new guy to this group. question about motors

[richwyre]

Does anyone know where I can get lima "boogies" (I think that's what there are called)? I have a couple loco and they have broke parts and was thinking about combining to repair. Better to repair or to trash? Thanks! Richard richwyre

[dl85vette]

Another important note is that the frequency is different in rest of world and you can hurt the stuff. Usually in most parts it is 50 Hertz. So there is 110/120 V in Europe, but it is at 50 Hz so your N American electronics isn't gonna like it. Plus your plug pattern is different. In some places the 110 plug looks similar to your N. American 220 dryer plug, only not as big. I had an elctric razor with me while in Italy years ago and I can select 110/220 on it but it got pretty damn hot as it didn't like the 50 Hz cycle. Got me a razor that I don't have to select correct voltage, just have to use a plug conversion kit to go from USA/CDN 2 prong to a 4 wiggly prong with square pin pattern or whatever the applicable country has. dave

[dl85vette]

Oh yea, on the topic of cycles, that's why AC is so dangerous, the 60 Hz cycle makes your muscle contract or whatever, so you lose control and can't let go. The killer is current though. I forget what it is, anything over 100 or 200 milliAmp is dangrous. Also if you grasp something with two hands as the electricity will travel thru one arm and thru the heart before passing out the exit point. OR thru left arm to leg,etc.. One reason why I don't do my own elctrical work on houses or garages. I called in an electrician to kill power to my old garage. Anyhoo if your RR has this kind of power there is something wrong. It's not 'live steam' it's 'live wire' dave Good juice on a telephone wire too . hard to believe when you see the size of that wire going to your phone.

[untabubba]

Dave, You know the old saw? There are bad old plumbers, bad old carpenters, but damn few bad old electricians! That's why I also call a "pro" when I need electrical work! Marc 😉

[ginzokid]

Dave, This reminds me of the devious ways we used to "shock" guys in the motor pool in Nam. Just for fun, we had one of our knowing fiends grab the end of a com wire (telephone) and another one grab another wire. These were hooked up to a crank "field telephone". You had to turn the crank on the phone to get a signal and electrical energy, guess it was really a generator of some sort, to make the phone ring on the other end. Anyway.....no phone. Just two bare wires with guys holding them, preferably by tightly gripped metal pliers. The fun was to have an unsuspecting soul come between these two conspirators and be grasped by the shoulders while a third nasty conspirator was cranking as hard as he could on the field coil. SHOCKING! It is interesting to note that the guys holding the wires never felt the shock. Very funny when under the influence of MaryJane.......;) PS: Who said we went to Nam to fight a war.....

[trains-n-scale]

For all of the reasons that Dave has already noted, European power packs contain transformers with specifications that meet the requirements of specific regions of the world. The same holds true for computer, audio, and video component power supplies, which frequently incorporate built-in filters in order to limit the emission of audible or visible static from the output source. European electrical standards for residual field emissions are much higher than those in North America. Neville Wilson Southwest FL

[montanabud0]

When dealing with 110 Volt items, I was told by an electrician many years ago - "Keep One Hand in your Pocket!" That way you will not affect your heart by connecting using both hands. If you do,the current will pass in one arm, then through your heart and out the other arm. Usually with fatal results!! Be careful folks, I'd hate to have us lose a member!!! Bud.

[dl85vette]

Had a few shockers during my electronics training when i first got in the military. Shorted out on a resistor, I took the meter and it was around 300 or 400 volts DC. what's funny is those disposable cameras. they have a AA battery which ya know is 1.5 volts, you hold a button to charge up the flash. well we measured the cahrgin capacitor and it was over 400 volts. pretty neat coming off a 1.5 battery. the fun part was zapping a guy in front of me in the class room with the camera (with its cover off) What was even funnier was him turning around and reaching with both hands, grabbing the camera outta my hand only to completely dishcharge the capacotor and get shcoked again, and that time around having the reaction make you toss the camera across the room cuase you're zapped so bad. never work on your TV. the flyback transformer for the tube holds over 5000 volts. it'll throw ya across the room. Alsways hated using a shorting rod to discharge the capacitor bank on a radar. :O who'd thought electronics could be so fun

[70novahound]

Jolts as low as 60 milliampere straight through the heart can and often times are fatal. And if you "Keep One Hand in your Pocket", you can roast a weenie and change a light bulb at the s... CJ]:)

[untabubba]

I got blown across the driveway once while working on my '66 GTO's ignition......SHOCKING!!!!!! (Does that count? Can I play too?) Actually, I have a little hand-crank generator in my classroom, like the one in Pete's field phone, I guess. When I talk about electricity I have the kids get up and form a big circle. They all hold hands and the two kids closest to me each hold a terminal. I start cranking very slowly and build up speed until someone (usually a girl - sorry Dot) "chickens out" and breaks the circuit. It's great fun! On ocassion, I had "Macho-Man" contests to see which kid, almost ALWAYS a boy, can "take the most". I was strongly advised against doing that and haven't done it in years. (Shall we say, "pre-lawyer" days? ]:)) Marc