Help Save Christmas...Ornament

Thread Starter

Rwood014

Joined Nov 20, 2020
3
Electronic Rookie here hoping to salvage a motorized Christmas tree ornament. I’ve plugged the ornament into the tree and nothing. I took it apart and spliced an old charging cable to see if I could find the problem. Placed power to the plug and a bulb lite up but no power to the motor. I then put the power right on the motor and it ran like a charm. Is there something wrong with the board? Can I bypass the board and run power straight to the motor? Open to any suggestions. Thank you
 

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dl324

Joined Mar 30, 2015
16,845

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
Judging from the number of diodes on the board, it may simply be converting AC from a wall wart to DC. What did you use to power it up? Can you measure the voltage to the motor on the board? Then work backward across the diodes.
 

Thread Starter

Rwood014

Joined Nov 20, 2020
3
Judging from the number of diodes on the board, it may simply be converting AC from a wall wart to DC. What did you use to power it up? Can you measure the voltage to the motor on the board? Then work backward across the diodes.
I used a micro USB power cable that I cut the end off and exposed the wires.
 

dl324

Joined Mar 30, 2015
16,845
Thanks all. Here are a couple more photos.
I see 6 diodes and a capacitor. What are the part numbers on the diodes? The black ones are probably 1N400x and the silver ones look like they might be zener diodes. Are we to take it that the power supply is AC?

Do you have a DVM to do a diode check?
 

Dodgydave

Joined Jun 22, 2012
11,284
From looking at the circuit, the motor is in series with the bulb, so I would say the motor could be jammed or not enough current from the PSU.

IMG_20201120_215533_9.jpg
 
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