Ripley's TnA (Talk n Action) Repair Thread

Can a TnA engine with a broken speaker be fixed too?

(03-28-2017, 01:56 AM)Trainboy90 Productions Wrote: Can a TnA engine with a broken speaker be fixed too?

Yeah. I have had a few this way. Some times it is the speaker or it could be a connection or component on the circuit board.

I had Gordon completely fixed and re-wired. I put the shell back on then realized that the activation mechinisim was getting stuck. After taking the shell back off I found the axle gear was off a bit causing a bind to occur. I fixed that then the speaker fell off. The speakers they use in these are so cheaply made and fragile when soldered on. I took the speaker off of the Gordon that I recently got (mentioned in the initial post), and low and behold the same thing happened with that one. Grrrrr..

So anyway, I did find the speaker that the use on Amazon and snagged the last lot of 16, so they should be here next week.

The member also sent 3 TnA Thomas engines so I will start on those while waiting on the speakers.

Wow, you have your hands full.

(03-30-2017, 12:33 AM)ripley802 Wrote: I had Gordon completely fixed and re-wired. I put the shell back on then realized that the activation mechinisim was getting stuck. After taking the shell back off I found the axle gear was off a bit causing a bind to occur. I fixed that then the speaker fell off. The speakers they use in these are so cheaply made and fragile when soldered on. I took the speaker off of the Gordon that I recently got (mentioned in the initial post), and low and behold the same thing happened with that one. Grrrrr..

So anyway, I did find the speaker that the use on Amazon and snagged the last lot of 16, so they should be here next week.

The member also sent 3 TnA Thomas engines so I will start on those while waiting on the speakers.

Giggle...I'm sorry Ripley, but remember when I warned you long ago that they were the most fragile, high maintenance, finicky, pains in the butt to mess with? Lol
Honestly though, I am really proud of you and your dedication to them, and the skill that you have cultivated in mastering them!! Good job!

(03-30-2017, 04:25 AM)Muddy Poppins Wrote: Giggle...I'm sorry Ripley, but remember when I warned you long ago that they were the most fragile, high maintenance, finicky, pains in the butt to mess with? Lol
Honestly though, I am really proud of you and your dedication to them, and the skill that you have cultivated in mastering them!! Good job!

Yep, you sure did... And yes they sure are..

I really enjoy the challenge and am thrilled when I can get them back on the rails.. in the case of both Henry and Gordon it looks like the fuse was likely the cause in why they went belly up in the first place, but in troubleshooting the owner had attempted to repair things on the circuit board. Also some thing interesting they replaced the motor successfully with a power dash motor, so Gordon seems very fast.

Hoping to make a video once the repairs are complete.

I ended up needing to remove the Power/light dash motor for two reasons. One it was draining the batteries sooo fast. I only managed to get a few loops around the track and it was about dead. Second, it was very loud and you could barely hear the chuffing or sounds when he went over the activation tabs. He is all back together and working now.

If Tramp or someone else with wiring/component knowledge out there is reading. What is the purpose for a resistor being on each side of the motor terminals and a transistor in between? Could this be causing a slow down? Gordon seems to be a bit slow now, but when going over the activation track and he speeds up it seems fine so I know the motor is ok. I may have a look at one of my other too to see if they are this slow, I can't recall. These really aren't made (in my opinion for inclines or other opsticals) so the slow speed may be the norm.

Other repairs done and in progress. TnA Thomas, Japanese accent is back up and going. He needed re-wired from the circuit board back. British Accent Thomas was unrepairble for the most part due to a heavily soldered circuit board. I had one lying in the repair box that was in really good shape, just needed the tender so that was an easy fix and he is ready. American accent Thomas is being re-wired and is the last one in the batch.

You are a Wizard Ripley.

Hey ripley, can you show a photo of the components? I can't imagine why a transistor would sit across the motor terminals unless it is to control speed? Some engines (like my old James) had little capacitors from each terminal to the motor body, and between the terminals, which is used to give the motor an easier life when power is switched off and on,

(04-03-2017, 10:36 PM)Tramp Wrote: Hey ripley, can you show a photo of the components? I can't imagine why a transistor would sit across the motor terminals unless it is to control speed? Some engines (like my old James) had little capacitors from each terminal to the motor body, and between the terminals, which is used to give the motor an easier life when power is switched off and on,

Thanks Tramp. I removed the bits from the one I had out of the motor chassis, and managed to lose the components in my workbench mess. Here is one that doesn't have the resistor pieces attached but has the transistor thing attached. The other pic is of one still attached which has the resistor on both the positive and negative sides.