How to restore 8480 Space Shuttle?

[NathanR]

I'm incredibly excited, I just got myself the 8480 Space Shuttle from 1996. It was a really lucky find on ebay, a little over 200 GBP and basically brand new! It's got the original box with the plastic inner trays, the 1996 Service catalogue, the regular catalogue, the original sticker sheet (never used, all stickers still on it!!!), and the bricks haven't yellowed or discoloured with age! The set was advertised as "new", but I think it has been built once before being dismantled and stored away for the last 20+ years. All the bricks were loose, and there are circular marks on the terminals in the battery box that suggest batteries have been installed in it at some point. Fortunately, there's no sign of corrosion.

The thing is, I've never had a 9V-era technic set before and I need some help with understanding and maintaining the electronics.

Firstly, how do I test the motors and the fibre optic generator? Is it literally as simple as connecting battery box, cable, motor, and then switching on? (I'm sure this is a very stupid question, but but I've heard there can be quite a bit of power loss going through each 2x2 connector plate., so I was worrying about whether I could burn out the micro motor if I connect it directly to the battery box).

The two long wires both have cracks in their electrical insulation. It looks like the wires use some kind of rubber for the insulation, and that has definitely deteriorated. The moment I gently uncoiled the wires, the insulation cracked and fell away. One of the long wires has just a small nick in it, about 2mm of bare metal is visible. The other has a couple of places where about 2cm of the insulation has completely stripped away leaving both positive and negative metal wires exposed and able to touch. What would be the best way to fix this? Can it be repaired, or should I look for replacement wires? I saw one Bricklink seller state that his wires had plastic insulation instead of rubber, did Lego redesign the 9V wires over the years? Or instead of an exact replacement, are there any other wires (e.g. from Power Functions era, Control Plus, or even third party sellers) that would be compatible and safe to use?

Also, it feels almost sacrilegious to peel the original stickers off the sheet (and they would probably crack with age anyway). Do you know where I could find a good quality reproduction sticker sheet for this set?

[sp1984]

Hey,

I have old Lego Technic set with 9V motor - power pack 8720 and my long cable got insulation cracks too and seems useless now as it get short circuit quite easily, so I know a problem.

I see following solutions:

- either find materials on youtube how to make DIY long old technic cable: as removing old cracked lego wire and replacing it with generic insulated wire from electronics shop (length up to you :)) and soldering it into technic lego metal pins,

- or buy power functions extension cables item no. 8871 (50 cm) or/and 8886 (20 cm). Each extension cable consist of one power functions plate and one old 9v plate. Hence For connecting old battery box and old 9V motor you you need two extension cables because you need old plates on both sides. In such configuration you need also additional 4x2 plate with electric contacts for connecting old 9v motor as new extension cable allows to connect old 9v parts only from bottom. The downside is that extension cable are quite pricey.

 

Hope this helps.

 

[howitzer]

The electronics is very simple, indeed you can just connect the motors to battery box with wires.

Those wires are notorious for their degradation over time, so your best chance is to buy some new ones as the original ones are not going to get any better. They might have been produced with better insulation material too, if BL sellers have those with affordable enough price, you're good to go. Newer wires from PF and C+ are not compatible (there was a conversion cable between PF and 9V but those are short and have different ends, so they won't work.) I have no idea if there is usable third party wires, unless you're willing to attempt to open the connector casings and do some soldering to replace the original cable with a new one.

3 minutes ago, sp1984 said:

- or buy power functions extension cables item no. 8871 (50 cm) or/and 8886 (20 cm). Each extension cable consist of one power functions plate and one old 9v plate. Hence For connecting old battery box and old 9V motor you you need two extension cables because you need old plates on both sides. In such configuration you need also additional 4x2 plate with electric contacts for connecting old 9v motor as new extension cable allows to connect old 9v parts only from bottom. The downside is that extension cable are quite pricey.

