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Post by raymbo on Jan 11, 2014 16:23:59 GMT -5
To anyone at all who might be able to help us.
We have an MDM F7 that was running flawlessly, until today.
From time to time when coming up the hill, the circuit breaker would shut down the locomotive, but it would reset and we could go on. Today it shut down and I thought it was the circuit breaker but it did not reset. The locomotive is dead.
I have checked all the fuses I know about and none appear to be blown. I have taken the cover off of the 4QD to check for any fuses but I found nothing that seemed to be wrong. I am ignorant of all the electronics in the box so I am not fooling with it.
Is there anyone out there who might have experienced something like this with the 4QD controller? Did I fry it? If so where would we find this part.
Since Jim Murray passed away I am not sure who to ask or where to go for help. I do not know anyone else using the 4QD so I may be really stuck on this one.
IF anyone can tell me where to go or who to ask it is greatly appreciated.
R Grosser
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Post by raymbo on Jan 14, 2014 15:16:38 GMT -5
Well I found out what the problem is and was. I have been inadvertently overloading our engine with too much train for our 2.5% grade. We usually got a run at the hill and then we were able to cut back as we came into the curve, but I have found that when the train was loaded with some adults from time to time the thermal protector on the 4QD-200 amp would cut out, then it would reset. This did not happen often but apparently often enough. 4QD has indicated that if this happens it can in the end cause one or more of the mosfet or capacitor packed in. I finally managed to make contact with a company in PA that will sell these 4QD units one at a time and that they make an upgraded 4QD 300 amp unit that is the same dimensions as the older 200 amp unit so I should be able to switch them out rather easily. I plan to get the old one repaired if I can find someone who knows how to do that, who knows maybe someday we can use it in another unit which would really solve the problem. Of course then with more power we will be tempted to get more cars--RIGHT? ;D We should be back up and running in a couple of weeks and the engineer is going to be much more careful in the future.
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