[TinCanAlley]

So who can tell me how this works?

I took apart the motor assembly to see why it sometimes doesn't change or seems to get stuck. The design seems to stump my brain, so I'm hoping someone here knows how and why it works. What really sucks is the one most important gear still seems functional, but I don't know how well it will last, if not forever. It is an odd design. The shaft is hard plastic, but the gear platter and teeth are flexible (to a point) and the back side is on the soft/grip side.

This is how it is configured. I've attached a couple pics. The motor shaft has a spring loaded black piece that has teeth up on the shaft that turns a gear and cam that activate leaf switches. I'm assuming this is how it knows it has gone the right amount to change one channel. Then the bottom of the black piece widens out and has two protrusions on the bottom that sit against the tan gear looking thing. That tan one is meshed with the black one on the bracket. The black one does not turn at all. It is keyed and sits in the bracket. So somehow, the motor turns and the black piece on the shaft turns on the tan one and gets it to turn, even though its teeth are meshed with the black one. Turning the black one by hand just makes it spin on the tan one, not make it move. So it can't be added pressure that makes it turn as that would force the teeth together tighter and never turn. Makes my head hurt.

Also, the tan gear has no part number and neither does the black piece over the motor shaft. The black on in the bracket does and I found one on ebay. Don't need it, but just curious if they exist. It would seem the tan one is a wear piece, so why no part number? Hmmm....