I don't think this would work, as I understand the wiring is routed through some very tight spaces, so the connector stacks might get in the way of other stuff.

[sp1984]

1 hour ago, howitzer said:

I don't think this would work, as I understand the wiring is routed through some very tight spaces, so the connector stacks might get in the way of other stuff.

TBH I cannot say that this will work for 100%.

I don't have this model so don't know how wiring is routed, I browsed building instructions but is hard to verify without seeing real model. Only problem I saw in building instruction is 9v motor which is mounted in front part of shuttle in tight compartment, so not sure if connecting via 2x4 electric plate (as its required for extension cable+ 9v motor) would be possible.

Guide to replacing damaged wire:

Replace LEGO 9V Electric Wire

 

Greets

[NathanR]

Thanks for the suggestions!

1 hour ago, sp1984 said:

either find materials on youtube how to make DIY long old technic cable: as removing old cracked lego wire and replacing it with generic insulated wire from electronics shop (length up to you :)) and soldering it into technic lego metal pins,

I've been watching a few videos on YouTube showing how to do this... I do not have the tools, skills, and certainly not the confidence to try this myself. It looks way too scary.

1 hour ago, sp1984 said:

or buy power functions extension cables item no. 8871 (50 cm) or/and 8886 (20 cm). Each extension cable consist of one power functions plate and one old 9v plate. Hence For connecting old battery box and old 9V motor you you need two extension cables because you need old plates on both sides. In such configuration you need also additional 4x2 plate with electric contacts for connecting old 9v motor as new extension cable allows to connect old 9v parts only from bottom. The downside is that extension cable are quite pricey.

I've had a look through the 8480 instructions, but I don't think there is enough space in the model to fit the power functions connector next to the motor.

 

1 hour ago, howitzer said:

Those wires are notorious for their degradation over time, so your best chance is to buy some new ones as the original ones are not going to get any better. They might have been produced with better insulation material too, if BL sellers have those with affordable enough price, you're good to go.

Every time I touch them, more of the insulation flakes off. The replacement wires are pricy though, about £20 each, which is a bit steep, but I guess it can't be helped. The irony is that a wire over twice the length is half the price!

 

I tested the other electronic components. The fibre optic generator and the micrometer are both working perfectly, thank goodness. The main 9V motor (2838c01) behaves a little oddly - its speed varies occasionally, and it gives off a smell that reminds me of hot oil, almost as if some plastic is singeing. I don't think the 9V motor can be dismantled, as the base is secured by 8 separate tabs that all need to be pulled back, so I can't look at what state the interior is in. Is the smell normal for an old 9V motor that hasn't been run for years, will it just wear off with use, or is it a sign that the motor is about to burn out/catch fire/explode?

 

[allanp]

Some of the wires are routed between two studs, so literally any bigger wire wouldn't fit. But you can disassemble the old plugs (using a small screw driver to push in the tabs on the front and back of the plugs), remove the old wire and replace with new wire without soldering as the wires are just pushed onto sharp spikes inside the plug that go through the insulation and contact the inner wires. Just search eBay or wherever for some 2 core wire with outer dimensions no bigger than 3mm wide by about 1.5mm thick. I bought 30 meters of good wire (insulation will last for decades with nice thick copper conductors) a while back for less than the cost of one replacement 20cm Lego wire. 

It sounds like your copy is in great condition and shouldn't need any other work. However as it's only 9v, any corrosion on the metal parts of the plugs will stop it working. So if you find they don't work try wiggling and twisting the plugs or use some contact cleaner, but if using contact cleaner use a tool or something to apply it only to the metal parts as you wouldn't want it on the old rubber insulation.

Also there is the micro motor. These are rather delicate. The inner gear reduction has tiny little gear teeth that are susceptible to jamming so don't try to force the output to turn by manually turning it. I did have some luck freeing a jammed motor when dropping it onto a tiled floor, but that was very risky! When working normally it will sound noisy and the output will turn very slowly. Don't worry, this is it's normal state of operation. 

