Just unpacked the train for the first time. LEDs on one side of one of the four boxcars do not light. Haven't taken apart yet. Visual inspection reveals a single PC board with separate connectors for each of the two LED box car side strings. Looks like a signal power supply supporting both LED strings, so the supply must be working. Could be anything downstream of the PC board LED string split for each side. Anyone else have this problem ? Thanks in advance.
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OK, I took it apart. The green wire off the connector is broken. Broken where the wire penetrates the boxcar base. Microsurgery to fix. Seems like there are 2 red wires and one green wire in the LED string. The green wire must be common to two parallel red paths in the string hence no illuminated LED's on string. Guessing it was an assembly error that resulted in the broken wire. OBTW, it's the green enameled wire that's broken.
Tried soldering the broken wire but the wire is not taking the solder. The wire must not be copper ? Anyone have an idea of what kind of wire this is and how to fix it ?
I would never buy anything with strings of led lights, but if I did, it would go back to the m t h. dealer....
My next attempt will be a mechanical connection using a custom crimp. After that, is't back to MTH.
Send it back to MTH.
As an aside...
We live in SE Michigan. A few days before Christmas we visited Bronner's Christmas Store in Frankenmuth, MI. In the 'Lights' section of the store they had quite an assortment of miniature LED light strings...like the MTH ones having small LED's connected with a pair of enameled wires. Some of the strings had varied colored lights, others solid colors, others in white LED's. ALL were very affordable. Most seemed to be battery powered.....some even having a battery and simple momentary switch already in the package for demonstration purposes.
While too late for this year, I'm already thinking up a few projects for next Christmas using these to brighten the vignettes!
I'm sure other Christmas stores have similar offerings. But if you're ever near SE Michigan be sure to visit Bronner's.....world renowned for being THE largest Christmas store anywhere. In fact, I even saw a billboard for Bronner's just a couple miles from the Breezewood exit on the PA turnpike a few years ago. Perhaps it's still there!? Ditto I-75 in Georgia, I believe!
BTW, Bronner's has a website...and is open all year, excepting a couple holidays.
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Re soldering enameled wires.....carefully scraping the enamel off to expose the clean parent wire material is essential. A drop of liquid flux can help, too. Somewhat daunting....but doable.
KD
shorling posted:My next attempt will be a mechanical connection using a custom crimp. After that, is't back to MTH.
If you attempt repairing it yourself doesn't that void MTH's repair warranty and if that self repair fails then you'll have to pay the full cost of the MTH manufacturer repair yourself?
shorling posted:Tried soldering the broken wire but the wire is not taking the solder. The wire must not be copper ? Anyone have an idea of what kind of wire this is and how to fix it ?
Do you have a close-up of this mystery wire? When you say enameled wire I'm thinking this is magnet-wire as used to wind coils, transformers, etc.. Google "remove insulation from magnet wire" for ideas, videos, etc. Kind of depends how much length you have to work with. For magnet-wire I routinely use the solder method with a generous dollop of flux to "burn" off the coating while leaving a tinned ready-to-solder wire end.
stan2004 posted:shorling posted:Tried soldering the broken wire but the wire is not taking the solder. The wire must not be copper ? Anyone have an idea of what kind of wire this is and how to fix it ?
Do you have a close-up of this mystery wire? When you say enameled wire I'm thinking this is magnet-wire as used to wind coils, transformers, etc.. Google "remove insulation from magnet wire" for ideas, videos, etc. Kind of depends how much length you have to work with. For magnet-wire I routinely use the solder method with a generous dollop of flux to "burn" off the coating while leaving a tinned ready-to-solder wire end.
Yes, it looks like colored enameled magnet type wire. I scraped off the enamel. All the wires are twisted together so you can't get it too hot or it's going to be just one shorted mess.
Fixed: Scrapped the enamel off each end of the broken wire and twisted together. Placed crimp over twisted pair. Works like new, but it's not as good as new. Called MTH to order replacement LED strings as spares. The LED strings are not available yet. They were very nice, I'm on the waiting list. While I'm waiting, I can run the train in all its Christmas (New Years now) glory.
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