What is this thing? A tool?

[Andy1845c]

I have been meaning to post a picture of this for a while now.

I got it at an auction a few years back in a box of misc. stuff. The auction was heavily electrical tools, so I though sombody on here might know what it is.

It spins when a 9v battery is connected to it and the red switch is pushed down. It has a 25 amp fuse in the back of it. The white end is rubber. It appears it was soft rubber at one time and is harder now with age.

I don't know if its made to spin somthing or made to measure somthing that is spinning The bananna plugs kinda throw me. I don't know what your supposed to connect it to.

 

[Sceadwian]

Looks like a handheld starter motor. 12 or 24 volt probably. BananaPlugs are a pretty cheap/generic way of doing quick connects, doesn't surprise me to see something like this at all. Could easily be for an RC car.

 

[theinfamousbob]

Looks like a handheld starter motor. 12 or 24 volt probably. BananaPlugs are a pretty cheap/generic way of doing quick connects, doesn't surprise me to see something like this at all. Could easily be for an RC car.

I'd guess an RC plane; I think the cars use hand-held glo-plugs.

 

[Leftyretro]

Looks like a handheld starter motor. 12 or 24 volt probably. BananaPlugs are a pretty cheap/generic way of doing quick connects, doesn't surprise me to see something like this at all. Could easily be for an RC car.

Real close. I really think it's for starting R/C airplane engines. The starter is held against the propeller's spinner to spin up the gas engine. The ones I've seen for R/C gas cars have a cog gear to spin a belt that stays in the car.

Here is a commercial example:

**broken link removed**

Lefty

 

[Sceadwian]

I stand corrected, plane it is.

 

[Andy1845c]

Wow. Thats exatcly what it is. The link lefty posted looks exactly like it.

Does anyone have a use for it? I doubt i'll ever use it.

 

[ericgibbs]

Wow. Thats exatcly what it is. The link lefty posted looks exactly like it.

Does anyone have a use for it? I doubt i'll ever use it.

In line with your 'recycling philosophy' why don't you donate it to your local aeromodellers club?

 

[Hank Fletcher]

Wow. Thats exatcly what it is. The link lefty posted looks exactly like it.

Does anyone have a use for it? I doubt i'll ever use it.

Hmm... it looks like it might be a good replacement for my trombone robot motor, although I have a few questions:
How loud is it?
Is yours all motor and gears - no battery in the hand-held part, right?
Any guesses as to free-spinning torque or RPM?

For the curious, I've been looking around for a motor/gear combination that would be more suitable to the specs for the trombone robot: about 500rpm, a good amount of torque (somewhere close to 1Nm, although I'm starting to think even that might be gratuitous), and as quiet as possible.

The best idea (Andy's thing excepted) I've come up with so far is pairing a motor (like one from the "mega motor mart": **broken link removed**) with the approximately 5:1 gears from a cheap fishing rod. I recently took apart a fishing rod to see if it might work, and I'm optimistic although I'm not sure how to connect the motor to the spinning part of the reel. I'm not much of an angler, but at least I know it's a gearing solution that was designed to run quietly!

Let me know if anyone has any advice or ideas, or just wants to see the insides of a fishing rod without doing it themselves, and I'll post some photos.

 

[jpanhalt]

It looks like a direct drive, PM, DC motor (12V). Can't tell if it is geared, probably not geared. Starter motors off of small gasoline engines were often used. Duty cycle is low, which may or may not affect its applicability for robots. No-load RPM is high. John

 

[Andy1845c]

I don't know the RPM, but it is pretty high with a 12v supply.

It has quite a bit of tourqe, but I have no way of measuring it.

Its not super quiet.

It is all motor. It has no battery in it, only the bananna plugs and it does not look like it has gears in it.

I'd be happy to trade it for somthing electronics related (components, lights, leds, ect) if somone wants it.

Otherwise I might ebay it.

I don't know if there is a model plane club in my area to be honest I suppose there is if I look, but I don't know of anyone involved in it.

 

[jpanhalt]

There is almost certainly a model aircraft club in your area. Check: https://www.modelaircraft.org/

In reality, such motors have very little value on the used market. They are about $20 to $30 new at Tower Hobbies.

Since they are PM and brushed, you might want to keep it and use it to experiment with generators.
John

 

[Ambient]

I had that exact model. It is a cheap one among the others, you may not get too much for it on ebay if it is used. Those motors have quite a bit of torque, not too loud cause there are no gears.

 

[Sceadwian]

Just be wary if you use them for a robotics project, they're starter motors so they're not meant for contious use, you may have heating trouble if you try to use them as a constant duty motor.