Blowing Point Motors on Peco Electrofrog

[Mike (London)]

This post concerns an English DCC system so I am not sure if you guys can help. I am using a ZTC 511 system.

I have tried in vain to install their ZTC 302 point motors. Each time I complete the wiring to run an Athearn (GP39)  train the point motor blows. 

I have been using up to date Peco Electrofrog. The point has been wired correctly.

1 The V is isolated

2 The main stock track is joined to the inside rails by solder

3 Using the 302 the exchange wire is soledeed correctly

4 Plastic joiners are used on the V

5 Below is the link to the 302 (OO)

http://www.ztccontrols.co.uk/site/files/12...II%20manual.pdf

On the test the point is powered at the toe end. The six wheeler makes it to the middle of the point and stalls-short circuit. There is power all the way and the V has the plastic peco joiners. Somewhere there is a short. Could anybody give some advice. I am running the layout outside so this type of motor is ideal-if it works!

thanks

[locoi1sa]

  Mike.

 Disconnect the wire to the frog and see if it still shorts. Other than that you may have a reverse loop somewhere.

  Wish I could be of more help.

     Pete

[Hamltnblue]

For starters I'd check to make sure that your frog doesn't have the reverse polarity of the point.  If it does that would be your short.  You say you have both rails feeding the frog isolated which is good.  Somehow it seems as though the "Frog Juicer" portion of your setup might be backwards.

[Mike (London)]

thanks for posting the reply..your point make sence however the point is wired correctly (according to the manufacture and the guy who sells them) it seems that the wheels are shorting it out-which means that it is jumping over the connections.....I am trying to get in touch with the sparks of the company to see if they can come up with anything. The trouble is that this point is good and as it is in a garden (sorry yard) layout it would be easy to operate if it did not blow!

[hon30critter]

Mike

I'm not sure if you have seen this site before but it addresses the issue of wheels shorting on the Peco Electrofrog turnouts and how to wire them to prevent shorts. It involves adding a method of controlling the power polarity to the frog. There are several solutions for that.

These alterations are designed to prevent the DCC booster from detecting a short and shutting the system down. I'm not sure if they will pertain to blowing switch motors.

http://www.wiringfordcc.com/switches.htm

Hope this is of some help.

Dave