@Don Baird posted:...
I am using 18 gauge solid core wire. Directions say nothing larger than 24! I ran into difficulty on unit two.
Separately, regarding the broken connector and wire size.
I only have a 153IR 2014 (U-A) version to play with and was experimenting with the largest drill bit I could comfortably insert. As shown it was a #52 which corresponds to AWG 14. The 2-terminal connector has an embossed part number KF142R and I found a datasheet which suggests a wire range of 22-14. So by larger than 24, I'm thinking Lionel meant no larger in # than 24.
In my previous post, I suggested using an unused terminal from the right block of 4 as a proxy for the broken terminal...they should be internally connected.
OTOH, if for whatever reason, the broken 2-terminal connector renders the unit useless by, say, shorting together A and U, another workaround would be to flip the Power Selection switch to Track Power and apply DC power to the Track Power wires as shown in above photo. This would take the broken 2-terminal connector completely out of the circuit. Again, the photo is a different 153IR version than what you have and is only meant to illustrate the workaround of using the track power wires to supply power - we'd have to double-check continuities of course.
