R8236 cable fault?

[derekr1707821591]

Hi all,

Just bought a new R8236 cable and it does not work.

Put on my RJ45/RJ11 Cable Tester and I only have continuity on pins 2, 5 and 6.

Does this cable need continuity on all 6 pins?

I guess it does but just confirming before I either re-crimp it or replace both plugs.

Derekr.

[96RAF]

What are you using the R8236 cable for. It is intended for use with R8239 Booster module, but is often miss-sold as a Walkabout cable.

If you search the forum for R8236 you will get many hits as this cable has been the subject of much discussion over the years as its use changed, first as a Walkabout cable, then later as a Booster module cable.

See here for typical discussion ... https://uk.hornby.com/community/forum/elite-controller-with-select-walkabout?ccm_paging_p=1&ccm_order_by=&ccm_order_by_direction=

...with an extract below that gives pertinent data. Unfortunately as this post was carried over from the old forum the associated illustrations are lost.

The Select walkabout cable only uses the four inner wires and the R8239 booster unit upon opportunity only needs the two outer wires. It was the booster signal that corrupted the Select Walkabout signal if using the R8236 6 wire cable hence the specific R8266 4 wire cable for Walkabout use, which defo works.

In summary for Walkabout use you need the 4-wire twisted pair round section R8266 cable to avoid cross-talk and for Booster use you need the R8236 6-wire flat section cable, although only the outer pins are used to pass the DCC signal, even so this is not the best connection method for a booster.

[derekr1707821591]

Cable to be used with a R8239 Booster.

If I need pins 1 and 6 to have continuity then the cable needs re-crimping.

What ever happend to "Quality Control"

Thanks Rob,

Derekr

[derekr1707821591]

Cable re-crimped, still only pins 2, 5 and 6 have continuity.

Derekr.

[96RAF]

@derek

Seems as though you need to chop the plugs off one end at a time and crimp new ones on, testing as you go in case one end is good. You can often see if a wire has crimped if your plugs are transparent.

A decent pair of crimp pliers helps. I have several and my first bought cheapo one just will not reliably make up a cable.

If you are using a booster then ditch the Xpressnet cable and wire up per Figure 4 in the instructions, which I have found is the best method, using soldered wires rather than slide in clips.

If you ever want to make up a Walkabout cable simply use twisted pair six wire cable and fold back the outer two wires so they don’t enter the plug.

[derekr1707821591]

Just to close this thread, the cable was badly crimped at both ends.

The centre pair pulled out of the plug when I pulled the outer insulation off.

Anyway two new plugs crimped on and all working now.

Derekr.

[96RAF]

Good to hear Derek. Thanks for reporting back.

[ColinB]

Those type of connectors are terrible for crimping. In the past I have tried to make my own ethernet cables and even bought the proper kit. I had so many where it didn't crimp properly, I eventually bought decent ones off Amazon. Then if they are rubbish you can send them back, which is what we should do with suspect model railway equipment. I must admit I am as bad as the rest, trying to fix the stuff.

[rpjallan]

If you are using a booster then ditch the Xpressnet cable and wire up per Figure 4 in the instructions, which I have found is the best method, using soldered wires rather than slide in clips.

 

 

Not wanting to hijack this thread but just wondering, 96RAF, why you recommend this method rather than method 2?

Also, I know these boosters haven't been available for quite a while. I saw one recently which I assumed was new/old stock for A$100. Just wondering if this is good value? I know just the power brick itself is worth a bit.

Also, if a booster is required are there any other recommended ones that work well with the Elite & Railmaster?

[96RAF]

The method is more reliable than Figure 1 as it uses plain wires, and not Pseudo Xpressnet, which as we have seen can have a dodgy cable and although the wrong type flat pairs cable will fit physically, electronically it is not ideal compared with the twisted pairs cable.

Figure 2 shows connection of multiple boosters, whereas Figure 4 is a single booster.

I bought mine when they were on special clearance offer from Hattons and at the time they were selling for less than the price of the included power brick - no brainer, so I had two just in case.

Any make DCC booster will work as all the module does is put its own power source onto its own isolated power district and then takes the master controller data (effectively just the low power DCC signal), amplifies it and passes it along district to district. The only difference between makes can be the method of connection, which may be by way of bespoke connectors.

The module nomenclature is not strictly correct as folk often think it can be used to add oomph direct to an existing track. It could be called a signal amplifier and power district supply booster module.

Any power supply that provides 15vDC output and decent amps (4-5A) can be used but finding one with the correct 6.3mm jack plug is not so easy. So far the only directly compatible one is for a Toshiba laptop, which can be found for half the price of the Hornby brick.