Lionel 6-12944 Oil Derrick - pump does not move up and down

My guess it's a bad circuit board. I had one of those and the circuit board went bad after a while. No direct replacement listed/available. There is a similar unit that works. Lionel referred me to it.

Lionel shows no 12944 derrick, is that the actual number?

Chuck - I will try to post a picture of the box and post it later.  The box shows

455

Sunoco Animated Oil Derrick

6-12944

Train Nut - Do you know the part no of the board that works?  Model number of a similar derrick?

Thanks

Here is a picture of the box.

Humm........ Lionel doesn't acknowledge that oil derrick. I have an older oil derrick circuit board that will work and fit but is not an exact replacement. Lionel shows a similar derrick with the circuit board not available. Drop a line if nothing else pops up.

DS Texas posted:

Chuck - I will try to post a picture of the box and post it later.  The box shows

455

Sunoco Animated Oil Derrick

6-12944

Train Nut - Do you know the part no of the board that works?  Model number of a similar derrick?

Thanks

Hello!

Unfortunately I don't have the part number handy. I actually bought a spare at the time in case one died, but unfortunately all my stuff is in storage while we are moving. I called Lionel and they were able to give me The substitute part. It was slightly different with a Molex plug with 3 pins, but they told me only to use 2 of the pins. It fit in the same space perfectly and worked great.  You might want to try giving them a call and help you get someone receptive. Some people say they're not too helpful all the time.

Train Nut - I took your suggestion and called Lionel.  The nice lady I spoke with said they did not have any information on this Oil Derrick.  She said that this 1997 accessory was too old and all information is no longer available.  She suggested calling Brasseur Trains but they do not have any parts either.

Any suggestions of who might have these parts?

You also might want to give Mike Regan a call at Trainworx. I believe he knows something about repairs of Lionel items...

John

I'm almost positive this is the one. If you haven't done so, take the  housing  holding the circuit board off and make sure it's the same footprint.   I was able to find it on the internet. I remember them telling me it's for the oil pumping station without the tower, but it works just the same. As I said there's a 3 pin Molex connector but you only use two terminals. Unfortunately without being able to see the picture better I can't trace the circuit to give you an idea which ones to use. Dean from Lionel sent me a email telling me where to hook them up at the time.  If you could somehow get an email to him or somebody and service I'm sure they could help you. You have to be good with a soldering iron though because you have to solder your wires to the pins. They're very close.  The circuit board pictured is from the Lionel website and is available. It's $24 though. That's what I remember paying also.

I am not sure yours is the older 455.  Go to the link site if the Click Here does not work for the diagram.  Diagram shows old price of $20 !

#455 Oil Derrick Heat Switch
These circuit boards are now available from Dr. Tinker at $5.00 plus shipping, while supplies last.  Click here for more information.

http://www.drtinkertrains.com/newfeature.htm#hint

Charlie

how much voltage are you giving it?  boost it.

Train Nut - My circuit board is 610-2945-111.  I assume either would work.

Choo Choo Charlie -  I have a PW 455 as well but the one I am working on now is a 1997 version 6-12944.

Forrest Jerome - I have tried 12 volts up to 18 volts.  The light got brighter but no change to the walking arm  movement.

Thanks for the replys.  Does anyone know which part of the circuit board controls the power to the coil?  I assume that something cycles the power to the coil which in turn pulls the plunger up and down in the coil.  Is that correct?

DS Texas posted:

Train Nut - My circuit board is 610-2945-111.  I assume either would work.

Thanks for the replys.  Does anyone know which part of the circuit board controls the power to the coil?  I assume that something cycles the power to the coil which in turn pulls the plunger up and down in the coil.  Is that correct?

It should. Basically you're controlling the light and the up-and-down feature. Both boards do the same.

I would assume the part of the board controlling the solenoid is the black IC chip in the middle. It's most likely very similar to 555 timer chip.  You could actually make the circuit using a 555 chip along with several other components.

