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Intermountain HO SD40-2 with DCC/LokSound going crazy

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  • Member since
    August 2013
  • From: Minnesota
  • 153 posts
Intermountain HO SD40-2 with DCC/LokSound going crazy
Posted by SooLine720 on Saturday, September 20, 2014 3:15 PM

I've had this unit for a while now and just now the lights started going crazy. I started running this unit today and it ran fine, just like it has been for a month now. Then I moved it from its manifest and put it in a siding while I did some switching with another unit. After a while, I noticed the front headlights were off even though I left them on before. I tried turning them on but it wouldnt work. The rear ones worked but not the front ones. I reset the decoder AND my Digitrax Zephyr Xtra. Nothing worked. I took the locomotive apart to see if the wires to the decoder were snapped. It was fine. I then took it to my DC test track. The lights initially lit up and worked fine when running, but when I took it back to the layout, the front headlight lit for a few seconds then went off. I went back to the DC layout and the lights started going crazy, the flickered and blinked. I reset the decoder again but it still didnt work. Keep in mind that the rear headlights work perfectly fine. The front headlights and rear headlights are both LEDs, and shouldn't have burnt after only about an hour of running total. Any suggestions? I did put the locomotive in mute while in the siding.

-Khang Lu, University of Minnesota Railroad Club

  • Member since
    April 2004
  • From: Ontario Canada
  • 3,574 posts
Posted by Mark R. on Saturday, September 20, 2014 4:59 PM

Does everything else work fine ? - Sound, motion, etc. ? The front headlight is the only problem ?

If so, double check the wiring directly from the LED itself back to the decoder. Sounds like an intermittent contact issue. Make sure the wires are solidly connected. Inspect the wire for having been pinched - the wire inside make be broken (had that happen to a couple engines).

Mark.

¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ

  • Member since
    August 2013
  • From: Minnesota
  • 153 posts
Posted by SooLine720 on Saturday, September 20, 2014 6:25 PM

I'll post a picture of the insides

 

-Khang Lu, University of Minnesota Railroad Club

  • Member since
    August 2013
  • From: Minnesota
  • 153 posts
Posted by SooLine720 on Saturday, September 20, 2014 6:43 PM

Never mind, it was a wire in shirnk tubing that got loose, thanks for the help.

-Khang Lu, University of Minnesota Railroad Club

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