O Switches have gone dark

What are you using to power the switches? My guess is that the if the voltage is still there, something has tripped and is not delivering the current.

Am using a Z-1000 Brick.

May go thru and make sure all track is connected for a fine flow of current.

The output of a Z-1000 brick should be more than 12.5 volts(14 at the acc terminals and 18 at the barrel/coaxial connector). Test the brick with a know load(Like a Z-1000 controller).

Rob, wouldn't 12.5acv on a non-rms meter be close to 14acv?

zipper69,

Are you operating with DCS? If you are, you can install a choke across the Aux-in and GND terminals (in place of the jumper) and use the switches on track power. That will prevent interference with the DCS signal.

The only thing that I can think of is something surged on the switch power and blew all of the small resistors (2ohm 1/4watt) that are between Aux-in power and the control board. Sounds weird. Check this thread and read EIS comments and the fix from Mike Reagan. I don't know if one going bad would do it to all of them. You may have to apply aux power one by one with the others disconnected to see if it's all or just one. You'll have to go inside one of the switches to perform the resistor check and rule this out.

The output of the brick is pure sine wave, and the no load output should be (14 or 18) or higher.

You should def. check that under a load. Some times you will get voltage, but when a load is applied the voltage will drop. I would recommend checking voltage at switch while you attempt to activate the switch and see if voltage drops. If it does, check again at power source while you attempt to activate switch. This should narrow it down to power supply or wiring to switches.

I would lean to the power supply. Unless your meter is wrong, as others have said, you should have voltage around 18 VAC, or 14 VAC if you are using the ACC port.

What is the Lionel stock number on the switch?

If it is 6-23010 or 6-23011 just replace the switch with a switch that is known to be good. I had to get rid of five switches in that series that went bad after I used the switch with a Williams engine.

Lee Fritz

Try powering the switches from a different power supply that is known to be working.

Larry

Have to go with the crowd, I think your P/S or the wiring has taken a dump.

Thanks all for your thoughts and suggestions.

Looks like the Z-1000 Brick is the culprit.  When it is on, the other items on the 14volt output are on, but not the switches.  I was getting 13.3 volts on the meter from the brick.

I then plugged my switch wires into the accessory plugs on the Z-4000 transformer and on they came.

Any thoughts on why the brick would just stop working like it used to?  It still will light up my other accessories, so it is good for something.

Bill in Spokane

You mention an "accessory board" in your first post. It seems that your power supply is feeding into that, and you are tapping off of it for your switches and accessories. It seems as though your accessory board is at fault.

Larry