Re: Really OT! Message #8 Posted by Mike Morrow on 19 May 2012, 3:12 p.m., in response to message #6 by aurelio
It will almost certainly work again, at least for a short while, if the brushes are in good condition. You can check brushes by unscrewing the brush caps and withdrawing the brush/spring assembly, at which time you can check for adequate brush length. Do this one cap at a time, because you don't want to get the wrong brushes, even the one for the opposite polarity, mixed up. It's even recommended to avoid rotating the brush in the holder when replacing it.
You also will want to put a little lubricating oil at the bearing assemblies on the armature (rotor) ends before test starting. Of course, the voltages generated by this device are potentially lethal, so be careful after start-up!
If you were going to run this machine for any significant time, the end bearings would need clean-out of old lubricant and repacking with new light grease. There are some suggestions in the article associated with the "dynamotor" link in my first reply above.
It would probably be best to operate your unit for only a short demonstration, all things considered, unless you will be doing a comprehensive proper cleaning and bearing repack. It will have a rather heavy start-up surge until it comes up to speed.
I don't recognize your unit as one used in US service, yet it appears military due to the Fungacide treatment note, common on WWII military gear destined for use in the Pacific theater. Are there any markings on the box? As you stated, it has obviously one low voltage input winding/commutator/brush set, and two high voltage output windings/commutators/brush sets.
Enjoy! I love the old vacuum tube electronics. It's amazing what was accomplished in equipment that used very few active devices. Maybe I can find a 1950s Cold War S.A.G.E. computer some day! :-)
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