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Dapol HST


TomE
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13 hours ago, AndrueC said:

I have a few issues with my EMR version (bought November 2020) and am considering sending it back to be 'adjusted'.

 

* It runs forward when it should run in reverse. I can fix this by reprogramming the decoder but it's a bit of a pain because it resets every time it derails. And that's a common occurrence because:

* It won't run reliably in reverse. In fact it pretty much can't go round any of my curves or turnouts in reverse. Unfortunately this matters because I park all my trains in sidings that require the trains to reverse out and navigate several curves and turnouts to get onto the main line. I think the problem is that the front copper pickups are too far apart leading to the bogey pickups dropping between them then resisting being straightened.

* Seems to be excessively lubricated. It's getting better over time but when I first got it it was practically leaving a trail of slime in its wake. It would only run for ten minutes then would start to stutter. Running any other loco after it caused that loco to stutter.

It sounds like you have made your mind up to send it for servicing, if you do I would suggest videoing it to show the problems. Something else to be aware of is that the Dapol service agents are operating with a back log at the moment. I sent a loco off for a warranty repair in December. It arrived on the 10th. The loco was not then looked at until the 3rd of February. When I initially contacted the service agents I was advised that there would be a substantial delay so it was something that I was expecting. 

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20 hours ago, AndrueC said:

* It runs forward when it should run in reverse. I can fix this by reprogramming the decoder but it's a bit of a pain because it resets every time it derails. And that's a common occurrence because:

* It won't run reliably in reverse. In fact it pretty much can't go round any of my curves or turnouts in reverse. Unfortunately this matters because I park all my trains in sidings that require the trains to reverse out and navigate several curves and turnouts to get onto the main line. I think the problem is that the front copper pickups are too far apart leading to the bogey pickups dropping between them then resisting being straightened.

 

I've never heard of a loco running wrong direction before - is it a Next18 fitted loco? It'd be a five minute job to identify and swap the feeds to the motor.

 

It might be worth checking the wheelsets aren't rubbing on the underframe/chassis. The latest ones (including the Prototype HSDT) have been modified so they sit lower meaning in some cases the wheels rub on the plastic chassis parts. If this is the case then if you pull the bogies off (just give them a tug) you should see some marks on the plastic.

 

Steven B.

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, Steven B said:

I've never heard of a loco running wrong direction before - is it a Next18 fitted loco? It'd be a five minute job to identify and swap the feeds to the motor.

It does have a Next18 decoder but it's one I fitted myself. And it's definitely running backwards. I also have a decoder in the rear cab and when both have been reset if I tell it to go forward it runs in reverse with a red light at the rear. When I tell it to backward it goes forward with a white light at the rear.

 

 

Quote

It might be worth checking the wheelsets aren't rubbing on the underframe/chassis. The latest ones (including the Prototype HSDT) have been modified so they sit lower meaning in some cases the wheels rub on the plastic chassis parts. If this is the case then if you pull the bogies off (just give them a tug) you should see some marks on the plastic.

 

Steven B.

The wheels are certainly very close to the chassis and could well be rubbing on the chassis. Below is a picture of the unpowered car (left) v. the powered car (right).

20210130_173558.jpg.03c009597666b14d27264e5ddb30cf35.jpg

You can see their noses are not the same height.

 

If I take the bogeys off the powered unit the rear bogey almost always drags the copper strips through the hole in the chassis, possibly they are too close together. But the same thing doesn't happen with the front bogey. From memory the gap between the rear copper strips is a tad under 8mm. The gap between the front strips is a tad over 9mm. If I remember correctly the bogie contact pins are 9mm apart so it wouldn't take much for them to rise between the copper strips and then the bogie will be reluctant to straighten up.

 

I like the train itself (especially since I bought two more EMR coaches to extend it) but am torn about how whether to put up with this or send it to Dapol.

Edited by AndrueC
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Lol! Some apologies due to Dapol. I was looking at it this evening and doing some research and it appears I'd installed the decoder the wrong way round. There is no obvious indication on the decoder itself and it seems more logical for it hang clear of the chips on the chassis PCB since there's more space. But if I push the motor wires out of the way the decoder will sit the other way round and now the loco goes in the right direction.

 

I have to ask though - if it's a new interface why didn't they key it so that it couldn't be inserted wrong way round. Or for that matter why can't Dapol indicate which is pin 1. Hey ho.

 

Now that just leaves the issue of reversing and the slime trail. That latter at least is becoming less of a problem. I guess she's running out of grease to dribble on the track.

Edited by AndrueC
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