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Digitrax decoder shuts down sometimes?

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  • Member since
    March 2007
  • 32 posts
Digitrax decoder shuts down sometimes?
Posted by johnnyrails on Thursday, September 7, 2017 8:50 AM

This is strange. 

I have a Kato ho AC44OO with a Digitrax sdh104k1 sound & motor function decoder installed. 

After running for awhile, the locomotive will short, trip the pm42 district, the locomotive Will continue to trip, sometimes 3 or 4 times,  then run normally.

If the locomotive is just selected,  it will idle, no problem what so ever. 

Any suggestions as to where the problem lies?

Thanks John 

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Thursday, September 7, 2017 10:08 AM

 When it trips the breaker, take the shell off and touch the decoder - see if it is getting too hot. Or if possible, run with the shell off and see if it does the sme thing - these modern locos with all the wires to ditch lights and so forth sometimes can't run just the bare chassis so that might not be possible.

                               --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

  • Member since
    March 2007
  • 32 posts
Posted by johnnyrails on Friday, September 8, 2017 9:59 AM

Update...

Last night I reset decoder cv8 to 8.

Put locomotive on the track,  select it, lights working,  sounds working. 

As soon as I give it some throttle,  it trips pm42.

Throttle back down to 0, idles fine???

Any suggestions?

Thanks John 

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
Posted by BigDaddy on Friday, September 8, 2017 10:11 AM

Assuming you have more than one loco and none of the others are doing this, it is shutting down because it is sucking up too many electrons.  There is a short somewhere, a  pinched or bare wire.  We can't see it from here so you need to trace all the wires.

In DCC the voltage doesn't change at the tracks, but the motor itself is getting more juice as it speeds up.  I would look at those connections first.

Could it be a bad board?  I suppose anything can go bad.  I'll let others weigh in on that.  Wires are still the first suspect.

 

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Friday, September 8, 2017 12:24 PM

 If none of the motor wires are loose or shorted, it's likely either a bad decoder or a bad motor. 

                                  --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • 1,932 posts
Posted by Stevert on Friday, September 8, 2017 1:58 PM

johnnyrails

Update...

Last night I reset decoder cv8 to 8.

Put locomotive on the track,  select it, lights working,  sounds working. 

As soon as I give it some throttle,  it trips pm42.

Throttle back down to 0, idles fine???

Any suggestions?

Thanks John 

 

 
Disconnect the universals and try it again.  If it still trips the PM42, it's a bad motor or decoder, or a wiring issue.
 
If it doesn't trip it, it's probably a bind in one of the trucks.

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