Thread: Wiper motor prop dead. NEED HELP

Tweet

Well my zombie prop that uses a wiper motor and a converted ATX comp power supply has taken a crap. It turns if there is no load. But as soon as I put a load on the motor arm it stops. I turn it off and then on it work until it has a load again. Any ideas what part is bad.

It's really hard to be sure without seeing your setup. If simply turning it off and then back on seems to get it working again, then it appears you're tripping the built in breaker in your ATX power supply. If that's the case then it's possible the load on the motor is too great or your power supply could be faulty. Again, it's really hard to tell without having more details about your prop and maybe a couple pics.

It was working fine for a few days. I had to turn it off for a day for a different problem, but the motor was fine then. I fixed the other problem and then this happened. You can kind of see how the set up is in this video.

Did the motor quit or is the crank arm not turning? I have seen where the arm strips and the arm won't turn.

Looking at your video I don't believe the load is too great on the motor. It also looks like you're running 5 volts to the motor. It seems likely that the 5 volt rail in the power supply could be faulty, especially if it's a used power supply. I have several used power supplies where either the 12 volt rail or the 5 volt rail has gone bad. If possible, try using a different power supply.

I think it's the configuration of your power supply that caused the problem. Wiper motors are meant to run efficiently on 12v and they can pull ALOT of amps under load. As Ed said, it doesn't look like you have much of a load on your motor; but I do agree that 5v is inadequate.

I would use the 12v wire out of your ATX. If that makes the motor run too fast, then slow it down with this http://store.qkits.com/moreinfo.cfm/MX033 This is a nice little DC motor speed controller that will fit inside your ATX case. It will give your motor all the power it wants - meaning no loss of torque - at whatever speed you want it to run at.

I just took it apart and put the volt meter to it. The 5v bar is not putting out any amps. The 12v side is tho. But 12v would be too fast. I just ordered a 5v 5a ps from monster guts. Should i cancel the order and order the speed control instead? I just put the order in at monster guts and I am sure they are closed so I could get the order canceled. Will the other ps work? Here is the one I ordered. I could still use the 12v side of the ATX ps and the controller.

http://monsterguts.com/index.php?act...d&productId=91

Running a wiper motor on a 5v power supply is fine, but it will generate much less torque. The PWM speed controller will allow you to run the motor at a slower speed without sacrificing torque. As light as your prop appears, it should run well on the Monsterguts powersupply, but the ideal scenario is to use the speed controller.

Hmmmmm... what to do? I really want that prop going. I think I will try to cancel my order for the power supply and get the speed controller for my power supply. Thanks.

Why not go to Walmart and buy a DC adapter that you can select 3v to 12v. Thats what I'm using for my wiper motor. Select the voltage you want.