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Morley Controllers


Benbow
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Strewth wish I hadn't asked now :O :unsure:

 

Thanks to those who have answered my request and I think I am pretty much persuaded to go for one The price certainly seems good for what you get.

 

I think we have probably done the bit about service to death now :mellow: :D

 

Regards

 

Roger

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  • 8 months later...

I've just managed to pick up an n gauge version of their controller from eBay.

 

Unfortunately it didn't come with any instructions (I'm mainly looking for some guidance about the CDU).

 

Do brand new controllers come with wiring instructions? If so, can somebody provide me with a summary?

 

Thanks,

Christian.

 

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  • 4 years later...

Hello, been using a Morely Vector for some time and really like it.

However I have never been overly happy with the fine control on it.

The pots (control knobs) seem advance in quite crude steps rather than a smooth controlled linear way.

I am sure it's just a simple resistor change on the PCB, and I understand I'd lose top speed which would be no issue, but I thought I just ask if anyone had made this modification before I have to go and trace out the whole circuit?

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I am pretty sure the PCB has forward and reverse  sides so it would be two resistors.   I have the similar trouble with OnTrack controllers and fitting a much bigger knob is a good first move, I used Hammant and Morgan knobs off a dead Duette.

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OK, well my Morley problem has been mostly fixed.

The issue was caused by the pots in the hand held units!

Voltage would spike and dip as the pot was advanced causing bad running.

The fix could not be more simple.

 

Carefully pull the knob off and under you will find a nut that holds the pot in place, undo this nut a full turn or more (but not so its lose)

Then refit the knob.

 

The issues is caused by changes in temperature, meaning the nut is overtight which causes the wiper on the pot to lose contact with the track.

 

There you go, one of the hazards of having tight nuts!  :jester:

Edited by mikesndbs
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  • 1 year later...

Perhaps it's just your age?

 

I'm 52. I've been running my own business full time since 1987.

 

There seems to be some perception amongst the old lags that British railway modellers must accept second best, second rate, slack and unprofessional service.

 

If Morley (or whoever) are serious about being in business then they should act professionally and put their customers first,

 

I don't care how good their product is. If they treat me like I'm some sort of annoyance, I will not do business with them again.

 

I wasn't expecting an exact delivery time, just a rough estimate and that they would tell me when it was on its way.

 

 

If you hadn't noticed Kenton, we are no longer living in the past.

It's very interesting to see that this firms awful "customer service" i.e. rude responses to perfectly reasonable enquiries go back such a long time.  As has been mentioned on this thread such behaviour does call into question the usefullness of their 5 year guarantee.

 

Does anybody have any experience regarding how the company have dealt with requests for service during the guarantee period please? 

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My dealings with Morley - placed an order - got acknowledgement - controller arrived. No probs.

 

They deal with 230v countries - not 110v - that would be a more expensive special. and I'm not surprised that they don't do it.

 

Agree with Kenton regarding responses.

 

It would be the simplest thing in the world to swap out 230v transformers and put in 110v ones, blimey they don't even cost that much from RS, I would expect a small charge for doing it but no reply is just bad manners. 

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It would be the simplest thing in the world to swap out 230v transformers and put in 110v ones, blimey they don't even cost that much from RS, I would expect a small charge for doing it but no reply is just bad manners. 

 

Maybe they feel that the market in 110v is not worth the hassle of recertification for their entire product range?

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To be honest I prefer to buy quality products which work from a manufacturer as opposed to inferior products from companies with a fully staffed PR department who sub contract production to third parties with dodgy quality control.   If Morley don't want to go into the 110 volt 5 loco lash ups plus helpers US market that is their affair, but it is not as simple as just changing the internal transformer.   If you want a DC controller which gives good low speed control and allows double heading and banking by dis similar locos with excellent speed control at line speed up hill and down dale then Morley is about the best there is.    Asking for a 110 volt one is a bit like asking Roll Royce why they don't make a 900cc turbo-diesel version of their Phantom

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If Morley don't want to go into the 110 volt 5 loco lash ups plus helpers US market that is their affair, but it is not as simple as just changing the internal transformer. ...

 

Asking for a 110 volt one is a bit like asking Roll Royce why they don't make a 900cc turbo-diesel version of their Phantom

 

Whether they fit a transformer for 110V or 240V is a minor design change (albeit with possible major repercussions on the product), nothing like this silly analogy.

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It is far more than a simple change of transformer,it  would have to pass US electrical standards, and certification and require import licences, plus extensive product liability insurance demanded  by the US market,

There's nothing wrong with going down this path.

 

https://voltage-converter-transformers.com/collections/step-up-down-voltage-transformer-converter

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Morley seem to sell direct to the customer these days and apart from annoyingly not producing a single unit their rep sounded very knowledgeable on the phone so another Vector will be winging its way shed wards this week while I delve into the innards of an OnTrack in a quest to fix its overload cut out which suddenly failed after a 5 hour running (in) session...

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Morley Vector arrived yesterday,so around a week from phone call to delivery.  Now I have just got to adapt the controller shelf to take it so should be up and running for Sunday's running session.

The failed OnTrack was just a failed 2.2 amp cut out so after fitting a new (1.1amp) Polyswitch I just need to find a way to fit the case back together with screws instead of pop rivets and it too will be back in action ready to test.   If the 1.1 is not sufficient I will double it up to equal the original 2.2amps.

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  • 1 year later...

Morley have just brought out a Vector Zero Two Crawler.  I assume that this is to refine the slow speed control.

Anyone got one?  Any good?

I am thinking or replacing my H&M Duette with something a bit more modern; and this seems to fit the bill with hand-held untis and slow speed control.

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7 hours ago, KGV said:

Morley have just brought out a Vector Zero Two Crawler.  I assume that this is to refine the slow speed control.

Anyone got one?  Any good?

I am thinking or replacing my H&M Duette with something a bit more modern; and this seems to fit the bill with hand-held untis and slow speed control.

Go for it, Morley's give super smooth power and I find them brilliant for double heading and banking, vastly better than feedback controllers and resistors like the Duette,  similar to the old H&M units    You wont find a better hand held control, the hand held's weigh next to nothing and the wires are super flexible.  Mine have been adapted to have tiny hand helds using old 2AA torch bodies.

Edited by DavidCBroad
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  • 4 weeks later...
On 01/02/2019 at 14:07, KGV said:

Morley have just brought out a Vector Zero Two Crawler.  I assume that this is to refine the slow speed control.

 

I did notice that on Morley's web site, and I wondered if it might in any way be related to the modification explained by mikesndbs in his post on another thread in April last year:

 

 

Edited by ejstubbs
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On 25/02/2019 at 13:24, mikesndbs said:

 

Love to see some photos?

Will do, I’ll get  to it next week , as Ive replaced the vector , with a 4 track gaugemaster, for our new test track so the Morley isn’t in use at present 

 

i also dissembled the gaugemaster , I’d be surprised if the component cost exceeds £10 :D  

 

Dave  

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5 hours ago, Junctionmad said:

Will do, I’ll get  to it next week , as Ive replaced the vector , with a 4 track gaugemaster, for our new test track so the Morley isn’t in use at present 

 

i also dissembled the gaugemaster , I’d be surprised if the component cost exceeds £10 :D  

 

Dave  

 

Great stuff, I know what you mean with the GMs I think we are paying for quality and that life time warranty with them.

You might have seen the videos I made about making a controller from scratch? I think that lot came to about £15 to buy all the bits lol

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Building controllers is not that hard,  I've got R. A.  Penfold circuit  books dating back 40+years. There are updated copies around.. 

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