RailPro User Group

RailPro => RailPro Specific Help & Discussion => Topic started by: Blueleader on September 09, 2017, 01:02:19 PM

Title: New install issues
Post by: Blueleader on September 09, 2017, 01:02:19 PM
Just opened up and connected a new 56 power supply and tested the short protection which worked as described. But when I try to detect it with the new HC it won't detect. It is powered with green light on. I also cannot get the HC to detect a newly installed lm3s in a dc ready 9 pin Athearn genesis SD75m. Help 😎
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: William Brillinger on September 09, 2017, 01:08:14 PM
Let's start at the beginning...
When you say "detect", are you are using the "find product" screen?

Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Blueleader on September 09, 2017, 01:39:40 PM
Yes, following the instructions. It just says no product...
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: William Brillinger on September 09, 2017, 01:42:52 PM
Is the HC also new?
Is it an HC2 or HC2B ?  (b has a blue label on the the front)
Is this your first throttle?
Have you updated the HC program yet?

I'm wondering if the HC may have a bad radio.

Do you have the CI-1? Have you tried it?
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Blueleader on September 09, 2017, 01:50:36 PM
I do have a new cl1 I can try on my old laptop. The HC is brand new. Tried to update while connected to PC via usb with rp assist but could not get anything to happen. I am very computer savy and build my own high performance pc's and can code as well so the PC side I know well. When I get home I will look at model.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: William Brillinger on September 09, 2017, 02:00:17 PM
Let us know how the CI-1 works out.

Sounds to me like your HC has issues.
A call to Ring on Monday should have a replacement on it's way to you fairly quickly.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Blueleader on September 09, 2017, 02:21:14 PM
Will do and thanks for the help. BTW the HC is black on front so I guess it is the HC2. I bought all the RP gear from Trainworld.com. It is usually my luck to get a bad device brand new. Even UPS delivered the package to the wrong house yesterday.

Let us know how the CI-1 works out.

Sounds to me like your HC has issues.
A call to Ring on Monday should have a replacement on it's way to you fairly quickly.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: William Brillinger on September 09, 2017, 02:30:48 PM
HC-2:

HC2 Label.JPG

HC-2B:

HC2B Label.JPG
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Alan on September 09, 2017, 04:34:30 PM
Just opened up and connected a new 56 power supply and tested the short protection which worked as described. But when I try to detect it with the new HC it won't detect. It is powered with green light on. I also cannot get the HC to detect a newly installed lm3s in a dc ready 9 pin Athearn genesis SD75m. Help 😎

Is this your first HC? If not, can another HC find the PS or LM? Will the new HC find any of your installed modules?
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: KPack on September 09, 2017, 04:41:06 PM
It's certainly possible that the HC can be having issues, but the likelihood of it would be slim.  It's very rare for any of Ring's hardware to have problems.  Software yes, but the hardware has been pretty bulletproof up to this point.

-Kevin
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: William Brillinger on September 09, 2017, 04:48:23 PM
Quote
It's very rare for any of Ring's hardware to have problems.

True, but it does happen.
Another member recently had a bad screen. Ring took care of it quickly for him.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: KPack on September 09, 2017, 04:52:20 PM
Quote
Ring took care of it quickly for him.

Absolutely.  In the rare case that there is a problem Ring takes care of his customers.  Best customer service I've seen.

-Kevin
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Blueleader on September 09, 2017, 05:10:16 PM
I used the cl1 and everything worked as it should except no matter how many times I saved, when I turned off the program and back on it lost all programming. So the HC-2 is bad. And all I had hooked up was the speaker, with other wires individually electrical taped over and all sounds were working well for 15 minutes...BUT then the temp warning came on and the damn LM3S literally melted down the outer case before I could get it off the track. The speaker is 8 ohms so no problem there and I double checked all wiring and it was all in place and no grounding anywhere. I have run this same diesel loco several times with no issues before. I put the DC plug back in and ran the loco again with DC power with no issues, especially no overheating of any kind. This has been a nightmare!
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: William Brillinger on September 09, 2017, 05:13:41 PM
As far as I am aware, no decoder of any sort should be run without a motor load on it.