Finally there's the fiber optic unit. It's not obvious at first how it's supposed to function. Firstly only one of the 8 fiber optics will light at a time. Attach the wire and supply it with power from the battery box and you should see one output light up. Rotate the axle hole in the middle to rotate the little light on the inside to light up the other fiber optics in sequence. 

Hope this helps.

[howitzer]

1 hour ago, NathanR said:

I tested the other electronic components. The fibre optic generator and the micrometer are both working perfectly, thank goodness. The main 9V motor (2838c01) behaves a little oddly - its speed varies occasionally, and it gives off a smell that reminds me of hot oil, almost as if some plastic is singeing. I don't think the 9V motor can be dismantled, as the base is secured by 8 separate tabs that all need to be pulled back, so I can't look at what state the interior is in. Is the smell normal for an old 9V motor that hasn't been run for years, will it just wear off with use, or is it a sign that the motor is about to burn out/catch fire/explode?

I actually managed to open one of those motors as a kid and got it back together too so it's possible. Still, it sounds like you're in for a replacement motor, fortunately at least used ones don't cost much in BL.

[Andman]

Regarding the wire insulation:

Has anyone found a proper replacement in terms of size and profile? Actually all my old wires are crumbling to dust. I know how to open the plugs. Just never found a perfect replacement.

[NathanR]

3 hours ago, allanp said:

Some of the wires are routed between two studs, so literally any bigger wire wouldn't fit. But you can disassemble the old plugs (using a small screw driver to push in the tabs on the front and back of the plugs), remove the old wire and replace with new wire without soldering as the wires are just pushed onto sharp spikes inside the plug that go through the insulation and contact the inner wires. Just search eBay or wherever for some 2 core wire with outer dimensions no bigger than 3mm wide by about 1.5mm thick. I bought 30 meters of good wire (insulation will last for decades with nice thick copper conductors) a while back for less than the cost of one replacement 20cm Lego wire. 

I don't suppose you have a link for the kind of wire you bought? I've spent the last couple of hours browsing around and I can't seem to find anything like the right stuff. One of the YouTube videos I saw suggested 23 or 24 AWG wire, but I'm not sure what I'm looking for and most of the stuff I can find looks like it will take a month or more to ship to the UK from China.

[allanp]

2 hours ago, Andman said:

Regarding the wire insulation:

Has anyone found a proper replacement in terms of size and profile? Actually all my old wires are crumbling to dust. I know how to open the plugs. Just never found a perfect replacement.

 

2 hours ago, NathanR said:

I don't suppose you have a link for the kind of wire you bought? I've spent the last couple of hours browsing around and I can't seem to find anything like the right stuff. One of the YouTube videos I saw suggested 23 or 24 AWG wire, but I'm not sure what I'm looking for and most of the stuff I can find looks like it will take a month or more to ship to the UK from China.

This is the stuff I got. The 22awg gauge I got is a tiny bit fatter than the Lego wire bit it does still fit between two studs. I think 23awg or 24awg would be closer to actual Lego cable and easier to fit into the plugs but the 22awg works fine for me.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/16AWG-28AWG-2-Core-UL-2468-Automotive-Auto-Stranded-Ribbon-Parallel-Wire-Cable-/401343208236?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

I haven't tried but I assume the white writing will rub off with acetone/nail polish remover if desired.

Edited December 28, 2021 by allanp

[Toastie]

6 hours ago, howitzer said:

or is it a sign that the motor is about to burn out/catch fire/explode?

No. It will never explode. It cannot.

Now, all has been said: Replace the wires (no other chance), use what @allanp has suggested, browse this forum (using Google) for further suggestions on the wire gauge (EB's search function sucks, to be friendly;))

With regard to the motor behavior (which is not related to any wiring, right?) - opening it up is then (IMHO) mandatory.

I sure hope you get this going!

All the best
Thorsten