Don't toss your Bad Unitrack X over Switches

[inobu]

Recently, working on a layout I ran across a lagging Crossover. No matter what I did one switch was just too weak to throw.

I cleaned it out reassembled and still bad. The owner had me to replace it. It was cheaper for me to replace the switch

then to keep working on it. I replaced it and gave him the switch and he tossed it into the trash.

 

Seeing that switch in the trash didn't seem right be taking it didn't seem right as well. I asked if I could have it as I wanted to

take it apart. He said sure.

 

I finally had time to look at it. After toying with it a while it still didn't work. Staring at it and thinking about the symptoms

I thought poor connection. I flipped it over and took it apart again.Soldered the really thin solenoid wire, put it back together 

and snap, snap snap. It started working again.

 

Cold solder joint.

 

So never toss the switch as re soldering the solenoid wire may be the fix.

 

Inobu

 

 

 

[cteno4]

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

 

way back we had a #4 point on the JRM layout that was doing those saggy throws. I would take it apart and clean and make sure all looked good and put it back together and get a dozen or so good throws then back to halfway ones! I think like the third time I had it apart and was trying to make the coil fire with the backplate off and noticed if I pushed on the magnet lead it would fire well and no when not pushing on it. Same thing a quick resolder of the lead and it worked! Either cold weld or cracked wire at the joint just not letting much current thru.

 

kudos on not letting the trash bin eat it.

 

jeff

[Kiha66]

I had a similar issue with a ESU Decoder testing station.  I thought I was getting a bunch of bad decoders, before I was able to track down some bad solder joints! 

[gavino200]

Did you take any photos?

[cteno4]

That’s the problem with a cold solder joint or a partially cracked wire you don’t usually see anything. Only can detect voltage drop/resistance. Resoldering then makes it all go away.

 

actually just made me think of a good use of my wife’s old iPhone! Leave it on the basement workbench for a camera and then I can also use it as remote cellphone when I leave mine elsewhere.

 

jeff

[gavino200]

20 minutes ago, cteno4 said:

 

 

actually just made me think of a good use of my wife’s old iPhone! Leave it on the basement workbench for a camera and then I can also use it as remote cellphone when I leave mine elsewhere.

 

jeff

 

What you talkin'bout Willis?

 

[cteno4]

I don’t carry my cellphone around the house much so don’t tend take pictures when I’ve got something pulled apart as much as I should or document a build or just fiddling. My wife’s old iPhone 6 works great but is zero trade in, so perfect for a camera, music player to Bluetooth speakers, and Apple lets you use any other iPhones or iPads as phone between any iPhones with cellular that are on the same wifi network. Handy as I tend to leave my iPhone in place I’m usually not when it rings (Murphy’s law of cell phones). Love it when an old piece of equipment can get repurposed to a new life.

 

jeff

[gavino200]

That's a great idea. I may do the same. I actually just powered up two old phones, an iphone and an android. I'm sort of learning about networks so I figured I'd used them in little test networks. Later on having a designated workbench and layout camera would be nice. 

 

Edited June 19, 2021 by gavino200

[cteno4]

Cloud sharing the photos also makes life better as usually use them on the computer or the iPad.

 

jeff