Easy come, easy go - or how to wreck a perfectly good loco

[Nick_Burman]

Hi all,

 

As I've mentioned before I purchased a M-A Chichibu DeKi 300 loco. This has duly arrived and has been put to its paces, however the model makes a racket when running backwards - loose worm gear. Tried it to repair myself but ended up wrecking the contacts and contact retainer plate (the plastic bit with all the underbody details). :crybaby2: :crybaby2: :crybaby2:  I have contacted HS to see if they can take back the mech for repairs (obviously will have to cough up any fees); failing that I'll have to swallow the bitter pill and order a second loco. Since I also have a Chichibu DeKi 200 on the way and want to have DCC installed, could someone please tell me how to correctly disassemble it - including right down to gear level, if necessary.

 

Got to turn in as I work tomorrow. I've never felt so PO'ed with myself as I'm feeling right now...

 

 

Cheers NB

[The_Ghan]

Oh Nick,

 

I feel for you man. Really.

 

I think MA's philosophy is to do repairs themselves, thus the reason for a very short parts list on HS.  For anything mechanical, it is always best to contact your supplier for a repair with that brand.

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

[cteno4]

Ouch, but it do happen... Don't be hard on yourself,stuff happens.

 

Hopefully hs will send it back to ma for you for repair. A few years back my doreamon train derailed at a point and was not noticed for a awhile and it melted its bogies. Doug Coster was kind enough to send it back to ma for me thru his dealer in Japan. Took quite a while,but came back good as new and it was pretty inexpensive. Did need to pay most to all the shipping around the world.

 

Let us know how hs deals with this.

 

jeff

[westfalen]

Here's the one I put a decoder in, I think it's a Lenz silver mini I had lying around at the time, it sits inside the raised part of the roof. The contacts between the motor brushes and the frame were removed and the orange and gray wires soldered on, the red and black wires go down beside each side of the flywheel and solder onto the brass pickup wipers. I used surface mount LEDs with leads attached for the headlights.

 

As for getting it apart this shell came off by spreading each side with a screwdriver and lifting it off. I didn't want to pull it apart any further because it's running ok so I tried one of the new pair to refresh myself on how the bogies come off but the shell won't budge, and after my wrestling with it broke a pantograph so I put it away for now until I'm ready to install the decoders. If I remember correctly the end platforms unclip then the bogies and the middle bit with the air tanks do the same. The NGDCC decoders for my Kato ED16's arrived today so I'll get to work on them instead.

[Nick_Burman]

Hi folks,

 

Thanks for the help. :icon_thumright: :icon_thumleft: I've emailed HS and I'm waiting for an answer. The sooner that box disappears into the maw of the Post Office, destination Japan, the better.

 

M-A must have changed the way the loco opens from the previous run, because from what I can see now one has to pry open four lugs under the cab windows (indeed the window inserts contain the lugs) to release the frame from the body. I tried pulling it as Alvin did (through the air tanks), that's when the c**p began to happen. Now I know I have to push a few chopped lollipop sticks to pry open the body shell.

 

Thanks for the Lenz Mini tip, I alreay have one on the shopping list so it's just a question of adding another one.

 

Am I right it thinking that if I unscrew the circuit board the frame splits into three parts? Or am I dreaming?

 

Cheers NB

[Martijn Meerts]

I have the brown Deki 300 which I opened up for a decoder install. Been a while though so I can't remember the details.

 

Like many MicroAce though, it's not the easiest to open, and due to bad placement on my part of a resistor, the shell doesn't quite fit anymore. It's on my to-fix list, but as it runs just fine, it's not a priority =)

 

 

Lenz is coming out with new Silver+ Mini's in february btw, these will include the new features that allow them to be used as function decoders. The motor output will then be function outputs, so great for direction dependent lighting in cab cars that use a single, bipolar LED.

[cteno4]

martijn,

 

hey this seems like maybe an excellent record for your shared train database, how to take apart!

 

im really serious that this is probably the best bit of information with a picture or two to have on locos/powered units! its the part i hate the worse, either figuring out how it comes apart or trying to remember! i intend to start taking some notes and picts as this is something that will always be with us and as the trains (and the fiddlers) get older, the more opening up they may need!

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Martijn Meerts]

Good point. I was planning on allowing people to write decoder install instructions, and link them to the model in question. With so much info though, I really need to go for multi-language content from the get go, it'd be too much of a headache to implement at a later time :)

[Nick_Burman]

While I've been waiting for HS to get back to me, I've been playing around with the mortal remains of my loco. I think I figured a more-or-less safe way of getting into her innards (hopefully) without breaking anything:

 

1 - Remove gearbox cover/truck side frame;

 

2 - Remove wheelsets and contacts;

 

3 - Get a few toothpicks. With a hobby knife, carve them into a wedge shape;

 

4 - Insert wedges as close as possibe to one pair of lugs on one end of locomotive (close to cab window)

 

5 - Now, GENTLY pull truck untill frame clears lug;

 

6 - Repeat #4 and #5 - by now the underframe will (hopefully) be clear so as be able to be pulled away from the body using the air tanks;

 

7 - Remove verandahs;

 

8 - Reassemble trucks (if needed).

 

Does it make sense or am I mistaken? As soon as my DeKi 200 arrives I'll try this way on her, as I also want to fit DCC.

 

Cheers NB

[westfalen]

Once I got my two ED16's up and running I went back and looked at the dekis and you're right, there is a lug at each corner which I must have removed on my first one to make the body easier to get on and off, I've really got to start writing down how I do these things. I was able to get the shell off the brown deki 200 without removing the trucks by wedging toothpicks under each lug, removing the hatch from the roof and gently prying the shell off from there with a small screwdriver.

 

Looking at the decoder again I think it is actually a TCS M1. I said I ran the red and black wires down the sides of the flywheels but thinking about that today I thought that wasn't the sort of thing I'd do because the flywheel might wear away the wire insulation so I went back and had another look. There are brass strips running from the lengthwise ones that connect the trucks up to the light board and I soldered the wires to those. The motor has brass strips that connect to the upright ones and I clipped those and soldered the gray and orange wires to the motor brushes.

[Nick_Burman]

OK folks, HS has replied that they would take the loco back and send it to M-A for repair. However I decided to order a new loco and keep the present one as a source of spares (and as a reminder of how not to do things). Also because I figure that the cost of sending her back, having her repaired and and shipped back to Brazil will cost me as much as a new loco (especially the Brazil - Japan leg, our Post Office is expensive for international postage). Trouble is that the new loco will have to come via SAL...

 

Alvin, thanks for the help, could you please see if it really is a TCS M1? These is a real price difference (in favour of the TCS) between it and the Lenz. Also when I get the DeKi 200 I'll file the lugs down for sanity's sake...

 

 

Cheers NB

[westfalen]

I didn't have either type of decoder on hand to compare it to but Decoder Pro tells me my first guess was right and it is in fact a Lenz Silver Mini, anything the same size would do though, the Lenz is probably just what I had at the time. I'd probably go for the M1 on price too.