ERR Heat sink Hot

Don, can you explain more about the sound board shorting out? ......did some thing touch it and wipe it out?....do you know what caused the short?......Pat

Part of the bottom of the sound board ended up touching the tender chassis causing the short in the board.  After removing the sound board engine still ran fine with no over heating.

Does unplugging the new sound board make the locomotive run properly?....is the mechanism good and free?....nothing binding or stuck? Can you turn the motor by hand and feel no resistance in forward?........Pat

Sound board removed still shorts out in forward.  Cannot turn wheels either way because of drive gearing.  I reversed the wires going to motor now will run forward fine not heating, in reverse shorts and heat sinks hot.  So it is something with the cruise board.

Yeah, it sounds like the driver portion of the cruise board took a direct hit some how.....you might contact 3rd Rail, as I’ve heard tail Scott’s ERR guy has done component level repair....maybe one of the guys on here might can fix it too....what a bummer, sorry your board took a hit for the team........Pat

It's easy to replace the FET's on the Cruise Commander, I've done several of them.  Normally, that only happens if you short the motor drive, then it can take out a driver FET.  I think I still have the parts, if not they're readily available.

^^^^^^^^^there ya go Don, all is not lost!...^^^^^^^^^......Pat

I'm interested John as the funds for a new commander is not possible.  How do I go about replacing?

smokie3561 posted:

Sound board removed still shorts out in forward.  Cannot turn wheels either way because of drive gearing.  I reversed the wires going to motor now will run forward fine not heating, in reverse shorts and heat sinks hot.  So it is something with the cruise board.

Are you saying that you can't turn the motor with the flywheel ?    j

I suspect something is shorted, it's usually (but not always) the drivers.

I think the short is from the tether.  It had a straight 4 pin and I had to change to a 10 pin.   The only 10 pin I could get at the time was a elbow tether not straight.   The bottom side of the tether had some ruff soldier spots on it which I tried to file off and cleaned the filing off the tether. I put electrical tape between the tether and the tender chassis but I think the vibration rubbed through and shorted out.    I also need a new straight tether.               

The only way to get to the motor or flywheel is to take the engine apart which I have not done yet.

Are you using the MTH tethers?  I have straight 10-pin tethers.