Hi,I like ESU and Loksound decoders. I have about 10 x 58821 v5 DCC Direct decoders. They seemed a reasonable choice for non dcc-ready locos or conversions from other makes of decoder. Installation went fine.
But:The 58821 decoder identifies as a Locsound v5 Micro when LokProgrammer reads the decoder. A Micro is rated at 0.75A. The decoder itself looks like it is a Micro decoder plugged into a carrier board. Now if the carrier board doesn't have something like higher current mosfet motor drivers, then it makes would seem that the decoder is only rated at 0.75A motor current.
However, all the ads and the ESU website state that this is a full V5 DCC decoder and rated at 1.5A motor current.
My Atlas HO locos seem to have a stall current of around 0.7A. It's not a matter of whether it should be ok, I'd like to know what the 58821 motor current rating really is.
Does anyone have an authorative answer? I've had no response yet from support@esu.com.
Regards,OldnGrey
The web page I think is just them carrying over the description. If you look in the manual, it says 0.75A - it's under Loksound 5 Micro DCC in the chart of features in the manual. In the motor row it's listed at 0.75A.
Considering this is what Atlas puts in their newest factory locos, it should be fine.
Edit: that's exactly what they are, BTW, a Micro plugged in to a special motherboard. The original Select was the same way.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Probably just copying the ESU web page. Like I said, manual clearly says .75, just like the Micro, which is indeed what it is.
I think they did the same thing with the old Select which was based off the v4. The Select Micro was rated for .75A as well, the regular Select was 1.1 amps. The Select Direct page say 1.1 amps, but it is clearly (both in the picture and, I actually have one) is a Select Micro stuck on an Atlas/Athearn form factor board. This is the same way the v5 DCC Direct is made - though the picture on the ESU page is of the Select Direct, not the actual v5 Direct. If you read the v5 Direct copy on the product page, it talks generically about v5 decoders, barely saying anything about this specific form factor. So at the bottom when it says v5 decoders offer up to 1.5 amps - they're definitely talking about the whole range of v5 decoders, not one specific one. A regular v5 is indeed 1.5 amps, but the v5 Micro is 0.75, same as older Micros.
I thought I recalled reading that the additional components on the mother board increased the current rating above the micro decoder alone.
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
The manual doesn't reflect that in the feature chart int he beginning. I'll have to see if I can access one not installed, most of my stuff is still packed up in the garage waiting for my layout to get further along and for me to get going with finishing my work area setup. But it appears the only extra parts are drivers on the function outputs, not the motor leads. And I only have a v4-based Select Direct on hand, unless I take apart my new Atlas RS3.
The carrier board (aka AT motherboard) looks to be identical between the v4 Select Direct and the v5 Direct. That's in photo comparisons. I keep staring at the board and have traced the motor leads from the motor terminals back to the daughter board. I can only see it passing through something labelled "220" which has 2 terminals and appears to be a 220 ohm resistor. That's the 2 big circles you can see on the photos.I have seen contradictory claims for this board and the older select direct as well. I've even seen 1.1A claimed for the select direct. The old web page for the v4 select direct even says it's 1.1A.
There is no full manual for the select direct OR the direct boards, only the quickstart guide. Neither boards are mentioned in the v5 or v4 full manual.
In the quickstart manual it mentions 2 curent capabilities:8 pin and 21MTC - 1.5ANext18, Select Micro and v4 decorder - 0.75A
The v5 Direct daughter board is definitely a Next18 Micro where it plugs into the carrier board.
Some evidence I can see points to it being a 0.75A board.Other evidence points it to being a 1.5A board.
I am leaning towards it being 0.75A simply because it does identify as a Micro and there don't appear to be power mosfets in the carrier board.
Heaven help anyone who buys these boards for an O gauge locomotive after looking at the website and adverts.
Thanks for the discussion. Still nothing back from ESU.
And one more to just add to the confusion :)
I saw in:
https://groups.io/g/Loksound/topic/47286261#22586
that "Mark R" (ie other responder in this thread) says there might be additional components on the motherboard according to "Matt".In any case, it's still not definitive I did see in another thread there that the v4 select direct and the v5 direct use the same motherboard. So that at least shines some light on that.Oh, even if Atlas is putting 0.75 decoders in their loksound equipped locos, others are using up to 2A (eg Tsunami2) in their drop in decoders.