My Lionel Chief Plus locomotive has been running fine but it suddenly started intermittently making no sound. After some period of time checking engine tender connection and adding new batteries to the remote, the sound stopped. It still runs but no sound from the tender. Wanted an idea what else to check before I take it to a service store. Thanks.
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The connector on the drawbar is my top choice for this issue, they are a bit troublesome.
Also poor speaker solder joint, or speaker failure. G
Tried resetting the volume and that did not help. Checked the speaker wiring in the tinder and there appears to be no visual connection problems. Will work on draw bar connector or assume speaker failed. More to follow. Thanks for your input.
Bluetooth? If so check settings in that mode may be a bad circuit board if under warranty contact Lionel 2 -3 week out and back.
I had a rather knowledgeable person look at it and they believe all the wiring is good, the speaker is good, but the problem is in the engine. Plan to send to Lionel. I do not understand the bluetooth?. Pls explain?
Hit the speaker with your meter and if it is good go upstream and look at what John talked about. I have worked on a large number of these and have found both issues.
In Bluetooth mode you can shut off the sound. Download the app for Lionchef Plus. Connect the engine and look at settings The sound could be shut off. I had the same problem and that was it.
I thank everyone for their help and feedback. I took the train to a certified technician. He found that 2 wires feeding the tender inside the engine were broken and had to be re soldered. Fixed and good to go. Again, thanks to all.
I bought a LioneChief+, Blue Comet (6-84680) at the York Show in October, 2018. Within a year, I lost sound. Sent it to Lionel for repair. Came back with a note "wire broken, repaired." Ran fine until about 6 mos. ago. It lost sound again. I did the following to try to isolate the problem after reading this thread.
1. It runs fine. Lights work, Reaf coupler fires. Smokes very well
2. I first tried Blue Tooth. All the functions are displayed and everything responds but the sound. The sound menu on the BT App displays properly and responds to sound settings, but, the engine/tender does not responds to the sound settings. No beeping when first turned on; no bell; no whistle; no crew talk
3. I checked the speaker: 8Ohms
4. I checked continuity of the wires connecting the speaker to the connection on the tender. Tested OK; I did the same for the wires in the engine. Plug to connector: OK
5. I checked continuity of each wire from the MB plug to the speaker to double check engine/tender connector...OK
I can't think of anything else. The MB, part : cs-691ENGM166-p LIONCHIEF PCB / BLUETOOTH / 4-6-2 PACIFIC / 684680; is unavailable.
Is there any other diagnostic I can perform to isolate the problem, or is it that the 'sound board' is toast? If it is, any suggestions where I might find the unavailable part?
Thanks.
Did you perhaps check the connection to the speaker end-to-end? Measure the resistance across the speaker leads at the PCB connector and see if you "see" the 8 ohm speaker.
If the speaker is there, then it may indeed be the board. It is possible to replace the amplifier chip on these, a short in the leads to the speaker could have cooked it.
John. I did not check the speaker at the PCB. I’ll try that. Thanks.
That would be my first step. If the speaker rings all the way to the board, then I'd have to suspect the board.
OK Thanks
John, to be sure I got it right, I measured resistance form the pin under the plug to speaker. Both outside pins show 8ohms. (Pic 1) Does this mean the sound chip is kaput? All the other functions work as advertised. Am I pointing to the sound board in Pic 2?
Pic 2:
It certainly sounds like a board issue. I can't think of any other checks to do.
Ran into this problem a few weeks ago after a derailment. Sound gone. The board was available for $75 so I ordered it and installed it and it fixed the problem. Meanwhile I also replaced the chip on the defective one and now it works so it will serve as a spare.
https://ogrforum.com/...4#173315960781264004
John
I've heard about this same issue a few times now, so I ordered some of the amplifier chips. 
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Did you perhaps check the connection to the speaker end-to-end? Measure the resistance across the speaker leads at the PCB connector and see if you "see" the 8 ohm speaker.
If the speaker is there, then it may indeed be the board. It is possible to replace the amplifier chip on these, a short in the leads to the speaker could have cooked it.
John, your "short" comment reminded me that when I first looked at the draw-bar, I noticed one of the speaker wire leads was actually touching one of the leads for the rear coupler. Would that cause a short you mentioned?
@ToledoEd posted:John, your "short" comment reminded me that when I first looked at the draw-bar, I noticed one of the speaker wire leads was actually touching one of the leads for the rear coupler. Would that cause a short you mentioned?
Yes
Anytime in a Lionchief or Lionchief Plus drawbar system- if the wires short to each other OR other wires and contacts- this can and often does damage the board if not outright killing it. Again, worst case scenario is where the current blows through and then cascades blowing all the other chips on the board.
