 Joined: 26/08/2015(UTC) Posts: 2 Location: bergan
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Does anyone know where I can get a rebuild or gears for the hoist?
I've allready tryed the manufacturer and got no response.
A dealer or a individual with parts?
THANKS!
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 1 user liked this useful post by renfe316
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 Joined: 31/10/2009(UTC) Posts: 609 Location: Toronto, Ontario
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Aside from the parts question, how do you like the crane itself? Realistic action? Holds and positions containers well?
Thanks
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1 user liked this useful post by jcrtrains
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Joined: 26/08/2015(UTC) Posts: 2 Location: bergan
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I liked it
But it took a lot of practice to master it
Overall I think it's a nice item
But haven't used it for 3 years it's been broke that long
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 Joined: 18/11/2015(UTC) Posts: 221 Location: Brisbane,Australia
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I know how you feel! The small circuit board in the travelling section of my crane went up in smoke for no apparent reason a few months ago. I sent two emails to Heljan requesting the part and had one short reply, "we don't have parts". This is pretty poor for such an expensive item So now ,like you , I have a useless container crane.
If they used another manufacturer for the electronics, surely they could have indicated this, or better yet, supplied a name.
I wonder if they keep parts for their locos?
Howard.
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Joined: 15/03/2003(UTC) Posts: 9,603 Location: Australia
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This looks like a prime candidate for a 3D printing solution.
I am also pretty sure that the circuit board would be repairable.. Can you post an image of it? |
Adrian Australia flag by abFlags.com |
1 user liked this useful post by xxup
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 Joined: 17/09/2006(UTC) Posts: 18,778 Location: New Zealand
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I suspect that providing the circuit board uses commonly available parts, someone competent in electronics, like Dion at Toottoot, could most likely fix it.
Like Adrian, I would suggest looking at a 3D printer solution to make the required parts. Here at my work, we have engineers who use a 3D printer to print gear parts for business printers and other devices that are no longer supported, which helps them out with older stuff for which parts are not available.
Methinks I'd better test my Heljan crane, which I haven't used for a few years.
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 Joined: 15/02/2008(UTC) Posts: 693 Location: Bournemouth, Dorset
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Try Howes in the UK, that handle the UK spares and support for Heljan.
Years ago I got some replacement parts for my container crane from them.
I no longer have the crane sadly, one problem for me was that you had to drill holes in your existing containers and fit metal bars in them as the crane works by using electro magnets to pick up the container.
It was a beautiful piece of engineering, but I didn't want to drill and glue my container collection.
So I just have the Brawa container crane now.
Good luck
Ashley
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Joined: 18/11/2015(UTC) Posts: 221 Location: Brisbane,Australia
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Hello Adrian and others re the Heljan container crane. Sorry to take so long posting the circuit board images, I was busy and then had to sort out how to post images. These images show the exploded component which is an smd voltage regulator number 3336. I have found them for sale quite cheaply but the whole board is about 55mm long and the solder tabs are fiendishly tiny. I have repaired boards in the past but I think this one is beyond me. Anyone know someone in Australia , preferably Brisbane who might be able to sort it? Cheers, Howard.    
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Joined: 23/07/2014(UTC) Posts: 8,509 Location: ENGLAND, Didcot
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Originally Posted by: ixldoc  Hello Adrian and others re the Heljan container crane. Sorry to take so long posting the circuit board images, I was busy and then had to sort out how to post images. These images show the exploded component which is an smd voltage regulator number 3336. I have found them for sale quite cheaply but the whole board is about 55mm long and the solder tabs are fiendishly tiny. I have repaired boards in the past but I think this one is beyond me. Anyone know someone in Australia , preferably Brisbane who might be able to sort it? Cheers, Howard. Are you sure they are voltage regulators? i doubt it considering the number of them on there - 8 in total by the looks of it. Components that size often have numbers that are unrelated to the actual part number on them, and you need to refer to a datasheet for a likely part to find out what it actually is. My suspicion is that they are the transistors that drive the motors, and possibly something has happened to the the motor that it drives, possibly the commutator needs cleaning. I'll be surprised if that is the only device to have blown up, I think you will find at least one other will also have failed, just less spectacularly (it is a typical problem with circuits that drive motors). It will really require someone with good electronics knowledge to repair this board.
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1 user liked this useful post by kiwiAlan
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Joined: 18/11/2015(UTC) Posts: 221 Location: Brisbane,Australia
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Hi and thanks for the advice. They are almost certainly output transistors and I made the error of not counting pins! I will try and source them locally.
Incidentally, Howes in the UK kindly replied to my query re spares to say they no longer have any container crane parts.
Howard.
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Joined: 15/08/2012(UTC) Posts: 234 Location: Perth, Western Australia.
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Howard I spent about 10 minutes searching and came up with nothing on those 3336 numbers.
And worse still, I plugged the other visible 393dEX IC from Texas instruments into the mix and again came up with nothing.
The miserable sods have used coded unlisted ICs throughout their design to prevent copying or repair attempts in this case.
If I had the time I would plug the board back into circuit without the motor loads attached and use a CRO to determine what is being fed to the 3336 pins to determine whether they are using logic or analogue control and the voltage level of the suspected push/pull 3336 IC's. Only then can you begin a search in say RS components, element14 or Mouser.
