Z-Stuff DZ 1010 problems

Does anyone have any experience with the DZ1010?

A derailment for us means a possible Short. The DZ stuff appears to be sensitive to 18v electrical shorts.

That's why we add diodes to the DZ-2500Cs non-derailing wires.

So unlike the old days, it helps to have an advanced electrical engineering degree to work on today's train electronics.

If you don't have that degree I'd think about buying new components and reinstall.

Thanks, Alan.  I don't think it was a short.  The locomotive in the derailment hit and broke the mast on the gate.  The gate was still making noise.

I think I cause the problem when it took it apart to fit the mast.  I thought I put everythin back correctly (I had taken picutrres) but i must have done something wrong.  Unfortuantely, there doesn't seem to be any image or schematic of the board.

I do have another crossing that needs a gate.  The alternative might be to buy another one, take it apart and see how it should be connected.

@AlanRail posted:

The DZ stuff appears to be sensitive to 18v electrical shorts.

Alan,

Do you know of any other threads on this topic?  I'm looking for more details to study before I buy anything.

It pays to be prepared.

Mike

Dan,

I use the DZ-1010. Attached is the full manual which includes the bench testing procedure. The only problem I ever experienced was replacing one of the DZ-1011 dwarf signals. I keep a complete spare DZ-1010 set plus an extra dwarf signal. I do this as a maintenance backup since the DZ-1010 sometimes gets out-of-stock for many years. Nowadays if I experience a major component failure, I just try to swap in a new major component. I no longer have the patience to actually rip into individual project boards even though I have all the test equipment to do so--(old-age syndrome.) I never tried to run the DZ-1012/1022/1020 crossing gates without the dwarf block signal detectors connected so I don't know how it would behave. My original DZ-1010 gates must be almost 20 years old now!

Mike

The diodes are required on the DZ-2500Cs green and yellow wires going to the isolated rails on-the- turnouts.

BECAUSE at short in rails near the DZ-2500C can cause damage to the machines circuit.

There may have been an update to the current machine. I don't know. You would need to ask them.

Thanks again, Alan.