So I guess I fried a decoder!

[jkroft]

I think I may have fried a digitrax decoder in my atlas SD-60...  I had a piece of ballast get caught in the gears...  I cleaned it out but my decoder won't respond except for the lights anymore.  I popped in the old stock Lenz decoder and it works fine.  I have 9 other digitrax decoders and all work fine. What other brands of decoders are good?  I like the 3-step speed tables and the back-EMF of the digi but I may try a different brand just for the heck of it.

[UpNorth]

Assumed  you reset the decoder to default values first.

[locoi1sa]

 Train Control Systems or TCS would be my decoder of choice for motor and headlights only. NCE would be my choice for locos with ditch lights. Try a TCS decoder just one time and program it to see how easy it is. All the newer TCS decoders have built in BEMF plus its programable to turn off at a pre set speed step set up with a CV. Thats a great feature for MUing locos so say BEMF turns off at speed step 3 the locos would not be fighting each other after speed step 4 and above.

    Pete
 

[jkroft]

 

All the newer TCS decoders have built in BEMF plus its programable to turn off at a pre set speed step set up with a CV. Thats a great feature for MUing locos so say BEMF turns off at speed step 3 the locos would not be fighting each other after speed step 4 and above.

    Pete
 

Excellent!  That's exactly what I want!  I may have to try a TCS.  All I've tried is Digitrax and the stock Lenz that came with an Atlas.  I like the digitrax, don't like the Lenz.  I also found a flaw with Digitrax' UniVersal consisting...  I'm gonna eventually switch over to all advanced consisting soon. 

[Arjay1969]

If you use a TCS A6X decoder, it has a voltage regulator built in, so you don't have to use resistors for 1.5v bulbs.  It has a major advantage...you can take the locomotive to different layouts if needed, and regardless of the track voltage, the headlights/ditch lights/beacons/whatever will always stay the same brightness.  And as mentioned, the newer versions of their decoders all have BEMF now.