Hello all, UPS came today with a batch of 4 pairs of 022 switches for me. 7 of them work great, as far as the switching and non-derailing feature. I have to rewire 4 more controllers and there is one left hand 022 switch that is being stubborn. The switch lights up, but, when I test it, it chatters back and forth. Not sure how to fix this. I checked the frog legs on the switch, looks good. The metal straps underneath the metal cover are all soldered on tight. No issues there. How do you fix a chattering 022 switch?? I am guessing there is a short somewhere or something. Cannot figure this one out. Any help will do. Thanks.
This may help.
http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/t/164691.aspx
One of the outer terminals is shorted to ground. When that happens, and you ground the other terminal to operate the switch, the switch will chatter. You will probably have to disassemble the switch to find the short. You do have the insulating pins installed correctly?
Bruce Baker
Mmmm...frog legs.
Bob Nelson
I do not have the switch on the layout yet!! I have the fixed voltage plug wired straight to the transformer and a section of straight track with a lockon to the transformer. And I am using a single wire, to test the operation of the switch. What I am doing is wiring the one end of the wire to the center post and then the other end to the outside post, then the other post. This test to see if the switch works in both directions, which it is not working. Still getting that chatter. I have the insulating pins in the switches. There might be a short where the rails on the outer curve come together. There is a gap in the track, I see some sparking action in that gap. Is that the short? What do you mean the outer terminal is shorted to ground? I will check the wiring inside again. When I looked before, it looked like original wiring inside the switch itself. Another problem I have---I rewired 4 more controllers, all but 1 is having a problem. The one green bulb will not light up, I put in a fresh bulb, but still nothing. Any ideas?? Thanks.
Each of the outer two of the three terminals is connected to one of the control rails. The control rails are the short pieces of outside rails that are insulated from the rest of the outside rails and into which you put the insulating pins when connecting the turnout to the rest of the track. Any accidental connection between a control rail or one of the outer terminals will result in chattering. If you see sparks between the control rail and the main outside rail, that is likely where your problem is. Look for whatever is making a connection between those rails and try to break that connection.
(The parts of the turnout that move back and forth when it switches--or chatters--are the points. The frog is the v-shaped part where the outside rails cross over each other.)
I will check the control rails tomorrow morning. And I will inform you guys of my progress. Any ideas on the controller that only one bulb works, the other does not?? Thanks.
I decided to work on the switch and controller last night. Got them both working just great. Thanks for all the help.
One last thing, one of my 022 switches, a left hand switch. The non-derailing feature on the straight away does not work. When I take off the metal plate on the switch, it works fine. When I put it back on and screw it down, the non-derailing feature does not work on the straight away part. Any ideas?? Everything else with the switch works great. I read somewhere that they was supposed to be insulating paper between the switch and the metal plate, is this true? None of my switches have this paper. Thanks.
Look for a loose connection or anything else that might appear to be loose. As for the paper that should be under the metal plate, you can substitute a manilla folder, trace the pattern onto the manilla folder and cut it out, you may have to trim it down with an exacto knife but it is the best way other than buying a replacement part that is overpriced or being told that the part don't exist any more.
Lee F.
Everything looked good and tight. I will try the manilla folder advice and see if that solves the problem. Thanks.
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