officially p'd off

QUOTE (Cpt Jack Sparrow @ 27 Oct 2008, 21:48) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>that's 3 dcc chip sets fried in as many days

all trying to fit them into bachman split chassis loco. i give up!!!!!!!

Cpt jack

Hi Capt,

Do you try the loco on the prog track first before going to main track with loco

As a readback on programme track can tell you if theres a short before you let the decoder have the power carried on the main track .

QUOTE (upnick @ 28 Oct 2008, 01:02) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hi Capt,

Do you try the loco on the prog track first before going to main track with loco

As a readback on programme track can tell you if theres a short before you let the decoder have the power carried on the main track .

I have a length of track seperate to the main layout I use to programme, what do I do for a read back programme?

I see pounds saving with the next answer

Cpt Jack

Is it possible that it has nothing to do with the programming, Could it be with the mounting of the chip in the first place. They are not the most straight forward of locos to fit a chip to. This is how I fit chips to split frame locos. The motor terminals use the split chassis to take power from the track. One side is + and the other is - . You have to isolate the terminal's on the motor from the chassis. I usually drill 2 holes from the cab end so that the holes appear where terminals would have touched the chassis. Trough the holes the orange and grey wires are treaded trough and soldered to the terminals on the motor. The red wire is connected to one of the split frames and the black to the other. If you have a multimeter check for continuity from the orange wire to both sides of the chassis and the same with the grey wire. While it is a B###h of a job believe me the most difficult part for me was where to put the chip. Usually in the tender but you have to put extension's on to the chip harness as most are too short. My experience to date are with the British outline locos.
Hope this is of some help.
Kauri

Hi Capt

You need to invest in a multi-meter , if you don't already have one

Test for electrical continuity between the motor brush contacts or terminals (where you solder the Orange and Grey wire to ) and the power pickups from the Track

For steam loco's , after removing all wiring , I sit them on a piece of track , put one lead on the motor brush contact (terminal) and the other on each of the rails in turn , If no electrical continuity (short circuit) then you can solder on the decoder wires without frying chips

Hope this helps

Regards Zmil

Cap'n Jack, Any Bachmann split frame requires that the motor be removed as one side of the motor is always in contact with the frame. You will have to sepearate the frame halves by undoing the screws and being careful not to lose any of the frame spacers in the process. You will then have to provide some form of insulation where the motor brush holders come in contact with the frame halves. I usually glue some 10thou plastcard into the frame halves. The orange and grey wires can then be attached to to the brush holders and the motor refitted to the frames. Take care not to pinch the wires between the frames. Reassemble the frames taking care to refit all the frame spacers. The red and black wires need to be attached to opposite frame halves. After yoh have assembeled everything check for continuity with a multimeter between each frame half and the motor brushes before you put it on the programming track. If you get a reading from the multimeter, I use 20kohms setting, then you will have to pull it apart again as you have something touching. If all is good then proceed to the programming track and program away.

best of luck
Charles Emerson
Queensland
Australia

QUOTE (Cpt Jack Sparrow @ 28 Oct 2008, 07:48) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>that's 3 dcc chip sets fried in as many days

all trying to fit them into bachman split chassis loco. i give up!!!!!!!

Cpt jack

Hi all.

Thanks for the advice on frame splitting, this was the part I had no issues with, I think I must have missed some thing in the insulation of the motor, I have a pretty good Idea what I did wrong now, Just an expensive way to learn.

I know one was a definate pinched wire

Second was not insulated completely ate the motor terminal,

Third was just down right stupid Plugged my programme track into the 17v dc output on the controller

Something to be said for unique plugs for each type of out put on the controller.

Slapped myself around abit, had a word with myself and will get some new chips today and redo tonight.

Appologies for being a clown

Cpt Jack

Hi Capt,
Glad you got things sorted out, insulate where the wires route is a good policy at times just to be sure in time wires could rub and create a short, where any motor contact has touched the chassis a liner of 10 thou plasticard as has been said is better than tape as a sharp solder joint may pierce the tape .... been there done that one for the programme track instead of plugs you could wire in a DPDT switch as here in the diagram all you need to remember then is the swiych is set to programme track when testing after an install ..... or use a 'switch it' device as Richard showed us

http://www.modelrailforum.com/forums/index...?showtopic=6124

A note about any drilling or filing of the chassis ............. make sure before reassembly any filings have been cleaned off the chassis completley, i wash the chassis in lighter fluid which also acts as a degreaser for any trace elements of grease which can of course cause problems.

John at Bromsgrove will replace TCS decoders provided the buyer purchases the item from him and pays return postage costs.

QUOTE (SPROGman @ 28 Oct 2008, 16:59) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>That in itself wouldn't damage a decoder, if it really is only 17V and not a badly regulated output that rises a lot higher with no load. After all, many decoders are designed to run on DC and some DCC systems use voltages as high and higher than that.

There must be some other underlying problem.

Andrew

Oh ok, that was on a simple Horby loco as well, that had been running fine I was just checking my test track was working.

more woes

I'll crack it one day

Cpt Jack

Success, I have the loco running happily on DCC.

Well a couple of small funnies.

The chip was not defaulted to 03, but 07, which seemed as I thought I had trashed yet another chip, convinced I had not as I had checked with a multi meter for some reason I started scrolling through the addresses and when I got to 07 it set off down the track.

The only other thing is it goes the wrong way to the selected direction, I really don't want to strip it down so I believe I can swap it in the CV functions

Can anyone guide me how to do that on a Hornby elite.

Thanks
Cpt Jack

QUOTE (Cpt Jack Sparrow @ 28 Oct 2008, 20:55) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Success, I have the loco running happily on DCC.

Well a couple of small funnies.

The chip was not defaulted to 03, but 07, which seemed as I thought I had trashed yet another chip, convinced I had not as I had checked with a multi meter for some reason I started scrolling through the addresses and when I got to 07 it set off down the track.

The only other thing is it goes the wrong way to the selected direction, I really don't want to strip it down so I believe I can swap it in the CV functions

Can anyone guide me how to do that on a Hornby elite.

Thanks
Cpt Jack

If you can change cv's capt change CV 29 give it a value of 1 should solve it does for me let me know how you go on.
Page 35 of the manual i have online here far as i can tell .