[Ozzie21]

Guys, just this arvo I installed a decoder in a Bachmann BR/LNER V2. luckily these are old split frame models that come apart fairly easily except for the small circlip that holds the eccentric in place. These can be a bugger if you've never pulled one off and are hard to get replacements for if you loose one. After I split the frames and removed the motor I cleaned up the frames to remove the huge amount of grease the factory insists on placeing around the gear wheel. Pity they never seem to get any on the worm. I then removed the the contact springs and the foam pads that stop the motor contacts from touching the wrong frame half. I replaced the foam pads with some suitably sized pieces of 20thou plasticard and did the same to the slots where the contact springs sat. These were glued with CA glue. I then relubed the motor bearings and regreased the worm and gear and then soldered on the motor wires from the decoder. I now put the frame halves back together and placed the wheels and motion back in place. I then soldered back on the front and rear truck pickup wires and checked for a short with my multimeter. No shorts so I then soldered on the chassis pickup wires from the decoder to the rear truck pickups. I used some doublesided foam tape to attach the decoder to the top of the motor and rechecked for shorts. The decoder I used was an NCE N12SR with a rating of 1A continuous and 1.5A peak. This decoder is a double sided one that is fairly small measuring 8.6x18x3.2MM. It also features Torque or Load compensation that works rather well. After i got the body back on I programmed the decoder using Decoder Pro and then gave it a test run. Works very well for a silent running decoder. The Torque or load compensation for the high freqency this decoder uses worked very well with the loco just creeping away on speed step one of 128. Alltogether this is one pretty good decoder and suprising as it's not one I would have normally used. I would have a fitted a Lenz Gold Mini but I was out of them and this one was lying in the back of the cupboard. I just wish I could remember what I bought it for in the first place

Ozzie21

 

[neil_s_wood]

QUOTE The decoder I used was an NCE N12SR with a rating of 1A continuous and 1.5A peak.

Are those ones a lot cheaper than the Lenz?

If they are the ones I am thinking about then theres a hobby shop near me who sells NCE decoders for $35. I may go and check this as it sounds like they are ok.

 

[Ozzie21]

QUOTE (neil_s_wood @ 15 May 2006, 08:49) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Are those ones a lot cheaper than the Lenz?

If they are the ones I am thinking about then theres a hobby shop near me who sells NCE decoders for $35. I may go and check this as it sounds like they are ok.

Neil, yes they are about $34 each but i'd guess you can get then cheaper if you buy in bulk. And yes they are half the price of a lenz Gold but you only get two functions instead of four, no SUSI interface and no power pak connections. They also do a very small N scale decoder with a 1A rating. I'll look up the type number and let you know as I was thinking that it might be a good replacement for a Lenz Gold Mini which costs $72.

Ozzie21

 

[Ozzie21]

Neil, The other decoder is an N14SR or SRP and the difference between the two is one comes with a plug and the other without. The decoder is rated at 1amp with a peak load of 1.25A. it is also a four function decoder which would be a help if you are installing lights in a modern diesel or electric loco. The decoder measures 8.6x14.2x3.18mm so it's fairly small and should fit in an 0-6-0 shunter. It's a bit more expensive being about $40 for an SR and $48 for an SRP. I'll have pick one up and fit it to this bachamnn J79 I have and I'll let you know how it performs.

Ozzie21

 

[neil_s_wood]

Thanks for that Ozzie. I still have a lot of locos to convert so I am on the look out for cheaper decoder options. However due to my experience with the cheaper Bachmann and Lenz ones it's good to hear a recomendation from some one who know a bit about them.

 

[LisaP4]

Guys, try the Digitrax DZ123, its all I use these days, its tiny, has a 1amp rating (2 amps peak), silent smooth running is at least as good as a Lenz Gold, 2 functions, and its cheap - US$15.99 from Gadget Tom's (about AU$21.00). About $2.50 more gets you one with a plug, and the DZ143 is marginally bigger with 4 functions for US$27.99.

IMO its the best decoder around, top quality and cheap.