My first fried decoder

QUOTE (SRman @ 20 Jul 2008, 17:59) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Well, I've finally got it wrong with a decoder installation. I've smoked a brand new TCS M1 decoder!

It was my own fault too. I decided to install a decoder in my 3R "Tadpole" unit (BR class 206) which meant doing a hard-wired job. The unit has a Black Beetle motor bogie which needs the motor feed wires desoldered from the pick up tags. Stupid me solders new wires to the motor brush wires using black and red wires to match the Black Beetle originals, then blithly goes on to solder grey and orange wires to the pick ups. Of course, no prizes here, you can guess the rest. I connected the motor drive to the track pick up wires of the decoder and the track pick ups to the motor wires of the decoder. Yup! It went up in a puff of smoke - quite convincing coming out of the exhaust port on the roof of the motor coach but unfortunately no movement to go with it.

Aren't I lucky TCS has that "Goof Proof" warranty!

Still, it is the first time I've blown up a decoder, all others I've lost having been failures in service (mostly Digitrax ones I'm afraid).
I managed to fry one of these too Jeff. Difference was that it was a plug in job. These decoders seem more succeptible than most.

This fried chips club is getting alot of members!!
Shame we can't put Salt&Vinegar on them and have lunch!!! Someone had to say it!

I've done a few TCS M1's which is my decoder of choice now, it's fitted in virtually all my stock N and OO gauge.
Nice thing is go to the TCS web site fill in the warranty form and send the lot to them, it normally takes about 7 working days and new ones arrive...excellent

I've just got a Dapol Virgin voyager, I want TCS to start making the NEM651 6 pin plug in chips!!!!
I used the new Digitrax Dz125IN ran perfect for over half an hour, then one of the chips just went pop, no smoke but it just stopped and I was getting a constant short circuit.
Removed the chip all ok.
The strange thing is, this chip was in the end car so it was only being used for function control of the lights, nothing else.
The other two decoders are still fine, I remember having trouble programming the address on the one thats gone pop, so it could have been just a bad decoder, checked all the lighting wires and they are all ok.
Anyway thats gone back to Digitrax for a warranty replacement.

QUOTE (wiggy25 @ 25 Jul 2008, 12:55) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>This fried chips club is getting alot of members!!
Shame we can't put Salt&Vinegar on them and have lunch!!! Someone had to say it!

I've done a few TCS M1's which is my decoder of choice now, it's fitted in virtually all my stock N and OO gauge.
Nice thing is go to the TCS web site fill in the warranty form and send the lot to them, it normally takes about 7 working days and new ones arrive...excellent

I've just got a Dapol Virgin voyager, I want TCS to start making the NEM651 6 pin plug in chips!!!!
I used the new Digitrax Dz125IN ran perfect for over half an hour, then one of the chips just went pop, no smoke but it just stopped and I was getting a constant short circuit.
Removed the chip all ok.
The strange thing is, this chip was in the end car so it was only being used for function control of the lights, nothing else.
The other two decoders are still fine, I remember having trouble programming the address on the one thats gone pop, so it could have been just a bad decoder, checked all the lighting wires and they are all ok.
Anyway thats gone back to Digitrax for a warranty replacement.

The 6-pin TCS decoder is some way off yet, I'm told.

We can handle the TCS warranty replacements for customers who have bought them from us, so no need to return them to the US - turnround is quicker, just for the cost of postage.

We hope to be a direct Digitrax retailer in the UK within the next few weeks (direct invitation from Digitrax), rather than having to go through a supplier, so we may be able to handle their warranties as well, but I will update on this later.

Regards

John R
Bromsgrove Models

Ok so I spoke too soon.

Was running my renumbered 60096 which I chipped with a TCS M1 decoder and everything was running perfectly. The loco was running for about 15 minutes and then all of a sudden the loco stopped. The loco's lights were still on so thought that it had just stalled on a part of the track but when I took the body off there was no sign of the decoder then I realised the decoder was still there but literally welded to the plastic body. I managed to carefully remove the chip from the body and after a lot cursing and swearing because the chip had slightly damaged the grille area on the roof. I had a look round and even though I had gone round the chassis with tape to try and protect it from any chance of a short one of the motor tabs coming from the circuit board had touched the chassis and blown the decoder. I haven't had a chance to test the loco to make sure no permanent damage has been done to the motor or circuit board but after speaking to a friend who this has happened to he assures me that everything should be ok but to just make sure when I get my replacement decoder from TCS under the Goof Proof warranty that I check check and check 2 more times to make sure nothing will move.

I have taken the steps though to make sure none of the other locos I did the other day have worked loose and suffer the same fate but you never know and I will just have to keep an eye on the rest of them every so often.

QUOTE (harkins77 @ 16 Aug 2008, 03:24) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Ok so I spoke too soon.

Was running my renumbered 60096 which I chipped with a TCS M1 decoder and everything was running perfectly. The loco was running for about 15 minutes and then all of a sudden the loco stopped. The loco's lights were still on so thought that it had just stalled on a part of the track but when I took the body off there was no sign of the decoder then I realised the decoder was still there but literally welded to the plastic body. I managed to carefully remove the chip from the body and after a lot cursing and swearing because the chip had slightly damaged the grille area on the roof. I had a look round and even though I had gone round the chassis with tape to try and protect it from any chance of a short one of the motor tabs coming from the circuit board had touched the chassis and blown the decoder. I haven't had a chance to test the loco to make sure no permanent damage has been done to the motor or circuit board but after speaking to a friend who this has happened to he assures me that everything should be ok but to just make sure when I get my replacement decoder from TCS under the Goof Proof warranty that I check check and check 2 more times to make sure nothing will move.

I have taken the steps though to make sure none of the other locos I did the other day have worked loose and suffer the same fate but you never know and I will just have to keep an eye on the rest of them every so often.

My first install on a Farish 66 had this problem - putting the body back on pushed the PCB down so that one of the solder blobs touched the chassis. My solution is to tape a piece of Plastikard to the top of the chassis next to the slot where the motor contacts are - the extra thickness compared with tape on is own makes accidental contact much less likely. You should also put a bit of heatshrink round the motor contact itself if this isn't already provided (I think it is on the 60 but not the 66).