Suppressors

[Tim123]

I'm in the process of converting some 1990s locos from DCC back to DCC - I've sold them to someone who wants the locos to be in factory condition, so the suppressors are being soldered back in.  Some of the suppressors are just the component, though some have black "spacers". Are they just to keep the leads apart, or do they perform any electrical function? I've not been able to find anything like them on Rapid / Farnell etc

[Crosland]

If plastic it's just a spacer, otherwise probably ferrite to add some inductance.

 

Is the buyer really likeley to know?

[Tim123]

The buyer is my dad's friend, and I know he's very fussy. When his car goes for a service he wants to watch the fluids being changed to make sure they do it properly! I was just wondering why an older tender drive just had the suppressor across the arms that secure the carbon brushes, whilst an early 2000s non-DCC ready loco drive had the spacer. Guessing with less room inside the cab area there's more chance of a short circuit if the wiring gets twisted round during assembly, the spacer keeping the leads apart.

[kevinlms]

24 minutes ago, Tim123 said:

The buyer is my dad's friend, and I know he's very fussy. When his car goes for a service he wants to watch the fluids being changed to make sure they do it properly! I was just wondering why an older tender drive just had the suppressor across the arms that secure the carbon brushes, whilst an early 2000s non-DCC ready loco drive had the spacer. Guessing with less room inside the cab area there's more chance of a short circuit if the wiring gets twisted round during assembly, the spacer keeping the leads apart.

It would be related to the length of the leads. Your photo shows very long leads and so a spacer is required. On short leads, no need.

[DCB]

4 hours ago, Tim123 said:

The buyer is my dad's friend, and I know he's very fussy. When his car goes for a service he wants to watch the fluids being changed to make sure they do it properly! 

Sensible bloke, the only way to ensure that mega expensive synthetic oil is put in not something more appropriate to a deep fat fryer is to change it yourself.  Talking  Franchised dealers here. 

You also pay to have the brake fluid changed which doesn't actually happen.

I tend to sleeve the bare leads on suppressors to avoid shorts but I also tend to mount them on the pick up plate. My motors always seem to run smoother on DC with suppressors fitted, less arcing on the commutator.

Edited February 14, 2021 by DavidCBroad

[RAF96]

Look on the slot car forums for Ferrite Man - a term used to describe the ferrite ‘spacer’ and capacitor assembly.

[AndyID]

12 hours ago, DavidCBroad said:

Sensible bloke, the only way to ensure that mega expensive synthetic oil is put in not something more appropriate to a deep fat fryer is to change it yourself.  Talking  Franchised dealers here. 

You also pay to have the brake fluid changed which doesn't actually happen.

I tend to sleeve the bare leads on suppressors to avoid shorts but I also tend to mount them on the pick up plate. My motors always seem to run smoother on DC with suppressors fitted, less arcing on the commutator.

 

Going wildly off topic I recently bought a suction tank thingy that lets me suck the oil out the dipstick tube. The oil filters are mounted on top of the engine these days so I can do the whole thing without having to get under the car

 

I don't trust "grease-monkeys", probably because I used to be one.

[Crosland]

10 hours ago, AndyID said:

 

Going wildly off topic I recently bought a suction tank thingy that lets me suck the oil out the dipstick tube. The oil filters are mounted on top of the engine these days so I can do the whole thing without having to get under the car

 

I've always understood those are the worst way to do it as they do not completely empty the sump.

 

[AndyID]

5 hours ago, Crosland said:

 

I've always understood those are the worst way to do it as they do not completely empty the sump.

 

 

There's always a certain amount of residual oil in an engine even when you remove the drain plug. As long as the extractor goes all the way to the bottom of the sump it's not going to be any different. Of course that's not what the oil change places will tell you. The dealership where I bought my truck keeps trying to get me to change the oil twice as often as necessary.

[WIMorrison]

2 hours ago, AndyID said:

.., trying to get me to change the oil twice as often as necessary.

 Or rather perhaps as often as you want to

 

[smokebox]

Oil's cheap,  engines are expensive.

[DCB]

8 hours ago, Crosland said:

 

I've always understood those are the worst way to do it as they do not completely empty the sump.

 

Agree.  The suction tube can't get to the lowest point in the sump  so the nastiest gloop is left in the bottom of the sump.    Also you don't get to clean the magnet on the sump plug on some engines.

 

# Smokebox.     Oil is cheap, if you shop around, Halfords had some good deals on Castrol Magnatec 5Litre  recently.....    Anyway back to supressors.

[AndyID]

3 hours ago, DavidCBroad said:

Agree.  The suction tube can't get to the lowest point in the sump  so the nastiest gloop is left in the bottom of the sump.    Also you don't get to clean the magnet on the sump plug on some engines.

 

# Smokebox.     Oil is cheap, if you shop around, Halfords had some good deals on Castrol Magnatec 5Litre  recently.....    Anyway back to supressors.

 

I started a new topic on oil change.

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/162355-engine-oil-change-drain-or-vacuum/