Lionel ZW with 180 watt bricks won't shut down

Charlie,  There are some very well done videos by Mike Reagan when he ran Lionel Service.   They are on YouTube.  He opens the case and discusses various issues that owners tend to run into, and his fixes are well laid out, so you can stop the video while you work on yours.   I assume we are talking ZW-C set up, but using the throttles to change track voltage ?   I have been using a ZW-C but only in Legacy and Command mode so I am not moving the throttles continuously. 

I have a ZW-C with the same power bricks. It is fairly old now and has had a lot of use. I have started noticing that one handle when put in the powered down position is still feeding a small amount of current to the track - it results in some LED lighting glowing dimly. I switch it off at the brick to prevent this. Like yours, it is the right handle that is acting up, although that may just be coincidence.

I think that this is a mechanical issue relating to that lever but as I have not had this transformer open at any time I can’t be sure if a gear or other adjustable piece has got out of synch or what. I think that there is a Mike R. video showing what the insides look like because of another known issue with these units.

In that respect, you don’t happen to have a TMCC or Legacy base connected to or in the vicinity of this, do you? The ZW-C has some quirks about command operation and at one stage Lionel issued a replacement chip to address them. One thing is that it has to be turned on before the base is in order to operate at all and will respond to certain CAB commands. I had to reset mine in order to stop it being command controlled - just a thought but yours might be “confused” by the presence of a signal from a base if it is nearby and switched on. I basically use mine as a dumb fixed 18 volt power source because I run trains via Legacy or a DCS TIU.

Chris,

How do I identify a ZW-C. I looked but didn't see  any marking, but then it was late when I looked.

Thanks

Charlie

Handcock52,

There isn't a base connected. Just using the ZW in manual control.

Charlie, can you post some pics of your set up? I am running a ZW-C W/4 180 W bricks. Nick

I can't get the one file to rotate, but as you can see, the only brick connected is to the right side and all other wiring has been disconnected. Makes no difference. I still have to turn off the AC supply voltage to get the engine to shut down

@CPC posted:

Chris,

How do I identify a ZW-C. I looked but didn't see  any marking, but then it was late when I looked.

Thanks

Charlie

The ZW-C is a plastic and fairly light unit into which the power bricks are plugged. It’s not a self-contained transformer like other ZW models as the house current is stepped down by the bricks; the unit is a kind of rheostat (sorry if that’s the wrong technical term) for adjusting power to the track and it has a command control capability.

Mine does not look like the pictures posted above; FWIW here are photos of the top and back. I can’t see that it’s labeled “ZW-C” anywhere but that was on the box and the manual:

He has the add on meter assembly installed.  That's why it doesn't look like yours.

@Hancock52 posted:

Mine does not look like the pictures posted above; FWIW here are photos of the top and back. I can’t see that it’s labeled “ZW-C” anywhere but that was on the box and the manual:

@MartyE posted:

He has the add on meter assembly installed.  That's why it doesn't look like yours.

Actually the main difference I spotted is the way the posts are labeled on the back, with separate upper and lower lettering:

Also his casing doesn’t look plastic and I wondered whether the power cord is fixed in place. But I don’t know, after trying to check, whether there were different versions of the ZW-C produced. Mine is about 17 years old.

Again those markings are part of the meter assembly which basically covers the back of the ZW controller. If you Google the meter you can see how it looks.  I don't want to post a picture I don't own here

@Hancock52 posted:

Actually the main difference I spotted is the way the posts are labeled on the back, with separate upper and lower lettering:

Also his casing doesn’t look plastic and I wondered whether the power cord is fixed in place. But I don’t know, after trying to check, whether there were different versions of the ZW-C produced. Mine is about 17 years old.

@CPC posted:

That’s the same as mine - except that I tore off the “Made in China” sticker 😁. The earlier photo of the one with the ammeter is different but now I understand why.

Open and up with the power unplugged.  There are plastic gears and brackets that secure the handle and potentiometer.  See if the bracket is broken.

I just had mine completely disassembled to replace the molex connector to the left of the 'A' post. A common problem I've had through the years is when turning the 'A' throttle to quickly, the plastic bracket that the resistor pots are attached to flex and the pot falls out of sync with the handle. I think Lionel made a replacement bracket from metal, but I rarely run conventional and know to just go easy on the throttle.

The fix has always been simple. I remove the cover, slightly loosen the two screws that hold the pot bracket, place a volt meter across the 'A' post and common, address and dial up track one to full voltage, then rotate the pot while disengaged to the handle gear until the meter just reads zero. Make sure the handle is in the zero position. Once you got this, tighten the bracket then turn the throttle all the way up to verify you have full voltage. I did this a number of times until I learned to move the throttle slowly! It sounds like this could be your problem.

JimZ,

Loosened the screws, lifted bracket to disengage gears, rotated pot.

Max voltage: 18.44

Low voltage: 1.1

I'm going to hook it back up to the layout again and check results

Sounds like you may have it solved. Good luck!

I believe there is a very excellent “Backshop Video” by our great old friend Jim Barrett on this very issue. The video is posted here on the Forum together with many others. Great simple step by step instructions and illustration on how to adjust the gears when they get out of alinement.

I have a ZWC and  when I run conventional I use the legacy remote to dial the voltage up and down so I have never used the throttles-Just throwing that out there. Nick