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Walthers 130ft turntable help.

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  • Member since
    October 2008
  • 133 posts
Walthers 130ft turntable help.
Posted by cold steal on Sunday, February 16, 2020 8:37 AM

My cotrol box seems to have gone bad scrolling on it's own and reading ERROR1. I found their are replacement boxes available but they look totally different. Does anyone know if they are compatible. Called Walthers support but he told me he would call me back cause they were busy. That was 4 days ago.  

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: 4610 Metre's North of the Fortyninth on the left coast of Canada
  • 9,352 posts
Posted by BATMAN on Sunday, February 16, 2020 11:11 AM

I get error 1 when the contacts under the table are dirty which happens often. When I wipe them with alcohol the Q-tip is always black and I can't figure out why they get dirty so fast as I rarely have to ever clean my track. Also, be careful of the little fingers that contact the bridge, you might have to gently bend those up a bit. 

When cleaning the fingers, I place one Q-Tip under the finger and apply some upward pressure while wiping the top with another.

I would bet a cleaning will fix it right up. 

When you lift off the bridge make a note of its orientation so you don't have to reprogram it.Whistling 

Brent

"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."

  • Member since
    October 2008
  • 133 posts
Posted by cold steal on Monday, February 17, 2020 7:40 AM

Thanks. I will try that again.

  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Vancouver Island, BC
  • 23,330 posts
Posted by selector on Monday, February 17, 2020 11:08 AM

Once you get the contacts clean, which you must do very carefully and gently, coat them with a thin layer of kerosene.  Or mineral oil.  And then follow the instructions about vacuuming the pit often and keeping crud and dust out of it.

Secondly, open up the drive end on the bridge.  You might be quite dismayed at how much crud has accumulated inside the drive mechanism.  I was.

  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: US
  • 231 posts
Posted by EMDSD40 on Monday, February 17, 2020 7:16 PM

Clean contacts as suggested. I used a spring hook to gently "reform" the contacts. I used De-ox contact cleaner. I assume this is the 2850 model TT. If the control box is blown and the TT worked correctly otherwise, let me know as I may be able to help you out there. Don't expect much support from Walthers on this product.

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 569 posts
Posted by drgwcs on Tuesday, February 18, 2020 2:35 PM

EMDSD40

Clean contacts as suggested. I used a spring hook to gently "reform" the contacts. I used De-ox contact cleaner. I assume this is the 2850 model TT. If the control box is blown and the TT worked correctly otherwise, let me know as I may be able to help you out there. Don't expect much support from Walthers on this product.

 

Expect no help. If it is one of the earlier ones they were frought with issues. We wound up wiring a digitrax decoder and autoreverse in at the club- the new boxes are not compatible with the old ones. Ours was spinning endlessly though. Hopefully it is just the contacts.

  • Member since
    December 2012
  • 157 posts
Posted by Redvdub1 on Tuesday, February 18, 2020 4:23 PM

Sounds like you have the second generation (there are three) HO 130' TT.  If so..the control box is made by Hasbro.  But I second the recommendation from one of the respondents...install a decoder directly to the TT motor and run it off DCC..forget about indexing.  You will probably have to clean the drive gears underneath the bridge ...and you have to be fanatical about keeping the pit clean. 

We use a large plastic cover salvaged from a BJs bakery shop.  

  • Member since
    January 2020
  • 61 posts
Posted by wolf10851 on Monday, February 24, 2020 3:04 PM

TOTALLY off topic here but EMDSD40 I like your C4 and Cold Steel I like your c6 :)  I have a c5 myself :)

  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: US
  • 231 posts
Posted by EMDSD40 on Tuesday, February 25, 2020 8:12 PM

Thank You....the Corvette keeps the all black Deville company in the garage. Both are antique vehicles now. I wonder where 25 years has gone. I like to think of it as the white Corvette for weddings and the the black Cadillac for funerals. Sorry to say the Cadillac gets the call more than the Corvette. Have a good day!

  • Member since
    October 2008
  • 133 posts
Posted by cold steal on Saturday, February 29, 2020 8:33 AM

Thanks for the help. Gonna scrap this turntable and reward walthers by buying a new one. Couple more weeks and my hobby time will be focused on my Vettes.

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