Hello,
I want to add a few capacitors to my Bachmann Spectrum 2-10-0 with DCC Sound preinstalled. (I want to move the decoder to another engine). Where can I solder the 2 leads onto this decoder?
Charles
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Modeling the PRR & NYC in HO
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do you realize that a keep alive is more than a couple capacitors?
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
-(see text) Therein lies the rub.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Looking at the photo, especially enlarged as big as it goes, the red and black track wires go in to the diodes on the lower left of the decoder, and the negative side appears to be where the negative of the existing capacitors are attached (black mark on the two large cans).
As one of my favorite YouTube people says in his videos - if you are following along at home, you are doing so at your own risk. Take care.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
gregc do you realize that a keep alive is more than a couple capacitors?
Yes I do, I just didn't feel like saying a few capacitors, a diode and a resistor. Thanks for the info anyways.
Randy - so do I connect the negative to the black side of the "cans" and the positive to the other side of the "cans"? I understand that Im doing this at my own risk, but does what Im saying make some sense?
The positive side of the keep alive goes to the blue wire - assuming on this decoder is is not already current limited for LED lights. The negative should be the negative side of the capacitors, but I don't see a good attachment point - you don't want to solder on the pad where the capacitor is already connected, you'll just end up unsoldering the existing capacitor.
If you put additional capacitors across the existing ones, it would just keep the sound on longer, it wouldn't run the motor. Those existing capacitors are between the circuit negative and the electronic positive - to keep the microcontroller and amplifier running. To keep the motor turning you need the capacitor to supply power to the whole decoder, which is where the blue plus function common is typically attached.
Randy pretty well covers it. The below link is a little old but gives some detail on keep alive, just not your decoder that I can see.
Many SoundTraxx sound decoders have come with keep alive for sound but not motor. Two different attachment points.
http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/mainnorth/alive.htm
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.