Service from Helmsman (Geoff Helm)

[CoggesRailway]

I finally posted my melted unit back to Geoff on Tuesday. Refurbished one received today! He is a very nice and helpful fellow and the product has worked well until it melted. As it happens when Geoff rang to discuss it I realised I never read the blurb (in fact binned it) and used it for doubleheading long trains for which it is not designed which lead to the melt but he replaced it anyway...

Just thought I'd say about his good service...

 

[yb281]

Fair play, brilliant.

 

[stockers]

Very good service. Pleased you got a good result.
I would have thought however that there would be a cut out to prevent excessive current draw, like when doubleheading.

 

[Rhinochugger]

Geoff is both an expert and a gentleman - the hobby could do with more like him

 

[funandtrains]

I wonder what they expected someone to need a high power transformer for if not for double heading long trains?

 

[Rhinochugger]

Good result though from a dealer.

I refer you to post #4

 

[Elmtree Line]

Very good service. Pleased you got a good result.
I would have thought however that there would be a cut out to prevent excessive current draw, like when doubleheading.

There is not a cut out, only one for short circuits which cuts power for 5 seconds.

The plastic back sheet that the enormous heatsink is mounted on becomes soft with the heat produced by said heatsink and just melts, seen it on a few of these.

In terms of not being designed for double heading, utter bolony!

 

[CoggesRailway]

Very good service. Pleased you got a good result.
I would have thought however that there would be a cut out to prevent excessive current draw, like when doubleheading.

There is not a cut out, only one for short circuits which cuts power for 5 seconds.

The plastic back sheet that the enormous heatsink is mounted on becomes soft with the heat produced by said heatsink and just melts, seen it on a few of these.

In terms of not being designed for double heading, utter bolony!

Just quoting what Geoff at Helmsman said. Not for two, two motor loco doubleheading- even LGB. Anyway it has been replaced and the offending locos are now converted to battery anyway. Interesting comments about the cut out or not. I am happy enough with the outcome.

 

[Rhinochugger]

Not being an electronic genius, but one of the things that Geoff told me when I bought mine was that he had to design a delay into the cut-out to cope with G scale motor loads. The average electronic cut-out is too quick and thus too sensitive.

On the other hand, standar 12v motor car cut-outs are a bit too slow, as I found with my home built controller :impatient: