[StuBeeDoo]

I've got a DS 3503 controller that seems to be "acting weird".  I bought it a couple of years ago.  I'm not good explaining, so please bear with me.

Two completely different cars keep randomly stopping while I'm using the DS controller.  If I swap to my spare SCX Pro-branded Parma controller the cars immediately run perfectly.   This only seems to be happening with the two cars, at the moment.  I have other cars with the same motors which seem to be running fine with the DS controller. 

Both controllers are 45ohm ones.  One car has a PSR 16k FF-050 motor, the other has an RX-42.  The PSU is a 12v one. .......And the first thing I did was clean the wiper contacts with proprietary contact cleaner, which made no difference.
However..........  If I swap to my SCX 14v PSU, the two cars will run loads of laps perfectly with the DS controller.

Do I assume that the DS controller is slowly dying?

Thanks in advance,
Stuart.

[BAracer]

So do they stop in different places around the track, I.e. not a track conductivity issue?

Do they stop if you wiggle the power lead on the DS? (Broken cable/solder joint?)

Do they stop if you put side pressure on the trigger? (Wiper arm lifting off wiper board?)

NOTE...I'm no electrician!

[StuBeeDoo]

So do they stop in different places around the track, I.e. not a track conductivity issue?

Do they stop if you wiggle the power lead on the DS? (Broken cable/solder joint?)

Do they stop if you put side pressure on the trigger? (Wiper arm lifting off wiper board?)

NOTE...I'm no electrician!

Thank you for asking.     Those are points I should have cleared-up.

No, it doesn't appear to be track conductivity, because the points where the cars stop are random.
Wiggling the cable makes no difference.
Pressing the wiper arm onto the board makes no difference.

..........And I'm no electrician, either.  

[StuBeeDoo]

I've been looking at this again.  It now appears that the problem is with the cable.

I'm loath to drop £30-odd on a new controller that could be repaired.  I have tried searching for replacement parts, but the only cables I can find are short adaptor cables.

Can anyone suggest a source of the correct gauge 3-core cable, please?  I can't find controller cable on Pendle's website.

Thanks in advance

[CMOTD]

I am no electrician either but slot cars run at 12v with a current draw of 1-2 amps max so virtually any 3 core flex will do the job. 0.75 mm² will cope with 6 amps at 240v. Your local diy place should have something suitable but Amazon LINK will cut to length if all else fails. Truspeed supply cables for their own controllers so they will fit as well. LINK. There is no such thing as cable specifically for hand controllers.

[StuBeeDoo]

There is no such thing as cable specifically for hand controllers.

I appreciate ^^^ that.     I was more wondering what cable others use.  All I found was UK-spec. brown, blue, yellow/green.

Thanks for the links.  

[StuBeeDoo]

All I found was UK-spec. brown, blue, yellow/green.

It's just occurred to me that I could use ^^^ that and correctly identify the cables with red, white & black heatshrink - which I already have.  Don't know why I didn't think of that before.  

[CMOTD]

DS controllers are an American product and therefore use their wiring colours which are not the same as UK and not readily available here. It doesn't really matter what colour you use though providing you connect both ends to the right bit.

[BAracer]

Spanish? (by Scaleauto)

[CMOTD]

I stand corrected, even though I am, of course, sitting down - Spain it is. Comment still applies though - different cable colours in EU and it doesn't matter what colour you use.