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Hi,
I need some help.
I have a 12volt points/switch motor box that doesn't work quite right.
Most of the time the motor doesn't give any audible or visual indication of the
solenoid even trying to throw the switch.
Sometimes, if I push the switch to power the points motor, hold the switch
down, then tap or shake the points motor box, then the points motor will throw
the solenoid (or whatever it is inside that gray box that moves).
Since the gray points motor box doesn't really work to switch the points, I
figure I may as well try to open up the gray points motor box.
Any ideas or experience opening up the gray points motor box? Maybe it's just
some loose wires?
Thanks for any suggestions!
By the way, I do have and operate correctly four other 12volt points motor
boxes; so, I'm pretty sure this one box is defective.
later,
James
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Hi James,
same question came up u few weeks ago.... Ludo from Belgium answered then that
he opened such a point motor box once, but he traded it away and the new owner
is me.
If you like I can try to find this repaired point motor this evening (Even
if I'm sure it's in the very bottom of a curver box, and the box is the last
one in line of boxes and of course standing on the ground with a handfull of
further boxes on it. ;-)
But since this is an interesting question and since this fits into my site with
opened train motors, I will make pictures during the next days, maybe they are
online in 24 hours already. I'm interested in the inside myself, but I never
dared to take a look, because the thing is working properly at the moment.
Kind Regards,
Ben
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Ben,
Thanks. Any assistance you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
However, I would not want you to re-open a repaired points motor that currently
works and risk damaging the box.
Perhaps Ludo would be willing to speak to this again?
I am concerned that the box may be glued together, or has special one-way
plastic tabs that are difficult to release to free the top of the box from the
bottom.
Thanks!
later,
James Mathis
In lugnet.trains, Reinhard "Ben" Beneke writes:
>
> Hi James,
>
> same question came up u few weeks ago.... Ludo from Belgium answered then that
> he opened such a point motor box once, but he traded it away and the new owner
> is me.
>
> If you like I can try to find this repaired point motor this evening (Even
> if I'm sure it's in the very bottom of a curver box, and the box is the last
> one in line of boxes and of course standing on the ground with a handfull of
> further boxes on it. ;-)
>
> But since this is an interesting question and since this fits into my site • with
> opened train motors, I will make pictures during the next days, maybe they are
> online in 24 hours already. I'm interested in the inside myself, but I never
> dared to take a look, because the thing is working properly at the moment.
>
> Kind Regards,
>
> Ben
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In lugnet.trains, James Mathis writes:
> Ben,
>
> Thanks. Any assistance you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
Dear James (and whoever might be interested in this also),
I took the point motor from Ludo and opened it again (was hardly glued now).
And I took a few pictures to put the best of them on my homepage here:
http://www-public.tu-bs.de:8080/~rbeneke/lego/9v_12v/9v_12v.html
Or direct picture link here:
http://www-public.tu-bs.de:8080/~rbeneke/lego/9v_12v/pi463.jpg
You will find a few words there, but I fear it's quite hard to open that point
motors housing without causing greater damage to it.
Kind Regards,
Ben
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Thank you for the photograph of the opened gray motorized points box, Ben.
What a task to open that box!
Which sides of the gray box were glued together?
- the long sides or the short sides?
Thanks.
later,
James Mathis
In lugnet.trains, Reinhard "Ben" Beneke writes:
> In lugnet.trains, James Mathis writes:
> > Ben,
> >
> > Thanks. Any assistance you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
>
>
> Dear James (and whoever might be interested in this also),
>
> I took the point motor from Ludo and opened it again (was hardly glued now).
> And I took a few pictures to put the best of them on my homepage here:
> http://www-public.tu-bs.de:8080/~rbeneke/lego/9v_12v/9v_12v.html
>
> Or direct picture link here:
> http://www-public.tu-bs.de:8080/~rbeneke/lego/9v_12v/pi463.jpg
>
> You will find a few words there, but I fear it's quite hard to open that point
> motors housing without causing greater damage to it.
>
> Kind Regards,
>
> Ben
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In lugnet.trains, James Mathis writes:
> Thank you for the photograph of the opened gray motorized points box, Ben.
>
> What a task to open that box!
>
> Which sides of the gray box were glued together?
> - the long sides or the short sides?
At least the long sides, but I fear it have been all four sides....
Regards and good night (0:30 am)
Ben
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After a couple of hours, my 12volt points motor gray box is opened.
I damaged the top cover slightly at its base along the flange at one corner.
The damage is a flex/cut through the flange caused by too strong of a cut into
the very small gap between the top box flange and the base.
My tool was an exacto-knife. This is a small, thin, triangular/pointed, knife
edge mounted in a pencil-like shaft for a secure hand-hold.
My technique was to wedge the knife edge into the gap between the flange of the
box top and the base. I then made numerous slices along the gap going about
the perimeter of the box. I would also wedge the knife edge into the gap,
settling the full length of the blade into the gap, then rock the blade so as
to gently open the gap. I proceded about the perimeter flexing the blade to
open the gap.
Finally, about at least two hours, the glue gave way, and I have open the box.
