First trial of new Legacy 990

I bought my 990 back in March of 2013.   My power supply went dead within 2 weeks of my purchase; however, Lionel did not know what the problem was at the time.  I had to send the whole unit back to Lionel.  They replaced my power supply and upgraded my unit for me to the latest version.  Very good service!  I have not had a problem since.     

rtr12,

 

Wondering if there are any Date Codes, Lot numbers, or anything else on YOUR power supply that might signal the rest of us to watch out! I just received mine and am hoping to (at least) power it up and fiddle (like you) this weekend......work schedule has been sucking up all spare time.

 

Thanks

 

On the label there were 2 numbers other than part and model numbers: 546H and E4795. On the back, molded into the plastic housing was the number 0813C. No idea what these numbers or codes are? Everything else was product description and ratings.

 

The case is put together with security head screws, I have a set of security bits, may try to take it apart later if I have the correct bit and see what's inside or if anything looks out of order.

Had 2 990's since february 2013' "knock on wood," no issues with power supplies.

RTR,

Sounds like you just got a new 990 Legacy control.  I am looking to get one myself, I have been waiting for over a year for the new ones to be released.

 

Can you tell me if the red throttle knob has the white circle and white L??  Is the key pad outlined in white like the newer Lionel advertising photo's?

 

 

Thanks in advance,

New Member Aflyer

No white throttle knob circle and white L or key pad outlined in white.

OT7,

Ok, thank you very much, I appreciate your responding.

George

I did, it was from the batch they had trouble with and I also waited right at 1 year to get it. As OT7 says, I have no white circle on the red knob and no white outline on the keypad. My PS will be here tomorrow according to UPS tracking, just hope it lasts longer than the first one.

I agree, that would be a pain to wait so long and have it fail so quickly.

Aflyer

I had a 993 that blew the fuse in the power supply. I tried another supply and it blew that one. Duh!

So I sent the 993 in for service and opened up the two power supplies and replaced the fuses. Dumb being inside, but then they are assuming that we are only over 8 Yo or so.

I have a set of security bits and also tried to take mine apart, but I didn't have a bit that fit properly or good enough to get the screws loose.  I assume the 993 PS is the same as the 990?  Did it blow right away? Mine worked for about 15-20 minutes. I guess I will find out tomorrow when the new one arrives.

Mine blew after about 9 months. The power supply is a small triangle bit, the base is just a Phillips. But when I looked into the base, I decided I didn't have any schematic diagram and they are fixing them. They also did some charging mod on it which it seems they do on all the earlier ones than this latest batch.

Got the replacement PS today, D.O.A. Couldn't believe it??? Tried it before I plugged it into the 990, nothing. Thought it could be me, so I got out a couple other wall warts I had and tested them at the barrel jack the same way, got voltage readings on both. They were different voltage and amp ratings than the 990 PS, or I would just use one of those. Tried the 990 PS one more time, nothing. Not having any luck at all with these things. It is definitely not the base though as the PS was dead before trying it in the base. Guess I will be calling Lionel again tomorrow. May also take it up to my LHS tomorrow, but I think they are sold out of them again already.

Unbelievable and unacceptable.......should have been tested prior to mailing it to you.

I'd call them first thing in morning and demand an overnight replacement!

 

-Pete

Unbelievable? No, and boy I am glad to have company in the defect club...hahaha!

Unacceptable? Yes, and my best hopes to you getting if fixed quick.

Remember that the Power Supply is AC, so if you're checking it on the DC setting of the meter, you won't get a reading.

 

What type and brand of power supply are you all using?

Yeah what power supply do you have. I have the GW-180 and I'm having problems  I have to contact lionel.

Guys, the ONLY power supply that should be used with the Legacy base is the one that comes with it, it's Lionel part: 620-4202-000  It's an 8VAC  16W supply that has a 3-prong plug that properly connects the earth ground signal to the building ground.

Andrew several days ago Jon Z of Lionel told you to contact him directly.. Have you bothered to?

Cbojanower-  I haven't been able too yet. Been out of town enjoying the trip

I have just discovered it is something wrong with my power circuit(s) in the basement. Took everything to my LHS and it worked just like it did when I first plugged it in at home. We recently moved into a new house so that was the last thing I would have suspected. Now for more trouble shooting I guess?

 

The circuits in the basement all have GFCI's outlets on them, except for the sump pump and security system. Wonder if that could have something to so with it? I tried it on 2 different circuits. Both circuits test good with one of those plug in tester thingies with the lights that light up with codes to tell you what is good or bad. I am going to try the security system outlet and see what happens.

 

I am baffled as to why it worked for 15-20 minutes on the initial try out and then just quit all of a sudden? Looks like I have a lot more to learn about the Legacy system.

 

GRJ, I tried both AC and DC, thinking the 8VAC might have been in error and for lack of anything else to try. I did not try any other wall warts with the 990, was afraid to and I all others I have are DC. Thank you for confirming the 8VAC is correct on the 990 PS, that did seem odd to me. I have gremlins!

So your gfci trips?

If so, maybe the rf on the ground pin, the TMCC signal, trips the sensitive gfci.

No, GFI's never tripped. I have just never had them before, we lived in an old house that did not have them, prior to moving here last fall.

 

I reset all the GFI's, and the breakers and changed the power strip I was using. It's working! Been on for about 15 minutes again which is where it failed last time. We will see if it lasts this time. I feel like Clark Griswold with his Christmas lights...

Just a little word of caution, some power strips with surge protection will cause issues with the Legacy signal because it is not getting a good earth ground. 

I suspect some of the new GFCI breakers may cause issues with stuff like the Legacy system.  Instead of depending on the house wiring, you may have to use a 3-wire to 2-wire adapter and then ground the 3-rd prong to a good earth ground.

 

Do you happen to have the AFCI type breakers installed?

 

I think the gfci might have tripped...its hard to tell by looking at them. Especially if there was no voltage before and now there is since you reset them all regardless...or a faulty outlet strip. Who knows, it works and that's what matters.

Good work!

I did have a surge protected outlet strip, will se if I have one that is not protected and use it from now on.

 

I haven't tried my Legacy engine yet, may get that one out today sometime and see what happens. Will keep the adapter and ground wire in mind during the try out.

 

We do have the AFCI breakers, they in the breaker panel and are only on the circuits for the bedrooms. None in the basement where the trains are. The GFCI's are not in the breaker panel, they are just one outlet in each circuit in the basement, kitchen and bathrooms and I think that's all. Sump pump and security system are in the basement also, but no GFCI's, just a regular old breaker with an outlet like we had in our old house.

 

There is room to add breakers, if need be I can add a separate outlet just for the Legacy stuff with no GFCI's or anything else in the circuit. Breaker panel is not a great distance (25'-30') from the train table where the controls are.

 

Funny thing about it is my DCS has been plugged into the same outlet strip and circuit and has been working just fine the whole time. I also have the PSX-AC's installed in each fixed channel (that's all I have hooked up now) before the TIU and they haven't yet caused any problems. 

 

DCS doesn't impose any requirements on the outlet ground like Legacy does.

 

It's looking like I have a lot more to learn about Legacy than I thought, really different than DCS, which I knew, but thought I knew more than I actually do. And I have read a lot about it too. I seem to be dumbing down with age...

 

On the brighter side, it gives me something to do that's interesting and it beats having a job.