ZW-C: how to minimize the risk of main circuit board failure?

A repairman posting on this board several years ago stated that a commonality of the modern ZW main board failures he had seen was all or most of them had four bricks attached.  Many folks have had four bricks attached without failures, but the higher wattage may be contributing to early failure.  I replaced a ZW main circuit board for a friend and he, too, was using four bricks.  I run two bricks on my modern ZW and it has been working fine for about 12 years now.  Electronics can fail at anytime for a multitude of reasons.

 

Earl

I have had no failures from either of my postwar ZW 275 Watt transformers.  One of them is from a long time ago and the other just recently acquired. Both are hooked up to a TIU and command base and run all the latest MTH DCS and Lionel TMCC.

.....

Dennis

I rrun my ZW with the 2 180w bricks that it came with and 2 135w bricks so I would not run the max through it. I did notice it gets a tad warmer with the fourth brick but no issues for the past couple of years. 

I know several people in my local club and in another club NW of Atlanta they all run the ZW-C with two 180 bricks and some run everyday and others not at much and have had no failures.

Never had a problem with mine.  I run it a lot with modern equipment.  I have only used it with the two 180 watt bricks and three of the throttles.

I'm considering purchasing a ZW-C, but I'm concerned about the sporadic reports of circuit board failures...and the lack of available replacement boards from Lionel.

 

E-Rock

 

Given all that why are you considering a new ZW? 

 

Do you need more power than an original ZW but like the look.

 

Does it physically fit your existing control panel?

 

Are you being offered one at a low price?

 

I share the concerns that you have mentioned.  Given them I would go with a Z-4000 or Post-War ZW plus modern circuit protection devices over the new ZW.   I would consider going with bricks for CC only operation or bricks and TPCs for command and conventional operation.

 

I'm taking a wait and see attitude toward the ZW-L.  In principal it is a very high quality transformer design.  If we see a good record of reliability after a few years on the market it will be a fine choice.

 

I knew somebody would sneak in a Z4000 on this ZW thread. The transformers have proven reliable for years. As for the bad board, it can happen to any of them. Just the luck of the draw I would say. Go for it and have fun.

I have been running this configuration (plus the add on volt/amp meters) for over a decade with no problems.

 

Bob

I run 4 postwar ZWs at train shows,

as long as I have a fan on them

(for cooling purposes)

They run trains all day long.

The only maintenance is replacing the rollers

and cords.

I really like the modern ZW.  I have been using mine for over 10 years with zero problems.  I do have 4 180 watt bricks attached but I seldom use all at the same time.  I use the outside handles for the two main lines and the center controls for two seperate yard areas.  I have helped six other users install modern ZW's and none have had any issues.

 

While I believe the Z4000 to be an excellent transformer, I personally do not like them mainly due to the fan noise and the circuit protection.  If you have a derailment with the Z4000, the breaker will continue to try reset until you fix the issue which means the voltage is constantly trying to go through the short.  I prefer the ZW bricks fast breaker that requires you to reset yourself.

 

If you are running both DCS and TMCC, I like the fact that if using the CAB 1 or 2, pressing the panic button will cut all power from the ZW and if using the MTH remote, pressing the panic button will cut all power to the tracks via the TIU.  This has come in handy on many occasions.

 

Good luck and happy railroading,

Don

One reason I chose my modern ZW was the ability to run command and convetional from the Cab1 or Cab2 remote. Being able to dial up the track power is a option I really like having.