Skip to main content

I have a perfectly good Lionel CAB-1 ... except for a minor (but hopefully fixable) problem.  One of the contacts in the AA battery compartment popped out, so one of those batteries can't make a contact. Perhaps a metal spacer would fill that gap and conduct battery power so the CAB-1 would become fully functional again.  Or something ....

Suggestions welcome. I hope I don't have to buy a replacement CAB-1 just because one small contact is missing from mine.

Mike Mottler   LCCA 12394
mottlermike10@gmail.com

Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Here's how I fixed a couple of my Cab-1 battery compartments.

The material used is 0.008" thick phosphor bronze.  This is a very springy material.

photo1

Using scissors, cut a piece a little less than 1/2" square and cut off 2 corners as shown.

photo2

Using a center punch, a nail, or some other pointed object, tap a dent in the center.  Use something like a pine board as support, so you'll dent it and not punch a hole through it.

photo3

Place the piece in the battery compartment as shown, with the dent facing toward the camera.  The corners were cut off to make room for the plastic battery cover to slide on.

Being phosphor bronze, the piece will supply spring tension to ensure good battery contact.

photo4

Attachments

Images (4)
  • photo1
  • photo2
  • photo3
  • photo4
Last edited by Bob

Just a wild idea, if the batteries are alkaline, just solder a piece of wire to them, assuming you are not talking about the first and last tab. Deal is getting the solder to stick to the battery without destroying it with the heat. Emory cloth to rough it up???

Another wild idea, a piece of metal foil tape, but I don't know how you make it apply a pressure to the side of the battery to maintain contact. Above washer idea? Lockwasher??

NNJ, its been a while since I have owned a gray PM1, but there should be an LED on the PM1 that blinks when it receives a TMCC message. If it isn't blinking, first step is reseating the crystal. The symptom for a bad connection on the crystal is when you press a button, the Cab-1 beeps, but nothing seems to happen. This recently happened to me between a gray Cab-1 and gray Base 1.  Could be something else mind you, but when I did a search on this forum, this is what someone said to do first, and whaddaya know fixed it right away.

OK, I've isolated the problem not to the CAB-1 but to the PM-1.  I've two versions of the latter, the one I'm working with now - the newer model with the COMM/CONV switch - and the older model that requires the TPC300.  The older model is receiving signals from the CAB-1 but the newer one isn't.  Has anyone ever had a problem with the receiver "crystal" in their PM-1 unit?  Or could it be that the PM-1 needs to be programmed to read the CAB-1 signals?  I've followed the instructions for the PM-1 but it doesn't discuss that, only how to assign the Track number.

Last edited by NNJ Railfan

Add Reply

Post
This forum is sponsored by Lionel, LLC

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×