I´ve a Mantua articulated tank logger, with an ESU Loksound. I stops abruptly on turnouts and curves, not in straight track. What can I do, ad more energy pick ups to the wheels, or ad a capacitor somewhere in the loco circuit? Thanks.
If it's one of the older ones (i.e. not a recent Model Power reissue) it probably only picks up from one side of the engine drivers and the other side on the tender wheels...or if it's a tank engine, only picks up on one side on one set of drivers and on the other side on the other set of drivers. Adding something like sliders to pick up power, or making connections to the "other" side wheels to pick up power, will probably make it run better.
At least that would explain the issue at turnouts. If it's losing power at curves too, it might be something else like mechanism binding or something??
Harley-Davidson I´ve a Mantua articulated tank logger, with an ESU Loksound. I stops abruptly on turnouts and curves, not in straight track. What can I do, ad more energy pick ups to the wheels, or ad a capacitor somewhere in the loco circuit? Thanks.
Be careful when you think, just add a capacitor.
Below is a link to the Stay Alive/Keep Alive issue.
http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/nswmn/
Get your multimeter out and check for continuity between all drivers and the red and black leads for the decoder. If the loco is the one with a tender, make sure all wheels pickup. Clean the track with alcohol. Clean the wheels with alcohol. Make sure the frogs are powered.
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.
Thanks both. Ii´s the new model, but has picks up on one side of the front divers, and in the other side of the rear drivers, so evidently the problem is the lack of more picks up, not noticeable when ran in DC, just out of the box. About the capacitor, now I´m thinking about this maybe will make some interference to the DCC smooth running.... Thnaks
Adding a 'Keep-Alive' capacitor is not as easy in DCC as it was in the DC days on DC locomotives. The track is AC and a capacitor can't be used on the input to the decoder. It also can't be used on the motor because it reverses direction. The capacitor has to be added to the decoder's circuit board. That is why you were referred to look up the link about this subject.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
Harley-Davidson Thanks both. Ii´s the new model, but has picks up on one side of the front divers, and in the other side of the rear drivers, so evidently the problem is the lack of more picks up, not noticeable when ran in DC, just out of the box. About the capacitor, now I´m thinking about this maybe will make some interference to the DCC smooth running.... Thnaks
DCC is sensitive to inadequate pickup, dirty drivers and track. The slightest hiccup will affect decoders. This can happen at turnouts also.
All you have to do is look at the link I provided previously. It explains everything about Stay Alive and how a capacitor is hooked up. You need a diode and resistor also.
I figured you would click on the link and do a bunch of reading.
Yes, very good article, I´m reading it deeply, thanks tou
Marcus is very good with DCC and model railroading. He has a lot of stuff so take your time. He also belongs to some Yahoo DCC groups for some different decoders and DCC controllers.
I belong to at least twenty model railroad groups/forums and have accumulated a lot of info which helps a lot in this hobby. The 'Net is loaded with useful info if you take time to search. Goof luck.
Pickup ideas from his site.
http://members.optusnet.com.au/nswmn1/ExtraPickUps.htm
Yes, in DCC the running is more sensitive than in DC. I solved the problem adding more picks up to the drivers. Thanks everybody, H-D