If you have another Roco locomotive (or any other lok) with a esu decoder, you can swap decoders with the one in your BR 03. This will enable to you determine whether the problem is in the decoder or not. If the lok works fine with another decoder, then it could be either a problem with the decoder, the decoder settings, or with the wiring of the decoder.

Once you have eliminated the decoder as a cause, you can then look at other issues, ie the contacts/wires from the pcb to the motor. You can test the motor by applying a DC voltage (6-9v) directly to the motor. I would recommend removing the decoder, and if possible, the pcb before testing the motor, so that you do not damage it.
If you have a lokprogrammer, this will enable you to check the settings and test the operation of functions, including motor.

If it still doesn't work, contact your dealer or Roco directly.

Regards

Mike C

This is my first Roco model so unfortunately I am unable to swap out motor or decoder.

I also do not have a 9v power supply to test the motor by itself.

I have taken photos of the motor.

This first photos shows what I believe to be what the motor should look like:





This second photo is after rotating the shaft and you can see the plastic casing or whatever it is, to be somewhat flawed.
This is how it came from the factory - when trying to drive it there was no burning or anything and there is no way I caused it (not sure how I could anyway since its new)



Is this normal or something to be worried about? Could it be the reason why the motor does not turn?

Have you tested the decoder on a Marklin model? (Preferably a 5-poler DCM..)
This would probably isolate the issue - if the decoder works with a Marklin model, then the motor or PCB circuit is the likely culprit - more likely it's the motor.

Then;
If you bought your model from one of the Europe online dealers, it might be cheaper to just get a replacement Roco can motor or PCB circuit.

I agree. Test the motor using a standard 9V battery. If the motor works, then the problem is either the wiring or the decoder.

Regards

Mike C

Eric,

You would probably be better testing with a Mallory or similar 9V battery. I wouldn't want you to pump too much current into the motor using a power supply. Those batteries are used in everything from radios to smoke detectors.
If you damage the motor or the lok, you may invalidate the warranty.

Regards

Mike C

Mike C wrote:

Everyone familiar with a Roco motor.............. ( Sorry )

I'm sorry; but I happen to disagree a little.
By testing with a 9V battery you have no way of controlling the current.
On the other hand 9V should do no harm at all to the motor if it is OK.
Applying 9V from a new battery or a powersupply is basicly the same, only thing is that
the battery has a small internal resistance limiting the current by a little and unknown factor,
and most likely the variable powersupply can be adjusted to a maximum current
Using a variable powersupply, starting at 0V and slowly increasing voltage while monitoring the current is the best way IMHO.
Since there is no load on the motor the current should be very low; but I can't give any exact limit.
My GUESS is 0,1A to 0,2A.

Per.

WIth the motor removed, are you able to push the lok on the rails freely? On quite a few loks, there are two contacts extending down from the PCB which make contact with the contact plates on the motor. Verify that these are correctly lined up so the power is getting to the motor. If the model has wires rather than contacts from the PCB to the motor, use a potentiometer to verify that there is contact between the terminal point on the PCB and the end of each wire.

If the decoder is a regular Roco OEM ESU, the manual will list which wires and terminals are used for the motor outputs. The ESU manual lists these as 1-3 and 1-6 and the cables as the gray and the orange. You should be able to test if there is voltage coming from the decoder when the lok is powered. This is best tested using a test stand like Maerklin's 78XXX models, so that the lok is not moving while you perform the tests.

You should be able to download the ESU instructions from www.esu.eu website.

If the decoder is one of the new ones (not ESU), then you will have to check the Lenz or Zimo websites, depending on which supplier delivered the one used in your model.

If you can post a photo of your decoder, I am sure that one of the members can identify it's manufacture.

Regards

Mike C

You don't pump current into the motor.

The motor draws as much current as its internal resistance allows.

If the motor is OK, no damage will occur - battery or 100 VA power supply makes no difference.

If the motor has a shortcut internally, more current may lead to more smoke. I've never had this sort of defect.
Hardly anyone will be able to fix this sort of problem and would need a new motor anyway.
A lab power supply with adjustable current will prevent more smoke from coming out.

If the motor has a contact problem, nothing will happen anyway.


Applor,
it could be that the motor had a contact problem in a certain position - now that you turned it it does work (this could be the problem, but I think that other causes are more likely).
If there's current coming from the decoder, it will work.

@H0: I think we're writing the same thing using different words

Per.

Sjlauritsen wrote:

Make sure you always get your orange wire from a well known and trustworthy supplier,
a lot of false orange wire is being sold by a Norwegian intruder in the orange wire market.

Per.

I think that we may be on to something here... The symptoms describe the problem pretty much exactly as your first report. This did not occur to me as I have never plugged a decoder in backwards.

Check the decoder plug and let us know if this solves the issue.

Regards

Mike C

Sorry, but it's the other way around: loco will move, but light won't work.

If the decoder is mounted the wrong way, you'll swap the two poles coming from the track and the two poles going to the motor - and the motor will work as it should.

Light and auxiliary functions will not work as those connections are not symmetrical.

Well the goods news is the loco is all running okay!

Bad news, it would appear a small oversight on my part is to blame (how embarrassing)


I will explain what happened.

When I first received the model and read the manual, it says you must oil everything before use (unlike marklin loks that come oiled)
So I went about oilling what I needed to and I also removed the motor as I thought I also needed to grease the gears (manual is not the easiest to understand).
After removing the motor I noticed the gears are already greased so I put it back in.

I thought I had put the motor back in properly but I hadn't - it is an easy mistake to do, this is why:

There are 2 vertical tabs that make contact with the motor terminals to provide power to the motor.
Now these two vertical tabs, when the motor is not installed, sit at an angle and touch a conductive block that the plastic gear sits in.
I thought this was normal and mounted the motor in as I should, as I did not pay close enough attention when I removed the motor.

When you put the motor in, you actually have to bend these 2 metal tabs outward and slide the motor contacts on the inside of them.
I had not done this, so when testing with multi-meter last night I realised these 2 tabs were shorting on the conductive block holding the gear (which is obviously earthed).
After closely examining the diagram I realised I had not bent these tabs out when mounting the motor, so that the contacts sit on the inside.

One could wonder why it was designed this way, that the tabs short on an earthed block when the motor is not in there but at the end of the day it was my own fault for not studying the diagram properly and mounting the motor incorrectly.

All I can say is thank the engineers for overload protection, so the decoder was not fried from the short.


After mounting the motor properly and putting it back together she runs like a dream! So quiet and smooth it really is a dream model.
Needless to say I have learnt from my mistake and hopefully this helps someone else in the future.

Eric,
I've just read your article and wanted to reply to your problem and point out, one of your motor connection is bent.

Roco has produced locos whereas the driveshaft has come loose, ground connectors tension to the wheels are not sufficient but besides this I've never had any problems with Roco locos.
You should'nt bend any motor connection tabs, you have to be careful when replacing the PCB and you sart off on one side by placing the PCB connectors from the outside in and not from the inside out, when you've secured the first connector you slide the PCB over to the other side slightly and insert the second connector again from the outside.

If you, for instance, insert the PCB motor connectors from the inside you could finish up with a short.
Later locos have the PCB motor connectors coming from the front, so slide the PCB from the front.

If anybody has any problem with Roco locos in future, just send me an email and I'll try to help you, to fix your problem.

John

I did actually write a loco review of this model this morning but just when I finished I accidentally pressed the back button on my mouse and I lost it all.
I am still too distraught to re-type it all again.

However, I did take a photo of this model pulling Marklin 43290 'Mercury' F-train which I can share: