installing a Current Keeper

[dbduck]

I have an Athearn locomotive (DCC)  that for some reason the front truck pick-up is intermittent causing the loco to sputter & the light to flicker. I have cleaned the wheels on both the trucks, has helped but still a few issues

My question is  if I install a Current keeper or other brand of "keep alive" unit into the locomotive would it be beneficial? 

The  Current Keeper i am considering using has a small plug on the end to plug into the decoder however the decoder in the locomotive (DigiTrax) does not have an input.  there are 2 wires on the Current Keeper, a black & a blue Can they just be soldered to the tabs on top of the rear truck?  Does it matter which side the colors go on?

Thanks in advance 

[Trainman440]

Hi, yes, a current keeper/keep alive/simply just using capacitors will help with your engine. However, you cant just wire it to track power. It'll render both the decoder and controller useless. 

I am no expert on digitrax decoders but technically, Im sure there's a place you can wire it onto and have success. However, digitraxx decoders arent designed to be used with one of these keep alives. 

What decoder are you using in particular?

My best adivce would be to clean the track, and clean the pickups on the wheels. See whats stopping the pickups from doing their job, maybe there's too much grease or something. Maybe there's a loose wire somewhere. 4 axle diesels generally shouldnt have pickup issues. 

If that doesnt work and its bad enough Id replace it with a decoder that has keep alive expanding capabilities. (note all 21 pin decoders can easily have keep alive installed).

Charles

[hon30critter]

Hi dbduck,

I'm not sure that adding a keep alive is the best approach to this situation. It is like putting a bandaid on a cut that requires stitches.

There is likely a defect in the power pickup system. I would suggest dismantling the locomotive and checking each component as you go. As was suggested, you may have a broken wire or most likely a loose connection, or there might be some dirt or grease interfering with the power transmission.

While you have the locomotive apart you will have the opportunity to improve the reliability of the wiring by soldering all the wires in place instead of relying on slip on connectors.

As Charles pointed out, you can't just attach the keep alive to the truck leads. That would mess your whole system up! You will have to find a schematic of the decoder wiring to find out where to attach the wires. If you do decide to add a keep alive to the existing decoder, you should consider including a disconnect switch so that the keep alive can be disconnected from the decoder without having to unsolder any wires. Some decoders can't be programmed with a keep alive attached. The keep alive prevents the power to the decoder from being shut off temporarily which is necessary when the reprogramming is taking place.

Good luck! If you are uncertain about taking the locomotive apart then just ask and we will help. We would need to know exactly which Athearn locomotive you are working on.

Cheers!!

Dave

[richg1998]

Here is an article on stay alive.

 Stay alive has evolved from just a capacitor, diode and resistor.

When you pull the shell on a loco, you better have some DCC knowledge.

http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/mainnorth/alive.htm

There are more links at the bottom of the page.

It is a little dated.

Rich

[Mark R.]

Common problem that I've found on new engines is that the trucks are over-lubricated and it has leached out to the axle tips / journals causing poor electrical conductivity. Dis-assemble the trucks and make sure those two points are clean and dry. That's a start ....

Mark.

[BigDaddy]

richg1998

http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/mainnorth/alive.htm There are more links at the bottom of the page.

the links to theDCCguy.com don't work, at least for me.  I've seen his youtube videos and they are good.

[rrinker]

 it all depends on if it is an older BB type loco or a more recent RTR - old BB locos, if they still have the original sintered iron wheels, could use a set of replacement wheels for much improved pickup (though you do lose some pulling power - but most any newer loco has turned or plated wheels). On some RTR, like one of my RS3s, the plastic piece they put in to block the view of the metal truck sideframes seem to prevent proper contact of the broze bushings with the metal part of the sideframe, which is how the power gets transferred. Solering leads directly tot he bushings and bypassing the truck to chassis connection is probably the best fix.

                                       --Randy

 

[mbinsewi]

I'd go after the problem with the electrical pick-up, instead of a keep-alive.

Mike.