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My system is prodigy with their decoders fitted to my Hornby Mallard A4 & my Hornby Cardigan Castle.. The mallard has always operated correctly but the Castle was a bag of bones on DCC from day one. The faults included
Trapped on manufacture the leads from pick up to DCC socket. OK on DC but flakey on DCC.
None running with DCC chip with body in place OK without.
Would run some mornings but noit afternoon
All these wre fixed by replacing the pickup to socket leads and routing away from lead weight and sharpe edges.
Replaced wires from the socket to the motor.
Finally found that the -ve wire from the decoder back to the DCC plug was held in by the insulation and the conductor was thus intermittent. resoldered now OK.
Have also another question about the Castle tender, no one on the Hornby site has replied maybe someone here will.
The tender has a set of copper brushes that would appear to be for making contact with the wheels on one side. However on mine they don't. These brushes are part of a larger copper plate that terminates in a small slot in the front of the tender where the loco draw bar is inserted, The drawbar has a lower copper p[artt that touches the contacts and the disassembly notes go to length to ensure that you put this back together correctly so the copper parts mate. However the drawbar copper is isolated from the main loco wheels and the body. Anyone know if this is to allow more pick up area?
the A4 hasa wired drawbar.
Trapped on manufacture the leads from pick up to DCC socket. OK on DC but flakey on DCC.
None running with DCC chip with body in place OK without.
Would run some mornings but noit afternoon
All these wre fixed by replacing the pickup to socket leads and routing away from lead weight and sharpe edges.
Replaced wires from the socket to the motor.
Finally found that the -ve wire from the decoder back to the DCC plug was held in by the insulation and the conductor was thus intermittent. resoldered now OK.
Have also another question about the Castle tender, no one on the Hornby site has replied maybe someone here will.
The tender has a set of copper brushes that would appear to be for making contact with the wheels on one side. However on mine they don't. These brushes are part of a larger copper plate that terminates in a small slot in the front of the tender where the loco draw bar is inserted, The drawbar has a lower copper p[artt that touches the contacts and the disassembly notes go to length to ensure that you put this back together correctly so the copper parts mate. However the drawbar copper is isolated from the main loco wheels and the body. Anyone know if this is to allow more pick up area?
the A4 hasa wired drawbar.
