Smitty Two wrote:
> Hey, it's a home appliance, so it's almost home repair. Anyway I've
> fixed my girlfriend's aging vacuum three times in three years, and keep
> encouraging her to buy a new one.

> This weekend's episode concerned the motor that drives the brush. A
> little VOM work confirmed voltage was reaching the motor leads,
> confirming switch and wiring integrity. As a double-check I cut and
> stripped the wires and got out the suicide cord. No sign of motor life.

> She went on the internet and started pulling up prices in the $120 range
> for a new motor. Sheesh. I'm in the wrong business.

> So I took the motor apart. A quick ohmmeter check showed the field
> winding to be open, but I sure didn't see any damage to it that would
> account for it being open. I decided to take a look at the crimped
> splices that connect the magnet wire to the leads, and my surgery
> revealed a little thermal fuse. The fuse tested open, the field winding
> tested continuous.

> Maybe I shot myself in the foot, because now I'm stuck maintaining the
> damn thing for a while longer. But anyway, $1.69 plus tax at Radio
> Shack, and an hour's work is all it took to restore the thing to
> relatively good health.

> I love simple stuff. I'm glad I have the experience to troubleshoot
> simple stuff and the tools and the time to fix simple stuff.