RailPro > RailPro Specific Help & Discussion
LM-3S track over voltage casualty
GMM6809:
Today I was finally able to get to hardwire installing my first LM into an engine. It was going well.
I wired up the track pick ups, motor, and speaker to test it and get something’s programmed via the C-1.
Well, at some point while it was on the track, it had a track voltage high warning show up. I say at some point because I had to tend to my daughter briefly and left the area.
When I come back there is no sound and that distinct smell.
It appeared to be fried.
Is this something I should reach out to Tim Ring to see if it can be repaired or am I just out of the one and only module I had? Lol
I’m now trying to determine how the track voltage spiked and for how long to cause this...
Was an NCE power cab.. so I’m unsure why. It seems fine..
Luckily it was the only engine on the track. Lol
Cheers!
G8B4Life:
I too would love to know how you got an over voltage warning, the power supply for the PowerCab can only put out 13.8v; unless you were powering it with something else instead of the included power supply, and if the module was dead when you got back how did it report the over voltage condition?
I'm guessing that you tried seeing if it'd respond again after having taken it off the track for awhile so if it's fried then that's some bad luck. It would certainly pay to reach out to TR and see what he says. He may ask you to send it in for repair or analysis as you were powering if according to the manual.
- Tim
Espeelark:
Glenn - as Bart would say, "That's a bummer Dude!"
How do you know it was on over-voltage event?
Reason I ask is that the Handheld Control, to my knowledge, only reports/shows instantaneous events that you have to be there to see/read and it doesn't keep a log that you can go back to later and interrogate.
Or am I missing something?
KPack:
Ring will definitely want to see the module for diagnosis. He should be able to determine the cause once he opens it up.
If it was an overvoltage event then the track power must have spiked quite a bit. The LM's can handle a pretty big range of power. Without looking at the manual, I think it's either 16 or 18 volts max.
I did have a single module out of all that I've installed fry on me for no reason. Locomotive was just sitting on the track, sound on, then a buzz and a puff of smoke. Sent it in to Ring and he determined that a loose piece of solder had moved and shorted out the board. He replaced the module and I've never had another problem like that.
-Kevin
ON28:
Could a house power spike do that? I installed a whole house surge protector after Superstorm Sandy fried a couple of computers. (Flames were observed exiting a basement outlet...) I know of at least one hobbyist who has an independent power system just for his trains.
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