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Need Help Rebuilding Hamm's Beer Rippler Motor

Sir Clark . . . . . . .r . . . .


Seems like I now remember seeing these, from starting back in the 1940's-50's-60's and maybe lastly, possibly on up into the '70's ?.
THE VISUAL EFFECT:
Was being in accordance as to HOW MUCH of an animated area was needed to be created:
For a small area they had a larger single horizontally rotating drum, or for a larger animated area, they had a horizontal sheet of plastic, being continuously rotated between a top and bottom drum.This motor provided the drum turning action.
On this clear plastic film, that was either used ALL AROUND a single drum, or between the two drums, there was being the subtle wave pattern lithographed upon the clear plastic sheet. That pattern used multiple shades of blues with tinges / traces of silver and white thrown in.That horizontal pattern was taking a very slight slope downwards from being at a true horizontal level from left to right.
There was a second sheet that was STATIONARY and was mounted such that it almost touched the mobile sheet just mentioned, except that sheets pattern had a slight slope upwards from being horizontal.
THEN, when you power up the rotating portion, the viewed intermixing of the two patterns will create a subtle rippling and animated wave effect. Seems like its internal lighting was being a small, adequately long, strip flourescent tube .

Now . . . . . in referencing to your olde tyme video:

One can definitely see the eccentric action of the motor rotor magnet, and, do duly NOTE, that is ALSO being true of the very central brass portion that is right up near the center shaft, that the rotor spins upon.
But I will bet that the brass collars internal hole fits snugly into that central shaft with no slop from long time use frictional wearout.
Also, it is thereby just being a gamble on the rotor even starting rotation on initial power up, with just a pole piece growl coming from it, and that immobility, when the rotor ends up being at certain motor rotor / to / pole piece combinations...

INTERJECTION:

Remember mentioning the possibility of this type of motor starting up backwards ? That's being a definite impossible PROBLEM on a clock.
But, in your situation, merely a transition of the subtle wave /ripple effect to the other direction . . . so no problem.
Your problem is just that of getting the motor to start and run on an initial power application.

I will toss in one involved different testing / evaluation being seen, and that is gravity, aren't you NOW evaluating that motor with it being 90 degrees in error from its normal operational mounting position on the unit ?
Which I don't think will be the solution, but there is the probability of gravitational effect on the heavy side on the rotor, in coasting to its heavier side down . . . final resting position, which might end up in a resultant and favorable specific rotor pole sector / to stator pole piece set that is more favorable to start up on initial power up.

PRESENT SITUATION:

I noticed that of all of your start ups that there was no pronounced favoring of starts offs in CW or CCW direction
as I was being able to ascertain by your marked on white reference dots.

Now, lets consider that eccentric motor rotor magnet on the unit, and that ONE point on it, that is extended out the very greatest distance from the center shaft that the whole multi poled rotor magnet that it rotates upon.
If that portion ends up to be resting across from a stator pole that is positioned closer to it, than others would be, it seems logical for that magnetic imbalance, as referenced to the other pole pieces attractions of the unit, would leave that pair so attracted to each other, that the unit would just growl. With no spin action, due to the magnetic imbalance.
Go back to my prior suggestion, and this time identify and make a reference MARK at that point on the rotors periphery which extends out the very MOST . . . . . in its eccentric pattern.
( Hold a pencil and brace it solid and gradually move it in micro moves, ever closer to the rim of the rotor. Then you spin the rotor by hand and start detecting those intermittent pencil lead touches. Those touch points are your reference to transfer up to the top of the rotor and mark up there..
Then you use that marked rotor point to sequentially move around to each stator pole, one at a time, to see which one of the nine is being the very closest to that rotors reference of extreme eccentricity. Mark that very closest stator units tip with a black magic marker.
Do the same test with the positioning of the rotor again , but this time see which stator unit tip ends up being the fartherest away from that extreme eccentricity point on the motor rotor magnet.
Then, if you find that as that rotor is moved around to each stator piece that there are variances, initially adjust the closer pole pieces to that rotors extreme eccentricity point, so that they are spaced out so as to be the same spacing as the second tests most distant stator was found to be at.
Hopefully that should help to partially balance out the stator pole pieces to the rotor at its extreme eccentricity, so that a rotor spin action would be produced, instead of just an initial and immobile strong attraction between two . . . too close . . . magnetic fields, producing a close magnetic attraction and a resultant .HUMMMMM. . . . but no movee-movee.

DUM-DUM FINAL SYNOPSIS . . . .

If the extreme outwardly eccentric point of the 9 pole radial motor magnet comes to rest at a stator pole piece that is set in closer than the others, it is less likely to create a starting spin, but instead, to just sit there and attract towards it and hummmm instead..

What 'chu thank ?

73's de Edd

.

Hi again all,

73's de Edd, thanks for all the help on the information on this post. I tried to test the rotor on the way you suggested but I couldn't do an accurate measurement on this because I would have had to assemble the case back onto the motor to keep the rotor at it's regulated center position to make the measurements. But...

After playing around with it and trying to test it the motor now seems to be working again. I assembled the motor casing together using undersized screws from a set of glasses (I couldn't find screws or rivets small enough in the area I live in) and glued them in place along with spots on the case using JB Weld epoxy. It has held up great. I am at the point of if the motor stops working I am going to replace it.

I now have assembled the sign innards. It lights up and scrolls great. I am currently working on the final stage of mounting the plexiglass facing in the sign. I have some work to do on that but it looks like it all will be together soon.

When I get it running I will take a movie of it and post a link on here to it to show you all what the final results are.

Again thanks,
Clark
 

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