Bachmann Dynamis

[traction]

I've managed to get a very cheap Bachmann Dynamis.

It's an old one but in excellent condition.

 

Tested it out and initially the handset didn't power up.

Took it apart and cleaned the corrosion off the battery terminals.

Checked all batteries and two were down so replaced the lot again, and now working fine.

 

Then connected power supply to the base station, green LED in receiver flashing fast, only LED lit.

No signal showing on handset.

 

Read the many reports on here and tried resetting it and lights on/off then found a spare 500ma DC power supply.

Plugged that in and hey ho all working great.

 

Tried the original ESU power supply again, and tested in different sockets in the house still the same fault.
Also used a filtered extension lead still the same.

Tried my Maplin variable DC supply and all working fine no matter where I plugged it in or what lights were switched on.

The only difference is the original ESU power supply is rated at 16v DC 2.3amps

The maplin one is rated at 3 to 12 v DC at only 500ma

It also looks like the Maplin one is not a switched mode type.

 

Did anyone find a suitable working replacement power supply?

Why would the original cause a problem when a cheap non SMPS work fine?

 

Its very odd, just want to get a decent power adapter for it now.

 

Cheers

 

Ian

[tarifa]

Your best bet is to ensure you provide a steady state power supply.  I use a laptop power supply for my larger layout, providing the amps is around 5to6 it should be ok.

 

Mike

[traction]

That 5 to 6 amps is very high!

 

The original ESU power supply is 16v DC at 2.3amps.

I have since tried my Hornby Select power supply with the correct adapter fitted on the end, and that works fine as does the 4amp Hornby power supply.

 

I really like the idea of powering the Bachmann Dynamis with a Hornby power supply!!!

 

It just seems very strange that the original ESU adapter just seems to be a common failure point,  also that it can be that susceptible to poor DC or noise on the mains power.
At least the Hornby power supplies are both working and powering it OK.

 

Cheers

 

Ian

[sonofjamie]

That 5 to 6 amps is very high!

 

The original ESU power supply is 16v DC at 2.3amps.

I have since tried my Hornby Select power supply with the correct adapter fitted on the end, and that works fine as does the 4amp Hornby power supply.

 

I really like the idea of powering the Bachmann Dynamis with a Hornby power supply!!!

 

It just seems very strange that the original ESU adapter just seems to be a common failure point,  also that it can be that susceptible to poor DC or noise on the mains power.

At least the Hornby power supplies are both working and powering it OK.

 

Cheers

 

Ian

 

Hi Ian,

I wish I had read this post before having a very frustrating morning!

Like you I managed to buy (on eBay) a Dynamis recently (as my very first DCC controller!) and duly got it set up. All was working great and the last few days have been spent fitting decoders and trying them out. Headed into the loft this morning with the intention of fiiting and programming a few more decoders and to my dismay I was greeted with the dreaded flashing lights syndrome. Tried disconnecting everything from the control box, resetting the handset, wiring up a different bit of track, everything I thought I could possibly do. At my wits end I decided to unplug the PSU to have a look at it to see if there was anything untoward looking. Couldn't see anything wrong so as a last resort I plugged everything in just to give it one last chance and "Hey! Ho!" the b*****y thing worked. Steady green light as if nothing had happened. A couple of decoders installed, programmed into the handset, and everything working perfectly.

 

After reading your post, I am now convinced that the problem is with the PSU and not the control box or handset, so I am now somewhat relieved, as this should be fairly cheap to replace.

Thanks

Steven