Blowing up Legacy Diesel engines.I am literally laughing and shaking my head about this.Never fails….. sooner or latter I get the "MAJIC SMOKE" for what seems to be no reason.I am using modern Lionel power bricks.No shorts-no blowing breakers all other Locomotives running and responding properly in a command environment.
Then once I get them fixed it never happens to that particular locomotive again.
Any one else?
Nick
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Without knowing specifics, one can always recommend use TVS diodes.
Can we call you Gomez? Seriously though, I have not yet released the magic smoke from anything either MTH or Lionel. However, I really gone overboard on protection though, as I got spooked early on about smoking the electronics in the engines. As a friend of mine says, 'anything worth doing is worth over doing'!
I use PH-180s for power with PSX-AC's for protection along with a few TVS diodes here and there for a little added safety, even though the PSX-AC's and my TIU also have spike protection. I think doing as Bmoran4 says above and adding some TVS diodes to your layout might be a good start and possibly help avoid some excess smoking. Here's a link to the most used here on the forum: PTC and TVS - Some Commonly Used Sizes and Part Numbers (from other threads)
If you want to go all out the PSX-AC's are available from Charles Ro or Tony's Train Exchange. Tony's also has a kit for adding the alarm, screw terminals and maybe some other things. Here is a link to the PSX-AC information.
Even with all that I suppose there is a chance that something could still smoke though.
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