Electrical question

A lot of switches that look like that are DPDT (double pole double throw) with middle pair of pins being commons for the two poles. If it is DPDT, and if you do the measurements with the switch out of circuit, and if you label the pins A,B,C down one side and D,E,F down the other, I'd expect an A-B connection and a D-E connection with it toggled one way; no connections between any pins when the rocker is centered; and a B-C connection and an E-F connection with it toggled the other way.

What is the switch supposed to do in the application? If it's for reversing the motor, the circuit it's in might be wired as illustrated at the bottom of .

What problem does the motor have? Most likely the switch IS shot.

Six lugs on the switch, but only four wires? Hmmm

From your description, the switch _is_ shot. Things rust on boats...

I'd replace it with a regular old DPDT switch with the appropriate crossover jumpers for reversing, and see how long the new one lasted. A switch from Radio Shack may not last as long as the original; a good switch from Mouser or Newark may outlast the motor.

The reverse switch reverses the polarity. Motor connects to center connections, and the battery connects to two end terminals in one direction, cross jumpered to the other end.

snipped-for-privacy@snyder.on.ca wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Correct.

Probably incorrect. While this would work, the usual method of wiring such a switch is to connect the power source to the center terminals, and the motor to the end terminals, cross- jumpered as you describe.

switch is to

terminals, cross-

I Electricity doesn't really care which end of a switch goes where, so either would work. The examples I have to refer to are wired as I described

You need BOTH shunts installed before the "reverse" connection can work. clarification. supply on 2 centers. Motor on 2 on one end. 2 jumpers CROSSING between the 4 end terminals.

A-B-C D-E-F

Connect power to A and D or B and E Jumper A to F and D to C Connect motor A and D or B and E, whichever you did not connect power to.

That depends. First off -- how many positions are supposed to produce active output from the motor? One should be a stop, should it not, and the other two what -- Forward/Reverse? Slow/Fast?

Anyway -- there can be almost any combination of switch terminals, but the most common is like this:

Switch to left: A B C oo D E F

That is -- in the center position, there is no connection at all. And in the left and right positions -- the center two connections are connected to the two terminal on the same end.

When you measured continuity between the terminals shown as 'B' and 'E' in my drawings above, were all the wires disconnected from the switch? If the motor was connected to those, they would be showing as connected to each other with a simple continuity checker, and likely the resistance would be low enough so an ohmmeter would indicate continuity as well.

Anyway -- if I were setting it up for Forward/Stop/Reverse (with a switch such as I drew above), I would connect the motor to 'B' and 'E' and the battery Plus side) to 'A' and 'F', and minus side to 'C' and 'D'. This would give Forward with the switch thrown to one side, Stop in the middle, and Reverse with the switch thrown to the other. side

Or -- I would connect the battery to 'B' and 'E' and the motor to the others cross-connected as above. A little safer, as in the center position the outer terminals (the most likely to hit something else) are not powered when the switch is in the "Stop" position.

Is your "continuity tester" one of those Electric lamp in a housing with a battery, a clip lead coming out one end, and a probe out the other? If so, it should light when the clip lead and probe are connected together. If it doesn't, the battery is dead, and your supposed "continuity" could be the light being run through the dead internal battery by the battery which runs the motor. (And what is the state of charge of that battery?)

Much more meaningful information would be from an volt/ohm/ammeter -- a "multimeter" -- using the voltage ranges first to make sure that there is no voltage applied to the terminals, and after that, measuring the resistance between the terminals.

There could be a fuse between the motor's battery and the switch which is blown.

Why not start by giving us the make and model of the trolling motor, so perhaps we can look up the manual and hopefully see the switch configuration.

Good Luck, DoN.

Does this help?

snipped-for-privacy@snyder.on.ca wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

switch is to

cross-

Yes, of course -- however, the OP doesn't appear to have much idea of how to debug this on his own, and any description of how the switch "should be" wired that doesn't match what's in front of him will only add to his existing bewilderment.

"Steve B" wrote in news:jrje64$pii$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:

Like this:

a c e b d f

First, connect a to f, and b to e

Then do any one of the following:

1. battery to c & d, motor to a & b
2. battery to c & d, motor to e & f
3. motor to c & d, battery to a & b
4. motor to c & d, battery to e & f

If the motor runs forward when you select reverse, then reverse the motor leads, or the battery leads (for example, connect to b & a instead of a & b).

Cross-Jumpered is like this (view with a fixed pitch font like Courier to keep the image from being distorted):

(+)----------------------+ | A o B o C o--------------+ Battery here \______ / __|__ \ / / MOT \ _______/ \_____/ / \ | D o E o F o--------------+ | (-)----------------------+

Note that while '-' or '+' in parens is a battery polarity, elsewhere, '-' is use to make horizontal wires, and '+' is used when a wire turns a right angled corner.

The wires from 'A' to 'F' and from 'C' to 'D' are what was called "cross-jumpers" -- and were *not* things for you to add for testing. Note that the effect of this is for the motor to be connected one way between 'C' and 'F' and connected the other way between 'A' and 'D'. Add more wires to this and you are likely to either blow a fuse, or just accomplish nothing, if they are in parallel with existing wires.

Note also that the cross-jumpers *may* be built into the switch, but if so, I don't see a point to bringing out the last two terminals (two at one end or the other).

With power on this (from the battery) it could lead to a blow fuse, or to a melted wire, depending on whether there *is* a fuse somewhere in there.

It makes no sense to do this at all, unless I am misinterpreting what you are saying.

You say that it works with the motor on either end. That is how it should work -- except that there should be the cross-jumpers which I drew above. Whether added externally to the switch, or built into the switch remains to be determined.

Does the motor run in reverse with the switch in one position and forward in the other position -- while connected to only one end? If so -- then the cross jumpers are built in. If not, they are external to the switch.

Hmm ... I would trust the meter more -- and was thinking that you were using a test light in a previous reply.

So should fuses and wires. :-)

Good Luck, DoN.