Having a problem with the Walthers Turntable and now on our club layout, the Transfer Table. These are the last versions made (not the new DCC one) by Heljan, and not the current DCC or original Cornerstone "kits".
We have gone through the entire instructions more than once...deleting any factory porogrammed "stops" to create our own where the tracks are located.
Everytime we program each and every stop individually and save it in the memory , when we begin to operate and ask it to search for, or rotate to, the correct track location we have, it refuses and continually aligns itself anywhere in the pit not at the programmed stops.....it is like it was never set up in the first place.
Any cure or problem solution, short of taking a hammer to it and making it a deep pit Ore Mine???????
These days with everything China made and this "Limited Run" crap, repair or defect adjustment is virtually impossible
Thank you
Doug
Doug,
No experience with them, but do have some with other TT indexing. Usually, there's a set start index point. This may either be fixed or user programmable and it's usually suggested to be the primary lead. Then the other tracks reference back to it. Is that part of what you may be deleting, thus confusing things?
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Mike:
No it is not being confused by the "0" point...................that is located, then the other tracks are "set" from there...
.for some reason, it is either not saving or remembering where those tracks are, as the first time you select the track number (on the Transfer table control box) it goes where it wants to some place inbetween them..........delete the previously "set" stop, relocate it, set again, and in the rounds of operation it will do the same thing when the track numbers are picked.
Turntable is just as bad...align it to the tracks, turn it 180 degrees and it will line up and stop across the pit where there are no tracks.
Another person I know bought the "new" recent DCC turntable...and the same thing is happening that it goes wild and not get the correct tracks.
WHat are you powering them with? A good power supply is important, one that is not filtered enough or regulated well enough can cause the electronics to lose their minds. Also no 120VAC lines running near.
ALso, with either one, it is absolutely critical that there not be any debris in the pits. Both the turntable and transfer table work by calculating how many times the motor has to turn from a known point (the home position) to each set point. Getting stuck even for a few rotations because of a piece of ballast on the gear track means it will stop somewhere other than the intended position.
It is also very important to keep the rails and wipers clean. The electronics is all in the bridge, and there are multiple contacts to pass both the bridge track power and the power and sognals to the electronics from the control box. Dirty conenctions here are even worse than sound locos on dirty track.
It seems like en economical design, cosnidering how much other indexed turntables cost relative to these, but there are many tradeoffs and I think too many compromises to keep the cost down. Any turntable I have will be near the ednge, so automatic indexing isn't needed, just a slow speed reversible motor and a toggle switch. We have one like that on our club layout, simple motor with reduction gears and a rubber wheel running against a alrge wheel attached to the underside of the bridge pivot. It's powered by an old DC walkaround throttle set to slow speed. It's right at the edge of the layotu so it's easy to eyeball the track alignment, just liek the real thing. That one always works. The Walthers transfer table in the diesel shop area on the other hand...
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I rarely like to say anything negative about anything or anyone in the hobby, but when it comes to Walthers' 90 foot DCC turntable..............well there is good news and bad news..............
Last winter I purchased three of these from a well know dealer here in Maryland for my rather large new construction on the Piermont Division. The good news is that Walthers fixed two of them for me. The third was marginal and we got it to work. Work???? I'm an electrical 4F, but I had several DCC and electrical wizards here, and all were stumped. I believe thay had the nice friendly folks at Digitrax write the instruction manual for them.
The bad news as one might guess is the completely stupid design of these things. Their prior non-DCC turntables...both 130 and 90 foot worrk to perfection.I have two of them. I tried to find older turntables by Walthers, but to no avail, so I forked out the big bucks for these thinking...well they'll do the job even though I'm paying for functions I do not need or would ever want. Why would it be necessary to operate a turntable from a hand held DCC throttle, when you are most likely going to be standing in front of the engine yard? The basic law of design was totally neglected here....."Keep it simple"!
Then the programming!!!!! If you are not a drinking person, it would be a fine time to start before you attemp this chore!
Again, Walthers did correct the two bad turntables. The pits were OK, but the electronics in the bridges were bad.....but the real issue was the poor design and manual.
I did find the folks at Wathers to be quite accomodating, and professional, and now that all three are working, I'm quite satisfied.
If any of you folks are in the area, Please call and come over to see newly expanded pike. I'm easy to reach.
HZ