Popondetta 6004 Hankyu 1300 Series motor not running when fully assembled

[Suica]

Hi everyone,

 

It's sure been a while since I've last visited and now I'm back with an issue right away. Oof!

 

During my last Japan visit in December I got a real sweet deal on a Popondetta 6004 Hankyu 1300 Series since it turned out to be a non-runner. What could be the issue on a pristine looking set, I thought to myself. Turns out it's really weird and I can't wrap my head around it.

 

 

Here's the disassembled motor car. I thought the top part's contact strip was the issue so I scratched some oxidation off (later polished the area properly after taking the photo), assembled it again. Nothing.

Weirdly, when installed, an interior light unit works. So the contact strip is not the issue.

I then tried to connect the motor contact pegs directly to power. Runs. The motor ain't dead either. 

Then I reassembled everything again without pushing the upper part which holds the contact strips fully into its place (so it would bulge upwards toward the middle where the motor contact pegs are) That worked! Everything ran. But as soon as I pushed it fully down, again... nothing. Lifting the middle part up and it's running again?!

Again, lights always work and my power pack's fuse isn't popping either so it's definitely not shorting out. 

 

It's such a beautiful set and it pains me that I can't get it to run. Any ideas what's going on here?

 

Edited January 30 by Suica

[disturbman]

Pressure on the motor, I would make sure the motor is correctly sitting in the chassis.

[Kamome]

Failing pressure on the motor, It could be a loose connection somewhere. When you push the top part into position, it  could be something is misaligning or not connecting where it should. The light unit works and the motor runs so it is fixable. 

 

Do the bogies come off easily? If so, add the top plate without bogies first. Apply power to the contacts and see if motor runs ok. (Kato feeder wire plugs are easy to dismantle to give you 2 separate wires or 9v battery or something. )If ok. add one bogie and drive shaft. Test again. 

 

As you are essentially trying to align 6 different points of contact when you replace the top plate, it’s very easy for stuff to shift. Doing it this way, you can align 2 contact points at a time.

[Suica]

1 hour ago, Kamome said:

Do the bogies come off easily?

I have actually no clue how to get them off. They're shaped so they only come out if you turn the bogies 90° which is not possible with the drive shaft attached.

They do not turn far enough for the drive shaft to slip out either and I can't think of a way how to get them out any other way.

This not being a Tomix or Kato product I'm also pretty scared to force anything. Good luck finding parts...

 

 

EDIT: 

 

Oookay it fixed "itself" but I'm still not satisfied without the knowledge what exactly was / will be causing this.

What I did now was lift the motor cage up as far as I could with the bogies still attached, wiggle about a bit, press everything back in, reassemble and it's back working as it should.

I would still love to know how to disassemble this far enough to actually get the motor out. So does anyone with Popondetta models out there got any idea how to get the bogies off?

Edited January 30 by Suica

[disturbman]

The thing looks like a MA motor chassis, my bet is that the bogie get removed the same. With the floor plate installed, pull on the bogie on one side, it should unclip it from the base that rotates on the chassis. Then remove the rest.

 

7 hours ago, Suica said:

This not being a Tomix or Kato product I'm also pretty scared to force anything. Good luck finding parts...

I think they have/sell some spares. Is there anything in the user manual? If yes, parts could likely be obtained via your local Popondetta dealer (there is one in Berlin) or other shops in Japan.

 

7 hours ago, Suica said:

Oookay it fixed "itself" but I'm still not satisfied without the knowledge what exactly was / will be causing this.

As I said, motor was not correctly sitting inside the chassis. N scale is small and the smallest deviation from the intended norm can have consequences. Even if your eye can’t see it 🙂

[Falcon]

# disturbman

 

what is a MA motor chassis ? .......I know the GM motor power unit .

 

Thanks

 

[katoftw]

MicroAce.

[disturbman]

Yes, I meant the Popondetta motor/power chassis architecture used on this set was very similar to MicroAce's. Except for the bracing around the motor, it looks like a perfect copy.