If the HC-Sim is not keeping it's settings, that is a sign of a permissions issue in the install.
Maybe Tim (the other Tim) will chime in here with instructions.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Blueleader on September 09, 2017, 05:27:15 PM
Maybe I wasn't clear. The decoder was plugged into the dcc ready 9 pin plug and I had set the maximum voltage for the loco using the test feature. I just didn't run it instead just worked with sounds because the shell was off. The only loose wires were the ones for lights.

As far as I am aware, no decoder of any sort should be run without a motor load on it.

If the HC-Sim is not keeping it's settings, that is a sign of a permissions issue in the install.
Maybe Tim (the other Tim) will chime in here with instructions.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: William Brillinger on September 09, 2017, 05:38:42 PM
Maybe I wasn't clear. The decoder was plugged into the dcc ready 9 pin plug and I had set the maximum voltage for the loco using the test feature. I just didn't run it instead just worked with sounds because the shell was off. The only loose wires were the ones for lights.

Sorry, I misunderstood. Let me see if I've got this:

- The decoder was connected properly.
- The loco speed was set to zero.
- You tried the sounds for 15 minutes.
- The LM-3S melted.

I've never heard of an LM getting hot like that.
Can you post some photos of your setup and the LM?

I'm sorry to hear you're having so many issues with this.
I suggest you give Tim at Ring Engineering a call on Monday and see what can be done for you.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Blueleader on September 09, 2017, 06:10:08 PM
You got it. I did get the cl1 laptop hc software to save by starting the program as administrator. I had installed it as such but not ran it as admin.

Quote
Sorry, I misunderstood. Let me see if I've got this:

- The decoder was connected properly.
- The loco speed was set to zero.
- You tried the sounds for 15 minutes.
- The LM-3S melted.

I've never heard of an LM getting hot like that.
Can you post some photos of your setup and the LM?

I'm sorry to hear you're having so many issues with this.
I suggest you give Tim at Ring Engineering a call on Monday and see what can be done for you.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: G8B4Life on September 09, 2017, 08:49:03 PM
If the HC-Sim is not keeping it's settings, that is a sign of a permissions issue in the install.
Maybe Tim (the other Tim) will chime in here with instructions.

HC Sim (or RPA for that matter) should not need to be run as administrator from memory. I wonder if it's somehow an old version or has not installed correctly. What Win version are you running on the laptop and what version of HC Sim?

For the LM-3S melting; that's an interesting one. Though RailPro has temperature detection it appears that does not equal over temperature protection! Here is a couple of things I would highly recommend you check before trying another LM.

* Check the output voltage of the PWR-56; make sure it matches the specified output voltage and is not higher.

* Check the loco's wiring and circuit board. I'm not too sure about 9 pin wired loco's but when everyone used 8 pin it certainly was possible to wire the loco incorrectly so it'd work on DC but blow up DCC decoders.

For the HC, check what internal software version your HC is running. Assuming you got a HC-2 (not 2b) I doubt it has the updated software version that'll allow it to see LM-3's, though it should still see PWR-56's.

- Tim
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: PatP on September 10, 2017, 09:25:59 AM

HC Sim (or RPA for that matter) should not need to be run as administrator from memory. I wonder if it's somehow an old version or has not installed correctly. What Win version are you running on the laptop and what version of HC Sim?
....
* Check the loco's wiring and circuit board. I'm not too sure about 9 pin wired loco's but when everyone used 8 pin it certainly was possible to wire the loco incorrectly so it'd work on DC but blow up DCC decoders.
...

- Tim

Tim,

I have to run HC Sim (and Assistant) as an administrator on Win 10 (I hate Windows), and disable "virus" protection (another waste) to be able to communicate through the USB port with a CI-1. The responses I get from win-doze are different each time depending upon the mood it and the virus is in. But, that shouldn't apply to the HC-2s since they communicate directly and only pull data from Assistant, using the PC as an interface to the internet, at least that's how I understand it.