THEY ARE INCOMPATIBLE WIRES AND VOLTAGES.
@ToledoEd posted:John, your "short" comment reminded me that when I first looked at the draw-bar, I noticed one of the speaker wire leads was actually touching one of the leads for the rear coupler. Would that cause a short you mentioned?
WOW, you bet it would! If you fired the coupler with that lead connected to the speaker, it would almost surely smoke the amplifier!
Well, apparently that's what happened. 
@Craftech posted:Ran into this problem a few weeks ago after a derailment. Sound gone. The board was available for $75 so I ordered it and installed it and it fixed the problem. Meanwhile I also replaced the chip on the defective one and now it works so it will serve as a spare.
https://ogrforum.com/...4#173315960781264004
John
John, I looked at the link you posted. I have a steam engine LC+ and it appears my board looks different and certainly better assembled. But, I have no idea what "board" you discuss and what "chip". Here's a pic of the area I think these components are located, but any help would be appreciated. I'm pointing to what I think is the "sound board" and is the "amplifier chip" the component t the left and above my pointer????
Which board and source?
Which chip and source?
Thanks.
Ed
What's the nomenclature on this chip?
Chip markings:
"CHIPOWER CE0030 1106"
That's indeed the audio amp, by far the top suspect since you found the coupler wiring getting together with the speaker wiring!
John, I found a Chipower CE0030B on ebay.
1.Will that work?
2. It appears the chip is "surface" mounted. I've never tried to remove/replace a surface mounted chip. Any tips?
Well, I personally trim all the leads at the chip on the bad chip with flush-cutters, that allows me to remove the body, then I can just "sweep" the legs away with the soldering iron.
For the new chip, after cleaning the pads, I put a dab of solder on one pad in a right hand corner. I then hold the iron on the dab of solder and slide the chip into place with the tweezers and remove the iron. If the chip is not aligned correctly, just heat that leg again and move it into place. Once the chip is aligned and held with the soldered pad, I solder the rest of the pads. Obviously, you need a fine tip iron and a steady hand. I also use fine .020" diameter rosin core solder for doing PCB work.
Since the chips are coming from China anyway, why not buy these on Aliexpress? I got ten pieces for a total of $4.80 shipped, that includes the tax and shipping.
John, thanks for the soldering instructions. I have ordered the chips from AliExpress. I'm not sure where to get that "steady hand." 
@ToledoEd posted:I'm not sure where to get that "steady hand."
I believe it's only a factory option. 
Dang. The warranty expired!!!
@ToledoEd posted:Dang. The warranty expired!!!
That happens before you're out of diapers. And I'm not referring to the second time.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:I got ten pieces for a total of $480 shipped, that includes the tax and shipping.
$480 for 10 pieces, yikes!
@SantaFeFan posted:$480 for 10 pieces, yikes!
OK, OK, I forgot the decimal point, how about $4.80?
@ToledoEd posted:John, I looked at the link you posted. I have a steam engine LC+ and it appears my board looks different and certainly better assembled. But, I have no idea what "board" you discuss and what "chip". Here's a pic of the area I think these components are located, but any help would be appreciated. I'm pointing to what I think is the "sound board" and is the "amplifier chip" the component t the left and above my pointer????
Which board and source?
Which chip and source?
Thanks.
Ed
Sorry Ed,
Been buried under my Camry doing a nightmarish job for several days. It appears John already answered you.
As John described. Cut the legs off the chip (don't try to unsolder it to remove it). Then heat the pads and lift off or sweep off the little leg bits that are left on them. A tiny amount of solder on the pads is all that is needed (you can always add more). Tack the two opposite corners of the new chip to hold it in place, then solder on the other ones. Don't apply heat for too long. There should be enough solder left over from the old one to tack the new one in place. Then add a tiny bit more as needed. Watch the orientation. The PCB is clearly marked and so is the chip.
John
Well, I replaced the chip...still no sound. I tried Blue Tooth as well, no joy. Smoke, and electro coupler work and the lights. There is something about sound and this engine. When it was under warranty, it went back to Lionel twice. Oh, well. She runs fine...
Probably time to buy a new PCB from Lionel.
@ToledoEd posted:Well, I replaced the chip...still no sound. I tried Blue Tooth as well, no joy. Before I did chip surgery, the engine would run for a bit, then stop. This morning after installing the chip, it ran about half way around my layout then stopped. The smoke unit works.
If it has been back to Lionel twice during the warranty period did you tell them it still doesn't work?
John
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Probably time to buy a new PCB from Lionel.
They said earlier that it is unavailable.
John
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