[fladda]

Apologies in advance, if dead power bases are already being discussed elsewhere on this forum.

I've just got back from a week's holiday on a remote Scottish island in the Hebrides, and we had two sets of the new digital Scalextrics to play with So we had a spare power base, plus 4 cars etc.

A good time was had by all, until...

We blew the first power base up after about 4 hours running.

Our second (spare) power base lasted a few days, before it too went faulty :-(

Then we spent two days lamenting the loss of our dear departed Scalextrics.

Power bases appeared to 'die' during some sort of transient overload condition,. Perhaps where the power base's micro-processor was not quick enough to detect a short circuit ??

In the 'dead' mode the screen of the power base can be seen to illuminate briefly for a few micorseconds, when a power converter is initially plugged in. Then screen goes totally blank and there is no voltage on the output rails. Seems that the power bases are presenting a short circuit to the switched mode power supplies, and these power supplies are (correctly) shutting down. Looks like a blown up chip in both faulty power bases to me.

We had two 12VDC supplies plugged in to the power bases when they blew.

Mate who'd brought the Scalextric sets took them both back today for a full refund.

Looks like Hornby have got a serious problem with this revision of the power bases.

Ralph

 

[astro]

did you have a standard power base in the track at the same time? (even if it wasnt plugged in?)

 

[martinkay]

QUOTE (fladda @ 3 Jan 2005, 22:10)In the 'dead' mode the screen of the power base can be seen to illuminate briefly for a few micorseconds, when a power converter is initially plugged in. Then screen goes totally blank and there is no voltage on the output rails. Seems that the power bases are presenting a short circuit to the switched mode power supplies, and these power supplies are (correctly) shutting down. Looks like a blown up chip in both faulty power bases to me.

That's exactly what happened to our first one, Hornby sent a replacement which thus far is working fine.
Cheers
Martin

 

[Wankel Ickx]

QUOTE Mate who'd brought the Scalextric sets took them both back today for a full refund.

That's the bit the retailers don't want. Two sets given some running, now gone poof and back for a refund.

Can't blame the punters, can't help but feel sorry for the retailer. Reminds me of when I worked at Dixons as a Saturday boy, we sold stuff, expensive camera gear, to folks we knew where only having it for the weekend to go to some wedding or other. You could tell, sure enough, back it would come next week with some lame excuse and back into stock it would go.

Moral of story - don't ever accept a box that looks like it's been resealed.

 

[astro]

wankel - there are a lot of retailers on the forum, and the only comments they have made so far is that customers have been very happy and returns have been a small proportion.

There's no point complaining about a product on behalf of someone else's imagined problem!

 

[Wankel Ickx]

Um? I'm not complaining.

Er, um? I'm not imagining problems - these guys took there toys back because they clearly were not of satisfactory quality or durability.

 

[Ghost]

The Scalextric Power base is basically a 1A diod made rectifier.
Which mean that you put all that current a magnatraction car use through a far to small component...
You can replace them with more serious diods, like 3A.

/Erik

 

[astro]

QUOTE (Wankel Ickx @ 4 Jan 2005, 13:36)Er, um? I'm not imagining problems - these guys took there toys back because they clearly were not of satisfactory quality or durability.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You were imagining unhappy retailers. If they make a lot of money and satisfied customers compared to the work they have to do to help customers with problems, they are happy retailers.

 

[Wankel Ickx]

Lord knows I hate to be argumentative but...

QUOTE That's the bit the retailers don't want.

They don't do they? I mean, their profit lies in the stuff staying sold. Taking back the goods that you put some effort into selling in the first place - having maybe taken some time to sell someone up to the extra features and ticket price of a digital set - and then having something that in law is now secondhand and can't be sold as brand new even once the thing is fixed (and how long will that take?) equates to wasted time.

I guess I am imagining that retailers don't want to do refunds.

Ten years I ran my own retail outlet. When I took back a defective camera, with maybe missing instructions or with a damaged box, I knew that any sniff of profit on that one was long gone. I'd have to wait for it to come back from the importers having been fixed up and then sell it secondhand at maybe cost price plus VAT to get shot.

Christmas - more sales for retailers, more returns afterwards. I feel sorry for any of them trying to flog a complicated product.

 

[astro]

i hate to be argumentative too, but...

if they don't like returns at all, maybe they shouldn't be in retail. Part of the justification for 100% price markup from trade to retail is dealing with returns (yes - stock and overheads too). Saying they don't like returns is like saying they don't like telephone bills, or rent, or getting up in the morning!

If SSD involves a lot more percentage returns than other products, then it is troublesome. If it is just selling a lot more, and so there are more returns, but the percentage rate is the same as other products, then they will be happy, or at least AS happy with SSD as other products.

If it is so troublesome, they can always discontinue selling that line, and concentrate on products that are more worthwhile. However, only one retailer has posted on this issue and they said that they were happy with the level of problems, it being quite small.

 

[Wankel Ickx]

I think I hate being argumentative more than you but...

QUOTE Part of the justification for 100% price markup from trade to retail is dealing with returns (yes - stock and overheads too).

Let me disabuse you of this notion - I will eat my Parma throttle if Scaley are giving markups anywhere near approaching that on any digital product, or indeed, anything in their catalogue.

Better yet, I'll go back into retail because that is excellent margin and well worth riding any flack of returns.

I do not believe they get markups like that at all. More like 30-40% markup, if they are lucky would be my guess.

[Edited]

 

[Wankel Ickx]

Darainbow, where did you pick up the 90 days rule? I don't think that would hold up in a UK court and certainly doesn't suggest the maker is overly confident.

[Edit]
Where'd your post go, darainbow?

 

[darainbow]

I called and spoke with scalextric USA. I used the number given to me by the moderator at SCI. This is the number printed on the warranty card of the sets.

The gentleman I spoke with said its a 90day warranty and its coordinated through the retailer. This may be differnt in UK.

(I think my post was deleted. . . )

 

[astro]

manufacturer warrantees and guarantees are in addition to statutory rights. So you do still have consumer protections etc long after 90 days with SSD. Don't know what consumer protection is like in the USA

 

[darainbow]

In hte USA, 90days is 90days. Pursuing a refund after that period would cost more in time/effort than it is worth. It might be possible, but it would involve lawyers or court.

 

[Wankel Ickx]

Darainbow, I think your post bit the dust too and since I'm a mod I'm assuming I did it - though I don't know how

Apologies.

US rules and regs would certainly be different. Still sounds like a waste of ink.

100% Markup, sheesh!

 

[Ghost]

And what does all these legal hububians get the one asking the original question?

 

[Wankel Ickx]

Um, I don't think there was a genuine question in the first post. There's a rhetorical one in there, mind.

 

[Ghost]

It was, or wasn't.
But there was practical help, and there were theoretical "help"...
And the practical part got drowned in legalities, legalities that is different for each country.

The point is, after have burnt out two bases, perhaps it's time to not try to get new ones, but to get the existing ones to work, right?
And then the (drowned) practical help comes in handy...

/Erik

 

[Wankel Ickx]

QUOTE The point is, after have burnt out two bases, perhaps it's time to not try to get new ones, but to get the existing ones to work, right?

Yep, but whose job do you think that is, Ghost? Personally, I think it incumbant upon the manufacturers to get their products to market in a servicable condition, having fully tested them in real world conditions.