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What equipment do I need and is there a good instructional video somewhere online?
Give some information and people may be able to help as it is.....
Solder blue wire back onto contact?
It looks as though you need to strip the wire and solder it to the connector it's come off. So wire strippers (or teeth) small soldering iron, solder.
Get some wire and practice soldering first though!
It does appear to, yes! It may be appalling quality, but I think it’ll get the job done and get you started.
You’ll be building your own electronics projects in no time.
That solder kit probably cost about 30 times what the motors worth 😀
I’ll spare you a full soldering lesson and give you some basic pointers. I have small kids too and learning a new skill is not always top of the agenda.
Strip the blue wire and twist it neatly.
Let the soldering iron warm up.
Wrap the stripped wire around the leg of that capacitor (the orange blob), about halfway between the orange blob and the silver blob of solder where it attaches to the motor. Wrap/twist the wire so it’s held in place before you even start soldering. This is where we’re going to make the new solder joint. It’s smart to do it here, because we want to avoid heating the capacitor too much, and we want to avoid getting too close to the motor as we’ll just make a mess of that plastic housing and probably desolder the capacitor because you’re new to this.
Now, dab of solder on the hot tip of the iron. Note how a little puff of smoke disappears and a bead of solder is left on the tip. The puff of smoke is the flux boiling away. Flux is lube. It’s in the core of the solder you add. It burns off in seconds. So, now bring the hot iron with that little bead of solder against the wire to form the new joint. Immediately add a couple more millimetres of the new solder to add that crucial “lube” of flux. Hold for a few seconds to see it all flow then hands off. Job jobbed.
Dont breath in the fumes from 'a little puff of smoke'.
In the Amazon picture, I can't see any solder wire?
Good point drnosh but it does say there's solder included, in the title.
Soldering onto motor tabs can be a wee bit fiddly, you can't get it too hot. Incidentally, anyone know what the little capacitor (I guess) is doing there? Just em reduction?
It is there to soak up any current caused by sparking when the brushes make contact with the commutator, I think... Definitely an anti-interference thing though.
Goldfish has you on the right path. I would suggest that you practice on a random bit of metal with an old bit of wire a couple of times.
Also, before you even use the iron the first time, heat it up, wipe the tip onto the solder so that it's evenly coated. Wipe any excess off onto the wet sponge. Let the iron cool. The shiny even silver colour is how your iron should look all the time. Tin the tip after each use by repeating that process.
When you do use it to solder something, always have a small bubble of molten solder on the tip. Just briefly touch the tip to the wire before holding it to the metal you are trying to heat. That blob of solder is what really transfers the heat to the object. Touch the solder to the heated wire/terminal/piece of metal, not the iron.
It's not hard to do but takes a bit of prep. Also everyone unsolders the bit they are trying to solder to, melts the plastic, does it perfectly only to pull the wire away when removing the iron etc. Do not worth if any or all of those happen. Most things you are probably going to solder will be reasonably forgiving. I've got all sorts with semi melted bits in them from my cackhanded technique. They still work.
I wouldn't do it that way.
I'd very carefully strip a bit of insulation off - this is pretty difficult to do without taking some of the wire strands with you. Best way is to fold it where you want to strip and just touch it gently with a sharp knife. Do the same on the other side then pull the end off with your fingernails. The 'pro' way to do this, that my electronics teacher in school showed me (to the horror of my Dad) is to use your teeth. You can nick a bit of the insulation and then strip it off. At least I can, my teeth are made that way.
Twist the bare strands tightly then touch one side with the soldering iron and the other side with the solder - the wire itself is then hot enough to melt the solder, so you get solder in the wire, this is called 'tinning' it. Now you can lay the tinned wire on top of that solder blob, touch it with the iron just long enough to melt the lot, and it'll all flow together nicely. It will only take half a second. Much longer and you'll start to melt the white plastic end of the motor. A little melting isn't a big deal but you'll make a mess if it gets too hot.
Also as above you need to tin the iron too which means melting some solder onto it and then flicking it off or wiping it on something wet.
In the Amazon picture, I can’t see any solder wire?
Took me a moment, but it’s there, coiled up like a spring in a clear plastic tube.
Thank you all, that is fantastic, all being well I can do it this weekend and me and the biy can build his little robot (more carefully this time).
Thanks again
anyone know what the little capacitor (I guess) is doing there?
Suppressor cap, as molgrips said.
Prevents arcing inside the motor, increases life of brushes, reduces electrical/radio noise.
If you happen to be in the Cardiff area, I'll gladly repair this for you.
If you happen to be in the Lancashire area, I’ll gladly repair this for you.
One soldering tip I'd add.
Exercise patience.
If you're soldering something and it doesn't take after a couple of attempts, put the iron down and walk away for a minute to let everything chill out. That way you're less likely to melt the contacts out of the motor.