Boy aren't you folks happy I bought a PR 3! 3 years ago I bought a set of PK 2000 F-2's, A is powered and B holds a Soundtrax sound decoder. Headlight went out and local DCC expert installed a new light (not Simon 1966). After that it started sounding like the Gong Show! Bing Bong Burp and ran but sure did not sound a F-2!
Fast forward to this year, Simon took it home and got the light working. Has a odd connector that would not keep the wires hooked together. It was still making the Bing Bong Burping sounds, Simon thought it was because the connector was not solid.
Tonight I used a zip lock for now to make the plugs stay in, sitting there it sounds great! Start to move engine rev's up, horn will sound then the Bing Bong Burps starts up again.
All the PR 3 will tell me it is Soundtrax decoder, not which one. Simon Loco Buffer did the same thing. Would CV 8 set it to default? If so, Simon do you remember what you changed to get the light on?
In many way the F-2 is a mess, missing parts and needs some TLC. But it sure sounds good sitting there!
Pain in the caboose Ken
I hate Rust
Ken it has the old LC series Soundtraxx, which I for one think are worthless. They constantly reset with the slightest bit of dirty track. I have exactly one in my fleet and hardly ever use it. What you are hearing is the reset. The connector sure does not help either.
Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum
Yup, no keep-alive on those old LC decoders. Track, wheels, pickup wipers, wires, etc all need to be PERFECT or they will constantly reset as the loco moves. The motor drives are pretty bad in them too, no high frequency drive so depending on the quality of the motor they are driving there will be an annoying buzz over the sounds. It's possible to add a keep-alive circuit to them, but it requires soldering directly to the decoder itself.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I have heard of a Keep Alive Circuit but not sure what it is Randy, can you give me some details.
Guess the first order of business will be a good wheel cleaning.
Ken
cudaken I have heard of a Keep Alive Circuit but not sure what it is Randy, can you give me some details. Guess the first order of business will be a good wheel cleaning. Ken
My LCs are less than a year old and dare I say have never given me a problem. Could be just the old ones. If budget would allow I would replace with full service decoder. Luck
Lee
This guy shows you how to do it for various decoders, including non-sound ones. Lots of big pictures, but if your decoder is not exactly one he pictures you will have to examine it carefully to find the proper attachment points. http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/mainnorth/alive.htm
I've got an LC in a Proto Alco RSC-3. It sounds good, runs well and never gives me any trouble at all. This is a 6-axle diesel with full pickup, so that may help with connectivity, but I've been very happy with this decoder. It's been in the engine for 2-3 years.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I had an LC I was working on putting in a Stewart F7 B dummy, and it worked well enough pushing around the layout, but the Stewart B is heavy and has some very good wheel pickups. The difference with the Proto FA is they are early Protos, and have a directly cloned from Athearn drive and pickup - including relying on the contact between the bottom of the chassis and the top of the truck for one side of the circuit. Soldering wires to both truck side plates will greatly improve pickup on those locos, as will making sure the little brass bearings are clean and making good contact with the side plates. Use a conductive oil for lube. I've known peopel to go so far as to solder wires to each brass bearing so there is only one friction surface in the entire chain - the stub axle of the wheel to the bearing. On my FA's and the MDC RS3 kit that also has the P2K drive in it, the wheels look turned and palted, not the sintered type used by Athearn, but if they are sintered, replacing them with turned NWSL wheels will also greatly increase electrical reliability, at the expense of some pulling power.
We all look at what we think the problem is, most time it is not the problem we think it is. God I learned that from 1:1 cars. This is blurred picture of part of the decoder installer.
I was looking to see if there was power pick up on the A unit. The PK 2000 has belt driven fan for the radiator. Screws are missing, then I spotted this!
There is a ground under the fan stand! Think this could cause a problem with the Beeping and Burping sounds? In the picture I was test fitting a Kadee screw, but there is one broken off in the hole. So it is drill press time to get it out. Or find a different mounting point. Hum Simon, have a drill press?
My best guess is the expert that installed the new light had the screw fall a part and did not think anything of it. Fan was never mounted well.
Other reason I think this is the problem, up to then it pulled well and sounded great! Hope to make this a Monon engine, it is all ready black. I will up date later.
Thanks again, Ken.
If the Proto FA's are the original version with the operating radiator fan then you also have a wheel problem. The original run had a bronze style wheel which is almost as bad as a Athearn sintered wheel for dirt collection. NWSL did make replacement wheel sets for the engines. Also ckeck the frame where the truck pivots as sometimes the paint has not been cleaned off and one side of truck uses that point for electrical connection. --------------Ken McCorry
Indeed if that wire is just sitting there with no screw in the hole, that's a large aprt of the problem. Remember, the whole thing works like an Athearn Blue Box, only the motor is wired in place instea dof using a contact strip underneath it, so the side of the circuit usually supplied on an Athearn by the lower motor clip is instead supplied by that wire being screwed to the chassis. Easiest fix, just drill a hole nearby and tap it, clean off the paint for the diameter of the loop terminal, and screw it down. Also heed Ken McCorry's advice - I forgot about that, the first runs of those did use a really oddball wheel. Replacing those with some good quality ones (if you can;t get the NWSL ones, perhaps the ones from later FA runs would fit) will greatly improve performance. But the number 1 problem is likely that missing screw, one whole side of your electrical pickup is only slightly press-fitted in place.
Yep, I know the wheels will be a problem down the main line. Main thing is to get it running first. Did not work on the engine tonight, played with the PR 3.
Thanks again friends, Ken