They are not going to be a complex IC as obviously they have no thermal overload protection.
A nuisance and unnecessary as the Chinese can De-engineer these boards very quickly these days if they want to copy them!
You could always press the point with the supplier and try to obtain a circuit diagram as they are obviously not supporting their product.
Incidentally great photos.
Good luck.
Regards.............Chook.
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 Joined: 14/03/2005(UTC) Posts: 15,871 Location: Gibraltar, Europe
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Circuit boards are regarded nowadays as a diposable part which you don't repair.
When I started my career in electronics in the early eighties this would have ben unthinkable. PCBs were made to be easily repairable. Components could easily be de-soldered and replaced. In some cases transistors were mounted in plug-in sockets for ease of maintenance.
This came to an end with the advent of surface mount devices and large scale integration chips, which can be de-soldered but are much more tricky to do. When I left my old job 15 years ago we were already sending PCBs back to the manufacturers for recycling and replacing complete boards.
In the case of this board for the Heljan crane I would try the manufacturer themselves for a solution. If they don't have spare boards in stock they may be able to source one for you. |
Ray
Mostly Marklin.Selection of different eras and European railways
Small C track layout, control by MS2, 100+ trains but run 4-5 at a time.
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Joined: 18/11/2015(UTC) Posts: 221 Location: Brisbane,Australia
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Thank you all for your efforts. I have written to Lenz again as they made the board . They had no spares when I first wrote, but now I have asked for data re the 3336 component or a circuit diagram. Even knowing the class of component would help. I don't hold much hope. My crane will make a nice anchor I suspect.
Regards,
Howard.
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Joined: 23/07/2014(UTC) Posts: 8,509 Location: ENGLAND, Didcot
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Originally Posted by: Chook
And worse still, I plugged the other visible 393dEX IC from Texas instruments into the mix and again came up with nothing.
The miserable sods have used coded unlisted ICs throughout their design to prevent copying or repair attempts in this case.
I don't think so, there is 'HC00' under that, which to me means it is a 74HC00 device. It is the right size package, and I wouldn't be surprised to find it being used to either gate signals to the output drivers, or just used as a buffer to get higher drive for the output transistors.
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Joined: 18/11/2015(UTC) Posts: 221 Location: Brisbane,Australia
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Back again,
I have managed to get an idea of what this component is. I think it may be a Motorola digital transistor MUN5311DW1T1 series. Unfortunately this series transistors have different internal resistors and if it is the right component series I still can't tell which version. At least it has the correct pin out SOT-363.
Still up the creek.
Regards,
Howard.
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Joined: 31/10/2009(UTC) Posts: 609 Location: Toronto, Ontario
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This thread has persuaded me to strike this off my dream re-model scenes. No parts and forensic electronics is too risky for the central part of the scene.
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Joined: 17/09/2006(UTC) Posts: 18,778 Location: New Zealand
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Originally Posted by: AshleyH I no longer have the crane sadly, one problem for me was that you had to drill holes in your existing containers and fit metal bars in them as the crane works by using electro magnets to pick up the container.
It was a beautiful piece of engineering, but I didn't want to drill and glue my container collection. Our Marklin Club President has found a Chinese supplier who can supply 20 and 40 foot H0 scale containers, cost is around $NZD 5 each. Various container liveries are available - Maersk, Hamburg Sud, etc. This supplier also supplied the containers that were used in our recent 40th Club Anniversary wagon.
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Joined: 17/09/2006(UTC) Posts: 18,778 Location: New Zealand
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Originally Posted by: AshleyH I no longer have the crane sadly, one problem for me was that you had to drill holes in your existing containers and fit metal bars in them as the crane works by using electro magnets to pick up the container.
It was a beautiful piece of engineering, but I didn't want to drill and glue my container collection. Our Marklin Club President has found a Chinese supplier who can supply 20 and 40 foot H0 scale containers, cost is around $NZD 5 each. Various container liveries are available - Maersk, Hamburg Sud, etc, and they are quite detailed.. This supplier also supplied the containers that were used in our recent 40th Club Anniversary wagon. Should be no problem with drilling and gluing them.
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Joined: 09/05/2011(UTC) Posts: 2,985 Location: Somewhere, But Nowhere Near Manchester, England
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Originally Posted by: Bigdaddynz Originally Posted by: AshleyH I no longer have the crane sadly, one problem for me was that you had to drill holes in your existing containers and fit metal bars in them as the crane works by using electro magnets to pick up the container.
It was a beautiful piece of engineering, but I didn't want to drill and glue my container collection. Our Marklin Club President has found a Chinese supplier who can supply 20 and 40 foot H0 scale containers, cost is around $NZD 5 each. Various container liveries are available - Maersk, Hamburg Sud, etc, and they are quite detailed.. This supplier also supplied the containers that were used in our recent 40th Club Anniversary wagon. Should be no problem with drilling and gluing them. I would love to have the supplier details, a supplier I know in the UK is asking £9-10 per container, which makes them a little expensive to drill holes in  Many thanks |
Don't look back, your not heading that way. |
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