LGB Street Car problem

K

Kevin

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Hi all,

Could anyone offer some advice on this problem please?
Yesterday, I put my digital LGB street car with sound on to the rails and then there was a buzzing sound for about a second and then the "stop" functionality operated on my massoth handset. I switched everything off and tried again, same problem. Tried another loc and everything fine so, it must be a fault with the street car. Do you think I have a fried chip? I presume there must be a fuse in the street car somewhere that may have blown?


Regards,

Kevin
 
There's no fuse in the model that I know of. The symptoms imply a short circuit in the loco, it's possible the chip has failed but it could just be some wiring come loose or a foreign body.

Try it on a programming track with the sound turned off and see if you can read the decoder CVs? That's a good test whether the decoder is still alive, as the programming track only applies limited current in case of a short.

You could strip it down and check for faults, test the motor in isolation etc.
<edit> Ah, Paul posted while I was writing. Similar advice! </edit>
 
Kevin,
is this the New orleans/Chicago type tram (only factory sound street car that I know)? If so the drive trucks for these were specially manufactured just for this loco and have proven to be problematic, i.e., fail. Alex Tillman at Train-Li USA do remanufactured drive trucks if this is the problem.
 
I had a simular problem with another item of stock before. turned out to be a short inside on the motor block and when removed everything was ok:thumbup::thumbup:

Just check all the wiring etc
 
Thanks Steve, I will get the screwdrivers out tonight and have a look around. I'm basically a buy and run person so, I hope I know what I am doing and what I am looking at!
 
Hi kevin
The link below goes to Phoenix sound website and although you are not going to be installing their sound card it does give some tips on dismantling the LGB Streetcar.
Just scroll down the page until you see the tips list and then the streetcar link. This will open or download a pdf for you with short disassembly tips. I found it useful when checking through my streetcar sound problems
http://www.phoenixsound.com/support/support.html

and this site will give you even more detail of the parts etc: I have put down the two different streetcar links to cover both versions:
http://www.champex-linden.de/lgb_pr...7e7394ac1256aef0054321802ec.html?OpenDocument < Link To http://www.champex-linden...02ec.html?OpenDocument
http://www.champex-linden.de/lgb_pr...8a5c5e4c1256def005511c002ec.html?OpenDocument < Link To http://www.champex-linden...02ec.html?OpenDocument
 
beavercreek said:
Hi kevin
The link below goes to Phoenix sound website and although you are not going to be installing their sound card it does give some tips on dismantling the LGB Streetcar.
Just scroll down the page until you see the tips list and then the streetcar link. This will open or download a pdf for you with short disassembly tips. I found it useful when checking through my streetcar sound problems
http://www.phoenixsound.com/support/support.html

and this site will give you even more detail of the parts etc: I have put down the two different streetcar links to cover both versions:
http://www.champex-linden.de/lgb_pr...7e7394ac1256aef0054321802ec.html?OpenDocument < Link To http://www.champex-linden...02ec.html?OpenDocument
http://www.champex-linden.de/lgb_pr...8a5c5e4c1256def005511c002ec.html?OpenDocument < Link To http://www.champex-linden...02ec.html?OpenDocument
Click to expand...
Thanks for the links, very much appreciated. I will give it a go, nothing ventured nothing gained etc.
 
9e3940ca716246279f3b38c278ca95b8.jpg


Right guys,

I've got this far and have removed a zillion screws of different sizes!
The instructions kindly provided by Beavercreek suggest "and pry the chassis out of the body" how do I do that without the chassis ending up in two pieces please? do i push out the upper body or get a screwdriver around the chassis? it appears to be in there tight despite all the screws removed.

I've sorted it now, it really does help if you unscrew the two bogies! DOH! :rolf:
 
b3738775448f42e1a85058a448c972b3.jpg
1bbb9166dc454983a3a29148129fef19.jpg
fe9d66bd94b844c79a8f19d09c484f59.jpg


The street car is stripped down to a pile of plastic and screws! :thumbup: (do you ever wish you hadn't started something?

I've have checked all the connections that I can see and everything appears fine. I do have a volt meter, can I check the two motors for a short? if so, what settings do I use on the meter please? (you can tell I haven't done anything like this before) ;)
 
Hi kevin
Glad the instructions were of help.