Why didn't the motor work?
One of the wires from the solenoid was "broken" at its solder connection to the
plug connector inside the box.
You all are right! It's going to take a steady hand to re-solder that wire to
the plug connector!
Any recommendations on the solder job?
It's too late to try to re-connect the wire. That's good. At least I won't be
tempted to do the job until tomorrow evening.
Thanks for all the help!
Patience, persistence, and a small knife edge were the keys to opening this box
for me.
later,
James Mathis
In lugnet.trains, Reinhard "Ben" Beneke writes:
> In lugnet.trains, James Mathis writes:
> > Ben,
> >
> > Thanks. Any assistance you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
>
>
> Dear James (and whoever might be interested in this also),
>
> I took the point motor from Ludo and opened it again (was hardly glued now).
> And I took a few pictures to put the best of them on my homepage here:
> http://www-public.tu-bs.de:8080/~rbeneke/lego/9v_12v/9v_12v.html
>
> Or direct picture link here:
> http://www-public.tu-bs.de:8080/~rbeneke/lego/9v_12v/pi463.jpg
>
> You will find a few words there, but I fear it's quite hard to open that point
> motors housing without causing greater damage to it.
>
> Kind Rega
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> You all are right! It's going to take a steady hand to re-solder that wire to
> the plug connector!
> Any recommendations on the solder job?
_small_ iron, using low melt solder, and lots of flux. I use a Antax 18W, 12V
iron (but, it is british, so you are not likely to be able to get one).
Otherwise, a Temp. Controlled iron, or run a small (25W) iron using a Variac
(Variable Transformer) to reduce the heat to the minimum temp that will melt
the solder. You can use 50-50 solder, just don't linger with the iron, go in
and out on the plastic pieces (I assume there is plastic right below a metal
contact plate)
Tin the work first, both the wire and the plate, then put a little more fresh
flux on the plate (use _Rosin_ flux, mine comes in a 4 Oz bottle). Then get a
dollop of fresh solder on your iron, and holding both pieces together, touch
the larger one until the solder melts on both it and the wire, then get the
iron off, and don't move the joint until it has set.
James
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Thanks, James!
I'll try to get this hooked up tonight.
Melting the plastic is a concern. We'll see if I'm worthy.
Thanks for the advice.
later,
James Mathis
In lugnet.trains, James Powell writes:
>
> > You all are right! It's going to take a steady hand to re-solder that wire • to
> > the plug connector!
> > Any recommendations on the solder job?
>
>
> _small_ iron, using low melt solder, and lots of flux. I use a Antax 18W, 12V
> iron (but, it is british, so you are not likely to be able to get one).
>
> Otherwise, a Temp. Controlled iron, or run a small (25W) iron using a Variac
> (Variable Transformer) to reduce the heat to the minimum temp that will melt
> the solder. You can use 50-50 solder, just don't linger with the iron, go in
> and out on the plastic pieces (I assume there is plastic right below a metal
> contact plate)
>
> Tin the work first, both the wire and the plate, then put a little more fresh
> flux on the plate (use _Rosin_ flux, mine comes in a 4 Oz bottle). Then get a
> dollop of fresh solder on your iron, and holding both pieces together, touch
> the larger one until the solder melts on both it and the wire, then get the
> iron off, and don't move the joint until it has set.
>
> James
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In lugnet.trains, Reinhard "Ben" Beneke writes:
> In lugnet.trains, James Mathis writes:
> > Thank you for the photograph of the opened gray motorized points box, Ben.
> >
> > What a task to open that box!
> >
> > Which sides of the gray box were glued together?
> > - the long sides or the short sides?
>
> At least the long sides, but I fear it have been all four sides....
>
> Regards and good night (0:30 am)
>
> Ben
Hi Folks!
It was originally glued on four sides.
After opening, i glued it back together with special ABS glue.
I found this in a shop where they sell models (airplane, cars,..)
Pictures says, in this case, more than words, isn't it?
regards,
Ludo
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Hello, Ludo!
Thanks VERY much for pioneering this operation for me.
I have now fully repaired my 12v motorized track switch box. :-) Very happy it
now works.
I went home during lunch and soldered the thin coil wire back onto the inside
plug terminal.
I do not think I will re-glue the box together. The glue evenutually separated
for me. I was then able to fairly easily just lift the top box off of the
base. Now, the reassembled box top just fits tightly over the base plate like
it used to...only no glue...in case my soldering is poor.
Thank you, Ludo and Ben, for helping with this. Knowing how the glued flanges
of plastic inside the box fit together helped a lot to know how best to open
it.
I forgot to mention that to release the glue hold and open the box, I also used
a small right angle tool to go inside the box via the hole openings in the
baseplate. I then would periodically try to pull the two sections apart.
later,
James Mathis
In lugnet.trains, Ludo Soete writes:
> Hi Folks!
>
> It was originally glued on four sides.
> After opening, i glued it back together with special ABS glue.
> I found this in a shop where they sell models (airplane, cars,..)
>
> Pictures says, in this case, more than words, isn't it?
>
> regards,
> Ludo
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