I,m brand new to the forum, so please help me along. I have a LGB Mogul #24194 (B&O) that was working fine until yesterday. When I applied power there was a loud "buzzing" sound, and then..nothing. The connection to the tender seems OK, the tender light works in reverse, as does the loco headlight, but there's no sound. I don't know how to go about diagnosing the problem - I live in rural PA far far from any repair shop. Help.
LGB Sound Problems
- Thread starter Ingerdoug
- Start date
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We are going to need some more information to help you. Are you running DC or DCC? If itg's DCC, what kind of decoder? If it's DC, are you using the normal LGB sound card mounted in the tender? Does the engine itself run? If so, does it continue to make the buzzing noise while running? Do you have a multimeter? If so, have you checked the individual plug connections with power applied to the track? There may be a broken wire in the plug itself or one of the pins may not be making good contact. Make sure everything is straight and securly seated when the tender is plugged into the engine, assuming that the continuity and voltage check OK. The buzzing noise is either from a broken connection in the plug, the plug not seating securely, or a fault in the sound card.
You may or may not know that the makers of LGB folded in 2008 and the product line was bought by Märklin. They are, however, not providing service for LGB products. Your best hope of getting a reasonable repair is through Silvergate at http://silvergatedistributors.com/index.php/lgbinfo.html.
You may or may not know that the makers of LGB folded in 2008 and the product line was bought by Märklin. They are, however, not providing service for LGB products. Your best hope of getting a reasonable repair is through Silvergate at http://silvergatedistributors.com/index.php/lgbinfo.html.
Hi Jim
Thanks for your help. I'm running DC with the standard LGB sound card mounted in the tender. The loco works fine - headlight works, tender light works in reverse. The buzzing sound I referred to happened only once - the train now moves silently. The light in the firebox works. I have a friend who has a multimeter who's willing to test the pins on the connector. Do you have any idea as to what voltage values we should be looking for?
Many thanks
Doug
Thanks for your help. I'm running DC with the standard LGB sound card mounted in the tender. The loco works fine - headlight works, tender light works in reverse. The buzzing sound I referred to happened only once - the train now moves silently. The light in the firebox works. I have a friend who has a multimeter who's willing to test the pins on the connector. Do you have any idea as to what voltage values we should be looking for?
Many thanks
Doug
I believe the standard LGB sound card uses anything from 7 to 10 volts. The most important thing to measure is that there is voltage getting to the sound card when the mico plug is connected. If the inputs to the sound card show voltage, check to make sure the speaker is also showing continuity. If the plug voltage is good, the sound card is reading voltage at the input terminals, and the speaker continuity is good, then it's likely an IC on the sound card has failed. Your description of loud buzzing once and then silence leads me to believe the worst. 
Most people with LGB engines seem to be replacing the LGB cards with ones made by Zimo, which has better sound and is more reliable. The people at Silvergate should be able to help you with this.
Most people with LGB engines seem to be replacing the LGB cards with ones made by Zimo, which has better sound and is more reliable. The people at Silvergate should be able to help you with this.
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