ngaanfan!! I never thought much about maintenance. Well I am learning now and will have my own comm lathe...hehehe. I hope the lathe I bought isn't a piece of junk the guy was trying to sell to a sucker like me..LOL

The fun will be starting once I get the lathe....I might have to start on the lathe motor and use a different motor to power it..lol.

What amount of turns are usually on the Cobra Lathe motor? Could my HH 35T work it? Or does it need to be faster or slower?