Now, I have been playing around with all sorts of model trains for 40+ years, so I pretty much know the ins and outs of motors, electrical contact, etc. Thus, I was looking forward to seeing what kind of fun I could have next. So this "new" adventure into slot cars.
This batch arrived today:
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These are the same type of controllers, pack, etc., that came with the set my brother and I got back in '66. I had the chance to score this, it wasn't expensive, so I thought this little "experiment in re-living my past" would justify its purchase. :D
So...
...I tested the pack right away; it showed the correct 18V. So far so good.
After shooting a little contact cleaner into the input jacks of the track section, the "power cord" (from the pack to the track) was plugged in and was tested: no go. Testing that power cord showed no current. I made up a "cheater" cord from plain old lamp wire, and the track section then tested good.
Only one of the controllers worked at all, and even then just barely. I saw that these are held together with screws, so that told me they they were meant to be taken apart for servicing, so away we went. In all 4, the copper/brass contacts between the trigger and the coil were heavily corroded, but a good cleaning/polishing took care of that. Now all 4 work as intended.
After all that, I took a closer look at that "power cord", and saw it was simply a break in one of the wires, right next to the spade connector. I cut off both spades, stripped and soldered the ends (not together, but for durability :lol: ) and now it works fine.
The only thing I was unable to rectify is that on (3) of the controllers, there is this odd teal-colored...discoloration. It doesn't seem to effect the electrical properties, but I tried several different chemicals and nothing worked to remove it. Suggestions?
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In closing I want to mention how similar this stuff is compared to the model trains I've been used to working on: durable, easy to work on, US made (for the most part) and perhaps most of all, very user-friendly. Things were factory-assembled in a logical way; solder joints are clean and well done; everything just kind of "makes sense". It's an absolute joy to work on. You all are probably used to it, but to a newbie like myself, this is a big deal.
I apologize for going on, but I'm really having a blast! :D
Mark in Oregon