 Joined: 05/12/2016(UTC) Posts: 9 Location: Prague
|
Hello,
I'd like to ask you if you use regular feeding track from Rokuhan or do you have any alternative for that? I'm asking if the Rokuhan one works after few years? I think those contacts must oxidize and won't work, but I don't have such experience, I just started with Rokuhan. I'm a bit afraid of soldering such tiny track without damaging the plastic trackbed. (Well, I'm not soldering master, that's another issue ;)
Thank you for your suggestions.
Ivan
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Joined: 15/09/2014(UTC) Posts: 682 Location: London
|
Hi,
I haven't used the Rokuhan track, so I can't help you directly with that question. However, when it comes to soldering a wire onto Z scale track, what I do is crunch up a piece of paper towel, wet it with cold water and place one such piece on either side of the bit of track that I am heating. The wet paper acts as a heat sink and should stop any excess heat melting the plastic ties. Hope that is of some help.
Carim
|
 2 users liked this useful post by Carim
|
|
|
|
 Joined: 09/04/2019(UTC) Posts: 565 Location: California, Bay Area
|
If you use a fine point iron with a soldering station at 800-850 degrees F it is like spot welding, an almost instant bond, the heat does not propagate along the rails and melt plastic. Edited by user 26 December 2020 18:59:42(UTC)
| Reason: Not specified
|
3 users liked this useful post by husafreak
|
|
|
|
Joined: 09/10/2015(UTC) Posts: 581 Location: England, Cambridge
|
Originally Posted by: husafreak  If you use a fine poit iron with a soldering station at 800 degrees it is like spot welding, an almost instant bond, the heat does not propagate along the rails and melt plastic. Haha! I read and thought "that's a very hot soldering iron!". Then I realised you were talking degrees fahrenheit! Have a great weekend, everyone! Chris
|
1 user liked this useful post by Poor Skeleton
|
|
|
|
 Joined: 07/09/2019(UTC) Posts: 65 Location: Singapore, Singapore
|
Hello there, this is Gavin from Singapore. I have been using both Marklin and Rokuhan for many decades. I have not encountered the issue you worry about with Rokuhan so you should be okay. But then again...the weather in Singapore is fairly consistent. Having said that I do have a great love and hate relationship with Rokuhan! Amazing Positive! 1. Very forgiving for attaching together and taking apart...compared to Marklin...i.e the rail joiners are flexible and forgiving 2. Comes with ballast 3. Out of the box, is power routing...meaning you don't need electrical blocks for analog if you're lazy like me. Negative 1. Ballast track grey looks plastic and toy-like requiring weathering, painting and additional ballast 2. My own experience is that the Rokuhan turnouts don't seem long-lasting. I've had a couple simply short-circuit...and many that have mechanisms or points that just don't turn precisely after a couple of years. Have not encountered with Marklin Finally Rokuhan track is designed to be powered by Rokuhan transformers...which I do not like. I realise this is unusual, given most people don't say this. My experience is that Rokuhan transformers have a built in circuit breaker which automatically stops after a certain voltage / current spike...but this is not high enough especially for my older Marklin 3 pole motors. Given that I run almost exclusively Marklin power, this transformer just isn't "tough" enough for my layout. Therefore, I use Marklin transformers. If you would like, please look at my layout pictures here. https://www.instagram.com/halland_z/Thanks Gavin
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: 23/07/2014(UTC) Posts: 8,475 Location: ENGLAND, Didcot
|
Originally Posted by: zoooctan Looks interesting from what I can see - without having an Instagram account - and I'm not getting one. Please put a handful of the more interesting ones in this forum, some of the buildings in progress look inviting.
|
1 user liked this useful post by kiwiAlan
|
|
|
|
Joined: 09/04/2019(UTC) Posts: 565 Location: California, Bay Area
|
Ditto, without Instagram I can't really enjoy your layout either, but the thumbnail shots look very nice!
Nice of you to post your experience with Rokuhan track. I also traded my Rokuhan controllers for Marklin after being frustrated by frequent stops with older Marklin locos due to the current limiting circuit. But FWIW Rokuhan locos run really well with their own controllers, and the lights on at a stop feature competes nicely with the realism of simple "lights and throttle" DCC operation, but they can't accommodate high current draw loco's reliably.
I am hoping your experience with Rokuhan turnouts will not become mine! Maybe the drier weather in California will help but the idea of them wearing out doesn't sound good at all. I have had one short out in the two years I have been using them. I was able to resolder the connection to the coil and return it to use. But repeatedly having to tear apart a ballasted and painted layout would not be fun at all. I do use Rokuhan switches to operate my points.
|
1 user liked this useful post by husafreak
|
|
|
|
Joined: 05/12/2016(UTC) Posts: 9 Location: Prague
|
Nice video for Soldering N Scale Bachmann EZ Track: Bit larger, then Z track, but not too much. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: 09/04/2019(UTC) Posts: 565 Location: California, Bay Area
|
His technique does not look good to me, having to leave the iron against the track to heat it up goes against everything I know. I would use a finer point at max temp, like 800 or whatever my soldering station goes up to, and apply the iron and solder almost together. Total time against the track might be a one or two seconds, it’s almost instant.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Joined: 26/07/2021(UTC) Posts: 635 Location: Sydney
|
This was soldered with a 20 watt fine point iron a decade ago. I don't use flux, to avoid the long term corrosion build-up, but make sure the rail is clean. I use tin/lead solder (tin solder is a pain in the neck). I haven't used the water in a paper towel idea but probably will in future. There is a bit of sleeper distortion but a hot iron, fine point and quick, is the go. I have a can of electronic freeze spray at hand, which one could pre freeze the surrounding area, but never really use it other than for removing ticks from the Australian outback. I have since upgraded the soldering iron with a Japanese Goot PX-335 from Jaycar (in Australia), actually bought a second one.  P.S. If you need to solder 175amp Anderson plugs, a heat gun works brilliantly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: 22/01/2014(UTC) Posts: 186 Location: CALIFORNIA, Irvine
|
I use Atlas 2092 wired joiners for Rokuhan tracks. |
Frank Daniels Owner - z.scale.hobo A Noch "Top Dealer" Marklin Dealer and Z Locomotive Service Irvine, California, USA www.zscalehobo.com |
1 user liked this useful post by zscalehobo
|
|
|
|
 Joined: 14/01/2021(UTC) Posts: 47 Location: Faro
|
Originally Posted by: kiwiAlan Originally Posted by: zoooctan Looks interesting from what I can see - without having an Instagram account - and I'm not getting one. Please put a handful of the more interesting ones in this forum, some of the buildings in progress look inviting. 'and I'm not getting one' - interesting that a couple of people have said this, and in a tone that indicates their feelings on this type of thing. I too was able to look at the images for around 10 seconds before Instagram tried to fleece me of all my personal information. I had a client yesterday who thought he'd been hard done by and was going to 'tell everyone on social media'. What a shite world in which we live.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forum Jump
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.
