Hello all,
I have a 1033 controller that needs a little tlc. It is having an issue with the hold-in voltage for the whistle relay.
For my test I have a 224e with its e-unit in neutral, the 2224W tender, a 3620 searchlight car, and a 2457 lighted caboose on the track as loads.
When I move the whistle lever toward the whistle position at the first step the whistle relay in the 2224W closes, and the whistle motor turns slowly while all the rest of the car lights dim. When moved to the full (second stage) whistle position the whistle relay opens and the rest of the lights get much brighter.
With the main control lever at approximately 3/4 full, and the whistle control lever in the first stage of the whistle position I measure about 3.5V DC between U and A terminals and the whistle tries to work. On moving fully to the whistle position the DC voltage drops to about 0.3V. The whistle stops trying to work at this point as the relay in the tender opens.
This gets interesting when I place a second whistle tender on the same track. Now when the whistle control is moved fully to the whistle position the DC voltage between U and A is about 0.8V, and the whistles in both tenders work properly. The additional load seems to increase the DC output.
From what I have read online I seem to have a problem with the rectifier or the resistance wire in this little 1033. I measured 2.1 ohms on the resistance wire. The controller appears to be original internally. Some wires may have been replaced, but the disc-shaped rectifier is still in place.
Can an additional resistor be added in-line with the resistor wire to increase the DC voltage during whistle operation? Or are my symptoms indicative of a failing rectifier, or some other problem that I have overlooked?
Cheers,
Matt
