EF510 issue

[nah00]

So I dropped a Digitrax decoder in my silver JRF EF510 (DN163K4A) and it ran fine for about 2 hours or so at the train show I was at this weekend and then I started having stalling issues. Stalling issues turned into only ran in reverse and ran in reverse turned into not running at all. Took the shell off and the all too familiar smell of something burning was there. No scorch marks on the board and the lights still came on and I tried it my Hokutosei EF510 and it ran fine, just no motor  on the JRF . Of course I had left the DC board at home so I couldn't test that.

 

Come home and plop the DC board in it and still nothing. I disassembled it down to the motor and I can get the motor itself to run from a 9 volt battery but once I reassemble the locomotive I get nothing. I checked for shorts, nothing I can see. If the motor runs separate from the frame it still should be a good motor, correct? Or is it just running because there's nothing attached to it (ie the driveshafts)? I also tried to getting it to run just running power directly to the frame and had some success and it did run a couple of inches on the track before stopping. I get no burning smell from it when I throttle it on DC so I'm assuming that's a good thing too.

 

I'm guessing I need a new motor and this one is fried. 

[gavino200]

12 minutes ago, nah00 said:

If the motor runs separate from the frame it still should be a good motor, correct?

 

In my experience that means that the motor is fine. I'd talk to Digitrax about a refund or a replacement. 

 

BTW what control system were you using in the show?

[nah00]

I think the older version of the Evolution Advanced system. The board from the Silver EF510 ran fine in my Hokutosei EF510 which makes it all the more confusing since it was definitely more of a burning plastic smell which made me immediately think 'fried board'.

[gavino200]

32 minutes ago, nah00 said:

I think the older version of the Evolution Advanced system. The board from the Silver EF510 ran fine in my Hokutosei EF510 which makes it all the more confusing since it was definitely more of a burning plastic smell which made me immediately think 'fried board'.

 

Ah, so not a new decoder. Well tested in a different loco. Just new to the EF510. Was it a lightboard replacement type? Do you have kapton tape on the decoder or the loco? Any slight difference in placement of the tape?

 

Do you have pictures of the decoder and the two locos?

Edited August 6, 2018 by gavino200

[nah00]

The newer DN163K4A comes with tape already on the back to insulate it. It's simple drop-in one, only thing you to do is take the two two tabs that go down to the brushes and snap them on the DCC board. Tried swapping the old DC board back in it, no luck. I get lights but no motor. Only thing I can think of is maybe cleaning those two tabs, the brushes aren't an issue (I think) since the motor will run fine once it's out of the frame. Tomorrow I'm going to double and triple check the frame for shorts, that's all I can think of, usually a dead motor is dead and won't turn over period. 

[gavino200]

8 minutes ago, nah00 said:

The newer DN163K4A comes with tape already on the back to insulate it. It's simple drop-in one, only thing you to do is take the two two tabs that go down to the brushes and snap them on the DCC board. Tried swapping the old DC board back in it, no luck. I get lights but no motor. Only thing I can think of is maybe cleaning those two tabs, the brushes aren't an issue (I think) since the motor will run fine once it's out of the frame. Tomorrow I'm going to double and triple check the frame for shorts, that's all I can think of, usually a dead motor is dead and won't turn over period. 

 

Ah, I dealt with those clips a few days ago, installing a decoder board in an EF-65. They get loose easily and don't conduct. Try bending the tabs toward each other so you almost have to squeeze them onto the board against slight resistance. Then try to get the board in place without disturbing them too much. I had to do this a few times. No motion from the loco until I got it right. Then I put the shell on and I'm not in a great hurry to go back in there.

 

Try fiddling with those. Hope it works. (though none of this explains the burning smell 😞 )

 

[nah00]

If it's anything besides a dead motor it has to be those tabs. It did start acting up after it rear-ended another another train (occupational hazard of having five trains on one track) so I wonder one somehow got bent just enough to not contact. 

 

Also I wondering if using some Never Stall on the tabs would help. Also I'm assuming I'm correct in my assumption that if it was bad brushes or a bad commutator the motor would *NOT* run at all when attached to a 9 volt battery. When I hook this one up to one it starts running like a champ. 

Edited August 6, 2018 by nah00