I don't know which "version" of Athearn Genesis he has but, I've got three SD70Ms. Two were DCC ready with 9-pin JSTs. There are a couple of wires that are "wrong" colors but, they still go to the correct locations. I simply pulled a 9-pin jumper board out, which he called the DC board, and plugged the LM-3S in. There is no 8-pin NMRA plug. Sound still has to come from the 6-pin on the other end of the LM-3S. The JSTs only plug in one direction, pretty fool-proof. (I still wish the yellow and white wires on the 6-pin were different colors)

PatP

(did I mention that I hate windows?)
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Blueleader on September 10, 2017, 10:01:34 AM
Athearn NS 6514.jpg
This one isn't Genesis, I was thinking about my new NS SD75M #2800.
Thanks for the suggestions.
I upgraded all the software for the cl1 on my laptop running Win7Pro 64bit with all Microsoft updates loaded. I updated the HC via usb to my custom built Asus ROG PC to HC2 rev 1-30 and the PWR56 to Rev 1-10. No issues with software at this point. The cl1 found the PWR56 and then the LM3S right away and communicated with them. The HC never found anything with repeated attempts either before or after software upgrade..

The 9 pin plug will only go in one way due to alignments on the side of the plug. I pulled the LM3S and put the DC plug back in and the loco runs great just as before all this. The Athearn factory DCC ready board never got hot or even warm.

My tester died, leaking battery, so this on is on hold... tested the PWR56 output voltage at the track and it is...?

At this point I cannot find any reason for the meltdown. And the HC has to be faulty since the cl1 works as advertised.


If the HC-Sim is not keeping it's settings, that is a sign of a permissions issue in the install.
Maybe Tim (the other Tim) will chime in here with instructions.

HC Sim (or RPA for that matter) should not need to be run as administrator from memory. I wonder if it's somehow an old version or has not installed correctly. What Win version are you running on the laptop and what version of HC Sim?

For the LM-3S melting; that's an interesting one. Though RailPro has temperature detection it appears that does not equal over temperature protection! Here is a couple of things I would highly recommend you check before trying another LM.

* Check the output voltage of the PWR-56; make sure it matches the specified output voltage and is not higher.

* Check the loco's wiring and circuit board. I'm not too sure about 9 pin wired loco's but when everyone used 8 pin it certainly was possible to wire the loco incorrectly so it'd work on DC but blow up DCC decoders.

For the HC, check what internal software version your HC is running. Assuming you got a HC-2 (not 2b) I doubt it has the updated software version that'll allow it to see LM-3's, though it should still see PWR-56's.

- Tim
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Blueleader on September 10, 2017, 11:19:38 AM
Tested voltage at the track with the PWR56 connected and got 14.4v
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: PatP on September 10, 2017, 12:02:45 PM
You did use the two brown wires on the 6-pin connector supplied with the LM-3S for the speaker and not connection points on the card, correct? Just a question. I would think (gets me into trouble) that it would take a short to burn up the module. I can see the 8-pin NMRA in the pic with no plug so they used the 9-pin on that one. I've got some Atlas units that have jumpers on the board that you have to move to run DCC or RP through the board, but I don't see anything like that in the pic. Could've been internal in the LM-3S. I would say that's highly unlikely but, I had one that wouldn't run the motor right out of the box.

The only time I've had an HC not connect was dirty wheels and track. Even then the HC would see the LM-3 intermittently but, the CI-1 wouldn't talk to it at all, of course part of that could've been me ticking off win-doze and the virus.

Sorry I'm not more help. You can call or email Ring and get an RMA # to send it (them) back. They should be able to figure out what happened. They have great customer service.

