MRC power pack problem

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Has anyone else had a problem with their MRC Railpower 1370 power pack? It’s a GREAT little power pack but I’ve had 3 that have an annoying “squeak” when rotating the rheostat (knob). (The squeak seems to happen AFTER the unit has had a chance to warm up.)

I bought the first one from one of my local hobby stores. I couldn’t stand the squeaking anymore so I exchanged the first one for another one. The 2nd one was quiet for a short time but developed the same symptoms. The 3rd one I bought off of e-Bay. This one been good but it still squeaks slightly from time to time. (Thankfullly, no where near as bad as the first.) I wrote MRC about the squeaking and they claimed that they had nevery “heard” of the problem before.

I am NOT pressing down on the knob when I run my trains. I’ve been tempted just to jump to the Tech 4 220 or 260 model for now and keep the “squeakers” as addtional AC units for running switches and lights.

Anyone have any similar experiences (or solutions) with this particular model? Or, should I run down the street to ‘Pet Smart’ to pick up a bag of mice food. (I don’t remember reading about that in my user manual?)

Thanks!

Tom

2

I havent had this problem with my MRCs but have you tried taking the knob off and oiling it?

3

I had thought about it. It sounds like there’s a neoprene O-ring in there thats binding somehow. MRC was expectedly hesitant about me opening it up to check. I’ve even tried pulling up on the knob to see if it would eliminate the sound. Sometimes it did, sometimes it didn’t.

4

CALL the guys at Model Rectifier. They’ll have an answer for you.