[steveaca]

My Scaley Sport transformer, plugged into a standard Scaley Sport analogue powerbase, has suddenly started acting up. You'd be driving a car, not even racing, and the car which was working fine would suddenly come to a stop. The light on the power base would go dim and then go out and then the transformer would start to make a soft but clearly audible 'clicking' sound. If the transformer is unplugged for a few minutes , things would be fine for a short while after plugging back in but then the cycle would start all over. I have a backup transformer but it too is doing the same thing.
What could the problem be ?
Is it a transformer problem ? If so, what could have triggered it ?
Could it be the power base ?
(I was driving a box stock Scaley Ferrari F430 when problem first occured. I subsequently tried two Slot.It cars, both standard but one fitted with a Scalextric F1 digital chip and an SCX 4WD Citroen C4 rally car, also fitted with a Scaley F1 chip).
Would love to have some opinions on this.
Steve

 

[alan1302]

Sounds more like a problem with the powerbase or track if it affects both your transformers as well as any cars that you use.

Is there anything that might be touching the track and causing a short circuit anywhere?

 

[beneke]

Hi ,

The clicking sound is a cut out switch that operates to protect the internal circuitry when the transformer is overloaded due to a short circuit somewhere.In my experience these transformers are very reliable and the fault is more than likely towards the track

Try this:Operate each throttle fully( one at a time) without a car on the rails and listen for the clicking.If the transformer cuts out the fault points to a short on the track.

Regards
Bryan in SA

 

[Ade]

hi
have to agree that there must be a short somewhere in the track. Could be a piece of braid wire,easy way is to run the vacum brush over the track.

 

[steveaca]

Thanks for all the input folks. I cleaned and vacuumed the track but to no avail. I found out, quite by accident, that when I disconnected the #2 hand controller, the problem disappeared. As soon as I plugged it back in, problem re-appeared. Tried the the same with the #1 controller but this did not make a difference. The problem therefore, has something to do with the hand controller itself. Not sure if these (standard Scalextric) can be serviced. Luckily I have a spare pair of hand controllers. Will try them out tomorrow.
Steve