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[dodgy geezer]

I've just had a bit of a breakthrough with suppressing a Taycol that might interest other users of this motor....

After a disassembly and clean, I found one of my Taycols running roughly, and sparking a lot. This was in spite of my paying particular attention to the brushes and commutator, cleaning them both with meths. There was also a huge increase in RF interference.

Eventually I disassembled it again and looked at the commutator surface, which was pitted badly. The Taycol brushes are copper, and the commutator is brass. The sparks between the two were welding the two surfaces together. Then I recalled the operating instructions for the motor, which advise oiling the brushes at 15 min intervals. I did this, and the motor returned to its normal self....

Oil should usually be kept well clear of brushgear, especially carbon brushes, which will be clogged up in no time. But metal-to-metal brushes have a very low contact resistance, and can cope with a thin film of oil. In fact, the oil film seems to quench the incipient sparks, and limit the RF interference. Hence the operating instructions...

Taycols are famous for ruining radio reception. I wonder how much this is due to operators keeping the brushgear clean, as they should for most motors, rather than obeying the Taycol instructions and giving the brushgear a lavish squirt of oil?
 

[Colin Bishop]

Authentic too, half an inch of water in the bilge splashing around plus an adapted steam plant lubricator oiling the brushes and adding to the mixture. Then all you need is a servo operating the miniature bus bar type switch with sparks everywhere to put the thing into reverse. And that smell of static lekky too. Ah, the good old days....

Colin

[chas]

Perfect timing DG, I spent last night installing a Taycol meteor in an old boat and the interference was a nightmare. I was going to dig out some caps and a choke but I'll try this first. I seem to remember I used to earth the motor to the shaft as well and that did improve things.
 Chas

[dodgy geezer]

.... the interference was a nightmare. I was going to dig out some caps and a choke but I'll try this first....

I'm not suggesting that oiling the brushes is a complete alternative solution! I think you should at least put the caps on as well. But this was an old Supermarine (copper to brass) with caps, which had worked fine before I cleaned the brushes. The Meteor is copper-to-copper, of course.

I was just surprised at how much a film of oil improved the performance, when it is normal to keep the brushgear of an electric motor completely oil-free. It will only have any effect, of course, if your Meteor's brushes are completely dry to start off with. I'm pretty sure that the heavy-duty interference techniques like chokes, ferrite beads and earthing to the shaft are going to be much more effective at addressing any problem, but I'd be interested to hear what the result is....

[kiwimodeller]

It does not need large quantities of oil or a heavy oil. I usually use a sewing machine oil ( 3 in 1) and apply a little each time I bring the boat in off the water. Chas I suggest you have a read of Dodgeys website dedicated to Taycols, it has a fair bit about suppression and you need every trick in the book to make them work with modern radio. The latest thing I have discovered is that the Double Special in my Sea Queen runs smoother with a separate Receiver battery pack rather than using the BEC. No idea why as I have a very large 12volt 7ah SLA battery in the boat but the separate supply to the Rx seems to help. Cheers, Ian

[malcolmfrary]

If the motor has had a lot of use, DG's comments about cleaning the brushes and comm segments are important.  Having the comm surface smooth is vital, any bumps created by the "welding" process must be removed.  Generally minor depressions can look after themselves until the comm needs re-turning, at which time the motor has probably become a display piece.
Light oil, very sparingly applied, and only on metal to metal.  Too much could upset the insulation.

[dodgy geezer]

Hi, KiwiM..

It does not need large quantities of oil or a heavy oil....

What a shame! I was hoping to have a little steam-driven pump distributing oil to the bearings and brushes, all held together with compression joints and rags, a la African Queen.... 

Incidentally, I have been wondering why the early Taycols without a reversing field coil still had the main field coil wound in two parts. It seemed to be pointless extra work. I wonder if the reason was that the motors could then be provided with a 'Half Speed' and 'Full Speed' setting? I have seen no indication in Taycol documentation that this was intended, but it is an obvious possibility...

I usually use a sewing machine oil ( 3 in 1) and apply a little each time I bring the boat in off the water...

Aha - thus speaks the experienced Taycol operator. I get little chance to run one in anger, so I was quite surprised over something you obviously have been well aware of from the year dot...

The latest thing I have discovered is that the Double Special in my Sea Queen runs smoother with a separate Receiver battery pack rather than using the BEC. No idea why...

Um... it might be interference coming up the motor leads and into the receiver via the ESC BEC circuitry. An interfered-with receiver might then make the ESC jittery...   You have a very good method of avoiding it - I will update the Taycol site accordingly...