I have a 2848-110 board that would be suited for your derrick. It has wire leads instead of plug connectors. Somewhat cheaper too.

Train Nut - Is this the culprit?  

Yes. That's the one.  Mine went up in Flames practically so I didn't troubleshoot it.  Depending upon how good you are with electronics if you have a multimeter you could do some basic troubleshooting on the components. What you've got in the picture is a capacitor, transistor, and the 555 timer chip I spoke of. Along with a couple resistors.  There's also should be a few diodes.

Train Nut -  The NE555N chips are less than $0.10 each so I ordered some.  The extent of my troubleshooting ability is to look for bulging capacitors.  I could use a multimeter but I don't know what to look for or what to test.  Any suggestions? 

When the new chips arrive, I will replace the one on this board to see if that fixes the problem.

  Thanks again

Testing capacitors isn't easy.   If there is one component I'd rather replace than bother testing it's a cap.  You can wing a test with a light bulb or led to see how long they stay lit, comparing 2 caps usable power reserve to some extent.

Did you ever test the coil to see if its getting power?  Everyone seems to have assumed its the circuit board.  While that may be the case, I would connect a meter to the wires going to the coil and see if power is even getting there.  Maybe disconnect the coil and test it to ensure that it is OK.  Once you know the coil is OK, then you will know for sure the circuit board is dead.

Years ago I had luck replacing just the timer chip in a similar vintage 6-12902 Marathon model of the derrick when the pump wasn't moving.

I don't know if mine was ever cooked the way you described happening to yours while it wasn't working though. 

Good luck!  Hopefully just the timer chip does it!

-Dave

Joe Fermani - I tested the circuit board where the wires to the coil are connected to the circuit board and got zero volts.  I did the same test where the bulb wires are connected and, as expected, got the same reading as the transformer voltage.  I applied voltage direct to the wires to the coil and the walking arm moved.  I assume this means that the coil is good.

Does the timer chip turn the voltage to the coil on and off to make the walking arm move up and down?

Thanks again for your help.

Then you have confirmed the coil is good and that its not getting voltage.  The timer chip is responsible for turning the power on/off.  How that works in conjunction with the rest of the components on the board I am not sure.  It seems like the other posters are spot on that the chip is most likely bad.  So you can either replace the chip or the board.

I have ordered the replacement timer chips.  I would buy a replacement board if I could find one reasonably priced.

You should check the output pin on the 555 to see if that is controlling one of the transistors(cant see the flat heat sink chip over the 555, nor the round one near the 555) vs a direct connection to the coil. (follow the traces) I think a 555 can deliver about 200ma at best. Depending on the coil draw, if higher or near 200ma, I'd expect the actual switching to be by a transistor and the transistor (and maybe led) is controlled by the timer ic (555).

If my memory is correct, the 555 triggers the transistor base.  There is no LED in this circuit.  The 14v bulb is on constant...

HI:  I have a modern era derrick on my layout with the number 2305 which according to Greenberg was produced from 81 until 84.  The circuit in this one consists of two transistors which I believe are connected as an astable multivibrator.  The transistors are the only active components on the board.  The coil of the plunger mechanism represents an inductive load which can create some inductive kickback problems during switching.  For this reason, driving the coil directly from a 555 could be problematic.  The constant application of a high reverse voltage transient across the output stage of the 555 or the collector emitter junction of a discrete transistor could lead to failure.  Another issue is the occasional bad processing of the circuit board resulting in cold solder joints and failure.  If all else fails and the board itself is not damaged, You could send it to me and I would repair it for a flat $10 fee plus shipping.  I have all of the components on the board in inventory so the turn around time should be 2-3 days.  You can e-mail me at fzdancew30@hotmail.com or contact through the forum.  Best regards,  Frank Zdancewicz     

If you go with the "cup o coffee plus parts" price above, just save the new 555 for something else. It is one of the most commonly used IC chips there is, if not number one.