Why? Why? Why?

1664 Views 4 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Brian Considine, Sep 15, 2008

zmil

Discussion Starter · Sep 13, 2008

Hi All
Why is it , after rewiring , heatshrinking , installing the decoder , getting the locomotive to run correctly , the tail lights wont work?

1. The bulb is blown?
2. The wiring is incorrect?
3. The function is set incorrectly?
4. Dry soldered joint?

No none of the above - the yellow wire function will not work!!

Of coarse I had taken the mini bulb out of the heatshrink , tested with meter and voltage , rewired with new wires
tested again , tested functions again
Put a Meter on the yellow and blue wire -No significant voltage

That's two faulty decoders in 3 installs

The lighting only decoder was perfect

These things are sent to try us!

Regards Zmil

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Richard Johnson

· #2 · Sep 13, 2008 (Edited by Moderator)

QUOTE (zmil @ 13 Sep 2008, 10:34) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>That's two faulty decoders in 3 installs

***Curious indeed. Your luck isn't good right now - In well over a thousand installs, I've never seen a decoder faulty out of the packet.... although I've had perhaps a couple of dozen a year back from clients saying "faulty when I installed it".

I did have a customer drop in once with a gloomy face telling me he was P-ed off as he'd installed 5 decoders in the same loco and they were all faulty.... I wouldn't replace them under goof proof unless he gave me the loco to look at, and of course.... once I'd isolated the motor bottom brush clip from the chassis, things were fine

.

Richard

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Edwin

· #3 · Sep 13, 2008 (Edited by Moderator)

A few months back I fitted a N gauge wagon with a flashing tail light using an old decoder with fried motor drive. Didn't work.

Was the decoder more dead than I thought? Couldn't get an acknowledgement on the programming track because no motor drive and no motor connected. Should have tested it before fitting...

Were the pickups working? When I poked around with a meter probe the pickup strips lifted off the axles or the wheels lifted off the rails.

Was the LED dead? Decoder outputs thoroughly heatshrinked so no way of measuring voltage there.

At this point I gave up and a few weeks ago came back to the project. I fitted a brand new function decoder and put a resistor on a spare function lead so it would programme properly. Left some wires bare for testing.

Then I found that I'd forgotten to reverse one of the axles so both pickups were connected to the same rail.

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zmil

Discussion Starter · #4 · Sep 14, 2008

Hi All

I decided not to send the Decoder back

I need an M1 anyway (as I had the M1 last week with no Grey wire) There is only a $3.00 difference between the M1 and M3 and it will cost $2.00 to send back!
The faulty one is a M3 and I used the 3 function for internal lights

I will use the Faulty M3 in place of the job intended for the second M1
Lucky the M3 install was in the BR614 DMU and the decoder was positioned Midway on top of the existing board for the power transfer and lighting in the DMU , so the wires are still at a reasonable length.The other DMU will have to wait for a new decoder.

The dummy end has a FL4 with 2 functions used for internal lighting , this worked out well .

I have had a interesting time with this DMU (see post on Running backwards Here )

Maybe I am just unlucky with the decoders (my Grandson bought this batch on special , as they were old stock before BEMF)

They all looked New unopened , but were probably made during the office Christmas party

I did have a decoder previously which none of the functions worked (T4X ) and the replacement decoder
plugged into the harness and everything worked perfectly

Sometimes you just have to be patient

Regards Zmil

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Brian Considine

· #5 · Sep 15, 2008

QUOTE (Edwin @ 13 Sep 2008, 08:51) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Then I found that I'd forgotten to reverse one of the axles so both pickups were connected to the same rail.
Bin there - done that !

It's so easy to forget the basics !

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