Vail and Southwestern RR wrote: My guess is that the decoder is ok, but I can't figure how to prove it!
My guess is that the decoder is ok, but I can't figure how to prove it!
Maybe if Cuda hardwired the decoder and bypassed the circuit board. I have a feeling that the DCC board is bad.
TONY
"If we never take the time, how can we ever have the time." - Merovingian (Matrix Reloaded)
Jeff But it's a dry heat!
First set of headlights lasted for about 15 hours or so. With it being a SD-50 and tight fitting shell it may be the normal heat that I cannot feel on the wider body engines I have. I am 85% sure they is something not right with the decoder. When I am more in the mood and dont have caulk all over my finguers (working on the moutains) I will feild strip the SD to bare frame and look for problems. I will all so change out the decoder for the DC thing and see what happens on DC. Next I will test it with a driffernt Decoder and see what the starting voltage is.
One of the reasons I think the decoder is not right, sometimes it picks up speed with out me changing it speed, then slows down again.
Thanks for all you all for your time for answering yet a nother question from Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
While I like the hard wired truck connections, the "hot" chassis method has been the standard for Athearn for almost 40 years, and never caused any issues for me.
That metal strap connection to the top motor lead, Now that's another story that should have ended 39 years ago.
river_eagle wrote: The one thing that gets me is that the previous owner swapped the RTR trucks for blue box trucks, which explains the "L" shaped metal tabs and why you don't see two wires going to each end of the circuit board. My concern with this "modification" is that the tabs may eventually rub the paint off the chassis, if they touch the chassis while the engine goes through curves, it can potentially cause a short circuit. Do you run this loco on tight radii? I know I have no solution to your dilemma, but I just had to point out what I see.The trucks were not changed out, I have several factory fresh RTR units that have the same setup, one chassis pickup attached to frame be one wire and screw.
The one thing that gets me is that the previous owner swapped the RTR trucks for blue box trucks, which explains the "L" shaped metal tabs and why you don't see two wires going to each end of the circuit board. My concern with this "modification" is that the tabs may eventually rub the paint off the chassis, if they touch the chassis while the engine goes through curves, it can potentially cause a short circuit. Do you run this loco on tight radii? I know I have no solution to your dilemma, but I just had to point out what I see.
The trucks were not changed out, I have several factory fresh RTR units that have the same setup, one chassis pickup attached to frame be one wire and screw.
I guess this was a feature of early RTR locos because the ones I have aren't like that. Is there a performance difference between the BB truck and RTR truck?
Cudaken
I won't be any help but I was wondering if the headlights burn out and the motor gets hot does't that suggest that there is too much voltage applied to it???
Happy railroading
Lee S.
So they are not the correct trucks? I thought it might have been a early RTR Athean using the older trucks that where left over.
Do you think hard wiring the trucks would help improve it? It just takes so much power and gets hot.
Would a decoder set to a higher starting voltage cause it to run warm?
On a side note and I will start a posting about this, but the front headlights burned out. Installed the new ones and they last a hour if that? I used Athearn ATHG63843's.
Thanks for the answers.
Cuda Ken
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
cudaken wrote:
Nothing missing electronically from the photo you show. The one thing that gets me is that the previous owner swapped the RTR trucks for blue box trucks, which explains the "L" shaped metal tabs and why you don't see two wires going to each end of the circuit board. My concern with this "modification" is that the tabs may eventually rub the paint off the chassis, if they touch the chassis while the engine goes through curves, it can potentially cause a short circuit. Do you run this loco on tight radii? I know I have no solution to your dilemma, but I just had to point out what I see.
Jim, Modeling the Kansas City Southern Lines in HO scale.
I bought this off E-Bay a month or so ago. I asked before about the decoder having a high starting voltage. We tried to reset the CV's at K-10 Models trains but could not get it to change. It has a Digitrax DH-123. For now the decoder high starting voltage is not the question, but what I found in the SD may have some bearing on it.
Front headlights burned out last week and received the new ones today. I open the shell and noticed there seemed to be something missing?
As you can see, there is one ground wire that goes to the PC board from the frame? So current pick up for one side of power is from the truck frame using the engines chassis as the ground. If that is OK, then why do other Athearn RTR's I own have power leads wires that come from the metal frames of the trucks to the PC board on booth ends?
Could this have anything with the high voltage I need to get her moving?
On a side note, under the decoder you can see 8 holes that a decoder might be able to plug into, is that what it is for?
Well, glue for the new lights are cured. Time to install the shell. Thanks for the up coming answers and tips.