Large Scale Central

Crest power unit fan dies......

Problem Solving
#1

As most of you know, I’m pretty much as deaf as a rail tie, but with my trumpets turned up to max, even I could hear, uh, nothin’.

The fan that cools my Crest/AristoCraft power pack - CRE-55465 - has packed up and gone to fan-motor heaven, and there is positively NO support here in yUK for these products. However, being of a thrifty nature, I’m loathe to trash it. Any POSITIVE suggestions as to the effecting of a repair would be much appreciated, since it’s the only PU I have that can drive a dismal lash-up at our train shows…

TIA

tac

Ottawa Valley GRS

#2

I believe a square shrouded PC fan will fit if you can find the correct size/voltage. The fans run on 12v mainly.

It looks like the fan may be a 95mm x 95mm type

#3

If your supply is set to 24 volts, then just get a 24 volt DC fan and add it to outside of the case.

Or run a 12 volt fan from a 12 volt regulator added to the supply output.

#4

Hmmmm, thinking about it right now. Trouble is, living in the equivalent of Pattaquumpus means a fifty-mile drive to a PC component store.

tac

Ottawa Valley GRS

#5

Go old school. Attach a bellows to it. Hire one of the Irregulars to operate it. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)

Any chance of just replacing the motor?

#6

Give these people a ring Tac. You need the distance between screw holes and measurements of the fan casing. They probably have what you want.

http://www.kenable.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=7063&gclid=Cj0KEQiA4OqnBRDAj9aazvPji9ABEiQANq28oDmPI2M_HCxWrg54-j7lFpR9FsOatTWDyd8X4nm3p1caAuHM8P8HAQ

OR

https://www.google.co.uk/#q=PC+SQUARE+COOLING+FANS

Fitted one to my Train Engineer gear. Did the job.

#7

Anyone close by have an old dead PC? They usually have multiple fans and most are 12V. Might get lucky and find one to fit.

#8

Tac - it is possible that the motor is not bad, just stalled from lack of lubrication. On one side (maybe both sides) of the motor there will be a sticker - peal it off to expose the bearings - put a few drops of oil in the opening and let it sit for a time as you spin the blades. Repeat on the other side if there is an opening there.

I have resurrected many such fans by doing this.

Good luck!

dave

#9

I’ve done the same thing a few times, usually the bearings are pretty shot, but a bit of plastic compatible solvent first to flush out old lubricant and contaminants, and then lubricate.

Greg

#10

I have two CRE-55465 tri-voltage power supplies, I think that the cooling fans are the same for the dual-voltage units also. The fan is about 65 MM square, four mounting holes and the label says 12 volts. There are many companies online that sell these fans and some should be able to deliver the Ontario. Here is a link to George Schreyers site with info and pics about the dual-voltage CRE-55465.
http://girr.org/girr/tips/tips8/cre-55465_tips.html

#11

Hi tac,
I just went looking for 12 vdc fans on line and the fan sizes go 50MM, 60MM, 80MM square. So I’m going to say that the fan in the CRE-55465 is a 60MM square, 12 vdc, but you will need to know the depth before you go looking for a replacement.

#12

Daktah John said:

Anyone close by have an old dead PC? They usually have multiple fans and most are 12V. Might get lucky and find one to fit.

Jon, old floon, surely by now you’ve figgered out that where WE live we wake up in the morning by the sun streaming through the smoke-hole in the thatch, and elecrti, eltctic, lectrti, that stuff you were talking about is something that the occasional traveller mentions in passing - telling stories of the outside world for his food and straw for the night. The likelihood of finding what you mention is about as likely as me finding out who stole the mud-pile I was keeping for a special occasion outside the wall-hole.

Besides, there ain’t nobody close by here because of the recent plague that left the land desolate and empty of people to work the land - the Black Death, they called it…terble, just.

tac

Ottawa Valley GRS

#13

I can try melting down some chicken grease to lube it, supposing I can find a chicken to de-grease.

I’m very grateful to you all for taking time out to respond to my query - really am.

tac

Ottawa Valley GRS

#14

Vegetable oil is better! You’ll think of chips when the motor warms up!

#15

Boy, Tac! Now, that’s primitive livin’. I’m shocked that a rustic like you would even start to build an eel-ektric rail road under those adverse conditions.(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-embarassed.gif)

#16

If his livin conditions is that primitive, then how is he on-line???

#17

David Maynard said:

If his livin conditions is that primitive, then how is he on-line???

He can call spirits from the vasty deep.

#18

tac Foley said:

I can try melting down some chicken grease to lube it, supposing I can find a chicken to de-grease.

I’m very grateful to you all for taking time out to respond to my query - really am.

tac

Ottawa Valley GRS

Terry, I have, or rather SWMBO has, a rather troublesome chicken that I would be happy to donate to your cause. This B1-RD poops on the rails, scratches for food near the roadbed, tossing all manner of detritus on the track, creating derailment problems galore. I will be glad to be shut of this B1-RD.

Do you want her, dead or alive?

Shut up, Rooster.

#19

I’m dismantling this thing even as I write this, only to find that the fan is actually stuck solid. However, using what few skills remain to me, I’ll dismantle it, find out why it soze up, and hopefully effect a repair.

As for our primitive living conditions -

image_mesokid.jpg (1024×768)

well, there ARE people worse off than us - they live in Detroit.

tac

Ottawa Valley GRS

#20

Hey, you found a photo of my neighbors! Those folks in Fort Detroit brought their misfortune on themselves, they plant their crops on a full moon. Don’t feel sorry for them, at all.