I have the atlas power pack and when it’s in reverse I Have control over the speed, but when I put it in forward no matter were I put the nob the speed is maxed out. Why does it do this and how do I fix it?
There must be something wrong with the power pack if it worked well before. send it back to atlas and have them look at it. It may not cost much if anything for them to fix it…chuck
I had the same problem with a MRC controller and all it was, was the transistor, a $4.00 part. It was very simple to replace and did the trick. Hope it works for you
BCR, how did you get it open? I have an Athearn PP that does this same thing, but when I looked at the screws I think they were triangle or squared head screws.
Unless you have electronics knowhow and experience, if this is a “train set” power pack it probably isn’t worth trying to repair. The parts that fail are usually not something that can be readlily purchased from an electronics dealer, but are custom made and are not even a repair part available from the manufacturer.
I think you need to purchase a better quality one, such as an MRC.
I had a problem like that a long time ago. The controller I inherited from my grandparents was having slight problems. It would only take the locomotives at one speed in one direction. After a few crashes we took it to a hobby shop and found out that the controller had to be set on the precise speed of the locomotive when it was turned on (i.e. if we turned the power off while the locomotive was at full speed, we had to turn it back on at full speed or the locomotive would not receive any commands). My advice would be to take it to a hobby shop that knows the product and company. If you don’t you will suffer a grueling sales pitch about how good their DCC system is.
It will probably be easier to just replace it if you can afford to. Power packs do wear out as has been my experience and a decent new one will get things running better.
Ditto to trainfan1221.
If it’s still under some warranty, great. Let the manufacturer put it right for you.
If it’s old enough to be out of warranty (and you don’t know how to fix it–neither do I), it’s probably not worth the cost of paying someone to repair it. Consider the purchase of a new unit.
I got the thing open with a number 10 teck screwdriver and the transitor was right off the shelf, at an electronic store, not Radioshack.