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 Posted - June 06 2008 : 7:42:20 PM
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Hey guys. I bought an Athearn PA-1 a while back...I did lots of bodywork (most of it accidental[B)]) but barely touched the chassis. The previous owner had hardwired the trucks to the motor, but had added this little electrical thingy...what is it and what does it do?
-cheez
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Posted - June 06 2008 : 7:50:42 PM
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It's a diode bridge, or rectifier. My guess is he used it for constant lighting.
The Tyco Depot
Edited by - NickelPlate759 on June 06 2008 7:51:04 PM
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Posted - June 06 2008 : 8:02:39 PM
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That would make sense...I think the headlight wires were on either side of it. I can't check now cuz I had to pull them off when I removed the shell (dum@$$ glued the bulb in). Would the diode bridge be having any effect on the motor? I've always found this engine ran slower than my other PA-1s.
-cheez
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Posted - June 06 2008 : 10:41:36 PM
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Yes, it would. The typical diode constant lighting circuit is put in series with the motor, and the voltage drop across the diodes is what is used to power the low voltage bulb. That voltage is stolen from the motor, so it will tend to run a little slower than an unmodified unit.
Edit: The following circuit shows how this was wired (the bridge rectifier shown is 4 diodes in a single case).
http://www.mrollins.com/constant2.html
There's a lot of good lighting circuits on this site.
The Tyco Depot
Edited by - NickelPlate759 on June 06 2008 10:51:08 PM
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