I just got this LW transformer (my first), and it hums really loudly (or at least it’s a lot more loud than my TW and 1033) - it’s audible from 3-4 feet away when it’s just plugged in (no connections/load, and I even removed the bulb in the dial).
I did read another thread here that had a guy saying the LWs were loud (he seemed to think it was loud if it was audible from under a foot away), but is this amount of hum I’m hearing normal/typical? If so, is there a way to quiet her down ie tightening internal connections (structural and/or electrical)?
I have an LW and it is quiet enough you have to put your ear up close to hear it hum. I’ve had loud transformers so I think I know what noise level you are getting at.Otherwise, I wouldn’t know what to look for other than something loose like you suggest.
Below is a link that might give you some ideas, even though it is specific to the postwar Lionel ZW-R.
I have a KW that hummed badly. Upon inspection I found that the laminations were not nearly as tightly compressed together as they should have been. I assumed this “slop” was the cause of the excessive humming.
There didn’t seem to be any easy way of tightening the lamination-structure without “cold-working” some aluminum parts that I feared would break off. Based on this article, I cleaned the ends of the laminations as best I could, clamped them as tightly as possible, coated the ends liberally with a good quality two-part epoxy, and let it cure overnight. After the clamps were removed, the hum was down to a quite acceptable level. The repair has held up for over a year, and I have not observed any adverse effects.
That said, if you try something like this it would be a good idea to keep an eye on the heat production after the repair is complete.
With the KW, I was able to make this repair without doing more than removing the outer cover. I’ve never been inside the case of an LW, so I don’t know what is feasible.
Disclaimer: I am not recommending either of these procedures, but merely linking to an idea that is already posted on the internet: Should anyone attempt this, he needs to recognize that he might incur damage to property or person and must assume all risks. I give no warranty, expressed or implied.
OK, this will be my first attempt at a photo post… As you can see (if the photo shows up below) the sheets comprising the core are starting to become separated along a couple edges (circled in yellow), and I also have some play along the shafts (both in front where the red wobble-lines are indicating, and on the rear) that mount the core to the case.
Any ideas how to fix this? Can I free the core, press some epoxy between the separations, clamp until cured, and then mount it back with screws (it has rivets mounting it right now)?
Don’t worry, I’m not one of those litigious fools - no need to post disclaimers about how you don’t advise me to actually do anything
Cant tell if there is room by the picture but what about a couple of heavy duty zip ties (wire ties) If it would work there would be no disassembly needed.
I have 2 LW’s and both are quiet. You would have to put your ear up to them to hear if they are on.
As for fixing yours, if that is a rivet that holds the laminations together, perhaps it would be possible to re crimp the rivet to hold tighter. Or could you grind off the rivet and replace with a bolt if the rivet is loose. As for the separated edges, how about a bolt with 2 washers, put the bolt up against the laminations with the washers on each end of the laminations and tighten down. Or how about if you left it the way it is and just painted all the core with heat resistant paint that is used to paint BBQ’s.
I found that straightening that case fin to which the transformer is mounted (not sure how I didn’t notice it was bent right off the bat) and wedging a piece of popsicle stick under the right corner (to take up the rest of the slack on the rivet) eliminated 95% of the noise. I’m going to try to forget about those small separations on the core for now.
My only question would be regarding whether the popsicle stick poses an increased risk of fire - any thoughts?
