[SRman]

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).

 

[SRman]

Actually, I did follow the rule about desoldering the motor brush wires from the pickups, I just got it back-to-front when I came to solder the decoder connections! Because the Black Beetle sits under the floor of the unit I didn't carefully (enough) identify which connection was which. As I said, I can only blame myself.

Hopefully; lesson learnt! (Where's that red face smilie gone?)

 

[SRman]

This can also be a problem in OO with Heljan diesels if care is not taken with the mounting and insulation.