Hub cap spinning light bulbs

[rich b]

That made it even worse for me; it looks like it makes a dead short.

Looks like a generator or starter brush rubbing on an insulated brass (?) band around the drum with a wire soldered onto it running into wheel to the lights.

 

[tubman]

Looks like a generator or starter brush rubbing on an insulated brass (?) band around the drum with a wire soldered onto it running into wheel to the lights.

I guess I didn't look close enough to see the insulation. In my defence, this is not something that I plan on doing, so it's not that important.

 

[JayChicago]

Looks like a generator or starter brush rubbing on an insulated brass (?) band around the drum with a wire soldered onto it running into wheel to the lights.

Yeah, I think you nailed it. Now when I squint at the first picture, with the brush holder, I can see what looks like a brass band on the drum. Still don't see a power feed to the brush, but it's probably there, just can't see it in these pictures.

Pretty ingenious Rube Goldberg set-up. Wonder who made this? Was this a one-off thing, or was this a kit some source like JC Whitney was selling back in the day?

 

[GB SISSON]

Looks like a generator or starter brush rubbing on an insulated brass (?) band around the drum with a wire soldered onto it running into wheel to the lights.

I remember my dad describing the contact brush thing to me when as a kid I asked him how the restaurant seating part of the space needle can have electricity as it rotates 360 degrees in an hour. Clever guy that invented contact brushes. I have to think they were actually a wire brush at first, hence the name. Now I want to build a couple of wheel lights. Cool thread!

 

[TerryS]

Here's a pic that might help. In the earlier pic this wire looks like it's attached to the wheel which would be a short. It attches to the pigtail with the 2 bulbs.