# CW-80 /reset



## daveh219 (Sep 16, 2012)

I use a CW80 on my work bench for both O and S gauge. For the past 6 month there would be a whine in the transformer that would start and stop for no reason. Now I have lost all power from the trans and no green light.

Is there a reset option for this transformer??? Or any ideas on a solution??? hwell:hwell:


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## Texas Pete (Sep 28, 2011)

I was messin' with one of my CW-80s in an ill-advised fashion and managed to make the green light go out and no output power. I read in one of the myriad CW-80 threads that there is an internal fuse so I decided to open it up.

What a pain in the rear!

First of all, I needed to acquire a 2.7mm triangle screwdriver because the case is held together with four triangle head screws. When I got it open, this is what I saw.










The red "arrow" points to the location of the internal fuse, an 8 amp slo-blo. In order to free enough wire to replace it I had to remove the throttle potentiometer, the circuit board and the heat sink. When I got access I jumpered the fuse and got light, power, and fan, so I went ahead and replaced it, and fussed the works and the case back together.

My unit now functions properly but I'm not sure I'd do that again. BTW, the "whine" you heard probably was the fan.

Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

While you're in there, replace the fan, they die pretty quickly.  If I have to open up the one I use on my test rig, I'd probably opt for a PTC instead of the fuse so I didn't have to go in there again.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Or just get something else, some of the CW 80s see junk! Hard to tell witch ones are good or not. Might not be worth the time and effort. The new ones are OK. Some problems with them in the past


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## Texas Pete (Sep 28, 2011)

Until I mishandled the newest one and had to replace the fuse my three CW-80s have been functioning properly, including the fans, for eight, six and four years of moderate use. I'm guessing I got good ones. In case it means anything they all have the 'G' prefix to the SN.

John - If the OE fuse is an 8amp slo-blo what value of PTC should I substitute? Just in case.

Pete


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

What year is the transformer? They had problems with some of the early cw80's.

I found this years ago and posted, 


A copy and paste.
C;80 8;WATT TRANSFORMER Basic starter set or post-starter set power supply. Features two pairs of banana-plug connections for track power and accessory power. The accessory line output can be set to a variety of wattages – a particularly nice feature. The initial versions of this 80-watt transformer had a few quirks.* A number of early CW-80s were made with the power/ground posts wired back- ward.* This isn’t a problem when you’re running a railroad with just the CW-80 providing the power, but operators ran into difficulties when trying to wire early production CW-80s in series with other transformers. The wiring issue was corrected, and newer CW- 80s are fairly trouble-free performers. These transformers are fan-cooled, a major plus, and 80 watts is a good size for a new railroader who needs a little extra capacity.

I also found this years ago, (another copy and paste)
*1. CW-80*: there are two distinct versions: original and revised: Per Lionel, they share the following characteristics:
Product number 6-14198; 18 volt, *5 *amp, 80 volt-amps; programmable accessory outputs. 
The the two versions differ in their internal wiring, which determines how they should be connected to the layout, among other issues: 
*1a. CW-80 Original* version: Terminals A and B are common ("ground") whereas U and U are "hot." Typically they have a Made in China date containing four characters; for example, 1104 signifying Novermber 2004. See online owners manual 71-4198-251, dated 2/03. Opinion: These were fraught with problems.
*1b. CW-80 Revised* version: Terminals U and U are are common ("ground") whereas A and B are hot. Typically they have a Made in China date containing five alphanumeric characters; for example, G1106, signifying November 2006. See online owners manual #71-4198-250, dated 6/08. Opinion: These seem to be quite reliable. In my experience they will run postwar dual-motor locos but with not a lot of power left over for illuminated passenger cars, etc.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Texas Pete said:


> Until I mishandled the newest one and had to replace the fuse my three CW-80s have been functioning properly, including the fans, for eight, six and four years of moderate use. I'm guessing I got good ones. In case it means anything they all have the 'G' prefix to the SN.
> 
> John - If the OE fuse is an 8amp slo-blo what value of PTC should I substitute? Just in case.
> 
> Pete


Mine has seen very little use, and the fan makes noise when I turn it on, then after a spell it quiets down, so I haven't bothered to open it up.

I'd probably opt for about a 5A trip PTC for this task. It's a balance between the protection and the trip time.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Mine has seen very little use, and the fan makes noise when I turn it on, then after a spell it quiets down, so I haven't bothered to open it up.
> 
> I'd probably opt for about a 5A trip PTC for this task. It's a balance between the protection and the trip time.



On one of mine you can hear the fan more then the other one.
But doesn't seem to affect anything, though now all it is powering are my lights an a few accessories.
The other one you can't hear the fan at all.


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

While we're on the subject, the fan in my CW-80 is pretty noisy. I was going to lubricate it or maybe change it out all together.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Just swap it out, most of those sleeve bearing fans won't last very long with a lube job.


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

I looked on line and can't find anyone that sells a fan unit. I know I won't find one around here. I'll be lucky it I find the screw driver for it.hwell:


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

It's a common 12V fan you find on a computer website, just measure the size. I seem to recall it's something like 60mm in size.


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

I just went to Menards and looked for the screwdriver. They didn't have it and nobody there knew what I was talking about.


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## Texas Pete (Sep 28, 2011)

This is a LINK to the set I got. The TA27 is the one that fits the CW-80 case screws.

According to this other LINK the fan size is 40x40x10mm. As I recall the fan on the unit I repaired was hard wired to the circuit board, which kinda surprised me. That particular one came with the Coca Cola 125th Anniversary set and is the most recent of my three.

Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

No surprise there, it's an oddball. I bought one off Amazon, but previously I had ground down and old Phillips driver to make one.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

sjm9911 said:


> Or just get something else, some of the CW 80s see junk! Hard to tell witch ones are good or not. Might not be worth the time and effort. The new ones are OK. Some problems with them in the past


That is all


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

40mm, 60mm, what's the difference.  I remember it was a small fan.

40x40x10mm fan for $.99 with Free Shipping.

Yes, they're hard-wired, just cut the leads and splice them.


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