PatP
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Blueleader on September 10, 2017, 01:48:13 PM
Yes I followed the wiring diagram that came with the LM3S which said use the 2 brown wires off the 6 pin plug for the speaker. If you look close at the pic you can see the small Athearn DC adapter plugged into the 9 pin DCC connector so I can run the loco on DC for now. This pic was taken after I pulled the LM3S off the DCC Connector.

You did use the two brown wires on the 6-pin connector supplied with the LM-3S for the speaker and not connection points on the card, correct? Just a question. I would think (gets me into trouble) that it would take a short to burn up the module. I can see the 8-pin NMRA in the pic with no plug so they used the 9-pin on that one. I've got some Atlas units that have jumpers on the board that you have to move to run DCC or RP through the board, but I don't see anything like that in the pic. Could've been internal in the LM-3S. I would say that's highly unlikely but, I had one that wouldn't run the motor right out of the box.

The only time I've had an HC not connect was dirty wheels and track. Even then the HC would see the LM-3 intermittently but, the CI-1 wouldn't talk to it at all, of course part of that could've been me ticking off win-doze and the virus.

Sorry I'm not more help. You can call or email Ring and get an RMA # to send it (them) back. They should be able to figure out what happened. They have great customer service.

PatP
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: William Brillinger on September 10, 2017, 02:17:06 PM
Quote
Tested voltage at the track with the PWR56 connected and got 14.4v

Well, the voltage is correct.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: nodcc4me on September 11, 2017, 07:42:49 AM
Having never seen an LM melt down, I'm wondering if there is a short in the 9 pin locomotive plug?


Try pushing the reset on the HC2. I have had some weird happenings that were fixed by doing that.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Blueleader on September 11, 2017, 12:54:34 PM
I tried twice and it didn't change anything. Got the whole kit boxed up and ready to send back to RP.

Having never seen an LM melt down, I'm wondering if there is a short in the 9 pin locomotive plug?


Try pushing the reset on the HC2. I have had some weird happenings that were fixed by doing that.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Alan on September 11, 2017, 01:52:05 PM
Quote
Having never seen an LM melt down, I'm wondering if there is a short in the 9 pin locomotive plug?

Or elsewhere in the loco wiring. Correct DC operation would still work if the short were in a non-motor wire.

Quote
Though RailPro has temperature detection it appears that does not equal over temperature protection!

Unless track power was also being supplied directly to the blue wire and/or the new LM3 ground pin. The module may have shut down but the juice kept flowing because of the power connection downstream from the protection circuitry. Same problem we discussed with attaching keep-alives using the new LM3 ground pin. In this case the 56 may have been a never-exhausting keep alive!

A LM has at its heart a PIC microcontroller. I can find no reference to the PIC family having integral thermal shutdown. The data sheets specifically say the PIC will be harmed if operated beyond spec maximums leading one to believe there is no integral shutdown. I did however find many references to using PIC in conjunction with power management chips that do have thermal shutdown. I wish I had taken pictures back when I took the case off an LM. Can't remember what other active components there were other than the microcontroller. It may be that an LM doesn't have thermal shutdown. Might be too nosy of a question to ask Tim.

Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Blueleader on September 11, 2017, 07:39:03 PM
Melted LM3S

IMG_0072.JPG

RP LM3S board back.JPG
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Alan on September 11, 2017, 08:42:03 PM
It appears the case melted above the SMD tantalum capacitor (A337J). Tantalum caps get very hot when reversed biased or sometimes even explode.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: G8B4Life on September 12, 2017, 06:10:39 AM
It appears the case melted above the SMD tantalum capacitor (A337J). Tantalum caps get very hot when reversed biased or sometimes even explode.

I had another thought tonight while resting my mind (read dozing) before checking back here, which I'll get to. Alan, the melting of the case is on the 6 pin end, not the 9 pin end where A337J is.  My theory is the audio amplifier was being over driven (too little speaker resistance?). Given that the melting of the case is exactly in line with the speaker wires on the 6 pin JST gives some credit to my theory. On the reverse side of the board, ACN E AL (10 pin IC  top right of picture of board underside) is the vicinity of where the heat was generated. The melt even has the same shape as ACN E AL.

