I’m working on a custom sound project with a Digitrax SDH166 sound decoder and a pr4 programmer. Somehow one of the pins on the 10 pin socket bent. With small flathead screwdrivers I was able to fix that, but now I don’t have any voltage going to the speaker. I re downloaded the sound project and resoldered joints with no result. I had another decoder with a similar bent plug problem that I fixed also with the same problem. speaker is new. any ideas as to a possible fix?
Is this a first-time installation for this decoder? Did it ever work?
You may be able to return it for a replacement.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
not sure what their warranty policy is regarding 'end user repairs' ..
first thing that i would do is try the speaker on a known good decoder, to determine if it's speaker or decoder
Digitrax has a "no worries" warranty - even if you are the one who damaged it, the first replacment is covered.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Read CV60. If the value is 0 change to 1. If 1 change to 0. See if this helps. Joe
What does CV 60 do in Digitrax?
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Selects between the two sound sets you can load in some of the sound decoders. Out of the package they usually come with a generic steam sound and a diesel that is sort of an SD38. Changing CV60 selects between the two. Most of the better sound projects you can download and install need all the memory, so if CV60 is set to 1, it will be selecting a sound selection that isn't there, and be silent.
If that doesn't work, I'd try doing a re-set on the decoder. It's happened to me that I've downloaded a sound project only to find out that it didn't really download, it just kinda erased what had been there so no sound.
From what I read in the original post, I wonder if he's fractured the lead from the pin to the wirebond going to the actual IC die inside the package. It is technically possible to 'fix' that but not without more specialized tools than he probably has... unless he wants to try the 'baking reflow' approach
I'd tell him to go the 'warranty' return route if he possibly can.
Before sending it back, I would test everything just to be sure. Unplug the the decoder and plug it into another engine with a 9-pin receptacle and see if that works. If this was a hardwire connection, make sure the harness you connected up doesn't have a bad wire. Connect up a new speaker to the decoder, just in case the decoder is OK but the speaker is bad.