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Cleaning Commutator
John asks readers:
“What is the best way to clean the commutator and what is the part that bridges the commutator. Thanks.”
SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION
There’s a YouTube channel – oobill – which features model locomotive servicing. He tends to use a pin to carefully clear dirt from the gaps in the commutator and T-Cut car paint restorer (which is slightly abrasive) to clean the commutator surface. Alternatively, a fibreglass pen works quite well.
Do have a look at a few of oobill’s videos, though. He regularly posts videos, normally about 20 mins long, covering servicing of all of the major British brands. Even if you’re not in the UK, it should be useful in getting to understand how everything works and where the weak points are.
To get the gaps cleaned between the segments I use a toothpick first then I use a spray contact cleaner and a clean rag. The bridging bits are the carbon brushes.
I see some older DC Motors have three small capacitors soldered to them. What are they for?
These components are are to suppress RFI (Radio Frequency Interference).
There will usually be one or two capacitors and an inductor.
I usually use the point of a blunt scalpel or snapoff blade to clean the gaps and a fibreglass pen to polish the plates.
Use something softer than copper to clean a copper commutator.
A wooden toothpick or similar is best. Avoid using steel tools on the copper commutator, because they can scratch and deform it, causing the brushes to wear out faster.