- Tim
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: William Brillinger on September 12, 2017, 06:24:32 AM
Note: I edited the photo size in the post above so the images could be fully seen without scrolling. (I set width=800)
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Alan on September 12, 2017, 07:55:10 AM
It appears the case melted above the SMD tantalum capacitor (A337J). Tantalum caps get very hot when reversed biased or sometimes even explode.

I had another thought tonight while resting my mind (read dozing) before checking back here, which I'll get to. Alan, the melting of the case is on the 6 pin end, not the 9 pin end where A337J is.  My theory is the audio amplifier was being over driven (too little speaker resistance?). Given that the melting of the case is exactly in line with the speaker wires on the 6 pin JST gives some credit to my theory. On the reverse side of the board, ACN E AL (10 pin IC  top right of picture of board underside) is the vicinity of where the heat was generated. The melt even has the same shape as ACN E AL.

- Tim

Makes perfect sense and the evidence fits the crime. I feel like I just watched an episode of Monk.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Blueleader on September 12, 2017, 09:01:43 AM
Well I just tossed that speaker into the garbage to be safe, even though it tested at 8 ohms resistance. Thanks again for the input guys. Since I can't verify a specific issue through observation and/or vu meter I'm just going to put the loco on the shelf and run it only in DC. I cannot afford to burn up modules. I think I will start off with a much lower priced diesel GP9 or GP38 I have and wire it for RP and testing everything very carefully first. I contacted RP and got an RMA # for the HC-2. They suggested checking for and using the find product using password feature...Which I have tried already and besides I never set a password when I used the cl1.
I just shipped the kit back to Ring for the faulty HC-2 and that cost me $20 in shipping costs. DCC is looking better by the minute.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: TwinStar on September 12, 2017, 10:41:56 AM
No amount of 'I've never had this problem' will make you feel better. But this is interesting as this is a rare anomaly with RE. I'm curious to see what the culprit is.

But don't think DCC doesn't have these problems as well. In fact, they have more. I've been involved in Free-mo for a decade now and there probably isn't a larger user of Digitrax equipment of which I've owned my fair share. I had two DB100a boosters die that I had to send both back for repair and once they were unsupported I had to cannibalize one to save the other. I had a hardware failure on a UR92 antenna and a memory and battery replacement issue on a DCS100. Just this weekend by buddies DT402D throttle had buttons 4-7 fail and it's going to head back to the shop. This recent Free-mo setup also had three locomotives die and one runway 'who is controlling my locomotive' while the owner grabbed his train moment.  And that's just what I saw in one day out of three. None of this stuff is perfect but I find RailPro to be far, far better.   

This is unfortunate and I'm curious to see what the final culprit is.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Alan on September 12, 2017, 10:57:09 AM
...
This is unfortunate and I'm curious to see what the final culprit is.
As am I.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: PatP on September 12, 2017, 11:58:56 PM
...
This is unfortunate and I'm curious to see what the final culprit is.

Me as well. Sorry for the bad experience.

Be sure and let us know what they find, and Ring will let you know. I found out today that the LM-3S I messed up a couple of weeks ago was "cause by shorting one of the motor wire to another power wire", which was my OCD trying to use the white wire on the 6-pin for a light output. I mean that's what the one on the 9-pin is for.

PatP
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: G8B4Life on September 13, 2017, 07:17:07 AM
Makes perfect sense and the evidence fits the crime. I feel like I just watched an episode of Monk.

I too would like to know the final outcome.

Never watched Monk, but searching SMD codes to try and see what's what with the IC that we think is in question, I believe it's one of this family: https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/products/analog/audio/MAX9700D.html (https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/products/analog/audio/MAX9700D.html). This is probably more interest to Alan than everyone else. If that is indeed the IC on the board (remember, speculation it is) I imagine that given it's output rating it wouldn't take much to overdrive it.

