I have two issues . Firstly when I turn the sound on (f8) , the locomotive slows down significantly. If I press mute , the loco speeds up ?Its like the power drops big time.
secondly , when the loco goes up a gradient , the chuff rate is hopelessly out of sync with the speed of the loco? Is this normal? The gradient is not too steep.
i notice that there is a type of motherboard that comes with the Bachman situated in the tender. Is it possible that this would have a negative effect on the speed of the loco?Do you think it will make a difference if I hard wired the decoder instead of using the 8 pin harness ?
The 8 pin harness is so you don't have to solder the connections. It won't make a difference. You may have to turn off the BEMF feature to ensure that the locomotive stays synched up with the drivers. Not sure about the other issue you're having.
Depends where the motor capacitors are - they need to be clipped off so the BEMF can work properly as well as the high frequency motor drive from better decoders like the Wow. There are many variations of Bachmann boards, and some have the capacitors not on the board but on the loco, so a picture of the board in the loco in question would be useful.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
The PC board is usually in the tender with steamers.
I looked at the Bachmann website and the parts list shows the PC board in the tender.
All the components are clearly marked. Clip the cap.
Some Bachmann locos, diesel and steam can have as many as three caps.
Couple steamers hide them in the loco.
The two inductors are a moot issue with no caps. I have some Bachmann locos.
Any issues with new installs, reset the decoder to factory specs.
Some recommend ripping out the PC board and doing a hardwire but usually not an easy issue for new users.
You will find multiple installs in different brands of locos.
Contrary to some opinions, generally DCC is not easy. Just look in the various train forums.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
What DCC system do you use?
Any issues with track voltage?
Any other DCC equipped locos?
Peterjh I have two issues . Firstly when I turn the sound on (f8) , the locomotive slows down significantly. If I press mute , the loco speeds up ?Its like the power drops big time.
I have a Spectrum 4-8-2 with Wow sound, I've never turned the sound on or off while the engine's moving so haven't experienced what you are. I'd have to look at the manual, might be by pressing F8 while running, you're turning on "switching mode" or something like that, that cuts the engine's speed in half?
Peterjh secondly , when the loco goes up a gradient , the chuff rate is hopelessly out of sync with the speed of the loco? Is this normal? The gradient is not too steep.
If the engine slows down going uphill, it sounds like you might have Back-EMF turned off, or not set to a high enough amount to allow the engine to keep the same speed uphill, downhill or on level track.
Also, I would try checking CV29, change it so it doesn't allow the engine to run on DC. I have heard of situations where changing that can solve some problems like this.
If that doesn't work, do a factory reset and see how it runs then....
Thanks for help.In response from another member, I adjusted the back emf.It has made a huge improvement
Tish tosh, DCC IS generally easy. Yes, look at various train forums - the issues are eithe ones of basic electricity in which the poster would fail to run trains even if using DC, or else they have a fairly specific issue and get 100 replies, each suggesting a different solution, only 1 of which may actually be correct. There are plenty of locos where it is far more difficult to actually get the shell off than it is to install a decoder, especially now. And extra feeders? Others can say this is not true, but every DC layout I ever built that was HO 4x8 or eqivalent, or larger, always needed extra feeders to keep trains from slowing down at the far points. Yes, this can be compensated by turning up the throttle, but now when it comes back close to the power pack, it starts going too fast. Constantly adjusting the throttle while your train loops around is not the solution. Proper power feeds is. There's little difference with DC vs DCC in that regard.
Just a thought...on a Wow sound decoder, F8 is sound on/off (and how you enter verbal programming). F7 is the brake; each time you hit F7, the engine should reduce speed by 20%. Just for laughs, try running the engine and hit F7 and see if it slows down. If it doesn't slow down, it might be that you've accidently re-mapped the function buttons so that F8 is now both sound on/off and the brake.
Unlikely, but I've done stranger things!