Help! Märklin Locomotive and Rokuhan controller

KevinTheSPF Sep 19, 2016

  1. z.scale.hobo

    z.scale.hobo TrainBoard Member

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    In this case, the Marklin locomotive is running fine and it is a combination of the current draw of the BRAND NEW Marklin loco with the Rokuhan RC-02 controller that is inducing the "failure." Using a Marklin power pack (eg 67271, 67020, 67014) or even MTL 99513000, the locomotive will likely run fine. Kind of rough to warranty return that back to Marklin, but the customer is indeed stuck.
     
  2. Michael Doleman

    Michael Doleman TrainBoard Member

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    I'm new to Z scale, and have been wrestling with this issue as well (in my mind, anyway).

    I just now set-up a section of straight Rokuhan track with RC03 controller, and ran two Marklin steam locos up and down -- one a 3 pole, the other a 5 pole.

    My experience is as follows: both locos simply sit idle, until I have the throttle cranked to about 2/3 to max -- then they take-off on their own about 3/4 of the time. The rest of the time they need a nudge. Once going, they run pretty smoothly, with a nice, even power curve through the remaining 1/3 of the throttle capacity. There is a little problem, too, bringing the throttle back down -- both locomotives have a slight tendency to stall-out at the low end of the power curve.

    I've yet to trip the circuit breaker in the power pack: so far, so good, on that.

    With my MTL Railpower controller, the locos will start without a nudge nearly all the time, and I can get them running at very slow speed without stalling. So, with the Rokuhan controller, the performance is perhaps not as good, but also doesn't seem like a total deal-killer (as I'd feared).

    Now, mind you, this is with the locos coming straight out of the box, from having sat for potentially years, so far as I know (they are eBay finds). So, I think that if I go ahead with my plans to thoroughly clean and re-lube the locos, they will run much better.

    So, just based on 10 minutes worth of messing-around, it would not appear to me that there is some endemic limitation preventing Marklin locos from running more or less acceptably with a Rokuhan RC03 (haven't tried yet with an RC02 but I suspect it'll be the same).

    It IS too bad though, that optimal performance can't seem to be had with this set-up -- given that (IMO anyway) Marklin has the best selection of locomotives, while Rokuhan has the easiest to work-with track & controllers... :-/ Wish they'd play nice together.
     
  3. sumgai

    sumgai TrainBoard Member

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    OMG!! The personal tools of the MARKLIN MAN!!! Say it isn't so, The Stiskas are no longer working on Marklins????!!!!!

    That may be the second worstest news in the Z World since repair guru for the F7, Mr. Glen Chenier, passed and his production of Teeter Totter F7 wipers ceased.
     
  4. KevinTheSPF

    KevinTheSPF TrainBoard Member

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    If it helps at all, I found that the Märklin locomotive was inoperable from the factory, so I sent it back and got my money back. It had nothing to do with the power, track, etc.

    I am out of Z scale now, but AZL just put out Chessie GP-38s, so...
     
    Kurt Moose and z.scale.hobo like this.
  5. ztrack

    ztrack TrainBoard Supporter Advertiser

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    Select Marklin locomotives could cause the short circuit breaker to trip on the early series of RC03s. This was an erroneous condition and not caused by a defective or problematic locomotive.

    The March 2017 series of RC03 have increased the output from 800mW to 900mW. This was done to adjust the resister value and address these specific Märklin locomotives. Look on theRC03 packaging to determine if you have an RC03 rates at 800mW or 900mW.

    We have been informed by Rokuhan that they RC02s are also being updated to the higher rating.

    Rob
     
  6. Kurt Moose

    Kurt Moose TrainBoard Member

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    Simple set-up! I like it!(y)
     

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