Piko points: opinions wanted
- Thread starter Sea Lion
- Start date
gregh
electronics, computers and scratchbuilding
Just to add my recent experience...
Even with the 'bad press' about loose screws, I figured with battery power the problem didn't matter. So I bought 3. Two were OK.
On the 3rd one, the moving blade didn't fit snuggly against the fixed rail. I finally found it wasn't vertical. see pic
I finally twigged to the problem being the fact that the screw underneath was loose and too long, as per many previous posts and this allowed the moving blade to flop around and not seat properly against the fixed rail. So the screw problem is not just an electrical continuity problem.
Now these stupid screws are Torx head, so after buying a small screwdriver I tried to tighten it, but just managed to 'strip' the head. Why on earth do they use Torx? Anyhow the only way I could fix the problem was to jam some 0.5mm styrene under the screw head and glue it in, hoping I didn't glue the blade to the base. Now installed - and will be OK I hope. But not a good experience from PIKO.
Even with the 'bad press' about loose screws, I figured with battery power the problem didn't matter. So I bought 3. Two were OK.
On the 3rd one, the moving blade didn't fit snuggly against the fixed rail. I finally found it wasn't vertical. see pic
I finally twigged to the problem being the fact that the screw underneath was loose and too long, as per many previous posts and this allowed the moving blade to flop around and not seat properly against the fixed rail. So the screw problem is not just an electrical continuity problem.
Now these stupid screws are Torx head, so after buying a small screwdriver I tried to tighten it, but just managed to 'strip' the head. Why on earth do they use Torx? Anyhow the only way I could fix the problem was to jam some 0.5mm styrene under the screw head and glue it in, hoping I didn't glue the blade to the base. Now installed - and will be OK I hope. But not a good experience from PIKO.
Gizzy
A gentleman, a scholar, and a railway modeller....
gregh said:I finally twigged to the problem being the fact that the screw underneath was loose and too long, as per many previous posts and this allowed the moving blade to flop around and not seat properly against the fixed rail. So the screw problem is not just an electrical continuity problem.
Now these stupid screws are Torx head, so after buying a small screwdriver I tried to tighten it, but just managed to 'strip' the head.
I suggest that, following Greg's experience, one should loosen and remove the screw, rather than trying to tighten it. The screw is obviously too long for the blind hole. Also, the TORX screws are probably fitted using a powered driver, hence their use.
Then I would fit a shake proof washer before re-assembly.
I reckon that a washer should have been fitted at the factory, but for some reason has been omitted and poor QC hasn't picked this up....
KeithT
Hillwalking, chickens and - err - garden railways.
Another minor annoyance is that the screw holding the baseplate is NOT Torx so a different screwdriver is needed.Gizzy said:gregh said:I finally twigged to the problem being the fact that the screw underneath was loose and too long, as per many previous posts and this allowed the moving blade to flop around and not seat properly against the fixed rail. So the screw problem is not just an electrical continuity problem.
Now these stupid screws are Torx head, so after buying a small screwdriver I tried to tighten it, but just managed to 'strip' the head.
I suggest that, following Greg's experience, one should loosen and remove the screw, rather than trying to tighten it. The screw is obviously too long for the blind hole. Also, the TORX screws are probably fitted using a powered driver, hence their use.
Then I would fit a shake proof washer before re-assembly.
I reckon that a washer should have been fitted at the factory, but for some reason has been omitted and poor QC hasn't picked this up....
