I run an S Helper Service F3 A and B units which feature a horn and bell sound controlled by a device called Locomatic. See photo. Recently neither the horn or bell work but they did in the past. I have removed the shell on the A unit and used two two small jumper wires from the chassis contact points to the conical spring contacts on the underside of the shell that are wired to the speaker. Still no horn or bell. I do not know how to test the buttons on the Locomatic device to ensure that is working (and putting out some sort of signal to the track) but its power supply is in place and the wiring to the track is in place and confirmed. I also run an American Models E8 A & B unit on another track with a separate horn and bell controller. (the cream colored unit) It works fine. As a test, I put the F3 unit on this track and no horn operation but the signal of the two types of controllers may be different and non compatible. . Anyone know?
Here is the controller for the American Models E8.
And the F3 loco opened up showing the contacts and speaker wiring.
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I do not have a LocoMatic system so I have no experience with it. The internal board in the engine is a decoder of sorts that detects the signal for each of the separate functions.
The American Models system uses plus and minus DC offset voltages applied to the track to ring the bell or sound the horn. The two systems are not interchangable. Lionel Legacy engines use the same DC voltage offset actuation to ring the bell and sound the horn when operated in conventional mode. The Legacy engines have an added feature that a short horn button push will activate Crew Talk and TowerCom.
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Thanks for that info. My system is powered by an AC American Flyer transformer so I am not sure how the American Models system for controlling the horn and bell get a DC output but that locomotive sound is working OK. It is the S Helper Service F3, loco that is not sounding. I am wondering if trying to operate the S Helper Service F3 loco on the American Models track and trying that controler had damaged some of the F3 electronics? However, I am no expert on electricity.
The two button controller generates the DC offset internally. The AM controller should not damage the LocoMatic system in the SHS engines.
Back to still more problems with horns and bells. NOW both my E8 (American Models) and F3 (S Helper Service) A units are not sounding. They are controlled by two separate, and different, systems and each locomotive runs on separate tracks from a large two handle AF transformer. The S Helper Service F3, by a 10 button control box that (#00522 LocoMatic) controls the horn and bell plus the headlamp and mars lamp. The headlamp and mars lamp are working OK from the control box leading me to believe I DO have it wired up correctly between the transformer and track. But no horn or bell operate. This device is made by Dallee Electronics in Pennsylvania, and their rep says sometimes lights in passenger cars can override/diminish the signal sent through the track to the locomotive for sounds. Tried running just the locomotive, still no sounds. He also suggested “rebooting” this control box by disconnecting its wall mounted 9V DC device (sometimes known as a “wall wart”) No difference.
Anyone have any tips on what is going wrong?
I’ll deal with the no sound issue on the American Model E8 in a separate post for simplicity.
I see a Gilbert Air Chime Whistle controller on the panel. Is that wired to the same track as the Locomatic? I do not think the controller itself would cause a problem but a Gilbert engine with the whistle system speaker/resistor/capacitor sitting in the same power district might.
No the Gilbert air chime whistle is totally separate and mounted in this trackside shed.
