Subject:
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Debugging Monorails
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.faq
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Date:
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Mon, 4 Jan 1999 02:04:31 GMT
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Reply-To:
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LPIEN@CTPnomorespam.IWANTNOSPAM.COM
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Viewed:
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1394 times
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I humbly propose the following: (from RTL) <I still owe the Dacta/Pitsco
group>
Q: I'm having trouble getting my monorail to work right. It's a 6991,
the lights come on but the motor won't go. I checked my work against the
instructions carefully, even got a new mono motor from CA but no go.
A:
This IS a puzzler. 6991 (dug up instructions) lights are powered by
battery box. So you push down the switch on the battery box, on come the
lights, regardless of what position the monorail motor switch is in. It
is unlikely that you'd have two bad motors, but possible.
The motor itself has two vertical sets of 4 studs in a 2x2 pattern. One
set is a dummy
set (hollow studs) the other set is the power contact,
With the wire running from the last 2 rows of studs to the power contact
side of the motor, the motor needs BOTH the battery box switch depressed
and the side (v shaped profile, see instructions page 6) contact pushed
in one side or the other. If either is not done, no go.
Do you have other electric sets to use for parts during testing? A mono
motor will work fine from a 9V train (or RCX internal) supply.
Assuming you have it put together right, possible sources of trouble are
corrosion on any of the battery box or motor conductive studs, corrosion
on the contacts on the bottom of the double plates on the wire, and a
bad wire itself. These wires DO go bad. Typical failure point is the
connection from the "double plate" to the wire itself, on one side or
the other.
Rule out corrosion by inspection. If you find it, use an emery board, or
some 200 to 400 grit sandpaper, or a pencil eraser with some grit in it,
or a copper "chore girl" to remove it and retest. If still no good...
Test the wire and connectors. Best is to swap with another wire if you
can, but if you don't have another, you have to do a self test.
Unfortunately, the motor connects on the bottom, and the light brick
connects on the top, so there is no direct test that works. But the
following, if done methodically SHOULD test all the possibilities
First check the last two studs on the battery box where the wire
connects. Methodically try the light brick on one row, then the other.
If both work, those studs are good. Then test the wire.
To test the wire, dismount the light brick. Connect the wire to its
position on the back of the battery box hanging loosely, the put the
light brick on the top studs. First try the battery box side, If that
works, you are making good contact with the battery box on the bottom.
Now try the the other side. If that works, it means that the wire is
making good contact with the battery box, and that power is making it to
the other set of top studs. Now try switching the wire end for end.
Repeat both tests. That tests the OTHER set of bottoms and tops out.
If any of these tests fail, replace the wire.
If all pass, I am out of clues. (except maybe for yet another bad motor)
Sell the set to me for parts. :-) If it has all its parts, relatively
unscratched, but doesn't work, I offer 175 plus shipping... :-) I am
monorail complete but an extra 6991 can't hurt.
--
Larry Pieniazek http://my.voyager.net/lar
For me: No voyager e-mail please. All snail-mail to Ada, please.
- Posting Binaries to RTL causes flamage... Don't do it, please.
- Stick to the facts when posting about others, please.
- This is a family newsgroup, thanks.
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