Gavin Sowry
Garden Railroader and Raconteur
What I know about DCC?
- Thread starter Sarah Winfield
- Start date
Gavin Sowry
Garden Railroader and Raconteur
This is a recordin.... (click).....recordin.....(click)......recordin.....(click).......recordin.....(click)......recordin.....(click).......
Sarah, I think your problem is more likely to be dirty or wet track. In the last few days there have been some cold nights and warm days thus making the rails somewhat damp in the morning. DCC will not run at all well under these circumstances in fact when I have oprtaing days I tend to make the track ckeaning the last task before my guests arrive around mid morning. The other issue may be connection on your track if it has been left outside and knocked acvidentally then there may be issues at rail joints. Even an overnight cat visit could cause a problem.
Over time your track will dirty and tarnish thus gaving further poor connectivity. Best suggestion I can give is to disconnect all of your track give all the fishplates a squeeze in with some heavy pliers and rejoin it all, this will make the rejoining a little stiffer but help with electrical connectivity. A good scrub of the surface with an LGB Track Rubber should return everything to rights. Problems like the above are why I use Railclamps and Wire Bonding to all the joints on my line.
A better cheep way of detecting power is to use an old speaker, touch the wires to the rail if you get a noise the power is ok. Moving round the line you will inevitably find any poor connections with this simple device, a meter may well find some juice but the speaker will tell you better. Be prepared for the speaker to eventualy give up the ghost but only after an awful lot of testing. Mine is still ok after more than 10 years of such abuse. Oh this test will work on DCC and DC.
Over time your track will dirty and tarnish thus gaving further poor connectivity. Best suggestion I can give is to disconnect all of your track give all the fishplates a squeeze in with some heavy pliers and rejoin it all, this will make the rejoining a little stiffer but help with electrical connectivity. A good scrub of the surface with an LGB Track Rubber should return everything to rights. Problems like the above are why I use Railclamps and Wire Bonding to all the joints on my line.
A better cheep way of detecting power is to use an old speaker, touch the wires to the rail if you get a noise the power is ok. Moving round the line you will inevitably find any poor connections with this simple device, a meter may well find some juice but the speaker will tell you better. Be prepared for the speaker to eventualy give up the ghost but only after an awful lot of testing. Mine is still ok after more than 10 years of such abuse. Oh this test will work on DCC and DC.
Sarah Winfield
Registered
Yes, it is like that, what is the purpose of it, please?
Slawman
Deckline
It is to trigger a track contact. I use them on my layout to trigger switches and signals.
Like this: http://www.allaboutlgb.com/massoth digital track contacts.html
Like this: http://www.allaboutlgb.com/massoth digital track contacts.html
Sarah Winfield
Registered
I think I may have narrowed the problem down to the locomotive.
This morning after some experimentation and cleaning the locomotive's wheels back and tread it drove smoothly in reverse but when in forwards it moves maybe a few degrees and then seems to lock-up.
Then it won't move in either direction. If I change my controller for the locomotive to go in reverse it won't move until I make it! By that I mean it's as if the wheels have locked up but as soon as I get it over that "lock" it chug's in reverse a treat.
What might be the problem and is it repairable economically, please?
Sarah Winfield
This morning after some experimentation and cleaning the locomotive's wheels back and tread it drove smoothly in reverse but when in forwards it moves maybe a few degrees and then seems to lock-up.
Then it won't move in either direction. If I change my controller for the locomotive to go in reverse it won't move until I make it! By that I mean it's as if the wheels have locked up but as soon as I get it over that "lock" it chug's in reverse a treat.
What might be the problem and is it repairable economically, please?
Sarah Winfield
Zerogee
Clencher's Bogleman
Yes, rather sounds like that to me as well.... the drive gear on one of the axles may have slipped a tooth or two out of alignment.
Look at the loco square-on from the side..... does the main connecting rod between the two driving wheels look exactly horizontal, ie: parallel to the ground? Or is it canted just a fraction? Look at the wheels themselves, where they have idenifying features like axle spokes, counterweights or holes in the wheel discs (depending on the age of your model) - are BOTh front and rear wheel EXACTLY in the same alignment, or does something look a tiny bit "off"?
If everything is aligned right, you SHOULD be able to turn the loco wheels by hand - there will be some resistance from the drivetrain of course, they won't turn freely, but they CAN be turned. If this isn't possible, and they "lock" in a certain position, then it's very likely that something is slightly out-of-quarter.
