lionel CW 80 trouble shooting

does anyone know a tech that I could contact to try and trouble shoot the CW 80 I am working on? any info will be greatly appreciated

I would guess that a better supply would be the best bang for your buck vs paying for a repair on a CW80.  80w is what I consider small; borderline at my minimum wattage needs for engines.  Add lighted cars and it's too small.

I'd likely buy another and keep that for parts if I kept only a very small layout with no plans to expand or upgrade.

@Adriatic posted:

80w is what I consider small; borderline at my minimum wattage needs for engines.  Add lighted cars and it's too small...

The CW has a higher continuous output rating at 5 amps than most train set transformers Lionel ever used, including the very popular 1033.

well, i’ve opened these before and found that most of the time the triacs can break off getting the board out but i’ve replaced those triacs before now I have a CW 80 that has a good running fan but no other functions i’m hoping to hear any input anyone may have

I know you like the CW80 Rob; Ive tried thembthem again becauseobecause of your enthusiasm. I still don't like them. (nor Goofle auto-spellwreck )

1033 barely cuts it for me as well. (in fact, the small 65w tall metal PW unit (forget the #) actually out performed my childhood 1033 and (weaker) 1044. I mostly preferred the LW 120w(?) and KW (180w÷by two throttles)

 I do use 4 of the 1033s and most of my trains need 100% throttle to pull a 6-10 car freight train.  A few only take 80% after they warm up. Only some of the can motors could roll over from speed loaded.

(great if I had kids and was a worry wart on rollovers; just ok though. I'd like another amp or two)

Two Pulmores (1 a tmcc) will blink out a CW breaker under a hard start, heavy load (no lights) and most of my postwar baulks too.  I have an 80w grey controller and brick that blinks out less than Moms or my brother's/neice's CWs(not CW40).The tmcc locos do like the grey dial 80w brick better than the 1033s though... (GW?)

At just a few watts more "reserve power" I wouldn't complain, but it's not there.

Maybe its actually the voltage?

I'm not really sure what the max voltage is on the new small ones.

(1033/1044 is 15v max)

See if you have voltage to the triacs. If so, check the trigger circuit for it's presence(to com or hot, etc. as needed by the triac) and follow that triggerttrigger tracettrace to ?; if it's trigger action is absent. 

I don't "know", but it sounds like I'd start there or maybeamaybe the secondary windings if they exist.

Hmm Goofle spellwreck is even worse than it was months ago. I wish I could wipe their crap appsoapps outoout oftof these things.

CW-80? Use it as a door stop, paperweight, etc.,  and get a MTH Z-750 or Z-1000 to run your trains......

I have one that I bought used and it could barely move a Scout loco and a short freight.

@RSJB18 posted:

and get a MTH Z-750 or Z-1000 to run your trains......

 

Soon to be an orphan.  

@RSJB18 posted:

I have one that I bought used and it could barely move a Scout loco and a short freight.

It's probably a PowerMax or PowerMax Plus, not a CW, if it struggles with that little train.

I thought there was a thread here some time ago about the CW80 having some weird way of altering the voltage output? Might be worth a search. Or not.

Perhaps you will find this article from the late Dale Manquen useful. My own experience has been less than stellar in repairing these, unless, as you said, it's the fan. Most any defective parts you might need would have to be from suppliers other than Lionel, which means the programmable micro is a deal breaker - just won't be available if found to be the problem.

The last CW-80 I repaired was working after a fan replacement, but one, single, teeny-weeny, itty-bitty little strand from a wire killed it upon reassembly. On a post mortem exam, it appears I inadvertently applied AC to a leg of the microprocessor. Sorry, wish I could offer more hope & optimism.

George

Very seldom is the uP going to fail, most common are things like the triacs.

I have to agree with gunrunnerjohn on the CW 80 triacs I don’t know if it matters but the one i’m working on is the pre “g” series that is said to be better and I have two of that series that are strong runners

thanks to all for the reply the more info you can get the further you can go

John, uP?  

IC?

@Adriatic posted:

John, uP?

uP is a pretty universal acronym for a microprocessor.

Thanks, never saw it or used it. Could have been the "brass" was more specific in description regularly... or less specific. We would say matrix long before the movie, UC, IC, ROM, PROM, RAM, etc.etc.  Gotta remember I never took a class past 101, opened any text book. I just had base info,a meter, logic probe, catalogs, curiosity,.... and a warped melon.