Yet another newbie question...

I have a N scale LifeLike switcher that has a decoder in it and it works awesomely when it works, but to get it to work a lot of the time I gotta press down on it to get it to go, and then it runs and responds fine until I stop it again. Then I have to press down on it or tap it again to get it going again. What could the problem possibly be? I have checked the brass contacts and they are making good contact, the decoder is installed and working properly, so why this issue? It is a mystery...

 

If this is a drop in type decoder make sure the decoder is making contact with the tabs. Sometimes the decoder board is thinner than the original board.

 

Nope, its hard wired. I thought that may have been the case but I had forgotten that it was wired.

 

Could be a little crud on the pickups

 

Maybe. I will try and clean them off and see if it helps. What would you recommend as a cleaner?

 

Alcohol....is what I use to clean the wipers.

Also, check for broken wires.

 

Sounds like it may be slightly binding, enough to prevent the motor 'kicking over' from start and once going it's fine. Might pay to fractionally loosen off the frame screws and check the pick ups whilst at it.
Also, which decoder? You may be able to increase the pulse strength to help the motor start up. These have smaller than normal motors in them.

 

I have no idea what decoder it is. I bought it used from a guy on N Scale Yard Sale and it was supposed to be DC. The decoder was a hidden bonus lol. We were both surprised and I think he was a little angry. Oh well. I will loosen it up a touch and see if that helps. I will also lubricate it since I'm sure it hasn't had any in quite some time. After I bought it and tested it, I sent it off to a friend for custom paint. He painted it after BN 161 which is interesting because it has some neat nose stripes that appear on other roads, but not BN.

http://www.trainpix.com/BN/EMDORIG/SW9/161.HTM

This is the original that mine is painted after. :tb-biggrin:

 

Did it run well before you had it painted?
Maybe your painter got some paint on the pickup strips.

 

I don't remember. I think it was still a little hesitant, but I have cleaned them off and it runs only a little better. Still haven't loosened the frame or anything. I will do that tonight after class.

 

The power pick-ups on that loco are notoriously "un-good". The contact between the truck and the metal strip is iffy, unless there is a newer version than what I have. There are suggestions to replace the tiny brass strips with a homemade version that's a bit bigger, glued to the shell, if I recall correctly.

 

Here are two sites that show how to replace the contacts on Life-Like switchers. I imagine the contacts can still get dirty, however.

SW8 Contacts
Peter's Model Railroading (scroll to bottom)

- Jeff

 

Further thoughts:

Has anyone ever tried hard wiring the truck contacts to the shell contacts with super-flexible wire (sometimes called "noodle" wire -- as in "flexible as a wet noodle")? It might be tricky to remove and replace the shell with the contacts wired together, but it would provide a superior connection.

The wire I'm referring is specially designed with extremely fine stranding for repeated flexing and is resistant to metal fatigue. It is available in very small sizes, down to #36 at least. Perhaps one could incorporate a micro connector to make shell removal easier.

- Jeff