To help I need more information- what DCC SYSTEM is used?
did you try to set any cv’s ? Can you read the decoder ?
have you tried jumpers from the DCC system to the loco’s frame?
Definitely sounds like a motor tab contact problem. The two metal bars at the top of the frame need to be wrapped with some of the kapton tape that's packaged with the decoder. Make sure the motor tabs are under the "wings" that drop down each side from the decoder. The tab that comes from the bottom brush can some times slip out when installing the shell. If testing without the shell. the wigs may not be making good contact as the shell helps press those wings in tight.
Martin Myers
It's almost certainly that the motor tabs are not making contact with the spot on the decooder where they need to touch. Since you cna control the lights, and the sounds come on, and the prime mover sound increases with the throttle, the decoder is probbaly ok. Do you have a multimeter of any sort? Put it on DC volts and, with the shell off, crank it up to half throttle ordrer better, and measure the voltage ont he motor pads on top of the decoder. It should be some reasonably large value if you have the throttle cranked up pretty high. More than 6 volts if the throttle is past half way.
If you get nothing - odds are the motor tab did touch the frame and it has fried the motor drive on the decoder. The sounds and lights would still work, but no power is getting to the motor.
If you DO have power, then the issue is the motor tabs not touching the decoder to get the power to the motor.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
It does.
Check out the Balfour and Colucci Creek Southern Railroad, my proto-freelanced N scale model railroad, at bccsrailroad.weebly.com or on Youtube on my channel, N Scale Train Boy.
-Dennis
does the prime mover sound notch up appropiately when you try to throttle it up?
I'm beginning to realize that Windows 10 and sound decoders have a lot in common. There are so many things you have to change in order to get them to work the way you want.
Hello everybody! Thank you all for your help, but I have unfortunately not reached a solution yet. If anybody has more suggestions, please let me know, but I may try just bringing it in to a hobby shop. Also, if you have suggetions as to if I should send it to a company or manufacturer, please let me know that information as well. Again, thanks for all the support so far!
It might be that the motor leads are not making contact with the pads on the decoder, have had that happen before, might have to add a dab of solder to either the decoder or the motor lead, not familiar with the loco or the decoder, but just might be the problem. Worth checking.
I'll try that, and get back once it's done. Thanks!
And the loco ran fine before the installation on DC ?
I guess the next thing I would try is a reset.
Mike.
My You Tube
Yes, the address was set to 3. Literally everything else on the decoder works, like the lights and sound functions, but the loco just won't move. Thanks for the suggestion though.
It looks like a simple enough board replacement, really no wires to screw up, except making sure the top motor clip doesn't short against the frame.
What about the address? The default that the decoder is set at is 03, assuming that the N scale decoders are the same as the HO scale.
Just a thought.
I have recently been starting to upgrade my locomotives in my N scale fleet to DCC. One such locomotive is my Kato SD40-2 Early. I installed a Digitrax SDN144K1E to the locomotive, following all of the instructions provided in the pamphlet the decoder came with. Before replacing the locomotive's shell, I decided to make sure the installation was done correctly by placing the locomotive on a track and testing it's functions. To my delight, the lights and sounds all worked well. Vut when i tried to move the locomotive, it didn't move. Since then, I have tried dissasembling and reassembling the locomotive again, and when i try to spin the motor by hand, it spins freely, but the locomotive just won't move. Please Help! Here is the decoder's webpage on digitrax.com if that helps : http://www.digitrax.com/products/sound-decoders/sdn144k1e/