RMweb Gold Graham T Posted February 25, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2023 1 hour ago, Harlequin said: What about asking us to have a look? ☺️ Open it up, take some photos and post them here. Someone might spot something...! Good grief! A chap would have to be barking mad to ask for advice here... Baaah! Stand by and I'll deliver some post-prandial piccies. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted February 25, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2023 A bit more fighting with the painting today. I think the right hand buffer head might be a tad large, and of course I still need to paint the crew. But it's inching its way toward being done, perhaps. Time to go out foraging for provisions now, and then I might dismantle the Demon Loco... 10 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Rowsley17D Posted February 25, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2023 5 hours ago, NHY 581 said: Morning Graham, I'm sorry to hear of your continuing woes with your 1P. I stumbled across this and the wording "Revision A" piqued my interest......I wonder if this might be the issue.... https://Bachmann-spares.co.uk/category/2-branchline-steam-parts/mr-1532-johnson-1p/electronics Perhaps a call to Bachmann's spares department might be in order ? Rob. Thanks for the heads-up on Bachmann 1P spares. Last time I looked there weren't any when the spares website was first set up. I might order a bogie with pick-ups to improve the running of my kit-built 1Ps that don't have stay alives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold NHY 581 Posted February 25, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2023 2 hours ago, Graham T said: Good grief! A chap would have to be barking mad to ask for advice here... Baaah! Stand by and I'll deliver some post-prandial piccies. Baaah ? 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted February 25, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2023 I was thinking more along the lines of General Sir Anthony Hogmanay Melchett, old chap. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold NHY 581 Posted February 25, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2023 Aaaaah ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Brinkly Posted February 25, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2023 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted February 25, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2023 4 hours ago, Graham T said: Good grief! A chap would have to be barking mad to ask for advice here... Baaah! Stand by and I'll deliver some post-prandial piccies. So, here are the photos, with and without the decoder in place. The black and blue wires from the decoder are to the stay-alive, which is fitted in the bunker. Rob @NHY 581 had raised my hopes by pointing out the Rev-A PCB on the Bachmann spares site, but it seems the Demon Loco already has one fitted. Any bright ideas please? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Andy Keane Posted February 25, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 25, 2023 could we see the other side of your decoder where the stayalive has been attached? who added the stayalive wiring? Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Neal Ball Posted February 25, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 25, 2023 11 minutes ago, Graham T said: So, here are the photos, with and without the decoder in place. The black and blue wires from the decoder are to the stay-alive, which is fitted in the bunker. Rob @NHY 581 had raised my hopes by pointing out the Rev-A PCB on the Bachmann spares site, but it seems the Demon Loco already has one fitted. Any bright ideas please? That implies that you think the PCB is at fault Graham. Or at least the wiring to it. 1 minute ago, Andy Keane said: could we see the other side of your decoder where the stayalive has been attached? who added the stayalive wiring? Andy Also - is the stay alive wired the right way round + to + etc. That would lead to issues (speaking from experience!). Plus Graham, can you remind me what the symptoms are? Erratic running - what else was it. Good luck, we'll get the strange wrong shade of GWR green loco running again 🤣 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted February 25, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2023 13 minutes ago, Andy Keane said: could we see the other side of your decoder where the stayalive has been attached? who added the stayalive wiring? Andy Here you go Andy. Wiring added by me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted February 25, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2023 12 minutes ago, Neal Ball said: That implies that you think the PCB is at fault Graham. Or at least the wiring to it. Yes - the first thing that Bachmann mentioned to me in an email was that it might be a dry joint on the PCB. That suggests to me that maybe they've had an issue with that before. 12 minutes ago, Neal Ball said: Also - is the stay alive wired the right way round + to + etc. That would lead to issues (speaking from experience!). I think so, yes! 12 minutes ago, Neal Ball said: Plus Graham, can you remind me what the symptoms are? Erratic running - what else was it. It's one of those weird ones I'm afraid. When it runs, it runs absolutely fine. Nice slow speed control and so on (even on my dodgy track). And then I'll try to run it another day and it won't respond at all. If I try it on the programming track the CV can't be read... 12 minutes ago, Neal Ball said: Good luck, we'll get the strange wrong shade of GWR green loco running again 🤣 Let's hope so, it's starting to bug me... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Rowsley17D Posted February 25, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2023 Have you tried taking the decoder out and running it on DC? I don't know if you can with factory fitted sound though. