Tomix PS23 pantographs

[Welshbloke]

Does anyone else find that these are unwilling to stand up properly?

 

I've just fitted a couple of brand new ones to a Tomytec KuMoHa 123-1, which would look much better if the pantographs would pose at a realistic height. I can pull them up but they promptly sag back to a barely-raised height. Meanwhile the PS16Ps on the 105 Series next to it are standing proudly to attention. Any ideas? I notice that the hinges on the lower halves of the "diamond" aren't quite square to those on the upper half, they're splayed out to the sides.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Welshbloke

[Nick_Burman]

Does anyone else find that these are unwilling to stand up properly?

 

I've just fitted a couple of brand new ones to a Tomytec KuMoHa 123-1, which would look much better if the pantographs would pose at a realistic height. I can pull them up but they promptly sag back to a barely-raised height. Meanwhile the PS16Ps on the 105 Series next to it are standing proudly to attention. Any ideas? I notice that the hinges on the lower halves of the "diamond" aren't quite square to those on the upper half, they're splayed out to the sides.

 

A dab of white glue in the pantograph base does wonders to cure that...

 

 

Cheers NB

[Welshbloke]

I would like to be able to fold them down again though...

 

I think I've cracked it. The problem is caused by the sides of the lower arms not being bent quite square. They can't be bent at 90 degrees as the upper arms would fall off (they're clipped onto the lower ones at the hinges) but removing them and a slight tweak with jeweller's pliers before reassembly makes a big difference. They're now standing up at the same height as the PS16Ps on the unit next to it.

[enodenlover]

I've had a little trouble with a few Tomytec pantographs that don't want to go all the way up but nothing that I can't live with.

[cteno4]

I've always been able to fix limp pantographs and ones that are sticky by doing fiddling as Welshbloke did. Some of the sticky ones had one of the bent ends that stick into the sockets bent a bit off. Also at times the socket piece is a little twisted so the joint gets stiff.

It's delicate tweaking but with a good magnifier, light, tweezers, and needle noses it always works! But I enjoy fiddly bits like that.

 

Jeff

[Nick_Burman]

I would like to be able to fold them down again though...

 

 

But you will be able to make them fold down...it's just that the glue makes its way into the aticulation and renders it a bit stiffer.

 

 

Cheers NB

[katoftw]

There is no need for glue.  Just trial bending some of the tabs with the holes in them.

[Welshbloke]

The funny part is that the pantographs are standard Tomix, yet are the only part of this Tomytec unit to give me any trouble!

 

It's growling around a test track at the moment, going to give it a few hours today to bed everything in. Performance isn't bad, it's a bit noisier than most but I can cope with that.

[kvp]

They are usually good straight out of the box. But during installation, it could happen that they are pushed in from the top while closed, which could distort them a bit. Adding them more carefully, by only touching the plastic side isolators usually helps to prevent this.

[HantuBlauLOL]

Just make the metal to base connector wider..

[Welshbloke]

Yep, I don't think I pressed that hard though. Given how much effort I had to apply to bend the parts with pliers later on, anyway!

 

I usually hold it by the top as I guide the four pins into the holes, then do the final pressing into place with a fingernail against the plastic base directly over the top of each pin.