I have an Atlas Commander and power pak that shuts down on its own every night. I can be running one loco or three locos and it will shut down completely without giving an error message. If I wait 15 to 20 minutes I can turn it on again and it might run for 30 minutes or 30 seconds before it shuts off. I have checked for short circuits and have alternated locos trying to find out what the problem is. I would appreciate any help I can get with this problem.
Thanks
Tom
I’m pretty sure atlas has its own forum. You should try over there…you will probably have more luck. Also, you may want to try atlas customer service or the place where you bought the system.
Tom,
When the Atlas Commander shuts down, does it feel hot or very warm to the touch at all? I’m just curious whether or not it’s overheating or not. The suggestion to inquire at the Atlas forum is probably a good one. Folks there will be familiar with the symptoms you’ve described, if this is indeed a common problem/ailment for this unit. Let us know what you find out.
Tom
Does it go all the way to off, requiring a complete power cycle, or does it just shut off track power while leaving the system and remote powered up?
I’ve got a Lenz System 100, which I believe has the same basic guts as an Atlas. I discovered last summer that it would kill track power whenever the big air conditioner, which happens to be on the same circuit, kicked in. The short-term voltage drop would cause the Lenz to power off the track to protect the trains from the under-voltage condition, which can be harmful to some electronics and motors.
The same thing will happen if you’ve got a big electric heater or a big motor item, like a refrigerator or blower, which is electrically “close” enough to your trains that it’s dropping the line voltage.