Controller
diagnostics & repair
What to do if you have problems ? That
can be a tough question at times and also it can be very difficult to explain an
issue to someone else so that they can help you. We always try to answer
problem inquiries & aid resolution, but I know we have not been 100%
successful up till now. These pictures and directions that follow are an
attempt to better tackle the most common issues so that concerns with our
controllers can be easily diagnosed, effectively repaired and the controllers
can be quickly returned to service. We welcome your comments and
suggestions for this section & we will expand these tips as time permits to
cover a broader range of the problems that have been encountered in the field.
1.
Fuse Link Repair (Blue Circuit Board)
The most common issue by far that we get
inquiries about is an inoperative controller power or brake circuit where the
root cause of the problem is a blown fuse link. So what is a fuse link
& what is is used for? ... that is the first thing we need to explain.
The areas shown in the picture below are where the fuse links are located on the
blue circuit board (Plus Series) controllers.
These fuse links are built into the circuit board for a couple of reasons ... One is for protection of the electronics on the circuit board. The idea is that one of these would blow if the controller sees an unexpected high current spike [such as would occur if the controller is misconnected to a high powered track]. What we want to happen is the fuse link would blow before one of the semiconductors in the electronics (rated at 100 amps surge current) would be damaged since it is very easy to jumper a blown fuse link as opposed to replacing one of the semiconductors (all 16 would be destroyed in a repair just to replace 1). I am happy to say that this has been very effective, only one semiconductor has been blown in over 100,000 used in our controllers. But a possible issue with this design is that is that the fuse link can blow unexpectedly even without the controller being misconnected ... this is because the links are designed to carry only 7-10 amps. If you have a powerful power supply and a fairly hot motor, or even a mild motor with glue on the track .. you can run into this problem since the rated current might be exceeded. The other use for these fuse link areas is to enable a quick and easy Dremel cut of the traces on the board in order to add optional features such as brakes, reversing switches & so on as part of the modular & upgradeable design concept we use.
So what happens if one of these blows ? If in the #2 or #3 areas illustrated above, the controller will be inoperative (no power). If in the #4 area, the controller will loose brakes. If in #1 (rare this happens) you will loose a slight bit of wide open throttle performance. All of these possible issues can be easily found and quickly & inexpensively repaired. The diagram below shows where the connections are on the circuit board that would be connected to jumper around a blown fuse link.
The basics of any repair of this type follow : Never use acid flux or acid core solder. Normal 60/40 rosin core is the right material to do the soldering. Be sure to clean off all traces of soldering flux after any repair is completed with a Q-tip and lighter fluid. If solder flux is left on the board it can eat into the traces and cause a short circuit & a very nasty failure. Almost any type of copper wire can be used for repair, at least 18 gage is recommended. You can use bare copper or insulated wire such as our 1/24 lead wire.
One thing to keep in mind in this though, is that after a jumper is installed the protection it had provided to the semiconductors in the electronics is diminished & a higher risk exists of more serious damage if the controller encounters an accidental short circuit in the future. The basic procedure follows :
Broken fuse link in area #1 (top picture) - jumper this problem by soldering in a wire from #4 to #7 (bottom picture)
Broken fuse link in area #2 (top picture) - jumper this problem by soldering in a wire from #3 to #4 (bottom picture)
Broken fuse link in area #3 (top picture) - jumper this problem by soldering in a wire from #5 to #6 (bottom picture)
Broken fuse link in area #4 (top picture) - jumper this problem by soldering in a wire from #1 to #2 (bottom picture) or even better, install our self resetting circuit breaker (PMTR2035) from #1 to #2 (bottom picture). Note also : if you have the power pilot light installed the break in the fuse link can be hidden by the resistor that provides power to those lights ! ... so look carefully or measure the trace for continuity using a meter ..
2.
Fuse Link Repair (Red Circuit Board)
In a similar way, the red circuit board
controllers ("Silver Series") have fuse links built into the circuit
board. It is less likely that these will have an issue since the circuit
boards of this design have a circuit breaker that is standard equipment, but it
is not impossible. The red circuit board are double sided, so each fuse
link (shown in the pictures below) has a companion on the opposite side of the
circuit board. In the event of these blowing (usually in pairs) the
controller power circuits will be disabled.
To repair, follow the base procedure as defined above (under repair of the blue circuit board).
Broken fuse link in area #1 (top picture) - jumper this problem by soldering in a wire from #3 to #4 (bottom picture)
Broken fuse link in area #2 (top picture) - jumper this problem by soldering in a wire from #5 to #6 (bottom picture)
3. "Scratchy Feeling" when trigger is pulled
The process to get rid of the scratchy feeling may take 3-4 cleanings before completely successful ...
Some tips : When cleaning .. use 360 grit emery to 500 grit (no finer) to clean the carbon button on the wiper arm. Put pressure on the back of the wiper arm only when moving in 1 direction .... you want the carbon button face dead flat .. but a bit rough.
The brass buttons should be cleaned (600 grit) & then polished with even finer paper 1,000 grit or so till nice and shiny .. Flush the brass button area after cleaning & polishing liberally with lighter fluid and scrub well with an old toothbrush to remove all residue
If you are running higher powered cars ... tweak the wiper arm to give yourself more tension (but not so much as it does not return freely to the brake position). You might also consider adding a heat sink (if running cooler you will have less issues)
After reassembly check to make sure the carbon button is flat an d contacting the brass button uniformly ... some adjustment may be needed to restore smooth operation.
Also helpful ... is the low friction trigger bushing upgrade (if not standard on your controller) ... this helps to keep the wiper button in contact, minimizing arching.
Lube the trigger pivot well when you have the case open .. both on the front face & the back face.
Give these ideas a go ... it will help cure any issues ..