RL02 Tracking (Aaron Jackson)

[Aaron Jackson]

>
> Aaron,
>
> One thing I would check is the motor bearings. What happens on electro
> mechanical assemblies left in store for years is that ball bearing
> grease lube dries out and hardens, resulting in lumpy rotation and
> increased friction that can be detected by rotating the spindle by
> hand. RLxx series drives were very reliable typically, but the head
> movement assy is pretty cheap and cheerful. Converting spindle to
> linear movement, minimum parts count, dc brush brush motor, means that
> all the bits need to be smooth in operation, with no stiction anywhere
> in it's travel.
>
> I would take the motor out and if it can't be stripped to clean the
> bearings, use a dab of light clock oil to relube. Also, check the
> brushes and clean / polish the commutator. Any other ball bearings
> in the path, same process. DC brush motors can be a nightmare for
> that sort of precision positioning application...
>
> Chris

Thanks Chris, I will look into trying to measure the wobble (if there is
any present) of the spindle. Might be a fun project to strip this down
anyway and see what's going on. Hopefully not too much more complicated
than a bicycle but we'll see...

Aaron



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