Do Hornby Controllers make Locos Buzz?

[keithp1707821843]

Transformers should not buzz, but, in the real world, they often have loose laminations which vibrate and emit noise.

PWM, on the other hand, can cause the motor to buzz. If this occurs check that the motor does not overheat.

I have a Rivarossi N gauge B&O C16a 0-4-0 which is particularly allergic.

Sorry I am really confused now. My old hornby controller doers not make any noise at all, this brand new hornby controller makes the loco 'buzz', you seem to be indicating that it make be a faulty product? Where as the other posts seem to indicate it is due to the type of controller and its a known issue with this controller.

So which is it? 

 

 

 

[walkingthedog]

All I know is my Gaugemaster has a very quiet hum that can be heard if I listen carefully. My locos have never buzzed, hummed or done anything other than move along.  😆

[Chrissaf]

....you seem to be indicating that it might be a faulty product?

 

You are misreading the post. He is not indicating that your R7229 is faulty.

 

He is just saying that old transformer technology [which is not relevant to your R7229] can buzz if the mechanical laminations of the transformer become loose. To make sense of the reply you have to have an understanding about how older transformers were constructed. Modern transformers (not controllers) can use updated construction techniques, like toroidal transformers for example. Transformers really don't feature very much in modern electronic equipment any more as they have been largely replaced by 'switch mode' power supplies that don't use a power transformer. Your new R7229 wall power pack for example will be a 'switch mode' power supply.

 

He is also saying that excessive long term locomotive motor buzzing (which you are not raising as an issue, because you have already said that the buzzing is short lived and dies down as the speed increases) can potentially overheat a motor. But as your specific buzzing is not likely to be excessive, based upon your described observations, it shouldn't be an issue to be particularly concerned about in your case. It is just something to be aware of. Motor heating is only really an issue when a motor is buzzing when stationary. Once the motor starts turning, any heat that has been generated should be cooled off by the motor rotation.

 

I have read and contributed to many of your posts and also read the replies of others to you. Unfortunately, I feel that some of the replies others have given you, in all good faith, have been replies that have only served to confuse you further. Their replies, given in good faith, have in many instances just been trying to give you extra background information, which you are reading as being directly targeted at your specific issue. Not everything that gets written by others is directly relevant to your original issues as written. The skill, which you appear to lack at present, is being able to filter out the chaff from the wheat.

[ColinB]

Talk about misinformation, firstly not everyone uses switch mode power supplies, go and feel the power supply that came with your controller, if it is heavy, it contains a transformer. The big advantage of a transformer is it provides electrical insulation which means safety, plus switch modes get expensive for high currents. So yes for your christmas lights they use switched mode, and telephone charger, but not for everything. That is why you can get electric shocks off cheap Christmas lights or chargers, if the switched mode is not properly designed.

The best way to think of the buzzing is what is a speaker, a coil of wire, what is a motor, several coils of wire, so if you pass a non dc signal, which pwm is, it will buzz. As I said in one of my earlier posts cheap transformers buzz, where the laminates between the coils are loose, you used to hear it a lot in cheap goods from Hong Kong in the 60's, modern transformer don't.  As for the buzzing in your loco unless you are passing DCC through a DC loco then not an issue. The PWM in a Hornby controller uses a relative low frequency, if they have had used a higher frequency then the buzz would be more of a whistle. You probably if you wanted to, could get rid of it using electrical filters, but I an not going into that.

The reason you must not pass DCC or 15 normal AC through a motor is the motor will not move so you get no back emf, so effectively the motor is effectively "stalled" so you are passing maximum current through it which eventually overheat it. That is why I tell people to be very careful when doing a stall test.

[keithp1707821843]

Probably right. Sometimes it is quite hard to understand some of the replies. But at least people do bother to reply, for which I am grateful. As to this issue, it is time to close the discussion.

[Chrissaf]

Talk about misinformation, firstly not everyone uses switch mode power supplies.......

 

Colin I am talking about domestic electronics in general. TVs, DVD Players, Radios, Laptops, low power battery eliminators for table top kit (clocks, weather stations, smart meter displays etc), low current product chargers etc.

 

I wrote:

"Transformers really don't feature very much in modern electronic equipment any more as they have been largely replaced by 'switch mode' power supplies that don't use a power transformer."

 

Where did I say that they are not used today ... I didn't. Lots of products still use transformers 'car battery chargers' is a good example. They have their uses in appropriate applications. Please have some consideration for others and take what they write in the context of the overall reply, not just one sentence in isolation.

 

I'm not talking about me. I read many of your replies to others which appear to treat their replies with an element of disdain .... it does not do you I.M.O any credit whatsoever. I am giving you the benefit of the doubt and assuming that some of your replies to what others write is just being thoughtless.

[keithp1707821843]

In case this thread gets closed, can I say a big thank you to everyone for your replies and help. I admit I am still not 100% sure but at least you have all tried.

Thanks again I do appreciate it.

Keith

[keithp1707821843]

In case this thread gets closed, can I say a big thank you to everyone for your replies and help. I admit I am still not 100% sure but at least you have all tried.

Thanks again I do appreciate it.

Keith

Sorry just before we finish - I happened to find this video -  

This clearly shows what I was asking. It has both my original controller and the new (albeit not 2020) hornby controller.

Thought you might be interested.

Cheers.

[Chrissaf]

Keith just as an aside.

 

I assume that "keihtp" for your 'nickname' is a typo error and should read "keithp".

 

If this is so, you can change your 'nickname' once yourself to correct it if wrong.

 

In case you don't know how to change your displayed name....read on.

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Note that changing your displayed name (Nickname) does not change your 'user name' you use to login to the site with. It only changes what is displayed in your posts and replies. Note that if you change [correct?] your 'nickname', your whole previous posting history will be updated in its entirety to show the new name.

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You can only change your own 'Nickname' once...so choose wisely .....subsequent changes have to be requested via the forum administration (ComMods can't do it for you).

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1) First.....login to your forum account

 

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Then follow the steps in this image (I'm using my account page as an example).

 

/media/tinymce_upload/524eccaf9d67bfbfd756b686ef8c3fee.jpg

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[keithp1707821843]

Thanks.

Keith

[keithp1707821843]

Did that, and it now shows - keithp, however it does not show up in posts as you can see.

Does it need to be approved? Oh I did click save.