1. Home
  2. Electronics Repair
  3. Toy 12V motor replacement source???

Toy 12V motor replacement source???

I got a really good deal (FREE) on a Mattel ride on Caterpillar dump truck for my son at a garage sale. It had no markings or battery, so I popped in a 12V motorcycle battery. When I switched it on, I heard two pops from the back of the vehicle. I think that I burned out both motors. So now I'm looking for replacements.

Since my quest began, I've learned that this toy takes a 6V battery to drive both motors. I guess this explains the "pop" sound and confirms my theory of the motors being blown.

The local repair shop wants $20 each and $100 to install them, which is way more than the toy is worth--new. Does anyone know how I can buy these myself? The shop wouldn't tell me anything.

Thanks for all the help.

Mark

Reply to
witczak
Loading thread data ...

It's not uncommon for major parts such as these to cost more than the total. And even if you could find the maker - if not the toy one - they too might charge as much unless you order several thousand...

It's possible they have thermal fuses mounted internally on the windings. May be possible to change these. But it's a long shot.

--
*A journey of a thousand sites begins with a single click *

    Dave Plowman        dave@davenoise.co.uk           London SW
                  To e-mail, change noise into sound.
Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Those things usually run on 12 volts.. Did you try taking the motors out and powering them directly from the battery to be sure something else isn't dead?

Mike

Reply to
Michael Kennedy

Usually a DC motor will run just fine on 2X the rated voltage for at least a while, are there any fuses? I suggest checking for voltage at the motors and working backwards. If they are in fact bad, remove one and look at the size, you should be able to find a surplus motor that can be made to fit. Electric motors from micro miniature to massive multi-hundred horsepower industrial motors tend to come in standard frame sizes and mounting configurations so it's usually not too hard to sub one.

Reply to
James Sweet

Look on the local curbs on garbage day. These "power wheels" type toys are usually thrown away when the battery will no longer hold a charge or the children grow too large for them. They probably all use similar motors, drivetrains, and everything else.

Reply to
Jumpster Jiver

There are a good number that run on 6V, especially the smaller ones.

I took the 6V, 4.5 AH battery out of my son's, and put in a 12AH battery. Not only do I get longer run time, the extra weight over the rear axle gives better traction. :-)

steve

Reply to
Steve Wolfe

Check the fuse. There's always a *small* chance that it popped before the motor did!

steve

Reply to
Steve Wolfe

Well either way it shouldn't have killed the motors instantly.

Reply to
Michael Kennedy

The motors are probably still OK, more likely it's some of the control electronics that is fried. As one of the other posters suggested, try testing the motors directly on the battery, with the control electronics disconnected.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Jones

It's a really simple setup (no electronics beyond switches) in this toy, I don't see any fuses in the wiring. Also, I tried to connect the motor directly to the 12V battery with no result.

I've searched the web for DC motors and it's been really difficult finding any supplier that understands the product. Either I get a hobby shop that doesn't know what it's selling or they're manufacturers of industrial stepper motors with no desire to talk to me.

So once again, can anyone point me to a retailer of DC motors for 6-12V applications. Or a vendor that is not afraid to tell me what model/manufacturer is used for the replacement motors.

Thanks, Mark

Chris J>

Reply to
Mark Witczak

You need to provide us with the frame size, they tend to be fairly standard. Measure the diameter of the motor, and if you can, the diameter and length of the shaft. We've already posted links to various places that sell motors, but without more specific info, you won't get much specific help. Most of these sort of motors used to be made by Mabuchi, I suspect most are Chinese now though.

Reply to
James Sweet

ElectronDepot website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.