50 Collectable Model Trains: Maintenance Tips: How do those vibrator motors work?
Description
This article is from the Model Trains FAQ, by Christopher D Coleman with numerous contributions by others.
50 Collectable Model Trains: Maintenance Tips: How do those vibrator motors work?
There are two types of vibrator motors. The first is used on rotating
accessories like the 494 Beacon, spotlight cars, and rotating radar
antenna. These use a method similar to that in the corral cars. A coil
with an iron core is supplied with AC so it vibrates 60 times a
second. A rubber ring with angled fingers sets on the coil and with
each vibration the fingers loose contact with the surface for an
instant and when contact is made again the fingers push in the
direction of their lean. Doing this 60 times a second causes a
(nearly) smooth motion. For the fingers to grip these motors they
should never be lubricated.
The second type is used in the culvert loader and unloader and in the
aquarium car and animated gondola. It uses a coil near a flexible
steel strip. Similarly it pulls and pushes the strip 60 times a
second. Connected to the strip is a nylon cable wrapped around a
pulley. As the strip moves toward the pulley no force is exerted. When
it is moving away the cord pulls slightly on the pulley. The result is
smooth motion (noisy though). The pulley surface should not be
lubricated but its bearings and gears may, depending on the material
from which they are made.
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