Please Help Me Find A New Motor

Well, how much hp do you need or how much torque do you need?

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/1-rpm-motor-synchron

I checked out your website, nice work. Looks like fun.

The ones I have now say they are 100 oz/in

I saw that on E-Bay too, but it looks like it either needs the external capacitor ( can't do that) or doesn't have the ratchet mechanism that makes it only turn clockwise when facing the shaft.

A random rotation direction would be disastrous.

I think your current motors are vastly overspecified. I'm only guessing at dimensions from your video, but a 3/4" steel ball weighs about 1oz, and the lever arm is perhaps 8". Would a torque of 20 oz/in not be more than sufficient? With a counterweight on the other end you would need even less.

You would think so wouldn't you? And when we first started making the clocks in 1975, we did use a much lighter duty motor. It was made by Intermatic.

By the math just like you did even this intermatic was several times stronger than needed for the task. But we had a good percentage fail after not too long.

The same thing happened to the company that my Dad sold a license on our patent to so they could produce the small plastic version that you may see everywhere.

Thing is, they don't care if it doesn't last very long because the price is so cheap no one bothers with all the hassle of trying to get their money back, or at least a small percentage. They also started with the small Intermatic motor, and most would die in a few months. and most never made it past a year.

With the motor we finally went with, bothe the motor company and me, have yet to be contacted about needing a replacement motor. In Fact I get weekly an E-Mail from someone that bought their clock 40 years ago and it has ran 24/7 since and is still running today still keeping perfect time. And thats fantastic and something I am very proud in.

I want to thank everyone here that has been helping me with this.

The next thought would be a stepper motor with an electronically controlled drive frequency. A NEMA 23 motor would have a torque almost back to your original spec and a price similar to your earlier motor prices. I still think it would help to incorporate a counterweight. The electronics would have the advantage of being powered by both 110V and 240V, so you end up with only one model, and the circuit board, being flat, could hide under the base of your clock. Small price increase on account of the circuitry.

I at one time thought of this too, but thought the cost has to be prohibative,

Yes? No?

Interesting one. As an amateur, I solder my own boards one or two at a time, and it's cheap. You will have to ask an expert what a production line cost might be.

Joe, in order to help, we need to have more data on the motors. They are clock motors right? Can you send the make and model numbers from the ones you are using now?

Pictures would also help. When you are typing a new message or a reply, you will notice a little green camera icon above the typing space. Click this to insert pics into your replies.

The export is from Rotalink,

and the USA motor is from Kingston,

if needed will get exact model number.

Now please keep these to yourselves. Do not contact them, I am still trying to work a deal again.

See what happened is in 2007 I had a similar thing happen with Kingston. When I first contacted them about using their motor again. And I got a similar thing a high minimum order and high cost. From the sales person.

I somehow found some old contacts of my passed fathers notes and was able to by pass the sales person and contact them directly, and they were all like super excited to see me start to make the clocks again, and how proud they are that I chose to use their motor again as the heart of my clock. And we worked out a special deal. and all was good. in 2007 to 2014.

Then I start to go and make an new order and the sales person I was always working with has moved on and is no longer there and this new person is giving me the standard small order high cost again,

sadly I don't have the name or contact info for the owner / manager to do a go around again, and this new sales person doesn't seem to want to talk to management about this either.

Joe

There have been several questions regarding your price point on the motors.

What is your current price on the original motors?

between 20 and 30 and min order 100 pcs.

prior to the "Price Change" it was 11 bucks and as few as 25, but usually bought 50 at a time.

I don't have that kind of cash on hand.

I will check a few places and get back to you!

With what I'm seeing here, you're being had!

Check out Post #20.

Have you tried clicking on "Products & Suppliers" above? BTY, rotation is determined by the shaded pole arrangement.

I will try the link above,

And from what I have experienced when re starting to make these I tried several synchronous motors, to learn that all I tried either had a clutch ratchet type of thing ( Kingston does) you have see and hear it when it tries to start up backwards it clicks and jiggles back and forth a few times then goes off in the right direction.

the other was the capacitor, depending on what wires you added it across determined the rotation. not an option with the clock exposed wires are a no go.

Does this need a special browser? I'm Windows 7 and the latest Firefox.

when I choose motors in the searching area, a box pops up telling me that it is gathering stuff. but twice 15 minutes later it's still working on it.

Although your inquiry is outside my area of expertise, and I wont be much help in solving your current dilemma; I did want to stop by and say how awesome it is that you got this going again!

I remember us having one of these when I was growing-up; not sure whatever happened to it though.

I think I might just have to get one of my own...