Looking at Blueleaders pic, is it possible that the speaker was resting somewhere against the model and it could have vibrated enough to short the speaker terminals to the frame of the loco or something else? It would explain a sudden loss of impedance (I should have used that term yesterday) which would overdrive the amplifier very quickly.

DCC is looking better by the minute.

Blueleader, I am very sad to hear that comment. I think you'd be much more frustrated by DCC from the outset though. Now, if the HC was faulty straight from the box then ideally either Trainworld (if you had sent it back to them) or RE should really cover your return postage. They may not be required to by law but I'd certainly be asking for it.

- Tim
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: nodcc4me on September 13, 2017, 08:13:40 AM
DCC is looking better by the minute.

"Blueleader, I am very sad to hear that comment. I think you'd be much more frustrated by DCC from the outset though."
- Tim
[/quote]
Yes, that is a saddening comment. It is nice to be able to remove DCC equipped locomotives from the box, place them on the rails and watch them run, but making settings modifications is a nightmare, even with JMRI. I have watched my DCC friends struggle for hours to get an engine to run the way they want it to. Don't even mention speed matching.

Installing a LM and speaker can be a challenge, particularly when hard wiring, but once that's done, settings are a breeze. I wouldn't trade RP for DCC under any circumstances. Perhaps at some point, we'll be able to buy RP equipped locomotives with sound, but I would think that is a ways off.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Blueleader on September 13, 2017, 01:12:36 PM
I'm just frustrated that after saving for 6 months I get a new HC that won't work and somehow fried a module. My Dad was an electrical engineer and excellent mechanic and he taught me everything over decades. I can and have wired a house and a 37 Ford pickup we restored together keeping the flathead V8 and rebuilt starters and rebuilt 12 ALCO Athearn PA1 all running great with led lights added and on and on. I can weld, prep and paint a car flawlessly, build my on high performance pc's, kill a deer at 400 yards with one shot in a wind, rebuild a V8 motor in a day adding a supercharger and program it with an SCT tuner, save lives with my USAF combat medic training...And I have, build a beautiful piece of furniture or restore an antique Victor Victrola...because I have, and on and on. All of this I can easily prove as skills I have and shows that I pay attention to details and have exceptional intelligence...with 2 college Bachelors Degrees in Science and a Masters to back it up 😊 So I will give it another try but if I get back a faulty HC its over and I will stick with Smart DC for several more years.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: KPack on September 13, 2017, 03:01:21 PM
Tim will take care of you, I wouldn't sweat it.  Very unusual for there to be hardware problems but it can certainly happen.

I had a brand new LM-2S fry once for no apparent reason.  Same thing as you but without the melting.  Everything was properly installed (I've installed tons of these) and I doubled checked the wiring.  Locomotive ran fine during testing, then I just had it sitting on the track with the sound idling... Next thing I know I hear a quick screech and magic smoke coming out of the top of the loco. Quickly pulled it off the track and the module was toast.

Sent it back to Tim and he found that there was an errant piece of solder that had somehow broken loose inside and shorted out a couple things.  Tim took care it and all is well.

Kevin
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: darryl.trains on September 13, 2017, 09:34:34 PM
Anyone that decides to go back to DCC, heaven forbid, there is always a resale market for used or new RP products. Ask me how I know?  The old fardt in Yuma
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Blueleader on September 20, 2017, 09:34:04 AM
Anyone that has had an HC repaired...How long did it take? They took delivery of my new HC Thursday and I haven't heard a word from them.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: KPack on September 20, 2017, 09:40:44 AM
Mine was a few days, but that was years ago before Ring had a much larger customer base.  Keep in mind also that Tim is right at the tail end of a massive software update that has been consuming all of his time.  Shoot him an email as a reminder and ask for a status update.  He'll get back with you today I'm sure.

-Kevin
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: William Brillinger on September 20, 2017, 09:51:04 AM
Usually it only takes a few days, but Ring is not the best about sending out followup emails. It could already be on it's way back to you.

