van der graaf manual

[RosalieL]

From google so yeah, might be from the "olden days"

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[labtech]

Hi wonderful lab techs,

Hope you are all well. our van de graaff generator stoped working. The belt is stoped moving. I tried changing the belt. still no luck. any suggestion for fixing or any contacts for repair. I appreciate your suggestion.

[bigmack]

Does the motor run OK with no belt on it ?

With the belt on it , can you move the belt .IE will the belt and pulley and the motor pulley all move and rotate if you use your finger to push it ? …… or is something seized ?

Are the combs jammed against the belt stopping it from rotating ?

Is it a model that has a seperate belt between the motor pulley and the main belt pulley that is slopping or broken ?

[labtech]

I didnt check with out belt.

With belt i can move the belt but movement is restricted somehow. not sure how to loosen the belt. i cant see ant nobs or anything to looosen.

combs are ok as far I know.

The model we have I.E.C. 4142-001 round column square base. it has single belt.

[bigmack]

Mine is 4143-001 and the belt movement is very free .IE , the pulley and motor pulley rotate freely .
The top Pulley has ball bearings in it .
The motor has bronze bearings .

Alas there is no way to adjust belt tension .
I'm guessing maybe your motor has seized bearings . Might be worth seeing if you can get some oil into them.
These motors were used in Record players and it was quite common for this type of motor to seize and a quick oil would get them working again .

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The front bearing is easy to access.

IMG_1275.jpg

The rear one requires dismantling the motor to access .

IMG_1276.jpg

[labtech]

oiling worked. you are super star Bigmack.

[bigmack]

oiling worked. you are super star Bigmack.

Glad it helped you out

[Labbie]

Again well done Bigmack