Z4000 volt question

Could be just a little moisture affecting it, try letting it sit on for a few hours with nothing connected.

Put a light load like a light bulb on it and see what it does.  Mine reads .1 and .2 just sitting on the bench, but a small bulb across the outputs and they properly go to zero.

gunrunnerjohn,

Connected a lighted lockon to track two and the volts dropped to .5, but when I added power the amps stayed at 0.0. I connected the lockon to track one and as I increased voltage to 21, the amps climbed to 0.3. Ideas?

Well, it's not sounding like it's working normally.  Did the lockon light when you added power?  It sounds like it may be a metering issue, .3A is about right for a lockon at 21 volts, the bulb must be pretty bright!

I disconnected mine and powered it up, currently it reads .1 on either display, and the amps indicate reasonably accurately what power I'm using.  The voltage indications do sound like you have some sort of metering issue at least.

I'd do some external measurements of the voltage of each channel and see if it's just the meter or a problem with the controls.

I don't know if you feel competent to open it up and see if there's simple a loose connection or plug, but if so, that might be an option.

The lockon did light and yes, the bulb was really bright.

No, I wouldn't feel real comfortable opening it up because electrical issues are not my forte'. But a loose connection is feasible, because it traveled about thirteen hundred miles in a Mayflower moving truck.

When I get some track up on the layout I am starting, I'll hook it up and see how it behaves under a load from an engine.

If it still acts up, I have found  train store here in my new surroundings who I would feel comfortable letting the folks there take a look-see.

Thanks very much for the input.

Larry

LF;

Not to take issue with grj's comments, but I think maybe your Z-4000 is probably OK.

In my experience they often show small volltage readings when unloaded, but usually they show 0.0 or 0.1 amps with no load connected. There are minor differences from one to the next. The 0.3 you see is likely the lockon bulb as John noted.

Here is a pic of one of mine a while back with full throttles and no load.

Here is a high load test on both channels using surplus car headlights.

Note the amp readings. This is around 300 watts total load. It will run like this indefinitely and the cooling air temp will rise perhaps 15-20 degrees. I ran this test for well over an hour.

YOu could easily test yours with a car headlight and a DVM to verify the voltages. Set the voltage at about 12-14 and you should get a load of about 3-4 amps depending on the particular light.

You can buy a suitable DVM at Harbor Freight or Radio Shack for only a few dollars.

Rod

Thanks Rod for your info, it really is appreciated. 

But the thing I don't quite understand, is when I hook up the lighted lockon to track one and apply voltage to around 16 volts or higher the amp indicator for track one will show a reading. However, when I do the same to track two, I don't get any amp reading at all.

Larry

hello guys and gals..........

Just a question, can the Z-4000 charge up a truck battery ?.  I have a 935 CCA battery in my truck.

the woman who loves the S.F.#5011,2678

Tiffany

Tiffany,

I understand the Z4000 will charge a truck battery up to 900 cold cranking amps, but no greater.

So, are you out of luck?

No way!

Try this: Hook 2 Z4000's in phase and you are good to go.

Good luck! 

Larry

There's no way a 100% properly working Z4000 displays .5 volts at zero throttle with any kind of load on it, or 1.6 volts even with no load, so I'll say that at a minimum the meter circuit isn't working properly.  A couple of 10ths of a volt or amp might be normal, but when you get beyond that, something is amiss.

gunrunnerjohn,

What are your thoughts regarding my increasing the volts to 21 with the lighted lockon on track two and the amps remaining at zero. Like I posted earlier, when I did this on track one the amps increased.

Track one side of the transformer OK?

Track two side of the transformer not so good?

Does it matter if the amp meter on track two is not functioning?

Thanks,

Larry

If it's only the ammeter, it's not "fatal" as many folks ran for 50 or so years with no meters.   OTOH, if the meters are malfunctioning, that's a reasonable chance that the voltage output isn't what you think it is.

As I said before, I'd do a voltage and current measurement under load to see if the transformer itself is working, then you can decide where you go from there.

When you turn it on, do you get the standard display of 40  00 on the top row and 01  24 on the bottom row for a moment?  Make sure when you turn it on that the handles are fully at zero before power on.

gunrunnerjohn,

The top row shows 40 and 00.

The bottom row shows 01 and 23.

Thanks,

Larry

That's fine, it's just the older firmware in that one, so it's been around for a few years.

If the voltages all work properly, I'd suspect the metering circuit has an issue.  Did you test it under load and compare it to the other side at the same throttle position?

gunrunnerjohn,

Yes it has been around for a few years.

The only load testing I've done is what I posted earlier with the lighted lockon when the voltage on track two was 21 and the amps remained at zero.

With 21 volts on track one the volts were 0.3

Thanks,

Larry

Don't be offended if I don't reply anymore tonight,  because it is beer-thirty here.

Thanks again for all of your time and trouble and for any further ideas you provide.

Cheers,

Larry

Not to worry Larry, I had to leave to go to a wedding anyway.

Sounds like the metering circuit has a problem if you're getting the correct voltage, but no valid readings on the meter for that side.

Larry;

I think you mean "With 21 volts on track one the amps were 0.3", right?

If this is the case I agree that the metering circuit has an issue.

This is why I suggested some testing and comparing the Z-4000 readings with a DVM, just so you know what it is doing. Then you can decide if it's important enough to send off the MTH for service.

Just my opinion.

Rod

I would not hook a ac train transformer to a 12 volt dc battery. This could cause an explosion. As far as i know ac and dc don't mix. Just an old mechanics view on this.

Rod, early on I suggested external voltage and current readings, that's certainly a key thing to check.

feet, you're certainly correct, hooking this transformer to a car battery would yield a very bad result!