I have Lionel 6-22983 180watt Power supply.
Seems to have quit working, tested the cord and the meter indicated 6-7 watts, should be 18-19.
Anyway to confirm the unit is bad before tossing it? The unit was bought about 3 years ago and yes, the breaker has worked many times.
Brent
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The unit can be fixed, so if you're going to toss it, toss it my way. 
I've attached a schematic, it's likely that a component may have failed.
gunrunnerjohn, thanks for the schematic. I have a friend that can (I think) diagnose/fix the problem with the schematic as a guide.
I took the 4 rubber grips/feet, off thinking the unit could be taken apart with a screwdriver, as usual my thinking was wrong.
How do you get the unit apart?
Brent
You're talking about the triangle screws? I ground down an old screwdriver to make the triangle driver. Then I tossed those screws and put standard Phillips screws in to reassemble.
There are drivers available for all types of security screws. They are available on the bay and elsewhere.
It might be worth getting if you keep running into these types of screws.
Back in the 70s I encountered Torx screws for the first time. I bought a set of Torx drivers and have used them countless times since then as Torx has become more common.
Hi GRJ,
I realize this is an old thread. One of my PH 180's is acting up. The power cuts out to my ZW-C after several seconds, then resets automatically. The train stops, then continues after the reset. Can you fix this? Will it be cost effective? Last time I bought a new one, it was $72 plus shipping. I have spares, so this is not urgent.
Thanks,
George
The PH180 breaker is designed not to automatically reset, however since the "tripped" position is the relay activated, my guess is the electronics are having a problem. I have no idea how cost effective it would be to fix, but by the time you shipped the transformer two ways and paid to have it fixed, it would probably make sense to pick up another one. If you find someone local that would take a crack at it, it'll be a lot cheaper.
Here's some of Dale's notes on the circuit as well as a schematic. Maybe this will help someone help you. You can click on the schematic for the full sized version.
In the schematic, both U1b and U1c are amplifying the current sense signal. U1c, the "overload" detector, has a gain of 148, but it is slowed down by the resistor and capacitor on its output. The time constant (RxC) is 2.6 seconds. Multiple short hits to this RC combination would charge it up until it trips the relay latch.
U1b has a gain of 37, which means it requires 4 times as much current, but it acts instantaneously for "dead short" situations.
Thank you! Good advice.
I no longer think it is the brick, although it happens more on one brick than another. I think my pre war 262 is shorting somehow. All of the insulation crumbled when I started investigating, so I rewired it completely. It still happens occasionally but much less often now. It is a bit odd, since it is not throwing the breaker on the brick. The ZWC is restarting. I can see it reset on the ZW AMP/VOLT meter.
Happy Holidays!
George
That sounds more like the ZW-C or the train. Note that if your old 262 is generating a lot of EMI, that may be causing the ZW-C to trip, something to consider.
gunrunnerjohn posted:That sounds more like the ZW-C or the train. Note that if your old 262 is generating a lot of EMI, that may be causing the ZW-C to trip, something to consider.
Is there an inline filter that could help reduce that? It could be that. It seemed to go away now that I have more of a load on the train and a lighted caboose on the track.
Well, you can start with a pair of 1uf NP capacitors from each brush to frame ground, that's what the TMCC versions of the AC motor is equipped with.
And, here I thought the 'brick' was just a simple 'step down' transformer with no electronics: I guess nothing is 'simple', anymore!
I guess the 'bean' counters say, 'this is so efficient and saves money': of course the amount of land fill from all these 'efficient' items are not taken into consideration! Cheaper to throw it away and buy a new one.
I still have my original cordless drill and saw, and they still work
Dang Sam, thx for reminding me. I’ve got a couple cordless drills too! 
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