If something does look a fraction out, then turn the loco upside down and carefully remove the bottom plate of the gearbox; you will then be able to gently lift one axle a few mm, just enough to disengage the gear from the motor worm drive, and turn it a tooth before carefully re-seating it. Screw the bottom plate firmly back in place, and check everything again.
Jon.
Sarah Winfield
Registered
I am now 100% confused. Nothing seems to be consistent. The locomotive does run in reverse quite well once it is over its initial start up.
Going forwards is still problematical. Am I correct in saying that I can use my DC analogue controller with this DCC locomotive so long as I disconnect the digital controller from the track, please? That might tell me something.
Sarah Winfield.
Going forwards is still problematical. Am I correct in saying that I can use my DC analogue controller with this DCC locomotive so long as I disconnect the digital controller from the track, please? That might tell me something.
Sarah Winfield.
Greg Elmassian
Guest
Out of quarter can allow the loco to run ok in one direction and erratic in another.
Post pictures of each side of the loco, and ensure that the drivers are in "sync" on both sides, i.e. front to rear per side.
I think it's quartering too.
Greg
Post pictures of each side of the loco, and ensure that the drivers are in "sync" on both sides, i.e. front to rear per side.
I think it's quartering too.
Greg
Looking at Sarah's picture in an early post I deduce that we are talking (very likely) about a Stainz 2 production years 1974-1992. Not sure if an early one of these would be a clamshell or growler, expert advice from a Stainz owner please. However if Sarah takes 3 picture we will be able to tell what it is and possibly the problem.
3 Pictures please Sarah.
1 underneath showing the bottom of the chassis.
2 left side showing both the wheels side on.
3 right side showing both the wheels side on.
If indeed the wheels are out of sync then Zerogee suggestion of removing the plate if it is the right kind of loco (pic 1 will define) as he suggests in Post #31.
3 Pictures please Sarah.
1 underneath showing the bottom of the chassis.
2 left side showing both the wheels side on.
3 right side showing both the wheels side on.
If indeed the wheels are out of sync then Zerogee suggestion of removing the plate if it is the right kind of loco (pic 1 will define) as he suggests in Post #31.
Sarah Winfield
Registered
I'm about to take the photographs as requested. Before doing so however, if there is a problem with the quartering, when it seizes going forward should one side connecting/couplings rods become tight and the other side still have play in them, please?
Thanks so much for your patience.
Sarah Winfield
Thanks so much for your patience.
Sarah Winfield
PhilP
G Scale, 7/8th's, Electronics
Very possibly, but there is so much 'slop' in the LGB motion, they may still appear loose..
Sarah Winfield
Registered
They seem to have changed windows and pictures again! As soon as I get used to something along comes the window cleaner and changes things.
Below, hopefully should be 3 photographs. One showing the underside of the locomotive and the other two showing the port and starboard sides of it.
Thanks,
Sarah Winfield
Below, hopefully should be 3 photographs. One showing the underside of the locomotive and the other two showing the port and starboard sides of it.
Thanks,
Sarah Winfield
Attachments
Sarah Winfield
Registered
Sorry, I can't explain why it downloaded the pictures twice.
Zerogee
Clencher's Bogleman
OK Sarah, those pics are very useful! They answer a couple of questions, but maybe not the most important one....
Firstly that is an early-ish Stainz with what is known as a "clamshell" gearbox. It's not the very first version (what we call a "growler") but is still pretty old - around the early Seventies, I'd think. The big oblong thing is indeed a magnet for triggering some kind of device installed on the track, such as a reed switch designed to actuate points and/or signals.
From the side-on pics, as far as I can see, the quartering appears to be correct - the wheels and connection rods all seem to be properly lined up. So, maybe we're back to square one about the "locking-up" problem.....
Jon.
Firstly that is an early-ish Stainz with what is known as a "clamshell" gearbox. It's not the very first version (what we call a "growler") but is still pretty old - around the early Seventies, I'd think. The big oblong thing is indeed a magnet for triggering some kind of device installed on the track, such as a reed switch designed to actuate points and/or signals.
From the side-on pics, as far as I can see, the quartering appears to be correct - the wheels and connection rods all seem to be properly lined up. So, maybe we're back to square one about the "locking-up" problem.....
Jon.