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[Towertalk] Tailtwister won't turn.

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Subject: [Towertalk] Tailtwister won't turn.
From: aa4lr@arrl.net (Bill Coleman)
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2002 18:46:05 -0400
On 8/5/02 11:49 AM, Dale L Martin at kg5u@hal-pc.org wrote:

>I heard/read/dreamed/made up somewhere that, in the absence of a replacement
>motor starting capacitor, a TEMPORARY motor starting capacitor substitution
>(for testing purposes only) can be made by putting two electrolytic
>capacitors of about 250Ufd/100VDC back to back (plus-neg-neg-plus?
>neg-plus-plus-neg?) to see if it is indeed the motor starting capacitor that
>is the problem.
>
>Does that actually work?

Yes! When I was diagnosing my Ham-M a year ago, I did exactly this. I 
found two 250 uF 50 Volt caps and connected them back-to-back. Hooking 
them up to the rotator, and the worked.

However, these small caps got really HOT after just a couple of minutes 
of turning. I don't think they are a good replacement for a proper 
non-polarized cap. They aren't designed for the currents required.



Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr@arrl.net
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
            -- Wilbur Wright, 1901


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