ELECTRICAL PARTS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 188, 1 April 1932, Page 7

ELECTRICAL PARTS

CARE OF COMMUTATOR, DYNAMO ANiD STARTER. * DELICATE EQUIPMENT. The motorist who does not under-, stand electrical apparatus will, no doubt, be relieved to learn that there are few parts in the equipment of a car to give trouble. A few faets about the starting and lighting set may he helpful iri the care of these components. . Starters and dynamos are similar in construction* and are essentially simple pnits. They have only one rotating part, and nothing that could strictly be called mechanism, no moving levers, gears or cams. The dynamo armature runs on ball bearings, which only require infrequent lubrication. The dynamo ' cominutator shpuld be cleaned say, once in .6000 miles, hy detaching the eircular protection hand at ona end of the dynamo and pressing a piece of spft rag on the commutator while the dynamo is* running slowly, the engine heiug throttled down to idling speed. The cleaning removes any carbon dust which may tend to lodge- hetween. the commutator segments. : The novice should not try altering or experimenting with the brush gear. • He will probably learn as he gains experience that there is a control brush which is adjustable, so as to regulate the output of current, hut it must he kept in, mind that this adjustment is originally fixed hy the manufacturers. The Dynamo. The general condition of the dynamo so far as generating its full output is concerned, can be gauged from the ammeter readings. The system of controlling the output ensures that it will not increase when a certain speed of the car is attained; that is usually 25-30 miles an hour. Beyond this speed the ammeter-charge reading will remain steady, or it may even go back to a small extent. Any falling off of dynamo output will mean that a discharge is- heing taken from the hattery, whereas there should be a small reading on the "charge" side of the ammeter when all lights are in use. As regards the starter, the brushes and commutatou of this component of the car undergo very little wear, owing to the very short periods of intermittent running. The circular prptection band is usually easily detachable, and the commutator. can he cleaned in the same way as that of the dynamo when it requires it.