Electrical & shimming questions. Got my answers. :)

[Dtq]

Hey. Newguy alert!

Just wanted to ask the folks here some questions.

I got an AEG. Gearbox works perfectly when not in reciever. V3 gearbox.
When I put it in there, stops working.
Seems clear to me that it's an electrical problem.
So, I was wondering, what type of wires should I use? If it's the same size/diameter, will it work with no problems?
Also, my AEG, has blown a 10A fuse and also (after that) worked fine (for a while) with a 6A one. All that was testfiring and not a game.

Let's go to my AEP problem...
Took the gearbox apart. Only 3 shims in there and when I closed the gearbox, it sounded funny.
My question, Do u have any suggestions on where should the gears be? (e.g. gear A as down as possible, gear B in the middle etc.) There were 4 gears in there.
Also, if I reshim it and use more shims, will it work ok?
Note that it's got plastic bushings that keep falling off when I open it.

Thanks in advance.

[Pyrohair]

There were 4 gears in there

Wait... What? What AEG do you have and which version of the gearbox does it have? And what gun comes with the gearbox in the stock? I have never heard of a gun like that. I am familiar with V2 gearboxes which only have 3 gears. For all I know there could be a different one with more than 3 gears but I'm not sure.

As for the Shimming, You have to make sure you are not getting a whole bunch of movement out of the gears while still having them spin almost freely. There are a whole bunch of tutorials on Youtube on how to shim a mechbox if you want to try it yourself, other than that, find a local gundoc and get them to shim it for you. Makes a large difference on the sound, the performance, and will help maintain your gears for longer.

[Dtq]

Sorry, not stock, reciever. It's an SLR105.

As for the 4 gears in the gearbox, it's an AEP. Pistol. With battery.

There is no local gun doctor so I'm trying to do it my self.
I don't think I'd visit him though... I wanna learn some stuff so that I can be one my self.
Already fixed a bunch of stuff in my guns...

I know how to shimm but never had the problem of bushings falling of before.
They're not such good quality so I think that if 1 bushing changes place, I'll need to reshimm the whole gearbox. Which has already happened... I should not add too many shimms but is it ok to add some? Like 7-10 shimms I was thinking...

[Kos-Mos]

You should use a 15A fuse in your gun, that is why it keeps blowing 6 and 10A fuses.

If you want to re-do the wires, the stock wires are 18ga, but I recommend you get some 16ga. Bring a lighter and heat the tip of the wire, you want to buy some wire that has an isulation that won't melt right-away. Most of the time, the plastic will get darker and soft, but not liquid and won't stick to the threads inside. (I know for instance that the wire they sell at TheSource is crapastic... just needed some for a quick repair). If the mechbox works outside the AK, check for any worn wire insulation, especially near the motor connectors, at the rear part of the mechbox where the receiver starts near the motor and at the from where the switch is located.

For your AEP problem, you should buy some aftermarket bushings and a shim set. They are metal so you won't have to change them after. The gears should be as centered as possible in the mechbox shell, but still need a tiny bit of space between each gear surface. A shim job can only be good or bad. There is no such thing as a "somewhat decent" shim job.

[Dtq]

About that thing with the lighter, the wires I got are ok but what's 16-18ga?
I have checked the wires closely but I can't find anything. So I decided to just change them.

Currently the bushings on my AEP are plastic. I'll try to get some metal ones and some shimms to change them... My AEG works perfectly without having every gear centered. Eg I tried to get the bevel gear higher so that it has better contact with the motor.

[OMGWTF]

16 or 18 gague is this diameter of the wire.. a 16 will be larger than an 18 guage wire, thus allowing for more current flow.

[Dtq]

Don't think that'll work... The wires currently are a perfect fit. If I get larger ones, I think there will be a problem...
I think that the wiring problem originates from the first times I disassembled the gun, I think that back then, I didn't quite get the wires in the right place, so some part is cut from the inside of the wire...
Thanks though, I'll keep it in mind if it's needed in another AEG.

[Kos-Mos]

I have installed 16ga wires in AEGs for over 5 years..

And you have an AK. It can fit even larger wires very easilly if you place them properly. All the wires are routed outside the mechbox shell. You can even fit 16ga in a V2 mechbox without issues.

You wanted to know how and what to do with your AEP. That is what you have to do to get the best possible job and longest lasting solution.

[Dtq]

I'll try that but the gearbox and reciever, don't have much space in between...
As for the AEP, it will have to wait 'cause no money for that at this point...

Thanks to everyone!

[Kos-Mos]

Originally Posted by Dtq

I'll try that but the gearbox and reciever, don't have much space in between...
As for the AEP, it will have to wait 'cause no money for that at this point...

Thanks to everyone!

There should be a slot in the motor cage at the rear. That is where you are supposed to put the wires. I installed some 14ga wires in a CYMA metal bodied AK and it fits loose enough to be able to move the wires when the gun is assembled. Just inspect your gun and you should understand.

It is possible however that your specific gun does not have that space... it should look like this. If you don't, you can change just the motor cage to solve your problem permanently.

[Dtq]

I changed every single wire. That wasn't the problem. Apparently, the problem was that the trigger pull was a little bit longer when the gearbox was not in the receiver. That plus the fact that one of my trigger contacts was a little shorter (got burnt by the sparks and broke) made my fears come true.
I soldered something on there and now it works fine! Some feeding issues but I think I can fix that. It must be the gearbox, little out of place.
I used larger gauge wires as suggested and it's a little hard to put the pistol grip in place but it's ok...
@ Kos-Mos, my motor cage is not like the one in ur pic.