Re: [SilverStreak] Electronic Jack

["WILLIAM SCHMID" <5150-n-flipper@xxxxxxx>]

Joan,

The first item to check would be power to the motor either with a test light
or a meter. Then check the ground return to the battery, preferably with a
meter set to the ohms setting at 1 ohm scale. There should be less than 10 ohm
resistance from the motor housing to the battery negative terminal.
Depending on the level of mechanical and electrical adeptness you or a friend
may have, the most likely cause of a D.C. motor to fail is from brushes
wearing out. These brushes are usually not too difficult to replace, finding a
replacement brush set may pose some problem. However, carbon brushes are soft
and easy to modify their size to fit. The brushes are located at on end of the
motor and spring loaded to push them against the commutator ring. This is how
the power from the battery gets to the windings of the motor to make it turn.
When the contact is broken due to the brushes wearing past their useable
length the power can no longer flow through the windings to create the
magnetism to turn the motor. Brushes are relatively cheap, usually $3-$4.
If you are not confident in performing these repairs look for a motor repair
shop in the yellow pages and ask about a repair. I'm sure it will beat the
cost of replacing the whole jack unit and you will still have that retro
jack!

Bill Scmid