Went to my local electronics source and only embarassed myself trying to look for the proper motor and components to make a variable speed drying/airbrushing jig.

Ask me to fix a Penn Reel, or clean even the most complicated of guns and I cam make it happen, ask me to do anything with electricity and i am a menace to society.

So what I need is some input here. I would prefer to build my own motor set-ups. Like the old saying goes, give a man a fish and he has a meal, teach a man to fish and he has an obsession. I need to know:

1) the types of motors appropriate for rod building
a) I would prefer to build them as variable speed
2) the components necessary to control the speed
3) how to wire the motors for safety

I have seen the reads posted in the past and have tried many of the links but get totally lost in all of the options. Please remember I am a regular guy and technical terms that are not related to Ichthyology , aquarium design and maintenance, or firearms, just make me go cross-eyed and give me a headache.

YES.....I FEEL STUPID

If I can get a little direction here I can take detailed pictures and put them in the archives for future reference.

Yes....I have posted this request before but thought I would give it another try, but PLEASE, help a guy out here.

Derek
Rohnert Park, CA

Derek L. McMaster
Rohnert Park, CA

Born to Fish, FORCED to Work

What kind of rpms are we talking about? I have no knowledge of airbrushing requirements. My fly and jig turner is a 18 rpm unit. My rod driers are 4 rpm. You can variably change speeds on AC motors about 5 to 1 max, otherwise they get real hot. DC you can go 20 to 1 but they need heavier circuits to carry the additional current. AC is also cheaper.

Derek, I would be interested in any info you get! Particulary about making them variable speed.


Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Electric Motor 101

The speed of a pure AC motor is tied to the frequency of the current. Generally that is 60 cycles per second in the USA. To make an AC motor variable speed, you have to use an inverter (expensive) to change the number of cycles per second of the current. A DC motor's speed is controlled by varying the voltage that goes to the motor, You need to control the voltage by the use of a varible resistor (rheostat) or dimmer switch (triac). Then you must convert the AC voltage to DC with a full wave bridge rectifier. A fairly complicated setup. The third type of motor is a Universal AC/DC brush type motor. This is the type of motor generally found on sewing machines. This motor can be speed controlled with a dimmer switch or variable resistor, but at very low speeds, it loses most of its power and torque. When using an AC/DC brush type motor, you need to leave the motor speed in the higher ranges and reduce the overall speed by using gearing or pulleys to reduce the final speed. The ideal motor woud be a Universal AC/DC gearmotor which has the gear reduction built into the motor, but these are hard to find. The most practical way is to use the sewing machine motor with its footpedal (variable resistor) and gear the speed down with pulleys and belt, or gears.

For rod dryers I use small DC motors with a gear driven outlet shaft. With the setting of the slide on the power converter you can quickly change from 1 to 15 prm. These things will run forever and ever without getting hot. You can rig these with the typical variable power converters purchased from Radio Shack. I will bring a couple of these to Charlotte for viewing only. I will focus the remote TV camera on them to insure that they stay on the table top! Mike you took a look at one last year in Charlotte - the little gizmo sticking out from the end of the portable V notch Green Box.

Fsh No Mo!

Geeze! As I was looking for a motor link for you, Lynn pretty much nailed it!

Stay away from "A/C" or "capacitor start" motors as you can't change the speed without a very expensive mechanical drive. As Lynn mentioned, the brush type AC/DC motors are your best bet. you're going to find that most of what's out there is MUCH higher speed that you can work with, so you will have to reduce the speed a bunch.

Your drive pulley's are the first reduction (small pulley on the motor, large pulley on the work shaft). Next, use a reostat (dimmer switch) "in line" with the power going to the motor. This is a simple three wire connection. Buy a single switch box from your local hardware store, the kind that you'd mount a single switch or outlet (wall plug) in, that goes inside of a wall. Simply cut the power supply wire (black/white/green) to the motor, placing the dimmer switch "in line" by running the black & white in/out of it. Cut the black & white wires, have the "plug" side of the cord going IN to the switch and the motor side of the cord going OUT of the switch. The green wire is your ground. Cut it, add a "pigtail' to it and use a wire nut to connect the three ends back together. Run the loose end of the pigtail to the green (ground) screw on the dimmer switch. make sure that you buy a dimmer switch that has a larger amperage rating than the motor being used. This reostat or dimmer switch is used to reduce the voltage to the motor, allowing you to bring it down to a reasonable speed. Yes this DOES reduce the motor's power, but with out the use of a microprocessor or gear drive, this is the hand you're dealt. BOTH alternatives are VERY expensive.

Finally, use a variable speed foot pedal (like a sewing machine) for the final speed control. AGAIN, make sure your foot control is rated for enough amperage to handle your motor's load. We sell a fairly simple one that you just plug into the wall, then plug your motor into the foot pedal.

The above mentioned method is what's used on wrappers like the Pac Bay, Amtak, etc... Pretty standard stuff.

A good source for quality motors is Grainger's. Not the cheapest in the world, but they've got about every motor set up under the sun, including gear drives, microprocessed, etc... Here's a link to their ac/dc motor page [www.grainger.com]

If all of that sounds like too much trouble, we sell Flex Coat's "WMC" motor/foot pedal set up ready to go here ---> []


Good luck!

Mark Griffin
[]
C&M Custom Tackle
San Dimas, California

Lynn the DC motors I use are the ones that power the zoom lenses for remote controlled TV cameras. They are strong, controlable with the Radio Shack multiple voltage power converters. They are fairly easy to locate with used parts suppliers of industrial type remote video equipment. I have one that I have been using for seven years which runs a couple of days a week. It has plenty of torque to turn heavy weight off shore rods. I them only for dryer motors in the 1 - 12 rpm range.

Now THIS is precisely the kinda info I am looking for.

This has been a big help.

Lynn, thanks for the input but it is still a bit technical for me to get my teeth around a good bite out of it.

If we were talking about long range bullet trajectory, or fecundity vs. fertiility in anadramous species I could talk your ear off but this sort of stuff STILL gives me a pain right between my eyes for some reason. I still have problems with the AC vs DC thing.

It looks like sewing machine motors will be the way to go for me and I do have connections in the junk business so that may be my solution

Mark, I am already buying EVA grab bags from you (I think) IN BULK, just how much more of my money do you want ?....LOL.....Its all Ray's fault....really....I swear!

Spencer.....If I can get a motor with a range from 4-125 rmp with the upper range for laying paint with an airbrush I will be a VERY happy man.

Bill your set-up intrugues me....Care to elaborate with sources for the DC motors and maybe even the part number of the Radio shack pover converters? Input as to type and guage of wire to use would be great as well.

Mike, What I figure out I will share, no worries.

Purchased a fairly beefy motor of about 13.5rpm yesterday as a practice motor and am rigging an on/off switch right now. The real challenge will be figuring out how to mount this beast on a stand.

Derek

The small motor mounted on the side is a DC variable speed set up for 1 - 12 rpm. Controlling device is Radio Shack mV power converter - $ 13.95.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Gon Fishn