Starters,Sullivan/Hobbico

My Sullivan starter I've had for twelve years finally bit the dust when it fell off the starter table at the field.Messed up something inside. It was a great starter with a lot of torque. You didn't grab the hub when it was running.It'd twist your fingers. Went to the LHS and figured all starters were the same.Bought a Hobbico,the one with the red plastic on it. Took it home and tried it out and you could stop it very easily with two fingers.What the heck!! ZERO torque.It mite start a 15 size engine if you get it spinning and then cram it to the spinner on the prop.That's even doubtful. My old Sullivan could be put to the spinner,then turned on and it'd spin anything.... This is all with a charged battery.

What gives???? Is the Hobbico that weak or do I have a bad starter??? Thanx me

Reply to
TX_QBALL
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Hobbico products are probably the lowest of the low end. You probably got one of the real bad ones. They don't even come close to a Sullivan. I never pass one up at a swap meet. You can buy new end moldings for them as well as switches or make one up using a heavy duty push button switch. A Sullivan starter powered by two 7.2 volt 1800 mAh car packs is tough to beat.

-- Red S. Red's R/C Battery Clinic

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us out for "revolting" information.

Reply to
Red Scholefield

I'd guess bad starter or weak battery. My Hobbico (several years old) spins a Zenoah G-23 with ease. I use a 12v, 7aH battery. Dr.1 Driver "There's a Hun in the sun!"

Reply to
Dr1Driver

I've had exactly the same experience with Hobbico's. Very low torque and you can stop them in their tracks by hand with very little effort. Anything larger than a .25 and I have to get it spinning up and slam it up against the spinner. This is hooked up to a car battery! I just thought starters were this way. Maybe I should take a look at a Sullivan.

Reply to
Frank Costa

Not that I'm suspicious of US Marketing but it has been known that once a product has established a good reputation you can cost reduce it into oblivion before it starts to impact the bottom line. Once it does, you just introduce the old model as "new and improved" and start all over again. :-)

Red S.

Reply to
Red Scholefield

In the end though, the consumer always has choices, and must remain on his toes to what is good and bad, and then vote with his wallet. Either that or you turn to more regulation ::shudder::.

Reply to
Frank Costa

Hobbico makes 2 models........ the 90 and the 180. Everyone touting a Hobbico needs to say which model.

I got a used Sullivan that I thought would be better than my 30 year old Penford Autostart, which was a Ford w>My Sullivan starter I've had for twelve years finally bit the dust when

Reply to
David AMA40795 / KC5UH

When I bought mine, Hobbico had only one model.

Reply to
Paul McIntosh

I got the larger Hobbico a few years ago. It was a dud until I milled a 1/4" X 3" copper flywheel for the shaft. It has so much oomph now that an engine hydro-locked the other day and it turned the table upside down before I could release the switch. : )

Seriously, the flywheel has worked great. I do make sure there is no excess fuel though. It would bend a con-rod in an instant.

BTW I dropped mine off the table the other day too. It made a horrible grinding noise when I tested it. I took it apart and found that one of the shaft's end spring washer had broken and the field magnet had sucked the pieces between the armature and the frame. A four cent washer had it back in service. If you still have yours it might be worth a try.

Tom

Reply to
Tom Johnson

The problem with mine is that I took the rubber guard off the two thin plates that cause it to start with touched together. You touch these together and nothing is happening (charged battery). Something is not making contact somewhere..Got any ideas???? Thanx

Reply to
TX_QBALL
  1. Try jumping the contacts with a piece of heavy wire. If it works you can try cleaning the contacts of the switch with fine emery or 600 grit wet or dry paper. If not look for a broken wire somewhere. Use an Ohm meter to check for continuity. How about the soldered joints? If the wire is not broken at the solder tab, check for frayed ends inside the insulation, a ways back from the solder joint.

  1. How do the brushes look, did one dislodge when it was dropped? Are both making contact with the armature? Are they worn down?

  2. Graphite from the brushes can build up between the contacts on the armature, and short the current to the windings. How do the grooves looks on the commutator?

These motors are pretty simple. If you give it juice it will do one of three things: A. Rotate, B. Nothing, C. Smoke. Nothing indicates an open somewhere. Smoke indicates a short somewhere, or too much current due to over voltage or an impediment to rotation.

Tom

Reply to
Tom Johnson

I have a Hobbico "180" which has been reliable and easily starts an OS

1.08 For a Saito 1.50 my Sullivan Dyna-tron is better. Kavan makes a high torque-low rpm which I prefer for my OS 1.20 because it is easier to keep on the spinner--hold it with one hand. Regardless of which model Hobbico starter you have, I think you are describing a bad starter/bad wiring someplace.
Reply to
John R. Agnew

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