Turntable?

[Don Gibson]

DALLAS:

MRC packs are UNREGULATED.  Your metered readings without load are erronious. When under load, the voltage will drop to it's nominal rating.

ALL UNregulated power supplies raise their voltage when not under load. My BEST MRC dropped to 3V. when under a 5 AMP LOAD*. Most today, won't even do that.

* Incandescent interior lighting.

[decoderboy]

i purchased the N scale turntable, round house, extra stalls and machine shop from a very reputable on line dealer. when i opened the box i found that the bridge track had a 1/8 in. crown. the dealer offered to replace it. after a call to Walthers they suggested it would be better to return it to them for replacement as they had never seen this problem before. i boxed the bridge up, sent it back insured by courier thinking i would be back building in a couple of weeks. well, seven weeks have passed and i'm still waiting. when i phoned Walthers they said "we are really busy". it's not like i used this thing for 6 months and it broke, it was defective right out of the box. $450 worth of walthers stuff to make an engine terminal and $45 to return a defective part and im still waiting. mike

[Dallas Model Works]

<snip> I used an old MRC power pack that had a listed voltage of 18V which was in line with the recommendation. I fried the motherboard on the TT but fortunately, got excellent customer service from Walthers. They explained to me that often the listed voltage on the power pack often is not what it actually puts out. I got a voltage meter and found this powerpack was actually putting out 22V which is over the recommended limit. I replaced it with one from Miniatronics and have had no problem since. <snip> 

I found that out the hard way myself, fortunately only with small lights and not a turntable. I was astouned when I put a volt meter on my power packs. At first I thought it was the meter that wasn't working right!

There ought to be a law against instant inaccurate voltage listings, even for such non-lethal amounts!!!!

(And thanks again, Paul. )

 

[jecorbett]

I have one and am very happy with it but would offer several words of caution. First of all read the installation instructions carefully and follow them to the letter. Without going into detail, I was a little lax in that regard and had some problems that could have been avoided. Second, it is not so much the pit that needs to be clean as it is the pit rail. The turntable moves cog system and the tiniest bit of ballast or other foreign material that gets between the cog teeth of the pit rail will stop the TT from turning. That area needs to be kept immaculate. The biggest thing is check the voltage of your power supply. I used an old MRC power pack that had a listed voltage of 18V which was in line with the recommendation. I fried the motherboard on the TT but fortunately, got excellent customer service from Walthers. They explained to me that often the listed voltage on the power pack often is not what it actually puts out. I got a voltage meter and found this powerpack was actually putting out 22V which is over the recommended limit. I replaced it with one from Miniatronics and have had no problem since. I should also point out that Walthers replaced this board at no cost to me. I can't emphasize enough that you make sure the power supply you are using is within the recommended limits for the TT. 

[PMeyer]

Just got an e-mail from UPS saying my turntable has been delivered! Sweet.

Maybe I'll sneak out early...

[rogertra]

I have the 90 footer.  Excellent table.  Easy to install and once I'd figured out the programming, it indexes accurately everytime.

Here it is with extra weathering: -

[gear-jammer]

It was a good investment.  No  problems.  After the original indexing, ours has not needed any adjustment.

Sue

[PMeyer]

All right. I've ordered one. Thank you.

Paul

[wm3798]

I have the N scale version, but I've used the HO one at my club...  Way cool.  Simple to wire and enjoyable to run.

Lee 

[loathar]

The only thing I've heard is you have to keep the pit floor VERY clean.

That's a killer price Dallas has on those.

[selector]

If you get one without any errors in construction or electrical faults (I haven't read of anyone who has encountered this), and you get it installed so that trains can use it with no problems, I believe you will find it a very nice and functional item on your layout.  I have the smaller 90' version and like it very much.  It is quite reliable, accurate in its indexing over repeated alignments, and looks very good when weathered up and scenicked around it.

[ARTHILL]

I have one, but it is not opperating yet. I ran a few on other layouts and they seem to be fool proof. I hope to prove all that in a few weeks. They sure look great with the roundhouse and power house. There seem to be a lot of us on the forum putting them in.

[PMeyer]

I'm thinking about getting the HO Walthers 130 foot turntable.

http://www.dallasmodelworks.com/products/product_detail_accessories.asp?ItemNumber=WA-933-2829

But before I lay out this kind of money I want some opions from those who have one. Does it run well? Is there anything special I should know? Thanks in advance.

Paul