# Uneven performance



## xms (Jan 4, 2008)

First some facts: 
Home loco: Aristo RS-3. 
Battery Car: OVGRS - 3rd Generation. 
Battery: Li-Ion 14.8 V 2000mah module from BatterySpace.com. 
Trail Car: Aristo Long Caboose. 
RC: Aristo 55470 TX/RX package. 
Layout: 1/3 flat, 2/3 grade 3-5%. 

Situation: Acquired all of the above since last fall. Started running this spring, and noticed that the RS-3 runs fast/slow, not jerky, but like the car driver that speeds up, then takes the foot off the gas, then speeds up, takes the foot off, etc. except this happens in 1-2 ft. increments. I was going to pursue all kinds of questions, but I recently borrowed an Aristo SD-45 for fun and pictures, and noticed that the SD-45 doesn't do that. It's steady as you go. With the RS-3, I get about 60-75 min. of run time; with the SD-45, about 10 minutes less but I figure that's natural with the mass and draw of the SD-45. 
Sooooo, what's with the RS-3? Or can anyone point me to a less obvious solution? 
Thanks. 
Mark


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

What is your control system... you list it battery power, and the loco, what is between the battery and the loco? 

By the way, RS-3's run very nice... is yours a first or second generation? 

Regards, Greg


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## altterrain (Jan 2, 2008)

I have a similar battery car with the 27 mHz trackside receiver and transmitter. I have used it with both Aristo 2 and 3 axled truck dismals and have never seen this. The momentum feature is adjustable on these and that could be the problem. See page 8 of -http://www.aristocraft.com/techinfo/pdf/55470_instructions.pdf. 
The RS-3 has two motors and runs faster than the four motored SD45. 

-Brian


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## xms (Jan 4, 2008)

Greg, I'm using the Aristo 5470 Receiver with the Aristo transmitter. 

Brian, I'll have to experiment with the troubleshooting in the light of day. Didn't seem to think that was necessarily the place to start since the SD-45 ran so well with the same control system. Buy, hey, it's worth a try. Thanks. 
Mark


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## craigcoffman (Jan 2, 2008)

Short circuit in the RS-3 wiring? That would account for the slowing down (as the short makes contact) & the reduced batter life. 

Is the battery warm after the 10 min of running with the RS-3? 

-- 
craig


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## Paul Norton (Jan 8, 2008)

Here is an OVGRS 3rd generation power car with the 27 MHz TE receiver that Mark mentioned. 










The only part I am not familiar with Mark’s set up is the battery, but if it runs an SD-45 smoothly for an hour the battery and power car are not the problem. 

It appears that something is causing the RS-3 to operate poorly. It should run smoothly with battery power and operate considerably longer than an SD-45 with 4 motors. 

Did or does the RS-3 run smoothly on track power? 

Is it a first or second generation RS-3 with the axles in the side frames? 

A third generation RS-3 with ball bearing motor blocks (no axles in the side frames) but no Plug and Play features? 

Or a fourth generation RS3 with ball bearing motor blocks and Plug and Play features?


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## xms (Jan 4, 2008)

Paul 
The RS-3 has never seen track power, I went straight to battery. I bought it new last fall from RRS and it was in the batch that came off the boat in October. Hopefully that also answer the generation question on the unit. 

Mark


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## rpc7271 (Jan 2, 2008)

Loose wire somewhere?


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## Paul Norton (Jan 8, 2008)

OK, we know it is a 4th generation RS-3 with Plug and Play features. 

Two things I can think of to check. 

Are the wheels rubbing on the side frames? 

When the switch under the cover on the top of the RS-3 is turned to battery, is there still power (voltage) across the wheels? Sometimes the track power/battery power switches on Aristo-Craft locomotives are wired incorrectly. Oh no Joe, tell me it ain’t so!


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## xms (Jan 4, 2008)

To all who have offered suggestions - I'm not ignoring you, I just haven't had the chance to check out each possible solution. Probably will this weekend. Thanks. 
Mark


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

I had just about the same problem with a SD 40-2 and trackside in a cattle car. Only my problem was the track. Something steped on it and bent it inward. Tore the gears out of the SD40-2 Now I have a slug that follows my other SD40-2


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## xms (Jan 4, 2008)

Paul 
Wheels are not rubbing against the side frame, but there might be somthing to that switch idea. On the bench, with battery fully charged and connected, when I have the switch to "battery" there is power to only one truck (long hood end), but when I flip the switch to "track" there is power to both trucks. I haven't had the chance to put it on the layout since I discovered this. 
Ideas? 

Thanks, 
Mark


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## Paul Norton (Jan 8, 2008)

Usually if one truck is running, the other will too because they are connected to a power buss that runs from the front MU plug through the power distribution board(s) to the back MU plug. On my FA-1 both trucks were running, but in opposite directions. The front MU plug would not work either, as it was wired wrong. 

There are two things you can do. 

1.	Open the locomotive as see if there are any obvious broken or unconnected wires. 

There are 21 screws to remove to open an RS-3. 









Photo by Brandy Bruce Sharp. 

2.	Call Navin at Aristo-Craft to see if you can return it for repair.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I have not owned an Aristo loco that did not need rewiring. 

Regards, Greg


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

I haven't owned an Aristocraft loco that I've rewired. A couple tenders though...


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Tom, that's rewiring, where the tender controlled whether it picked up track power or not... you even posted an article on it! 

By the way, when you get your layout going again, I predict you will have more "soldering iron" time. 

Regards, Greg


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## xms (Jan 4, 2008)

Ok, here's the results of recent runs without having done the 21 screw surgery that Paul recommends. 
A subsequent run (AFTER doing nothing but flip the switch from track to battery a couple times) was a run of approx. 90 minutes. Never had that long of a run previously. And it ran smoothly. 


Next run was on battery also but ran unevenly so I didn't bother to time the session./DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/angry.gif 


Latest session (tonight) was done with switch set to "track". I suspected that it would be throwing some power to the track and sure enough, the reading on the meter with the leads on the track at the start was ~22 V; roughly 1/2 way through the session it had dropped to ~18 V. (On "battery" no reading was detected on the meter). There was enough loose juice to power the lights in the caboose when the wheels were making solid contact with the brass track (as in who cares about clean track with battery power?) The loco was steady throughout at a scale speed of about 35 mph. And tonight's run lasted 2 hr. 10 minutes, which is more in line with what I see in the forums on battery life. I love it! 


First of all, did I do something "bad" to the loco by running it with the switch on "track" (see previous post about switching power to one truck vs. two trucks)? 


If not, is it all that simple that the switch is just bass-ackwards? I can deal with that and not lose sleep over it. 


Thanks in advance. 
Mark


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