[rocketbob]

Since Navaid is out of business and nobody seems to know how to get a hold of Horace, does anyone know where I can get a spare gyro motor? I'm sure its just an off-the-shelf small DC motor.

 

[sprucemoose]

If you have the servo off and can find a part number, I'd try Mouser or Digikey for starters.

Navaid users of the world, unite!!! At least until we save up enough $ for a better unit!

 

[rocketbob]

I got a hold of Horace, who, BTW, wasn't the owner of Navaid but was the guy who answered the phone and built the autopilots.

The gyro motor is pretty much the only thing that wears out, its life rated at 1000 hours. They had the motors built by a company called Micromo in FL, and I did get a part number from them. In single-unit quantities the motor is over $200. There are some motors that could potentially be substituted, and I'm checking into those...won't worry about it now while my gyro motor is working fine.

So...there is no magic here, the gyro simply has to be balanced and he explained to me how to do it if replacing the motor. In fact the motor can be substituted, the only reason why they used the expensive motor was for longevity.