Found this here, don't know quantity ...what is your target price range?

http://www.globalspec.com/specsearch/partspecs?partId={C849DE33-E030-4237-9AFE-B403F0CA4F79}&vid=1455&comp=36

These look like some possible sources....

http://www.amazon.com/Hansen-Synchron-Motors-A43RA-I43RA/dp/B005XXOANC

http://www.clockworks.com/clock-movement/electric-clock-movements.html

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/1-rpm-motor-synchron

try www.surpluscenter.com. I've had good luck with them(even with things not advertised). Give them a call.

With that specification, any USA-mains-compatible analogue electric clock would do, with the rotation drive connected to the rotor that turns the seconds hand. One might start looking in junk shops, charity shops, etc., etc.?

You would think so, but 99% clocks have gone quartz and batteries. and are not strong enough. Thats the mistake the company we sold a license to, to make the small plastic version of our clock. Few last a month, none seem to last a year.

Mine I get e mails from all the time from people that bought them 40 years ago and how it still keeps perfect time.

I did a Google image search for "time clock motors" and found this:

Unfortunately, I lost the site.

...that would be timeclocksusa....

http://timeclocksusa.com/2230-CW-Mechanical-Time-Clock-Motor.aspx

Lost site should be in your history file top of screen extreme right corner three lines horizontal. click on go to history click on history and see what you have viewed.

You might find inexpensive alarm clocks at Wal-Mart that you could disassemble for the motors. I don't know about their torque, though.

Btw, I once owned one of your ball clocks until I gave it to my nephew.

Good luck in finding a replacement source for your motors. You've probably already tried Grainger and Digi-Key. I don't know if GE still makes these, but Maxon might.

http://www.hansen-motor.com/ac-synchronous-motors.php

Here is some motors from a supplier called Alibaba

Here is one from eBay

Another from eBay

I found several from $2.00 to $8 dollars in varied minimum quantities from 1 pcs. to 100 pcs.

Nice clocks!

Good luck

Bryan

Final offer: strip the motor out of a dud microwave oven, and use that.

_{Someone isn't being very imaginative, and being critical instead.}

<unsubscribes>

Besides, the Dudley part might just be that motor....sheesh!

"Dudley"?

The part of something that makes it a dud.

Ahhh, OK

You should have said, "Please Help Me Find 200 New Motors" instead.

Oh please! He didn't get everything optimized in his OP, but he expressed enough for us to ask pertinent questions. And, he has responded to our questions. That is a sign of forthrightness, not cowardice as you are demonstrating here; criticizing and hiding behind anonymity reveals your miscreant nature. We're adults here. Say what you want to say, but don't hide who you are! We won't kill you.

Don't be so sure....(insert devil smiley here.) (Coincidental GA count!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEsSvUofvUc

The question here is not so much <...searching...> as choosing. If all that happens to guess-offers is rejection, then the thread could go on for ever or at least until respondents' patience runs out, whichever is the sooner, meaning that a solution will never be found and the thread is therefore useless.

What is missing here is a detailed description of what the motor is supposed to do. That would at least narrow down the options. Choosing a motor from the options is best done using some form of value equation that only the original poster can manipulate AFTER ALL THE OPTIONS AND THEIR FEATURES ARE ON THE TABLE.

Simple 110/120 volt

60 cycle

clockwise rotation facing shaft

100 in/oz torque

http://www.idle-tyme.com/watch.html

And that indeed the main problem. The getting caught off guard with the cost increase. I budgeted in, what we have been paying for the motors for seven years so I have enough when it is time to buy more. The price has never changed so it never thought it would still, or at least not a lot. So when I was getting ready for the next order, I was like what? when it is going to cost between 3 and 4 times what I had set aside to re-supply.

GA. I, for one, would and do spend more on something with quality made by a true craftsman. Well worth the extra $$$.

NSS,

The image you provided shows what appears to be a time clock motor. Mechanical time clock motors require sufficient torque to drive the time stamp mechanism. Are you sure your clock requires this?

When used "Weaker" motors, lifespan was greatly reduced.

If you use 50 hz. Since they are both 1 rpm it would be fine if they ran on the correct hz but if you run a 1 rpm 50 hz on 60 hz, which can be done, your clock will run fast. Just a reminder. A vfd would fix that but there goes the budget.

Or you could get a slower rpm 50 hz and run it on 60 hz.

Synchronous motors need the capacitor. That's apparently a glitch for you.

In any event, look at http://hurst-motors.com/lyg55geared.html

Some do, some don't, some use it to determine the rotation direction, others use a mechanical like ratchet thing that will allow it to spin one way, but not the other