A friend has apparently fried the decoder in his F40PH Bachmann Spectrum locomotive.He asked me (?) for advice - I would like to help him out, and I would normally advise him to get a suitable Digitraxx decoder ( one iwth an 8 pin plug), but I see that Bachmann has a decoder that is good for either DC or DCC,which may be the one the loco came with. Any suggestions? I believe that his long term plan is to stick with DCC only.
(He had the loco on the track when he hooked up both Dc and DCC control system at the same time, the DC controller kept cutting out on overload.)
Mr.Mick
Modelling the New Haven
The digitrax one will work on dc or dcc as well. And it will be a better decoder than the Bachmann one - the Bachmann supplied decoders are pretty much no-frills. You cna also look at decoders from NCE or TCS.
--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 am in favor of a Digitraxx decoder, I need to recommend one with an 8 pin plug; I will check out the track wiring one more time by running a known operational DCC loco on it tomorrow, and if that works, and the Bachmann doesn't, I will recommend a new decoder. Digitraxx does not list one for this particular locomotive, do you think that the DN135D that they are currently advertising would be a good choice?
Mr. Mick
If I'm reading your post correctly, you friend should NEVER have both a DC and DCC system hooked up to the same section of track. That is probably what burned up the decoder.
Will
Just about anything with an 8 pin plug should work. DN135D is just wires, you need the DN135PS to be able to just plug it in.
A) I think you need to make sure that the DCC command station has not been damaged.
B) I would not test the system by placing yet another DCC engine on it until I was absolutely sure that both systems are not still hooked up.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
They now know that they can not connect up both systems at the same time.
Todays plan is to test a know, good locomotive (DCC ) with their control system, and to try to operate their 40PH with a known, working DCC cab.
After todays plan, I am thinkinig that they will be ordering a new decoder (one with an 8 pin plug), and hopefully not a new cab.
Thanks to all: as usual, the replies have been very helpful in working through this problem.
York, Maine
I have not seen a diagram of this loco but the below decoder might fit. It is a replacement for the Bachmann decoders and is a better decoder.
http://www.ncedcc.com/images/stories/manuals/bachdv35.pdf
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.