Hello Tech Support?

So I've pulled apart the Q1 I bought on Ebay a few months ago, cleaned all the oil out of it, removed the carpet and monkey fur, removed all the wires and have replaced them. So far so good.


When I put it on a test track, with a decoder plugged in, it either:
1. Sits there and won't read the decoder.
2. Will read the decoder but each time comes up with a different manufacturer and / or decoder version.
3. Just runs by itself without any motion being called for by the handset (which means it is just bypassing the decoder and thinks it is DC.)
4. Gives a Short Circuit Detected message

It seems very strange and I have no idea where to start with this one. I've checked and rechecked the wiring. If there was a dead short it would show straight away on the NCE handset.


There are only four wires at play here.

1 from the left wheels, 1 from the right wheels via the chassis, 1 to the left pole of the motor and 1 to the right.


I am stuffed if I can work it out and at the moment pulling it apart again and redoing it seems like the next step.
I'm keen to hear anyone's thoughts.
Cheers Steve.
(think I'll go back to model aeroplanes)

 

Ron wrote:

Yes I have used two different decoders with similar results.

 

Thank you for all of the replies. I had a really good look at it again last night before bed and did the following.
1. Isolated the body from the right rail pickups by running a wire from the brass pickup strip directly to the 8 pin socket.
2. I removed the two small metal collars that sit in the plastic base making it impossible for there to be any contact with the metal chassis.
3. Cleaned the wheels with 1000 grade wet and dry sandpaper and alcohol to ensure good contact Placed the loco on the test track with an old decoder to check the modified wiring
4. Instantly the motor started running without the decoder being called up by the handset.

To me this can only mean that the decoders are being completely bypassed and the loco is behaving as if it were DC.
I suspect as mentioned by Kim, Chris and others that there is a solder bridge somwhere on that decoder socket and it will be removed within the hour.
I will wire it for DC and proceed from there.

Attached files

 

Brass collets removed.

Attached files

 

The small locating lug you can see between axles 1 and two is now removed as it was the means for conducting track power via the brass pickups to the chassis.
Hornby would have been much better to just have a wire running up like the the left side has, but hey what would I know.
Fine for DC but not for DCC. Just another way that the quality control lapsed and the cost cutting increased!

Attached files

 

gormo wrote:

Gormo, what a great thread. Exactly what I was after!
Thanks for the link!

 

Success!
Loco pulled apart again.
A new plug wired in and a Hattons decoder connected.
Another good wheel cleaning with the track rubber and then onto the programming track.
No problems reading or writing a new address.
On the rolling road it runs ok, but just stalls from time to time.
I'm thinking that it won't be a great runner but i will check it next week when i have a day off.

Again thanks for everyones help and ideas.

Cheers Steve

 

The moral of the story is NEVER buy secondhand locos on eBay from sellers who are "Just selling it for an old friend" and "Don't really know much about it" and " It's missing one small part".
When in reality the loco doesn't run because it keeps shorting out and blowing decoders and has so much damage to it from incompetent idiots with soldering irons that it should just go in the bin.

That is the moral of the story.
Book closed.

 

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