Thread: I need Electrical HELP!!!!!!!!!

Ok so I have a battery (3 x DD batteries 1.5volts each) operating cat toy that stopped working so I thought I would pull it apart and see what was wrong with it as my cat loved it, got it all pulled apart and the electronic/wires look fine I then saw that on the switch the wire was coming away from one of the prongs I then solder it back on but the switch wouldn’t work, but as soon as I put contact with a 1.5v battery it would work, so I thought it was the switch, I went out and brought a new switch is the same. I have soldered the wires on and it still does not work, I am at my loose ends not sure why it won’t work when connected to the switch but as soon as you hook it up to a 1.5v battery it works. Can someone please tell what I am doing wrong? Have I missed a step? Can someone help me or give me some points that I may need to check. This is the first toy I have pulled apart and looked at so not very familiar with the whole electrical scene. PLEASE HELP ME!!!!

I have photos that I am happy to email, unfortunately I couldn’t upload them.

When you say "as soon as I put contact with a 1.5v battery it would work", what exactly are you putting in contact with the battery? Are you saying you connect the wire from one side of the switch to the battery, bypassing the switch, and the toy works? If that is the case, there are only a few possibilities - the wire connecting the battery to the switch is broken, or the wire is not connected to the battery, or not connected to the switch, or the switch is bad. If you have a voltmeter, you can use it to find the fault. Touch one voltmeter probe to one side of the battery, and touch the other probe to various points in the circuit. If there is voltage at one point in the circuit, but no voltage at another point, the fault is in between those points.

Hi Harold, thanks for replying. If I disconnect the wires from the switch and put them on the battery it works. I can also put the disconnected wires on a pair of scissors without the battery the little motor also works but as soon as I connect the wires to the switch and turn the switch on it doesn't work, ( this is with out it being connected to the battery) I am not to good at explaining this kind of thing so I hope you can understand me.

Are you saying that you take the scissors and touch one blade of the scissors to each side of the switch, bypassing the switch?

There should be two wires coming out of the battery box. One should pass through the switch and then to the motor. The other should go directly to the motor. Is that how you hooked it up?

Hi Harold no I am using just a cheap pair of nail scissors and I am just putting it on one of the arm and it works.when I do this the wires are not connected to the switch at all.

Hi kalater I didn't set up the wiring it already came wired it used to work and then stopped working so I thought I would open it up to have a look and see if I can fix it. I don't know how to post photos or I would put one up so you can see it. Sorry but it's not set upThe way you just explained it.

Can you trace the wires and explain how they are connected in words? The main thing is that there has to be a closed circuit and the switch should open and close it.

Edit: You can also upload the pictures to something like Photobucket or tinypic and then just post the forum link provided (ie. the one with [img] tags around it).

To post a picture, what you have to do is to have an account at an image hosting site, like photobucket.com. Then you upload your image to photobucket, then copy the image url and post it here. Click the image icon, then the "from url" tab, and paste the url.

sorry for the delay some reason I couldn't get back onto this site.

So I hope this works cause I am new at this and never done it before but here is a link that I downloaded 4 pictures http://s1295.photobucket.com/user/Leah_Jane_Mullins/library/?sort=3&page=1

the photo shows the switch, the switch wired up and soldered, how the toy is wired and also in e you needed to see that there is 3 battery on the bottom of it. if you need any other photos or it didn't work can you please let me know.

If you take a wire, or your pair of scissors, and connect the two red wires on each terminal of the switch shown in the second photo, does that make the motor run?

Sorry Harold but i dont know what you mean.

In photo 2 where I have attached the 2 red wires to each terminal the motor wont work. But if I disconnect the 2 red wires from the switch (so the switch is no longer apart of the toy) and put the two red wires on a pair of scissors the motor works, so I figure that there is electricity going through the wires and so that is right however, I am not sure why when I remove the wires from the scissors and connect the wires to the switch (as shown in the photo) the motor wont work, that is what puzzeling me, i just have no idea what i am doing wrong.

If you take the scissors and bridge out the two terminals on the switch, does the motor work?

Sorry but i am not sure what a bridge is?

Also the scissors are nowhere near the terminals on the switch to begin with. The only thing that is on the switch is the wires, there is no battery nor is there scissors. just like the photo shows you

I have done a test with Scissors (without the switch being connected) and also did a test with a battery (without the switch being connected) it was just to see if there was any electricity going through he wires which it appears to be as the motor works when connected up to these two items, (or anything else that is metal for that matter) but once I solder the wirers on the switch and I turn the switch on the motor doesn’t turn on.

If you take the scissors and push it in between the switch terminals so it touches both, you are bridging the switch. Does the motor turn when you do that?

No it still doesnt work.

But if you take the wires off of the switch and put them onto the scissors, it works then?

Yes thats right

You soldered the wires on, are you sure you didn't short out the switch?

Well I don’t think so but you have me questioning myself now so I am going to go out and buy another switch and check it out.

It isn't making sense that you short the wires together while they are unsoldered from the switch and it runs, but you short the wires together on the switch and it doesn't run. Maybe there's some intermittent loose connection in the circuit somewhere. I doubt if your new switch is bad.
It looks like there is some sort of printed circuit board. Does the red wire coming from the switch go to that, or does it go directly to the motor? Is the toy supposed to just run when you turn on the switch, or does it do something else?

Hi Miss NH,

If the toy works when you make a connection between the two wires which go to the switch, then something is wrong with the switch.

A few possibilities;
a) The switch has broken internally
b) you have soldered the broken wire onto the wrong terminal of the switch
c) your soldering has melted the internals of the switch.

Without an electrical test meter, you can find which terminals of the switch to use by making a circuit using the switch, a battery and a torch bulb. Connect wires in series, ie in a chain, like this:

A
|
battery
|
switch
|
bulb
|
A

and points A together.

When you operate the switch, you should be able to turn the bulb on and off. This will tell you which terminals of the switch to use, and if the switch is working.

Keep your soldering as quick as you can. If you have a low temperature iron, or one with a corroded tip*, are not used to soldering, or if the switch is a cheap plastic one, it can be very easy to melt the switch internally by soldering, (I have destroyed switches and sockets myself this way - and I supposedly know what I am doing!!)

Good luck !

OB

* ironically, a low temperature iron or one with a corroded tip means you need to hold it onto the terminal for longer for the solder to melt, and this long application of heat travels along the switch terminal into the switch and melts the plastic that holds the switch components in place. A high temperature professional iron will melt the solder quickly, reducing the amount of heat that goes into the switch.

You're welcome, don't mention it.


OB