Help!!! On my N scale layout my locmotives will not stop they just keep going at full speed!! I took the wires off the power pack and hooked them back up and made sure they were not toucking the AC part there were not. It is a atlas power pack. any ideas or is the power pack just freid?
I had a TYCO pack that was 25 years old and when it started doing this; I threw it out because it had so little power (6VA) it wasn’t worth fixing.
Sounds like something with the speed control knob. Maybe you should e-mail Atlas?
Tim,
It may be time to invest in a real power pack, like an MRC Tech 4.
Tom
If you have a volt meter check the terminals when not hooked to the track. You should get zero volts and as you move the throttle up it should rise to 12 volts. If not get new transformer.
[2c] Atlas, Bachman, Tyco, and Life Like are not really into the "Power Pack " market. Like “tstage” said, go with an MRC Tech 4, I highly recommend them.
If it’s an HO pack, that would explain things. A power pack with a rheostat needs to have the proper ohm rheostat for the motors it is controlling. Modern high efficienty motors in HO plus pretty much ANY N scale locomotive have such a low current draw that even on the lowest speed of the HO rheostat, the motor resistance is so much lower that it gets the lion’s share of the voltage, and the locos will be uncontrollable.
The solution, as mentioned, is a good transistorized power pack like an MRC Tech 4. Or DCC [:D]
–Randy
Hey, i reckon that lifelike’s US power pack must be better then the crappy things that come with their sets. little grey thing, of the 3 i have one doesn’t work at all, and the other two you have to hold the knob down or else it stops and starts. total junl, and i think lifelike trainset stuff is usable.
good idea to use the meter and see if you get a responce from the knob
if you do then try to wire a car backup light bulb and wire it in series
K
Are you hooked to the variable DC terminals? The straight DC terminals will do exactly what you describe.
You may not want to throughout that old power pack. It may still be usefull to power turnouts or other accessories. Activating a solenoid (twin coil) switch machine from the same power pack that nis running your trtains will cause the trains to slow down momentarily unless you have a capacitive-discharge circuit installed.
It only does that when your pack doesn’t have enough power. If i threw a turnout with my cheapo Life-Like power pack the train would nearly stop. But my Tech 4 260 doesn’t even slow the train down if I throw 2 tunrouts at once. It’s all about having enough power.
Prior to switching to DCC, I ran my layout, such as it was at the time, with a pair of Atlas powerpacks. After about 6 months of use, both of them died in the way you describe. My failures were accompanied by a nasty smell, so something inside them will cook and render the pack useless.
Any of the MRC Tech series power packs from Tech II on have transistorized control so the resistance of the rheostat is not a factor. Used MRC Tech II, III, and IV power packs are often available at reasonable prices on eBay and other locations.
A voltage test with a rheostat control will not work without a load on the power pack. The rheostat (a variable resistor) depends upon the current flowing through the selected resistance to “waste” a certain amount of voltage, making less available for the train. That’s why low current motors such as modern HO and most all N don’t work well with a rheostat-style power pack - the motors don’t draw enough current to cause enough of a voltage drop in the rheostat. For the same reasons, you need to measure output voltage with a couple of different loads to see if the rheostat is working correctly.
yours in power
Fred W
I no i am going DCC i just want to be able to run my N scale locos until i get decoders for them. Its weird because it was always working fine before this. I am going to safe it to power lights and stuff
Tim,
Only if the rheostat still works. Otherwise, you’re going to be blowing through light bulbs like nobody’s business.
Tom
dont want that to happen!!
I can’t buy MRC Tech power pack in New Zealand
which best quality power pack e.g altas or bachmann or other powerpack for my n scale layout
Just throw it out and upgrate to a better power pack. I’m still for power packs instead of DCC, but if I understood DCC a little better… Good luck, anyway!
TrainWorld would be happy to ship you one or more. See thier website.
Yea cheap starter packs usually burn out after the breakers kick a few times. Good luck!