This may seem trivial to you all, but I have to share it.
As I have stated before on this forum, I moved homes last fall, so that meant disassembling my layout and reassembling it in my new digs. Alas, I have finally gotten to the point of getting it operational again, but not without some glitches; most notably with indicator lights. I run on DC, with toggle switches at each block, (ten in all), that select either of the two throttles. The toggles are the on-off-on, double pole-double throw type with solder tabs. The other pole on these switches is connected to LED indicator lights that light up when that respective throttle is operational.
With just a few "corrections" the track power all was up and running after it was all reconnected. It was the light power to my No. 2 block that baffled me; it was not operational at all. I tried everything to test it out to try to find the problem, including resoldering all the connections and replacing the 150 ohm resistor. To add to the peril while using a wire with aligator clips to go directly from the terminal to the light, I unwittingly connected the power, without a resistor, to the 'A' position LED and, naturally, I fried it, so I had to replace it too. To avoid this happening again, I soldered a resistor into the aligator clip testing wire.
So, in using this test wire method, I accidentally touched one of the other terminals. Voila! Lights! Each terminal has two screws: the top one to connect the jumper wire within the terminal strip, the bottom one to use for connecting to the LED. I tried yet another terminal position, then another and yet another and they all worked. The question was: what is the matter with the No. 2 terminal position? Well, I looked closer at it and the top jumper connection screw looked a little loose..
It required about a half of a turn to tighten it!
Lights at No. 2 block! Miracle!
Have you ever done such a dumb thing? This has to be at the top of the list for "duh!" Your thoughts.
E-L man tom Have you ever done such a dumb thing? This has to be at the top of the list for "duh!" Your thoughts.
I've done it often enough that my "official" approach is to check the tightness of all the screws when I'm done on a wiring project. I occasionally find one that I "forgot" when I did the work.
Also at the end, I try to step back and look over the work, just to see if anything looks funny.
Something I did not catch awhile ago: I was installing 3 sets of 4 diodes in a pc board. And I put one set in backwards. Uh, oops. I eventually tracked that down after things just weren't working right.
Ed
And now you know why I do that sort of thing with my multimeter set to minimum resistance and used as a continuity meter.
Been there, done that, have the T-shirt.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with lots of threaded termini)
Fear an Ignorant Man more than a Lion- Turkish proverb
Modeling an ficticious HO scale intergrated Scrap Yard & Steel Mill Melt Shop.
Southland Industrial Railway or S.I.R for short. Enterchanging with Norfolk Southern.
dragonriversteelHave you ever done such a dumb thing? This has to be at the top of the list for "duh!" Your thoughts. Yeah,getting married . Hehe.
How about a ''Duh'' and a ''Duh, Duh".......getting married twice....LOL
Take Care!
Frank
zstripe dragonriversteel Have you ever done such a dumb thing? This has to be at the top of the list for "duh!" Your thoughts. Yeah,getting married . Hehe. How about a ''Duh'' and a ''Duh, Duh".......getting married twice....LOL Take Care! Frank
dragonriversteel Have you ever done such a dumb thing? This has to be at the top of the list for "duh!" Your thoughts. Yeah,getting married . Hehe.
BT, DT
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
rrinker zstripe dragonriversteel Have you ever done such a dumb thing? This has to be at the top of the list for "duh!" Your thoughts. Yeah,getting married . Hehe. How about a ''Duh'' and a ''Duh, Duh".......getting married twice....LOL Take Care! Frank BT, DT --Randy
Gee, I've only been married once - for fifty-six years and counting.
And because the wonderful lady I married was present and knew what to do I didn't stop counting six weeks ago.
I don't know what I did right back in 1960, but I'm sure glad I did it.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Well, I stuck it out for 21 Years with my ex. I harbor no hard feelings towards her. I will re-marry in April of next year!