Massoth 8410210 Pantograph Contol Board

[gsvoboda2000]

Hello all, new to the forum. I have Massoth 8410210 Pantograph Contol Board with Massoth pantograph motors. I am trying to install this standalone in a project locomotive. I want it to run automatically in analog mode. I can’t get it to work on pure DC analog. I have a Digitrax central station and have been able to get it to work on DCC. I have it wired with the two pin track connection. I have two incandescent lights installed to test it. DCC works, however with DCC I use the power on function and use the direction toggle. I don’t use the throttle. With my DC transformer, I expect the pantograph motors to move when I turn up the throttle. It doesn’t work and the lights don’t turn on. It has firmware version 1.2. Is my problem the firmware version or something else? Thank you!

 

[dunnyrail]

Hello all, new to the forum. I have Massoth 8410210 Pantograph Contol Board with Massoth pantograph motors. I am trying to install this standalone in a project locomotive. I want it to run automatically in analog mode. I can’t get it to work on pure DC analog. I have a Digitrax central station and have been able to get it to work on DCC. I have it wired with the two pin track connection. I have two incandescent lights installed to test it. DCC works, however with DCC I use the power on function and use the direction toggle. I don’t use the throttle. With my DC transformer, I expect the pantograph motors to move when I turn up the throttle. It doesn’t work and the lights don’t turn on. It has firmware version 1.2. Is my problem the firmware version or something else? Thank you!

Never tried any of this, but I believe it to be all Servo’s for the Pan and I think it may need to be driven from a Massoth Decoder, please anyone correct me if I am wrong on this assumption.

 

[pugwash]

Try asking @Nodrog1826 as I seem to remember he has fitted working pantographs to some of his locos.

 

[PhilP]

Many years ago...
I was given a basket-case lok to fit a decoder to..
The roof mounted board was there, and the bogies had motors, but there were no other boards or wiring..

From memory (always dangerous) the board just needed 5V to pop a pantograph up.
I now can't remember whether there was a pin for 'up' and one for 'down' (for each end) or if it was just a case of inverting the supply?

I seem to remember fitting a relay board, and possibly two 3 or 4 pin connectors?

It was a long time ago, unfortunately.

PhilP.

 

[dunnyrail]

Many years ago...
I was given a basket-case lok to fit a decoder to..
The roof mounted board was there, and the bogies had motors, but there were no other boards or wiring..

From memory (always dangerous) the board just needed 5V to pop a pantograph up.
I now can't remember whether there was a pin for 'up' and one for 'down' (for each end) or if it was just a case of inverting the supply?

I seem to remember fitting a relay board, and possibly two 3 or 4 pin connectors?

It was a long time ago, unfortunately.

PhilP.

Oh yes reading this I remember my pals Eloks had raising pans prior to his DCC days, 5v certainly fits in with Servo voltage but I wonder how it was limited? Perhaps by a mini switch that turned iff the upp voltage and another that allowed it to go down on reduced voltage?

 

[gsvoboda2000]

Many years ago...
I was given a basket-case lok to fit a decoder to..
The roof mounted board was there, and the bogies had motors, but there were no other boards or wiring..

From memory (always dangerous) the board just needed 5V to pop a pantograph up.
I now can't remember whether there was a pin for 'up' and one for 'down' (for each end) or if it was just a case of inverting the supply?

I seem to remember fitting a relay board, and possibly two 3 or 4 pin connectors?

It was a long time ago, unfortunately.

PhilP.

On DCC it is set to automatically raise the proper panto when the direction switch changes. It is supposed to do the same thing on analog based on polarity of the rail voltage but the board is not turning on.

 

[gsvoboda2000]

Never tried any of this, but I believe it to be all Servo’s for the Pan and I think it may need to be driven from a Massoth Decoder, please anyone correct me if I am wrong on this assumption.

If I connected it to a decoder, it would be either by the SUSI or LGB bus connections, but that is a different profile. I am trying to get it to work off the Gleis (track) connection. It just won’t turn on. It seems like it is waiting to see a DCC square wave.

 

[PhilP]

The only thing I can think, from reading the manual, is it needs F7 turning 'On'.

So you need to find a DCC system (possibly a dealer?) who can do this for you.

PhilP.

 

[gsvoboda2000]

The only thing I can think, from reading the manual, is it needs F7 turning 'On'.

So you need to find a DCC system (possibly a dealer?) who can do this for you.

PhilP.

I can do it. I think I tried that, but I don’t think F7 is mapped. I have CV 130 set to zero which makes it work without function keys. I think F7 toggles manual and automatic mode if you set it that way. Then, you set CV 13 to turn on the pantographs and F7, but it still didn’t work on analog. I think I may need to upgrade the firmware but I don’t have the Massoth PC programer.

 

[gsvoboda2000]

Never tried any of this, but I believe it to be all Servo’s for the Pan and I think it may need to be driven from a Massoth Decoder, please anyone correct me if I am wrong on this assumption.

I am going to try connecting this to an inexpensive decoder. My first option is to use the SUSI bus and make this a slave. I am told that I could hook both to the track with the same DCC address. I am less confident that will work.

 

[gsvoboda2000]

I am writing to update everyone on this. I heard back from Massoth. They sent me a two line email. Basically, the board is digital only and it is not firmware upgradeable. It would have been nice if they fix their manual, which indicates otherwise.

Anyway, once I had that information, I was able to develop a backup plan. I installed a DCC-EX command station in my engine and automated the direction of the pantographs with a relay to sense direction and an Ex-rail script. I have a separate power supply for the command station with a power buffer that I made myself. It works. It is a little confused on start up, but once direction is changed a couple of time, it is in sync. The relay can be made to work on AC or DC. For AC power, I run the relay off of the reverse unit. For DC, you would wire a diode to block the power in reverse, which would kill power to the relay coil.

Also, this board is a little redundant. The Massoth pantograph drives recognize DCC commands. That would require more EX-rail programming, so I stuck with the Pantograph control board.

Thanks for everyone's help.