Z4000 overload red light.

Well, the handles both have top be at zero on power on.

This is the same thing that happens when a good z4000 is powered on with one of the handles not in the zero voltage position. Could be a bad pot in the transformer. If so, that is an inexpensive fix.

Curious, did the serial number match on the returned z4000?

Thanks for quick replies, I don’t know what the guy did and to make it worse he hasn’t returned the power supply so I’m a bit stuck at the moment until I find a way of powering it up. If it was a case of it being powered up with handles in wrong position is that a permanent fault or can it be repaired?

Just email him back and tell him to be certain both handles are in the down position BEFORE he flips the power switch. Because of the way the foam in the box is designed, both handles will be in an up position when he pulls the Z4K out of the box.

Chris

LVHR

Hi, I have the unit back now as he put in a dispute with PayPal who for some reason decided if he sent it back they would issue a full refund despite me being adamant he damaged it. So if I have the handles in the down position do you think it might actually be fine? As I said I don’t have a power supply available yet.

@MTH Scotland posted:

Hi, I have the unit back now as he put in a dispute with PayPal who for some reason decided if he sent it back they would issue a full refund despite me being adamant he damaged it. So if I have the handles in the down position do you think it might actually be fine? As I said I don’t have a power supply available yet.

Yes, if the unit is fully functional it will work perfectly with the handles down. The overload light turning on with the handles at any position other than zero is a safety feature to prevent your trains from taking off suddenly when you turn on the Z4000.

If you turn a Z4000 on with the handles up, the overload light will turn on. Once you return the handles to the zero voltage position, the light will go out and the transformer will work normally.

Wow, fingers crossed for that. Once I find a power supply I will test it and give an update. Thanks for the speedy replies.

@MTH Scotland posted:

Wow, fingers crossed for that. Once I find a power supply I will test it and give an update. Thanks for the speedy replies.

I am a bit confused, Why do you need to find a power supply? Unlike the Z-Contorllers that require an external power source, the Z4000 has a power supply built in.

Well I’m in the UK and power output here is 240v and I’m assuming the unit needs to go into a 115v supply (US) unless I’ve got it wrong.

@MTH Scotland posted:

Well I’m in the UK and power output here is 240v and I’m assuming the unit needs to go into a 115v supply (US) unless I’ve got it wrong.

Okay that makes sense. Yes it does require a 120v power source running at 60Hz.

I’ll keep you updated.

Just discovered my shaver socket has 115v output so plugged it into that. Powers up, red light goes out and RH display at 0.0 and goes up to 23 as I move lever and returns to 0.0. LH display goes to random voltages right up to 23 without lever being touched so I guess there’s some internal damage on that side. Is that a repairable item somewhere inside?

Most likely culprit is the LH potentiometer will need to be replace. They aren't expensive but it's a bit of job to get a new one installed.

Well that’s not too bad then (hopefully). So is it a special potentiometer that’s only available from MTH and no doubt only in the US. Are there any instructions etc available anywhere to show how it is done and how you get access into the unit.

Not particularly special- It is a 10K Ohm linear potentiometer with a 1/4inch shaft.
General instructions, another picture.

That’s great, thanks very much.

@MTH Scotland posted:

Over 2 months later the buyer contacted me to say it got damaged in transit and doesn’t work (now who really waits that long to test something).

Wow, to get notified 2 months later is a real kick in the pants. I sold a $400 scanner and immediately after the sale received several questions from the buyer on how it works, hope it works, had a similar unit that doesn't work that he is replacing...red flags to me. As a result, before I packed it, I photographed all the serial numbers and did a demo video of it working. When I sent the tracking number to the buyer, I sent him a link to the video on how to use the scanner. I also bought the extra insurance for shipping just in case. Everything worked out fine, but I took extra precautions to protect against a fraudulent buyer.

Not my nature to think this way, but anyone who has sold on eBay has experienced "it arrived broken" notice from a buyer who sometime is fishing for a refund. Best one I had was a guy who after he bought it suggested I pack it carefully as lots of stuff arriving damaged handled by the post office. Sure enough, once he got it, he sent me a note looking for a credit as it was damaged in shipping. Since then I tell people I'd be happy to take it back and more often than not, they want to keep the item. Of course, if it really is damaged I certainly work to make the buyer happy.

The guy is just a chancer, he got the Z4000, TIU, 2 x remotes, power supplies and numerous other items. He returned the Z4000 after PayPal agreed if he returned the goods they would refund which I totally disagreed with. He didn’t return the power supply or any of the other items but they gave him 100% refund. To add insult to injury he has now started listing the stuff on eBay. I have raised disputes with both of them but I’m just hitting my head against a brick wall, they don’t understand the concept of “you don’t get a full refund until you return everything “ I feel sorry for the buyers who purchase the items because who knows if he’s damaged them as well.