You can call Tim Ring at (219) 322-0279 and find out right away.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: PatP on September 20, 2017, 03:58:59 PM
Anyone that has had an HC repaired...How long did it take? They took delivery of my new HC Thursday and I haven't heard a word from them.

Haven't had an HC repaired but, just got back an LM-3S that I shorted out. Took a couple of weeks. Got an email when they were shipping it back explaining what they found.

PatP
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Morebassman on September 20, 2017, 08:00:23 PM
I Had my HC repaired and I had a eyebolt installed for a landyard since it was there.
 I can't remember exactly how long but I think it was closer to 3 weeks.
$25.00 for the eyebolt since the controller was open.... but $35.00 if you just send it in for the Eyebolt for the lanyard.
Kind of expensive either way but I read where Ring dosen't recommend taking apart the controller for callibration issues... But I remember a preivious post from Bill installing his own eyebolt without a problem.
I"m a little afraid of opening up a $250.00 plus controller with my lack of knowledge on this thing but hey... that's how you learn. Your call if you want to install an eyebolt for a landyard.
By the way... I had dropped my controller seveal times in my basement and that is why I had to send it in to be repaired. Haven't dropped it since the landyard.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: MustDecide on September 22, 2017, 11:17:05 AM
What is the difference between the Blue Label and the Grey Label HC2? Is one newer?
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: William Brillinger on September 22, 2017, 11:26:12 AM
The Blue Label HC-2B is the current production version

It has has more memory than the Grey Label HC-2 along with a redesigned circuit board. the board was redesigned due to changes in availability of some components that were used in the original HC-2 along with some efficiency improvements and the addition of USB based charging. The original HC and HC-2 use a separate connector for charging.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Blueleader on September 23, 2017, 06:23:35 PM
Got an email from Ring and they repaired my HC saying only that it was a manufacturing defect. They offered me an LM3S for $50 as compensation for my troubles. Basically it covers my shipping cost and I now have a refurbed HC ::) 
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: KPack on September 23, 2017, 09:09:36 PM
Take the LM-3S!  You can never have enough modules.

-Kevin
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Blueleader on September 26, 2017, 05:22:52 PM
I got my HC-2 kit back and plugged it up to charge and it got very warm on the back, too warm for my comfort. Does anybody else's do this?
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: KPack on September 26, 2017, 05:33:28 PM
It'll heat up a good amount when you are charging it from a very low state.  I would not be concerned.  If I remember correctly the HC has built-in thermal overload protection....if it gets too hot it shuts down.

-Kevin
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Alan on September 26, 2017, 07:01:45 PM
It'll heat up a good amount when you are charging it from a very low state.  I would not be concerned.  If I remember correctly the HC has built-in thermal overload protection....if it gets too hot it shuts down.

-Kevin

I think that applies only to the circuitry, not the batteries. There are no sensors I am aware of on the batteries in my HCs. I have charged them from a very low state several times. They do get warm but not hot by any means.

We have a cordless phone handset that the battery gets very hot if you run it way down and then put it on the cradle. So hot you would think it is going to melt the plastic phone. When that occurs I place it on the cradle for a while then let it cool down for some time before returning to the cradle. Batteries getting hot doesn't sit well with me.

I'd keep a watchful eye on your HC. Not leave it unguarded while charging just in case the factory sealed smoke wants out.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: William Brillinger on September 26, 2017, 09:25:30 PM
Yes, They can get quite warm.
I've never seen my HC-2 get so warm that it was uncomfortable to hold though.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: Blueleader on September 27, 2017, 08:01:42 AM
Thanks for the replies guys. I'll keep an eye on it while it charges especially from a low state. I'll borrow a thermal reader and next time it is very low on power i'll test it while charging and post here.
Title: Re: New install issues
Post by: William Brillinger on September 27, 2017, 08:57:07 AM
I'm Charging an HC-2B right now that was all the way drained (no power on). It's at about 50% now and sitting at 84.2 deg F.