Took out my Digitrax Chief II from early 2000s, for the first time since 2005.
The hand held was flashing the voltage (fluctuating beyween 9.2 and 9.6) and code address(?). All lights were normal, but pressing Stop+Y keys to give the track power would work 50% of the time. All engine lights came on but would not move and I could hear the Digitrax signal. Spoke to Digitrax and they suggested replacing the CMOS battery, but pointed out the flashing throttle is indicitave of the dried out capacitor issue. I ended up just using conventional for now, as my KATO motive power is silky smooth even at slow speeds. I really dont want to spend $300 on another Digitrax set up as money is tight atm.
Why not replace the battery and capacitor DIY? The fix would most likely be less than $10.Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California Turned 84 in July, aging is definitely not for wimps.
My understanding is the dried caps was only a problem on the throttles, not the command station, so it would just be a throttle replacement. The repair isn't that hard to do yourself, either. I repaired one myself, but it's been several years, so I don't remember the details right off hand. I can proabbly figure it out if you need me to.
Thanks Guys!
I will look into this ASAP!
Makes sense, I guess I gave up too soon.
It isn't a "Digitrax" capacitor problem, it affected lots of different electronics made by lots of different companies:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague
Take special note of the "Premature failure" and "Electrical symptoms" sections of that article, as they note that ANY non-solid electrolytic capacitor, not just the "plague" ones, may age and eventually fail.
P.S. I'm assuming you have a DT400 throttle. Digitrax will repair it for $25, which includes return postage. I've taken advantage of that to have the capacitors replaced on two of my DT400's after they failed.
It is an old DT300 throttle
The DT300 was discontinued 16 years ago, so it's not surprisng that the electrolytics may have dried out by now even if not subjuct to the plague.
Unfortunately, once any part(s) of a throttle become unavailable, Digitrax proclaims it to be "unrepairable". Such is the case with the DT300.
So it's time to either buy a new throttle, or repair the DT300 yourself.
Can u all recommend a good throttle?
Also, what coin type battery does it use?
Get the latest and greatest, a DT602, or a DT602D and a UR93 if you want wireless. Powered by three AA batteries, or a rechargeable battery pack that Digitrax also sells.
Be sure that you update it (or them!) to the latest firmware. Another plus - They can be upgraded "at home", with a simple firmware download. No need to send them in, or buy and replace chips, etc.
EDIT: Reworded for clarity.
chipset35Can u all recommend a good throttle?
The only ones currently available from Digitrax are the UT6 series and the DT602 series. If the DT300 you have that no longer works is the only DT throttle you have, you'll need at least one to progam your decoders (you cannot program with the UT throttles). The UT4 series and DT400/402/500 series are all good throttles and while no longer being produced can still be found for sale.
chipset35Also, what coin type battery does it use?
Are you talking about the throttle or your command station? The Chief II command station takes CR2032 batteries. The current throttles take either three AA or a Digitrax BP600MH battery pack and all previous throttles take a 9 volt battery, but none of the throttles need batteries at all unless you operate them wirelessly (by radio or infrared).
I ended up buying a Digitrax Zephyr Express (DCS52), and it works great with the new KATO NYC N EMD E7A NYC 2-Locomotive Set, #4008 + #4022 using the current Digitrax decoders.
However, one of the 2 engines had the plastic truck fall off and I cannot get it back on with both copper pickups attached to the wheels. Its like rubics cube from hell.
Also, my 2 older Digitrax DN142K decoders and Kato 106-2101s worked fine back in 2001-2005 with your Digitrax Chief II, but it just sits there with lights on singing with the Digitrax Zephyr Express (DCS52)