CW-80 repair questoin

Check the instructions one more time...

If I remember right. After setting the voltage you have to move the

arm back to off. I think you might be missing one step...

I'd probably do that - not worth the trouble of fixing it and I would not trust a repaired unit that much anyway. 

 

I have four and all gave good service except for the problem common the many - the fan bearings wore a bit loose and it would chatter and moan, particularly when cold.  I recently tossed two that still work but I don't really need them with my ZW-L now. 

Have had two go bad, and a buddy of mine had 3 go bad.

Contact Lionel directly and they will have you cut the cord

off and pull the orange handle off and send both back to them and

they will send you a new CW.

What are you using to measure the voltage?  Are you measuring with a load?  Do the trains run OK?  The CW typically will not give accurate voltage readings with a meter costing less than $300.

 

You  actually are skipping the last step of the programming by not lowering the lever all the way.  RTFM is what the engineers would say.

Yes, I lowered the Arm.  I have 4 CW-80s.  No I dont have a $300 meter, my $10 harbor Freight meter has no problem reading 18+ volts on the other three and has no problem reading the voltage on my ZW and TW. 

Even Better - I just got off with Lionel Customer Service, they said to cut the cord off and pop off the handle and they are sending me an RMA.  Once they get it handle and cord they will send me a new CW-80. 

thats what I said!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I gues they have replaced 100s

if not 1000s of those.

personnal I think they are a useless transformer.

 

give me the old ZWs, run em fast and furious!!!

Thank you that was a great idea.

There is absolutely no reason to toss these things in the trash unless the transformer core is fried. You can open up the case, strip all the electronics out of it and use the transformer core as a brick. Attach the brick to a MTH Z controller or to the track all by itself for command operation.

These certainly have been problematic for Lionel, makes a 1033 or an LW look like a bargain.