Fixing Atlas Switch Control Boxes

Fixing Atlas Switch Control Boxes
After installing several Atlas switch control boxes on my layout but before hooking up the switch machines, I tested them to see if they worked. The AC power was getting to every box, but no power was going out through the left and right terminals to the switch machines. The exception was an older brass box which worked fine. Since the boxes were new, I decided to investigate and try to fix them.

Tighten down the screws so the plastic bottom and the circuit board can be removed as a unit.

The top and the bottom are held together by rivets in each end. Turn upside down and drill out the rivets. The drill diameter has to be larger than the rivet diameter. Drill until the flange is gone.
	Pry out the rivets with a screwdriver.
	Remove the bottom/circuit board combo. Notice that the top has the slider mechanism.
	The blue arrows show the bottom contacts and where they ride on the circuit board. These always touch and give the button the spring. The green lines show where the top contacts touch the board when the button is positioned and pressed.
	The green arrows show grease on the points where the slider touches. A board on a different box had the entire plate coated with grease. Wipe off the grease on the cirucit board and on the contacts of the slider. I am not sure if these areas need the grease, but I cleaned all the grease off.
	Replace the bottom unit into the top. Hook up two power leads from AC terminals on the power pack (yellow and green) to the main power terminals on the box. These also help hold the top and bottom together. Clamp one lead from the voltmeter to the the center terminal (this is the shared power lead to the left and right terminals). Put the other lead to one of the terminals and throw the slider to it. Press the button to see if there is a reading on the voltmeter. I had to put a bit of pressure on the box with my fingers to get the bottom in the correct relationship with the top. Test the other terminal.
If no power is evident: Make sure the power pack is plugged in, turned on, the leads are on the AC terminals and firmly connected, make sure the leads are securely attached to the terminals on the box. Make sure the volt meter is set to AC volts, the leads are firmly attached to the meter and the box terminals. Test the meter by putting the leads on the AC terminals of the power pack (this also tests the power pack). Lightly squeeze the box with fingers and retest. The screw heads need to make contact with the circuit board. If they don't, they won't conduct electricity, tighten if necessary. Remove the bottom/board and reclean. On one board, I had to remove the screws and wipe grease from under the screw heads. Check the slider to see that it is not bent out of shape. The bottom should always touch the the circuit board, but the two uppers should only touch when the button is pressed. On two boxes, the bronze sliders fell off of the button.

Once they tested OK, I clamped the halves together with alligator clips and put 5-minute epoxy along the edges (shown by the red arrows). A 4-40 screw worked to hold the halves together but since the box is thin the screws would have to be cut off once installed and then they wouldn't be able to be removed.
	Several switch controls waiting for the epoxy to set.
	Epoxy has set and re-installation begins. My AC power leads come up through the layout top and are soldered to the connecting lugs. The two boxes have the plastic cutaway on the ends to allow for the wires.

Re-installation complete.
	All boxes retested and they work fine.