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Harlequin Posted February 25, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2023 Have you tried running it without the body on? To test whether trapped wires are something to do with the problem? What form does the stay-alive take? Is it a simple capacitor or something more sophisticated? Have you tried disconnecting the stay-alive temporarily to see if that make running more reliable? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Andy Keane Posted February 25, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 25, 2023 34 minutes ago, Graham T said: Here you go Andy. Wiring added by me. On that blue wire there is a length of exposed metal that might touch the next component along? Might be worth coating the wire with a little varnish or epoxy just to be sure? Unlikely to be the case but you are looking for an intermittent fault. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted February 25, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2023 2 hours ago, Rowsley17D said: Have you tried taking the decoder out and running it on DC? I don't know if you can with factory fitted sound though. I don't think I can do that with the PCB fitted? I tried a 9V battery across the wheels anyway, and nothing happened. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted February 25, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2023 1 hour ago, Harlequin said: Have you tried running it without the body on? To test whether trapped wires are something to do with the problem? What form does the stay-alive take? Is it a simple capacitor or something more sophisticated? Have you tried disconnecting the stay-alive temporarily to see if that make running more reliable? Yes I've tried that and I don't think it's a trapped wire. It has a Kung Fu stay-alive, one of these from Digitrains. I've used them in several of my other locos without any issues... I'll disconnect it and see if that helps though. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted February 25, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2023 1 hour ago, Andy Keane said: On that blue wire there is a length of exposed metal that might touch the next component along? Might be worth coating the wire with a little varnish or epoxy just to be sure? Unlikely to be the case but you are looking for an intermittent fault. Possible! I'm going to disconnect the stay-alive for a test tomorrow, so when (if) I reconnect it I'll make sure there's no exposed wire showing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Harlequin Posted February 25, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2023 1 minute ago, Graham T said: I don't think I can do that with the PCB fitted? I tried a 9V battery across the wheels anyway, and nothing happened. For a guaranteed DC test (since the decoder might be the problem), either on the track or via a battery, you really need a blanking plate plugged into the Next18 socket instead of the decoder. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted February 25, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2023 Ah. I'll check in the Bachmann box, but my money's on there not being one in there 🙁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted February 25, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2023 Well, I was right. No blanking plate in the Bachmann box. But there was one of these - woohoo! A vanilla (non-sound) decoder in a sealed bag. It was the work of a moment to pop it onto the programming track, and ... "Cannot read CV". Bu@@er. So, it looks as if it's (probably) not the decoder that's the problem. Maybe it is the PCB? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Andy Keane Posted February 25, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 25, 2023 (edited) 48 minutes ago, Graham T said: I don't think I can do that with the PCB fitted? I tried a 9V battery across the wheels anyway, and nothing happened. So its not the board then? must be the wiring to the socket I guess? or the connection to the wheels. A plain DC blanking board would seem to be the next test. Edited February 25, 2023 by Andy Keane 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted February 25, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2023 I'm a numpty when it comes to electrickery, but I don't think you can test on DC without a blanking plug, which I haven't got. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Harlequin Posted February 25, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, Graham T said: Well, I was right. No blanking plate in the Bachmann box. But there was one of these - woohoo! A vanilla (non-sound) decoder in a sealed bag. It was the work of a moment to pop it onto the programming track, and ... "Cannot read CV". Bu@@er. So, it looks as if it's (probably) not the decoder that's the problem. Maybe it is the PCB? Hang on, that doesn’t look like a decoder to me. I reckon that is a blanking plug and with it plugged in you could try the 9v battery test. Another thing: If you have ever installed a Next18 decoder in a loco yourself, you will have removed the blanking plate and stashed it away somewhere (right?). If so, that would work in this loco because blanking plates are very simple, electrically. Edited February 25, 2023 by Harlequin 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted February 25, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2023 You're right Phil - told you I didn't know anything about electrickery... But it still doesn't run with a 9V battery and the decoder blanking plate in place. I know the battery is good. Maybe re-solder the motor and track connections to the PCB do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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