# Woodland Scenics Just Plug failures



## StevieWonder787 (Apr 27, 2016)

:smilie_daumenneg:

I was trying to install a Woodland Scenics Just Plug system for my passenger depot with interior lights and street lights for the platform.

All of my parts are factory Woodland Scenics parts including the 24VDC (why?) power supply. I tested the receiving plug pins and got 23.6VDC on all the receiver plugs on both the Light Hub and Expansion Hub. 

BUT ... when power was applied to the LEDS, all but one of the LEDs gave a single bright flash and then were toast. The one that didn't blow up is very very dim.

I gambled and hooked up a Just Plug car. Works great. Headlights and taillights are perfect. But the street and interior lights were gone within a literal flash.

I'm reaching out to Woodland Scenics as I have a good bit of money tied up in all this and have a couple of Woodland Scenics buildings that I'm afraid to hook up.

Anybody have any experience with the Just Plug system and/or these kinds of issues? What about their customer service?

Thanks in advance.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

LED's for scenery have an in-line resistor for 12-16V. I don't know why they would supply a 24V PSU unless it was for a different purpose.

24V is not, to my knowledge, used in HO or N scale model railroading. 

Sorry you fried your LED set. I hope Woodland has an explanation, but I think I would have checked the rated voltage on the LED's before using that PSU.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

From all I can find, they really do use 24V, something is certainly amiss here.

I think I'll wire my own LED's, no problems like that here.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

That's crazy and must be costing them money in claims.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I did a search on the system, and I found multiple listings for a 24V power pack. In a master stroke of marketing over common sense, Woodland Scenics makes no mention of the voltage the stuff runs on! I'd think that would be basic information!


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## StevieWonder787 (Apr 27, 2016)

Everything is supposed to be plug and play. The system runs on 24VDC. All of the lighting and expansion hub plug receivers showed 23.6 VDC across the pins in every single receiver so it's not a power source issue.

Again, the lights worked perfectly in the plug/play car with no issue.

At this point I believe there is a problem with the factory resistors. Either they were faulty or improperly wired in. You can't see them as they are in factory installed shrink tubing but the "flash" followed by total failure indicates a voltage spike to me. Since all the plugs all seem to have a consistent 23.6 VDC across the pins, and since the car worked perfectly, I believe the issue is with those resistors in some way.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I'd contact Woodland Scenics and see if they'll make it good.


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## highvoltage (Apr 6, 2014)

I have three Woodland Scenics buildings. All 3 are plugged into their Light Hub module, along with the 24Vdc transformer. I have not had any problems in a little over two years of operation. The Light Hub provides a dimming capability (should you want it) for each building.

Not sure what to advise except get in touch with customer support.


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## Deane Johnson (Sep 19, 2016)

With the resistors being located on the LED bulb feed, it seems unlikely StevieWonder787 could have hooked up anything wrong. I would assume the resistor is the correct size to work with the 24 v power supply no matter how it's plugged together. The system appears to be designed close to being fool proof as to the manner in which it's connected together.

I'm one of those who has a bunch of this WS stuff and have never had an issue.

It would seem the pathway here is to take the problem to Woodland Scenics. They should have the knowledge to know what happened, or at least, which questions to ask to get to the cause of the problem.


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## Stan D (Feb 1, 2019)

Polarity? _Can_ it be connected wrong?


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## Deane Johnson (Sep 19, 2016)

Stan D said:


> Polarity? _Can_ it be connected wrong?


Yes, I just checked my installation and it's possible to reverse the polarity on some of the LED products. I have some of the WS pole lights (street lights) and they have leads that are the super fine magnet type wire, red and black. These connect to a feeder jumper wire that's color coded red and black. The wires are so small it's hard to make out the color, but it's there. I've never hooked them up backwards, so I don't know what the reaction might be, that is, blown out or just not lighting. I don't know if the LEDs he used were of that connection type or not, but it's good you brought it up.


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## StevieWonder787 (Apr 27, 2016)

I did call Woodland Scenics and essentially they want me to take everything apart and send it back and then told me any adjustment/exchange would have to come thru the retailer.

That could take weeks if not months and also assume that the retailer is cooperative, which may or may not be the case.

Hassle ...


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## StevieWonder787 (Apr 27, 2016)

The polarity is fine. I'm getting old but I can still tell the difference between red and black.  ... most of the time. In any event polarity would generate no light, even a flash. 

One thing about those wires, the "insulation" is essentially paint. No way to strip it back. So I laid it down on cardboard and scraped a single edge razor blade along it to scuff off the paint. Worked great on the car.


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## PoppetFlatsRR (Jul 29, 2018)

WOW! I have never had a problem with them, other than not working right out of the box. Occasionally I see the pins in the Blue box not being quite aligned right, but just bend them down and they work fine. Has been bullet proof for me, some close to two years. I most likely have close to 200 lights operating when everything is on.

