Flick Start motor

[Ozprey]

All,
On a recent stop over a freind's home, I came across an interesting little toy. It was a little floatplane bath toy, with a flick start motor, which only ran the one way(you could "bounce" the prop off the "compression" and the motor with start). Out of intrest I pulled apart the little airplane to reveal one of those little flat sided motors linked in parralell with a 104 micro-µ capacitor(ceramic type), hooked in series with a AA size alkaline battery. Any ideas ast how this might work?

Peter

[Warske]

I'll stick my neck out here and hazard a guess (because it will probably be wrong:)).

The magnetic cogging of the motor moves the rotor into specific positions when no power is applied.

If the brushes don't make contact with the commuatator in those positions, you would get the behavior described.

Probably not the most efficient way to make a motor, but saves the cost of an on/off switch.

You could take the motor apart and find out.:)

Warske

[vintage1]

maybe its a 2 pole motor...

[lazy-b]

I guess, its a 2 pole motor, I remember a static plastic model plane, where you build your own 2 pole motor, I actually hand wind the motor. I guess its made by Revell, there also no switch, just flick the propeller, then it will run., its powered by 3 pcs AA side battery.

[Ozprey]

I can't say I know who the manufacturer is, and disasembling the motor might pose a problem, as my friend is a good 5 hours drive away. Next time I'm up there however...

Peter

[Acetronics]

:D
Hi,

Many years ago, I saw in an ELEKTOR magazine a little trick on how to do that ...

The current created by the first rotations of the propeller was just sufficient ( W/ help of a small transistor) to switch on a relay on the main line.

It was of course for a brushed motor ...

And it was intended for an electric powered sailplane.

I just remember It was a double July/August issue.

Alain

[olorin0958]

The July 26 1999 issue of Electronic Design has a flick start motor circuit:

http://www.elecdesign.com/Articles/Print.cfm?ArticleID=6200

regards, Jim