Someone emailed me a question yesterday so I'm asking this on their behalf.
Does anyone know what decoder Bachmann uses in their standard or DCC-On-Board locomotives? This particular one is a GP7 and was purchased through Micro-Mark. I'm guessing it's a low-budget Lenz?
This person was programming it using DCC++. It ran intially on address "3". However, after programming it to the long address, he's getting no response. This happened with a 2nd locomotive, as well, although I'm not sure what make and model it is.
Thanks for the help with the little information that I know...
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
They USED to be a low-end Lenz decoder, no silent drive or anything. But still should support long addressing with no problems. I don't know if they are still using that Lenz decoder.
The Lenz SYSTEM uses 1-99 as short addresses and 100+ as long, but I don't know about Lenz DECODERS - if they can take 1-99 as a long address, although if they didn't I suspect we would have heard from NCE users.
Probably just didn't update CV29 properly. POM to address 0 and set CV1 to 3 and CV29 to 6 and it should come back on #3. Or just set CV29 to 38 on the program track - people get all worried about what the current value are in CVs - well, if the loco isn't working, it's not any value you want, so just blow it out and put a correct one in there. If the problemw as just CV29, then setting it to 38 should bring the loco alive on the long address they think they programmed it to. Or set CV29 to 6 and it should go back to being address 3.
If it is that old Lenz decoder, pretty sure it has no reset. But outside of the speed table array there aren't that many CVs to set on them anyway. Loco currently does not respond - can't make it any worse, so just try setting CV29 and go from there.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Helpful stuff, Randy - Thanks!
The Bachmann DCC-On-Board Decoder is manufactured by Bachmann using design provided by Lenz.
Page 2 in following link contains the information about the supported CVs
http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/images/44913_Decoder_IS.pdf
Factory reset is supported.
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Perhaps DCC++ has the same low current draw by the decoder issue that Zephyr has?
Workaround -
A 1000 Ohm, ¼ Watt resistor laid across the programming track is required for CV read and programming a non-sound Bachmann (Lenz based) decoder used with a Digitrax Zephyr (DCS50) or Zephyr Xtra (DCS51).
RR Baron
Last I knew, the onboard decoder is still low end Lenz. I just looked at the Bachmann site and it still appears to be the same one used for some time.
He would do good to pull the decoder and install a NCE Bach-Dsl decoder that NCE designed because of so many complaints about the onboard Bachmann decoder. Comes with LED's. Instructions online.
https://ncedcc.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/200945019-BACH-DSL
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.
The NCE decoder would be a HUGE improvement, and not too expensive.