I bought this HO Proto F3 unit at a train show in another province some distance away and after I got it home it ran great . . .but did not stop when I turned the throttle down to the stop position. I run a DC system and when I contacted the seller by email he told me that it had a decoder at one time . . . and that he might have left it in . . . if so how could I operate it with my DC system? It will not run with my other Proto units that have the decoder plug in place rather than a decoder. The unit takes off right away and not like my Proto 2-8-0 which slowly powers up (it is DC/DCC compatible).
Any advice?
The decoder could be programmed for a slower stop. If you can, check the decoder CVs. I shouldn't be too hard to remove the decoder unless its a wired one instead of plug and play one.
The Lone Geep
Lone Geep
\
Hi what is a decoder cv?
onrman,
CV is short for 'configuration variable' and is used to program the decoder for various functions. Lone Geep is suggesting that you check the decoder's programming to see how it is programmed to respond. CVs number 3 and 4 control momentum and inertia behaviours - if they're set to anything other than '0', this will result in simulated momentum, which would be why your locomotive can't run with the other, DC-only ones. CVs 2, 6 and 5 control the start, mid-range and stop speeds. If you have a friend with a DCC system, you could ask him to try reading these back for you.
Hope this helps,
tbdanny
The Location: Forests of the Pacific Northwest, OregonThe Year: 1948The Scale: On30The Blog: http://bvlcorr.tumblr.com
CV3 and 4 have no effect when runnign on DC power. CV13 controls which functions (such as the headlights) are on in DC mode, that's the only standard DCC CV that has any effect in DC mode.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
If you are runnig DC I would strongly recommend you just remove the decoder and make your own jumpers from wire to match your other locos.
Sheldon
Well after removing the shell I only see the wires that the previous owner attached to each other - no decoder to replace!
Is there a lump with heat shrink on it? Decoders are quite small and can be easily missed.
Springfield PA
Seems like you have a perpetual motion machine. IOW - impossible. If the throttle is working correctly, the loco must eventually stop when the control is set to zero. Even a large capacitor wouldn't keep it running for long. Is there a battery inside? (Dumb question, but what -the- heck).
Did you meter the track to make sure that there is no voltage there? Do the wheels stop turning immediately when you lift it off of the track?
The mind is like a parachute. It works better when it's open. www.stremy.net
The reason that larak asked that is because the OP said he's running DC. If running a DC controller if the throttle is turned to zero there shouldn't be any voltage present on the track.
Yes, what is my next step once I remove the black elctrical tape?
Hamltnblue The reason that larak asked that is because the OP said he's running DC. If running a DC controller if the throttle is turned to zero there shouldn't be any voltage present on the track.
Not necessarily so. The Aristo Craft Train Engineer, and a few other transistor throttle designs over the years, do not ground the output transistor to zero when off. So, as a regular motor sees it, it is zero because there is no current under load, but a digital volt meter will read as much as half the supply voltage with no load accross the rails.
I'm not sure how a dual mode decoder would see this, and it might begin to explain all the poor performance of dual mode decoders I have experianced with the TE and other transistor throttles.
When the unit is removed the wheels stop. The throttle is working properly as all of my units stop when the throttle is turned to zero. it is the powermaster walk around system.
If possible, remove the shell from the problem F-3 and from one of your other performing locomotives (preferably another Proto F-3), take good photo or two of each and post them. That will let other posters see what is in there and may lead to a solution to your problem.
Good luck!