No, the seller did not report any issue with the AH501, and it worked for a couple of weeks after I received it. I did quite a bit of directional testing on the engine and whistle testing on the tender, so I had used it extensively and the heavy use was probably the straw the broke the camel’s back.
From the outset the buttons didn’t seem to have quite the right feel, but in all fairness, the seller may not have known.
I didn’t realize that the “softness” or lack of contact feeling was probably a predictor of the failure...I’ll know the next time.
Yesterday afternoon I was sooo close to taking this transformer to our county recycling center...but I thought better of it and did a last ditch bit more research. So glad I did...it saved a $147 purchase!!! And “John“ at MRC was great in talking me through the trouble shooting and fix!
