@gunrunnerjohn posted:Well, connecting to the track shouldn't kill them unless something else providing power is connected to the track! Shorting the track leads shouldn't kill them or they'd die at the first derailment.
That being the case, my approach is to simplify what you're testing and find out what works and doesn't work. If power isn't coming through the explorer box, it's clearly something internal to the box. If the internal fuse isn't blown, it's hard to imagine what is going on.
At this point yes, there's would seem to be something internal that died in both Explorers, the one he had originally and the one he bought to replace it.
My thinking is: what would cause both units to fail identically in these ways. I don't know exactly. What do the 8-10KHz DCC pulsed waveform and WiFi both have in common, they are at much higher frequencies than 60Hz, maybe different amplifier or oscillator circuits?, different part of the power supply?, not enough current at these higher frequencies to blow the fuse, but enough to overdrive part of one or more circuits?
Beyond this, I don't know what else to consider except that something, when connected to the track circuit, seems to be causing the Explorer to overload at high frequencies only. If no other power sources are connected, what else could cause this phenomenon? That's why I think a capacitance check wouldn't be a bad idea, even if unlikely.
Considering all the tests Lee has previously detailed above and his 10 years of electronics experience in the Air Force, how would you propose that he might test to see what works if the units no longer function correctly in either case, connected to or disconnected from the track?
