Double A or Triple A, they are all 1.5 volts. Voltage is how this motor maintains it's speed. You say it is designed for 3 volts, but you have already divided that in half by jumpering out one battery? Reducing the voltage further will slow the motor but will also burn it out. I have no specs on this motor in front of me, so I must work strictly on electric principles.
The motor makes a constant use of power. Power, in Watts= Volts X Amps. As voltage goes down, current goes up to maintain the same wattage. Eventually, the current becomes so high that the windings of the motor overheat and toast it. Yes, you can put a resistor in series with the battery. Clip it into that jumper wire you used to replace the one AA cell. If the second battery added voltage while completing the circuit, the jumper wire was neutral in doing so and the resistor will subtract voltage in the same position. Calculating the resistor: I=E/R where I is current in amps, E is voltage in volts and R is the value of the resistor in ohms. Finding for R, restate as R=E/I. Voltage (E) is 1.5. Current is really unknown, so we are guessing. At 1 amp, R=1.5 ohms; at 2 amps, R=.75 ohms; at 3 amps, R=.5 ohms and at 4 amps, R=.375 ohms. Figuring a heaviest current draw at 4 amps, power would max out at 6 Watts. That's really an unlikely high for a single flashlight battery circuit. 5W is more than enough. So, why not buy (Radio Shack) a 5 Watt variable resistor that varies anywhere from 0 to say 2 ohms. Then you can tweak the voltage to the speed you like. Switch over to a D cell and get a lot more running time. And occasionally sniff that motor for signs of burnout. Chris Zizzo ----- Original Message ----- From: "Charlie&Edith" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "ChrisZizzo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2003 1:13 AM Subject: Merry Go Round > Chris, > Trying to motorize the Ertl County Fair ... Ferris Wheel and Merry Go Round > so they will rotate. Have taken the motor and gearing from a battery > operated car. The car wheel will provide a friction contact to move the > above. This part of the plan works. The problem stems from the speed of > the motor. The FW and MGR are rotating way to fast...almost a blur. The > hand control houses two AA batteries and is connected to the car by a two > wire cable. The control has a forward,off and reverse switch. I removed one > battery and bridged the battery space with a wire. This produced a > noticeable reduction is speed but it is still moving quite fast. If I could > halve this speed it would be just about right or find an adjustable > "switch"? Radio Shack offered a AAA battery as a solution but it has the > same voltage as the AA and produces about the same number of revolutions - > trying to count tape on the wheel as it passes. The motor measures a > resistance of 3 ohms. My thinking was to add a resistor to the space in the > battery case but have no idea of what size this should be. The motor and > gearing is a compact unit that could be easily built into a small house for > concealment. Adjusting current flow seemed to be a less complicated task > then trying to build a new gear structure. My hope was that someone on the > "list" had attempted this and would have a ready solution. My choice of > poetry over prose was an attempt to attract that person? I hope this > provides more helpful information. If more is needed, please let me know. > Thanks for your thoughts! > Best, > Charlie > S-Trains list sponsor: http://www.americanflyertrains.com All the Flyer you desire...books and accessories too! To UNSUBSCRIBE from this list send a note to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
