jpadina Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Hello, I hope I can get some advice here. I'm completey new to Scalextric!We have a Scalextric Start that we only bought last year. Now we have no power whatsoever. I have:Replaced the wall plug (from Hornby)Replaced the Start power track sectionReplaced both hand controllersCleaned each piece of track with a brush and a dry clothReplaced the guide braids and plates on both carsChecked inside the cars for loose wiring, any loose braid wire and that the rear wheels move smoothlyWhat else can I try? Thanks in advance.John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy P. Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Do you have a voltmeter to check that there is actual power on the various components?Most voltmeters have an Ohm meter that will also allow you to see if there is a clean circuit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpadina Posted March 4, 2015 Author Share Posted March 4, 2015 Do you have a voltmeter to check that there is actual power on the various components?Most voltmeters have an Ohm meter that will also allow you to see if there is a clean circuit.Thank you Andy. I will try that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adrian_norman Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Hello John, check the obvious. Plug something like the hoover or phone charger in to the wall socket. Does the hoover or phone charger work? Worth checking! Back to the track. With the powerbase track piece NOT connected to any other track pieces, plug power in to it. Connect the hand controllers. Place a car on one lane. Try the hand controllers. Does the car move? Check that the rails on the powerbase are not buckled so that two rails are touching each other. This will cause the power supply to trip out when the hand controller trigger is pulled. If you have a volt meter or similar, check to see if there is any power to the rails when the hand controller triggers are pulled to full power. Any voltage there? If NO: One of the following is faulty: Wall socket or power supply, powerbase track, hand controllers.If YES: Car is faulty. Check that the braid plates have been inserted correctly and that you can visually see that the braid is touching the silver contact plates between round braid disc and guide assembly. If the car moves on the isolated powerbase track piece then the fault is a short circuit on one of the other track pieces. Check all the track pieces and make sure the rails aren't pinched together to cause a short-circuit. Check to see if there is metallic object wedged between the rails as this will also cause a short circuit. I hope this helps. Happy racing! Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy P. Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 I have a 6 Volt power adapter /transformer that I stripped the wires to be bare for this very reason. I can put power directly to the braids to see if the car works or directly to the rails to see if the problem is elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy P. Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 accidental double post... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpadina Posted March 24, 2015 Author Share Posted March 24, 2015 Hello John, check the obvious. Plug something like the hoover or phone charger in to the wall socket. Does the hoover or phone charger work? Worth checking! Back to the track. With the powerbase track piece NOT connected to any other track pieces, plug power in to it. Connect the hand controllers. Place a car on one lane. Try the hand controllers. Does the car move? Check that the rails on the powerbase are not buckled so that two rails are touching each other. This will cause the power supply to trip out when the hand controller trigger is pulled. If you have a volt meter or similar, check to see if there is any power to the rails when the hand controller triggers are pulled to full power. Any voltage there? If NO: One of the following is faulty: Wall socket or power supply, powerbase track, hand controllers.If YES: Car is faulty. Check that the braid plates have been inserted correctly and that you can visually see that the braid is touching the silver contact plates between round braid disc and guide assembly. If the car moves on the isolated powerbase track piece then the fault is a short circuit on one of the other track pieces. Check all the track pieces and make sure the rails aren't pinched together to cause a short-circuit. Check to see if there is metallic object wedged between the rails as this will also cause a short circuit. I hope this helps. Happy racing! AdrianHi Adrian, Thank you for your detailed testing suggestions. I have acquired a voltmeter now as Andy advised so I'll give it all a go. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null_null981707818318 Posted December 17, 2016 Share Posted December 17, 2016 I have the same problem. It seams inside the controller's plug something is disconnected. I checked with the ΩΜ meter one wire to the resistor, and it ok, The other one indicates broken sircuit.Any idea how to open the plug and check it ?/media/tinymce_upload/f11013af90b56aa2c420dea51c3343c0.JPG/media/tinymce_upload/f37d55a3e8af04c82b300cff59ddf0b9.JPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy P. Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 Most likely brute force is needed (which would void the warranty) as they are not intended to by user-servicable. My guess is it would be safer and cheaper to get new controllers.In most coutnries you should have a 2 year or mroe guanarantee to get them replaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven-g Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 I have the same problem. It seams inside the controller's plug something is disconnected. I checked with the ΩΜ meter one wire to the resistor, and it ok, The other one indicates broken sircuit.Any idea how to open the plug and check it ?/media/tinymce_upload/f11013af90b56aa2c420dea51c3343c0.JPG/media/tinymce_upload/f37d55a3e8af04c82b300cff59ddf0b9.JPGI had a similar problem, I bought a scalextrix for my kids for christmas, it ran poorly for 5 minutes and then stopped. I traced the problem to a bad connection of the wiring, it wasnt the plug end which actually just pries apart and is only lightly glued (it pushed back together but superglue would work if needed (yes it might void the warranty but on christmas day who cares) the problem was at the controler end which is held together with a single screw, at the wire end there are crimp fittings and in my case it was a bad joint the crimp had been too tight and torn through the wire sleeve leaving it hanging on just a bit of the sleeve, I just restripped the wire and tightend the srew fixing around that. I have to say I am bitterly disapointed in the whole package. I bought a top priced toy from a well known and remembered name from my childhood and the quality of the goods is so not worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy P. Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 @steven-g I suggest contacting Customer Care. I doubt Hornby would be happy with this either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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