Spreewald slows and smoke unit overheats

[Greg Elmassian]

Dan, please look at the pictures, you can see that the output is regulated, or APPEARS to be...

he is seeing 2 different voltages... there is indeed something in between,

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Dan, he measured the track voltage and the output to the smoke unit, clearly reduced to what seem the right operating levels

reference pictures in post #6

 

[Dan]

I looked in my compendium and found the 2074 was made from 1987 to 1991. The 2074 diagram for wiring I just found does show black and white wires to the smoke unit which denotes a LGB 5 volt unit. Also note the large transistors on the bottom of the circuit board are used for the voltage control and need to mount to a metal plate to keep them cool.

 

[mike perozzi]

Thanks Dan, that confirms the correct smoke unit voltage. I don't think it's worth the time to begin to desolder and check each component . I found a new board on TRAINSLI . It looks very similar to the one needed replaced. I tried calling them today but got no answer.

 

[Dan]

Thanks Dan, that confirms the correct smoke unit voltage. I don't think it's worth the time to begin to desolder and check each component . I found a new board on TRAINSLI . It looks very similar to the one needed replaced. I tried calling them today but got no answer.

Trainli is located in Reno, Nevada and starts after 9:00 AM Reno time (West Coast time zone).

 

[LGB333]

Why not just install a 5 - 6 volt regulator on the smoker's output line? If you think the circuit board's output is unreliable, then wire the new regular to track power. Below are the ones I have available on my Website.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

OK, so you want 5v, that is easy...

BUT! you want 5v at the lowest possible track voltage...

So what is the dropout voltage on each suggestion?

(what is the minimum input voltage to supply 5v output)

I think you will find a boost regulator will be superior... and the specifications on these boards will tell, but I see they do not tell you!

A normal series regulator will lose about 2-3 volts... so to get 5 volts out, you need 7-8 volts input..

If you get a boost regulator (and maybe one of these is), you could get 5 volts out from like 2 or 3 in, i.e. much better final result.

Greg

 

[mike perozzi]

Thanks for that info. I may get the voltage regulator. Trainli did not have the main board..

 

[mike perozzi]

Just to add a little more information. I just got my new sleuth 5 volt smoke generator in the mail. I measured the resistance between the 2 leads for the new and it was 7.5 ohms. The measurement for the old one was 2.9 ohms. My question is is it possible that the old smoke generator's coil broke down from a flaw within it or did it come from the board itself?

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Yes, the heater is a simple coil... could it be damaged to short 2 or more coils to have too low a resistance.

so approximately double the current draw... note well, the cold resistance is information, but the resistance should be measured while powered if you want to know the actual draw... normally nichrome wire will increase resistance as it gets hotter..

 

[mike perozzi]

Thanks for the info. I'll take and post the info later.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

well, what is unexplained is how you had this failure with 2 smoke units... this is your third, right?

 

[LGB333]

OK, so you want 5v, that is easy...

BUT! you want 5v at the lowest possible track voltage...

So what is the dropout voltage on each suggestion?

(what is the minimum input voltage to supply 5v output)

I think you will find a boost regulator will be superior... and the specifications on these boards will tell, but I see they do not tell you!

A normal series regulator will lose about 2-3 volts... so to get 5 volts out, you need 7-8 volts input..

If you get a boost regulator (and maybe one of these is), you could get 5 volts out from like 2 or 3 in, i.e. much better final result.

Greg

Greg - The technical information about the three regulators is the only information the suppliers provide. They indicate input voltage 0 - 24 but don't state what the minimum voltage is to achieve the 5 - 6 volts output.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

yeah.... so you might look at a buck-boost converter, so you can generate your voltage from lower than 7 or 8 volts.

Most "regulators" need 2-3 volts over the input voltage... so to get a regulated 5 volts output you would need 7 volts input... and also just regulate down.

A boost-buck converter can either boost (raise) or buck (lower) the input voltage....

and AUTOMATIC boost-buck converter will switch between boost and buck automatically...

https://www.amazon.com/ACEIRMC-Converter-3-5V-12V-1-2V-24V-Regulator/dp/B08RJ622C2/ref=sr_1_13?keywords=5v%2Bbuck%2Bboost%2Bconverter&qid=1685545121&sr=8-13&th=1

This one will give you an adjustable output voltage from as low as 3.5 volts input...

I did not research all the specs, so maybe the current is not high enough, but this is to give you an idea of what would be a good solution.

Greg