[pace1970uk]

Hi

Having recently purchased my first Xenon powered slot cars, the SCX Aston Martin and Seat Cupra, I was looking forward to some fun night racing.

I gave the cars a few daytime laps and was very impressed with the brightness of these bulbs.

Anyhow, darkness arrived, but shock the front lights on the Seat had given up and the Aston only had one working. Race abandoned due to bad light!!

Is this a common problem? Could it be just a bad connection?

Thought it would be best to ask those in the know before taking my trusty screwdriver to them!!

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks and regards

Pace

 

[Graymalkin33]

Hi

Yeah same problems here = my Cupra lasted about 2 hours before the lights gace up.
I have a Pug 307 by SCX and they flash when i run the car so people have fits when car passes.
I have a Vectra by SCX that only has one working headlight.

On the plus side my Ferrari 360 does still have fully functioning lights.

I suggest taking a hammer to all SCX cars and putting them in several skips and shiping them all back to Spain for recycling!!!!!!!!!!!! BAH!

 

[FZSsemans®]

sometimes a hammer will do the job, in this case you might try the subtle approach. open the car and see the metal strips for the motor and the lights. see if there is contact with both. so if fixed a lancia delta once. on the other hand, it's a bit silly that almast every scx you buy is noisy, has no no light/or sometimes working lights and is an overall shame that i t ever left the plant..........but, I still buy them. RAWRAW RAAAAAW!!!

 

[Ian B]

This was brilliant with four lights

Looks really silly now, as only the two left side ones work?

Ian

 

[911]

Is it that the L.E.D.'s burn-out? If so could a resistor be put in the circuit and also should the electrics be wired not railed. I have two new SCX rallycars and before soldering them up I would also like to ask for advice. Sorry about the possible hi-jack. Thanks for any information.

 

[zipp]

Hi guys,

i have had the same problem with a pug 307

Do you all run on scaley tracks?
And does anyone know what voltage the SCX system runs at, because i am sure i read something about that somewhere?
Something about the 16v being too much for the scx's light board? Not 100% sure though.

 

[RichG]

These SCX xenon lights sound like a bit of a disaster.

Putting aside that they might be fragile? There are two possibilities.

1) Incorrect choice of series resistor, such that they are being overdriven, perhaps an attempt to get more brightness?

2) Lack of series protection diode to protect against reverse polarity.

Has anyone got a picture of the light board showing the components and how they are connected?

Rich

 

[FZSsemans®]

but
but
but

why is is so many times just the left or the right side. and sometimes they stop and then do it again after a pothole or bump in the track

 

[RichG]

If you are saying that sometimes they mend themselves after a bump, then of course it may be reason 3. A loose connection, however I assumed that people had checked for that.

 

[Vonk slotracing team kevin]

Hi guys,

It might be not the reason, but all the scx cars, at our club here in holland are racing on 14.8 volts and it goes very great without problems, maby your voltage is just to high
You can not easily repair this scx ligths, it is much easyer to buy a overdrive or a cartrixx or a slot-it light kit voor hornby cars

kevin vonk

 

[taxi]

QUOTE Has anyone got a picture of the light board showing the components and how they are connected?

Here you are Rich. This is/was the light board of my DBR9. Both lights failed after very little running, and then some very life-like smoke issued from the bonnet vents!!

cheers,

Rob

 

[FZSsemans®]

QUOTE (RichG @ 7 Aug 2006, 21:22) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>If you are saying that sometimes they mend themselves after a bump, then of course it may be reason 3. A loose connection, however I assumed that people had checked for that.

there is no solid connection, two flat pieces of copper making contact, or not. that's the strange idea of scx. at first I thought.......aha, lets glue them together but there is a reason for everything, so.....didnt do it

QUOTE (taxi @ 7 Aug 2006, 21:37) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Here you are Rich. This is/was the light board of my DBR9. Both lights failed after very little running, and then some very life-like smoke issued from the bonnet vents!!

at what voltage?

 

[Vonk slotracing team kevin]

14.8 everything is going wel on that voltage

 

[RichG]

Thanks Rob. More complicated than I expected. However a couple of observations & questions to be going on with.

So I can see the LED's at each end, then working in R2 & R3, assume to be in series with the LED's?

The gold things are a couple of diodes, probably in series again, so look like diodes to protect against reverse polarity are there.

Thats all you get on a Scaley board so now it get's interesting.

There seems to be another resistor, a capacitor and a burnt out bit in the middle. I wonder if they have a voltage regulator for the LED's?

Anyway need a better picture / does anyone know what the burnt out part in the middle is.

That said it looks like your problem may be a one off. Other people do not seem to be reporting both lights failing & smoke.

Rich

 

[zipp]

If it helps Rich, i will get the camera inside the pug, once i get home.

I would love to get to the bottom of this, as i love the scx cars, but have always been put off by this unresolved problem.

I believe (as Kevin Vonk) that the voltage is the issue.

Am i right in thinking that the scaley wall warts put out 16v max?
I will see if i can find out what the SCX system put out.

After a quick scout around, i found this on the SCX site..click Products, Accessories, and then the small down arrow near the throttle, until you get the ps.
It says that the wall wart is 14v.
Would 2v really be enough to make a difference?

 

[RichG]

Thanks Zipp. Yes more data needed if we are going to get to the bottom of this one. Another picture would be nice. Any more pictures / info from other peoples failed boards would also be good.

I have a feeling there may be more than one problem here. With the available data I would guess.

1) From some peoples descriptions it looks like SCX rely on a mechanical contact between the strips and the board, rather than solder. That said the picture looks like it is soldered?

2) Some evidence that perhaps SCX designed to run on a lower voltage. 14.8 Volts versus 16 Volts or whatever a Scaley Wallwart gives out?

However if they are fine on 14.8V & quickly fail on 16V that does not sound like much of a design tolerance to me. So I feel there is more to find out about this problem. Also SCX must know that these cars will be run on other tracks, so no excuse.

Rich

 

[PeteN]

It's not between the strips and the board, but between the strips on the body and the strips on the chassis, so that you can remove the body with out wires connecting the two. I have had this issue on a few of my SCX cars, but also some Scaley too. I have Scaley track running dual wal-warts (16v). The strange thing is, sometimes they come back on or flicker only at full throttle?

 

[monquispot]

newer, not shore how newer, SCX cars have the soldered connections. my wednesday group runs scx rallies w/out magnets at up to 16V and these newer cars have had no problems. those with the 'pressure' connections have all failed. that burnt out thingy shown in the picture is very common.

 

[zipp]

a pic of the front board:

and the rear, although there is not much to see, and probably not much help.

QUOTE The strange thing is, sometimes they come back on or flicker only at full throttle?Pete, that is exactly the same problem i have with the pug. The rear lights are fine. Nice and bright and constant. This is why i believe it is something on the front board.

It would be great to get to the bottom of this problem, as i think the SCX cars are awesome apart from this.
I wonder if there is an easy fix/upgrade, to be found? I sure hope so.
Looking back through the "Master Class" and the "Cars" forums, this SCX issue has been mentioned a few times, with no definitive conclusion.

 

[Graymalkin33]

Yeah i echo that - all my cars rear lights are un affected.
But on mine once they go they go there is no turning them back on.
I did have a Ferrari 550 that had smoke and a burnt out front set of lights but the rest just stopped working.
I run all mine on sclaextric track on a std power supply.