Dimax Navigator Repair

[philkelly]

My Dimax Navigator has packed up. The LCD display fades 10 seconds after switching on, and it no longer connects to the base station. is there a Massoth repair agent in UK, or will it have to go back to Massoth in Germany?

 

[Brixham]

I’m assuming you’re wireless. Does it work without batteries and when cabled to the central?

Malcolm

 

[philkelly]

Thanks. Yes, wireless. Didn't try cabling it. Regrettably, Central (and Railway) are in France, so can't try it now. Would like working Navi by next Spring.. don't want to go and find it still isn't working. Will inquire via Massoth website, but was hoping that a UK agent might be able to fix it. Looks like even the best UK Garden Railway dealers think it's beyond them (unless anyone reading this knows different?)

 

[PhilP]

You need to try it tethered (cabled) with the batteries out..

You may just have tired rechargeable batteries.

Otherwise, your best bet is to send it back to Massoth.

PhilP

 

[Distrackted]

You need to try it tethered (cabled) with the batteries out..

You may just have tired rechargeable batteries.

Otherwise, your best bet is to send it back to Massoth.

PhilP

Have you tried cleaning the battery contacts maybe with some very fine grit sandpaper? I had a similar problem and although the contacts looked clean enough, there was poor continuity until I did that. Beforehand it drove me crazy and kept shutting down.

 

[OBBherr]

I don't know if Massoth have a formal UK repair agent, but Paul Lamming at P&S in York/Scarborough has arranged factory repair of Massoth stuff for me before now. He seems to know a lot of the right people there.

 

[Software Tools]

Have you tried cleaning the battery contacts maybe with some very fine grit sandpaper? I had a similar problem and although the contacts looked clean enough, there was poor continuity until I did that. Beforehand it drove me crazy and kept shutting down.

Metal polish if preferable to any abrasive paper. The battery contacts are usually some sort of plated metal so direct abrading of the plating is not a good thing to engage in at any time...... as the plating will almost always have better tarnish resistance than the underlying metal.

 

[Distrackted]

Metal polish if preferable to any abrasive paper. The battery contacts are usually some sort of plated metal so direct abrading of the plating is not a good thing to engage in at any time...... as the plating will almost always have better tarnish resistance than the underlying metal.

That's a very good point. Of course less is better. I tried contact cleaner (Ridox) first and was surprised the problem persisted. I didn't try metal polish. I used 2000 grit paper which didn't cut through the plating, but did solve the problem. Metal polish may well have worked too as a better option.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

I'd like to underscore the point Distrackted made:

Do not use something so abrasive that you go through the THIN nickel plating to the steel below.

You may think you have fixed it, but now the raw steel will rust and oxidize and you now will have to clean the contacts on a regular basis.

I use a small fiberglas pen, and remove just enough to see the shine. The fine fibers by natural action, rub first on the raised corrosion.



Greg

 

[mike]

Try Paul.at P+S hobbies in
York, or Scarborough