Just set the voltmeter to ohms (omega symbol) and any setting will do, 2k is a good one.
If you touch, with one probe, any wire or metal that is also connected/shorting to the wire or metal that the other probe is touching you should get a reading of zero.
If there is is no contact between the two wires/metal pieces, then you will have a number (on mine it is 1) meaning open circuit.
You can also use this method for checking that the voltmeter is working by just touching the probes together when set to ohms and the reading should be zero when touching and (1) when not.
 
For a simple test try the following.

Unplug the two four pin plugs that go from the bogies to the chip, place the unit back on the track as see if the fault remains.
If so lift one bogie of the track and then the other. fault should disapear when defective bogie is lifted.

If fault has gone when both leads are unplugged then the fault is within the circuit board or chip.

Regards Steve
 
steve parberry said:
For a simple test try the following.

Unplug the two four pin plugs that go from the bogies to the chip, place the unit back on the track as see if the fault remains.
If so lift one bogie of the track and then the other. fault should disapear when defective bogie is lifted.

If fault has gone when both leads are unplugged then the fault is within the circuit board or chip.

Regards Steve
Click to expand...
Thanks Steve, I will try that this weekend.

Regards,
Kevin
 
Hi Steve,

I did as you suggested and placed each bogie on the track separately with the pins disconnected and everything is fine. So that rules out a bogie problem. Guess I need to pay Glendale a visit and get the board and chip checked out/replaced.

Thanks for all your help guys, I wouldn't have got this far without your help.

Kevin
 
One last test to do before you take it over to Brian.

Can you make up some leads to bridge out the motor blocks, then try running on Anoluge. You need to connect the outside pin to the one next to it on both sides of the motor bogie so if the pins in order where
1....2....3....4 Then you would need to connect pin 1 and 2 together and pin 3 and 4 together.

That will eliminate the motor blocks completly.

Dont forget when like this it will make a buzzing sound but should not trip out the power supply.
 
steve parberry said:
One last test to do before you take it over to Brian.

Can you make up some leads to bridge out the motor blocks, then try running on Anoluge. You need to connect the outside pin to the one next to it on both sides of the motor bogie so if the pins in order where
1....2....3....4 Then you would need to connect pin 1 and 2 together and pin 3 and 4 together.

That will eliminate the motor blocks completly.

Dont forget when like this it will make a buzzing sound but should not trip out the power supply.
Click to expand...
Yeap, I will give it a go! thanks.
 
Well

Kevin has popped round and i have checked the following, any other thoughts lads?

[*]Disconected bogies and run as individual units, as anologue by bridging the pins with wire, both run fine.[*]Disconected the sound board fault remains[*]Disconected all other wires for lights and sound[*]When on the programing track show up as drawing to much power[*]when the multi position switch is set to power off then no fault
Looks as if the main chip has given up the ghost


Regards Steve
 
steve parberry said:
Well

Kevin has popped round and i have checked the following, any other thoughts lads?

[*]Disconected bogies and run as individual units, as anologue by bridging the pins with wire, both run fine.[*]Disconected the sound board fault remains[*]Disconected all other wires for lights and sound[*]When on the programing track show up as drawing to much power[*]when the multi position switch is set to power off then no fault
Looks as if the main chip has given up the ghost


Regards Steve
Click to expand...
Seems a reasonable conclusion.
Just for the record did you measure the current taken by the bogies when running individually?
 
Neil Robinson said:
steve parberry said:
Well

Kevin has popped round and i have checked the following, any other thoughts lads?

[*]Disconected bogies and run as individual units, as anologue by bridging the pins with wire, both run fine.[*]Disconected the sound board fault remains[*]Disconected all other wires for lights and sound[*]When on the programing track show up as drawing to much power[*]when the multi position switch is set to power off then no fault
Looks as if the main chip has given up the ghost


Regards Steve
Click to expand...
Seems a reasonable conclusion.
Just for the record did you measure the current taken by the bogies when running individually?
Click to expand...

No, but i comes up as a short before you can even get any movement...as soon as its on the track it just trips out the central station.
 
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