Sorry to hear your problems sir. Any chance the control port was plugged into. I don't know if that could cause the problem or not.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

With a "warranty" like that, no way I'd use the product! Best to learn a little about LED's and roll your own, you'll pay a small fraction of the WS product, you'll get working LED's, and you have the satisfaction of doing it yourself.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

StevieWonder787 said:


> I did call Woodland Scenics and essentially they want me to take everything apart and send it back and then told me any adjustment/exchange would have to come thru the retailer.
> 
> That could take weeks if not months and also assume that the retailer is cooperative, which may or may not be the case.
> 
> Hassle ...



that isn't much of a warranty, unfortunately


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## PoppetFlatsRR (Jul 29, 2018)

The dealer is the reason I bought them. I have a great dealer that stands behind the products he sells. If something doesn't work, he takes it back, gives me a new on and off I go. I guess there aren't many dealers like that any more. We have become pretty good friends so I guess that helps to.

My gawd If I had to tear my ehtanol plant apart I would be ready to kill some one. EHHHHH


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## Deane Johnson (Sep 19, 2016)

What a disappointment Woodland Scenics is if their policy is to perform like has been described here. The WS products are premium priced, and you would expect they would have premium customer service to go along with it.

As others have pointed out, there are lots cheaper ways to go in putting lighting together. Two that are well spoken of by posters on this forum are Evan Design and WeHonest, a Chinese company that ships fairly rapidly.

I use these dimmers which have the current capacity to handle dozens of LED bulbs.  They are very smooth and have the feel of quality when you operate them. And, the price is right.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Manual-Dim...856529&hash=item3aab7cc16b:g:gQoAAOSwQy9cUc-Y


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## StevieWonder787 (Apr 27, 2016)

Well, my knowledge of electricity is that electrons are round and neutrons are cubic  so I was trying to minimize my chances of screwing it up and setting the layout and/or house on fire.

The control port has the factory installed jumper plug in it, so if that's an issue it would be a factory one.

At this point I'm convinced that the Lighting Hub has a bad resistor or an internal wiring issue. 

At some point I hope that I can get my lighting to look about 1/10 as good as your ethanol plant and the rest of your layout. Oh, the life of a wannabe.


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## PoppetFlatsRR (Jul 29, 2018)

Stevie, Same reason, I am not that up on this stuff. I wanted the easiest I could find. It has been for me. I just bought a few yard lights that I have to solder a resistor to. A group of 20 of them, no idea how to do it, but will muddle thru, hoping not to smell too much smoke.

Thank you for the comments on my layout. It is my first venture into the hobby. I have a good imagination, I guess some artistic talent, but never knew it. I am having fun, and not having to watch all the murder mystery crap the wife loves to watch. She turns it on, I head for the garage. 

Tonight I am lighting my new truck terminal/warehouse. I checked the wall wart and it does say 24 volts, which really surprised me to. I have several power warts around the layout, so I don't think I am overloading anything.

As others have said, the warranty sucks. Disappointing for sure.


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## Guest (Apr 5, 2019)

I don't have a lot of experience with WS Just Plug but I have two of their trailers in my campground so I bought the hub and power and added their LEDs to the clubhouse and MTH trailer since I had them. It all worked as advertised.


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## StevieWonder787 (Apr 27, 2016)

Very nice indeed. 

You know, even if it's a Rolls Royce, if you make enough of them there's going to be some that don't perform the way they were supposed to. I have no problem with that if they stand behind their product.

Their warranty was described in this way:
1) Box it all up, even the stuff that works, and send it back
2) Wait a couple of weeks for us to get it and test it
3) We will ship it back to you with our test results
4) If it's faulty, contact your retailer for exchange or refund


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## Deane Johnson (Sep 19, 2016)

That is the most ridiculous handling of a warranty issue I have ever seen.

Woodland Scenics makes nice, innovative products (although overpriced) and I plan to use more of them, so I'm not anti WS, just astonished at their response to this issue.


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## Guest (Apr 5, 2019)

StevieWonder787 said:


> 4) If it's faulty, contact your retailer for exchange or refund


It's all good up to point 4. Since they have your stuff, they've tested it and know what's wrong, as the manufacturer they should replace whatever is defective. They should never return defective product back to you and tell you to contact the retailer. That is the worst warranty service I've ever heard of. I won't buy any more Woodland Scenics products with warranty service like that.


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## StevieWonder787 (Apr 27, 2016)

OK. So here's the update. I replaced the hub and the fried street lights. And everything works precisely as advertised.

I believe the hub was faulty; I suspect a bad resistor inside the hub but no way to be certain. I have not dealt with Woodland Scenics any further on the warranty issue as they made the process difficult and time consuming. I had a decent investment in their other lighted products so it was for simplicity that I elected to continue with them for this element of the project.

In the future I will be using other resources simply because of the warranty support issues.


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## Stan D (Feb 1, 2019)

I belong to the Chevrolet forum, and sometimes, a Chevy customer service rep drops in to help with warranty issues. I wonder if any of the model train companies ever look in here? Clearly, WS doesn't.


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## zerodameaon (Mar 10, 2018)

Stan D said:


> I belong to the Chevrolet forum, and sometimes, a Chevy customer service rep drops in to help with warranty issues. I wonder if any of the model train companies ever look in here? Clearly, WS doesn't.


Sometimes that's the only way to get Chevy dealers to actually warranty the cars they sell. I have had to contact the forum reps a few times to force a dealers hand. You can tell the service writer is mad you told on them when you go to get your car.


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