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 Posted - November 21 2010 : 07:17:36 AM
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Ok, I got up early before the sun ( and wife ), made coffee, then got down to the biz of seeing if Aurora slot car parts will fix a PT motor. I gathered up the two sets of parts, got to my PC, and proceeded to document the characteristics of both brushes and springs. Take a look at the two sets side by side, and see why I was excited last night -
/tyco/forum/uploaded/amc_gremlin_gt/20101121065714_PT_Slot_comparison.jpg
If you're any good at eyeballin', you can tell that the two parts are similiar ( and tiny ).  Some of you may not be able to tell the difference. So, I broke out my Micrometer, and here's the readings I got from it.
- PT brush diameter - 0.117 inch
- PT Brush well opening - 0.126 inch
- brush spring wire diameter - 0.006 inch
Now, compare that to the Slot car parts -
- Aurora brush diameter - 0.117 inch
- Aurora chassis brush well opening - 0.125 inches
- Aurora pick-up spring diameter - 0.008 inch
So, for the brush and opening, they're essentially identical ( and therefore usable size-wise ). The spring shown for the Aurora is for the pick-up shoe, not the brushes. So it's going to be stiffer. Not sure how this will affect operation, but I will try it to see if it makes the motor too sluggish from extra tension.
If you noticed that piece of slotted cardboard off to the side in the picture, that is what I used to hold the springs and brushes in the side plate, then put the two halves together and slide it out. It's special , called Dielectric cardboard, used in power supplies as an insulater between the circuitry and the metal chassis. It's thin, but VERY stiff, which makes it perfect for use as a remounting tool. It doesn't like to flex, so it's not flimsy and won't let the parts move around much underneath.
So, that's my morning's findings, I think the Aurora parts will work ok, just not sure about the spring tension. Here's a website with the parts, the brushes are $1.75 a pair.
http://www.modelmho.com/access.html
Maybe this will help get more PT's back on track ... 
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - November 22 2010 : 05:29:05 AM
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< Reposted from Chattanooga and Golden Eagle thread by Submitter>
In case you didn't read the other post, I'm posting here as well. - Jerry -
It's ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE ! I have successfully merged A/FX slot car brushes and pick-up springs to the PT motor, and it hums along nicely! No stumbling, just a steady buzz. One thing I've noticed however is that if you tighten the brush plate down solid, the motor tends to squall, I pushed on the armature shaft and it'd start running smooth until I removed power, then it'd squall again. Backing off the screws 1/4 turn was enough to get the motor to run nice and quiet with the new hardware installed. I boneheadedly first installed the brushes and the springs reversed, it ran, but was cranky. Had a moment there! Took it back apart, and put the springs in FIRST this time, and then the tapered brushes. Works fine, the stiffer spring doesn't seem to have much effect on the power band, I don't think. Wasn't bogging down, other than the over-tight brush plate.
So...guys...looks like the old Aurora A/FX style brushes and pick-up springs will work as an acceptable substitute for the original Tyco PT parts. And with the brushes tapered, there's less friction, hence there should be more power, albeit slight. Although in "scale" HP gain, it might be 10 to 100 HP. But I think this experiment is a success. I finished up my chores for this Sunday a little while ago, getting ready to head out of town EARLY 'morn, but I managed to fit in this upgrade to a former non-working, caked-up, dirty PT and turn it into a humming motor again. Woo-hoo! Only took about 30 minutes of my time to finish tearing it down, cleaning it up, and adding the new parts. I don't have any axles in this chassis yet, will have to tear apart another old unit to get those, but the main motivator is movin' again. That's a huge plus for us all, I think. Call it good,and I may have to order some of those Aurora AFX parts soon. I'll see how many original slot car brushes I have I can find first, I may find more, but for now, I'm happy that this experiment turned out successful. So, does this make the motor a PT/X ? If I add those neodymium magnets,maybe this PT can outrun an Athearn Hustler....
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - November 23 2010 : 5:57:33 PM
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Jerry, that's some great news. Its time to turn some dummy engines into working horses.
-Matthew-
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Posted - December 04 2010 : 6:50:59 PM
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Just opened up a new Ebay purchase , 3 pairs of original T-jet slot car brushes. I bought these to see if they will work in a PT motor. The diameter is fine, the height is slightly less than the stock Tyco brushes, perhaps only 3/4 as high, but that's OK. Will affect longevity, but not useage. So judging by the physical appearances, any T-jet type brush should work in the Tyco Power Torque motors just fine. Just thought I'd give an update on replacement brushes that should work. The previous brushes I used were vintage Aurora, which are pre-T-jet pieces, but basically the same, a bit taller like the PT brushes. So another source to look for. There are some brushes now on Ebay in lots of 10 to 40 up for sale, for about $1 each. Search on Aurora and Brushes and you should find them.
Jerry
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Posted - December 05 2010 : 11:18:29 PM
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Scouted Ebay tonight, and found more T-jet / Model Motoring brushes for sale, from .50 cents to $1 each. These are new repro's, not vintage. Just a heads-up if you're thinking about reviving an old Tyco PT engine.
Jerry
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Posted - December 06 2010 : 07:10:31 AM
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| cool & you knows I still have that Aurora slot car set I found in dumpster
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Posted - December 06 2010 : 07:31:01 AM
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quote:cool & you knows I still have that Aurora slot car set I found in dumpster
Originally posted by microbusss - December 06 2010 : 07:10:31 AM
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Ever powered up the cars to see if they still work?
Jerry
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Posted - December 06 2010 : 08:37:25 AM
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nopes But sold one car off & he said it worked
Edited by - microbusss on December 06 2010 08:38:16 AM
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