Bachmann Spectrum DCC ready?????

[Anonymous]

I recently installed a Lenz plug in decoder in a Spectrum Pensy K4. The loco ran very poorly and was almost out of control. There was no slow speed and after the throttle was turned down the loco continued to run for a good while before it came to an abrupt stop. I did not know what to blame: the decoder, DCC system, engine???
I swapped dcc systems (I have Atlas and NCE). The engine runs the same. I then started taking out the same type decoder that I had installed in two oter engines, a Kato Sd80 and a Proto 2-8-8-2. Both ran fine with the new decoder and the Bachmann ran the same as before with the other decoders. I then tried a TCS decoder with the same results.
I then suspect the Bachmann steamer as the problem. I get out a Spectrum Mountain and Consolidation that I hae not converted to DCC yet. The Mountain had the same results as the K4 and the Consolidation had abrupt starts and stops with no slow speed. It did not keep running as the other two did.
I posted a question on Bachmanns message board. An individual mentioned clipping a capacitor that was on the Bachmann's circuit board if Lenz said that I needed to. Called Lenz tech line and they seemed unsure.
The Mountain and K4 boards have two capacitors soldered together. I simply unsoldered the connection and both engines run perfect on DCC!!! The consolidation has one capacitor that I have yet to try.
Anybody else found similar problems with Bachmann Steamers and DCC???

[Anonymous]

I recently installed a Lenz plug in decoder in a Spectrum Pensy K4. The loco ran very poorly and was almost out of control. There was no slow speed and after the throttle was turned down the loco continued to run for a good while before it came to an abrupt stop. I did not know what to blame: the decoder, DCC system, engine???
I swapped dcc systems (I have Atlas and NCE). The engine runs the same. I then started taking out the same type decoder that I had installed in two oter engines, a Kato Sd80 and a Proto 2-8-8-2. Both ran fine with the new decoder and the Bachmann ran the same as before with the other decoders. I then tried a TCS decoder with the same results.
I then suspect the Bachmann steamer as the problem. I get out a Spectrum Mountain and Consolidation that I hae not converted to DCC yet. The Mountain had the same results as the K4 and the Consolidation had abrupt starts and stops with no slow speed. It did not keep running as the other two did.
I posted a question on Bachmanns message board. An individual mentioned clipping a capacitor that was on the Bachmann's circuit board if Lenz said that I needed to. Called Lenz tech line and they seemed unsure.
The Mountain and K4 boards have two capacitors soldered together. I simply unsoldered the connection and both engines run perfect on DCC!!! The consolidation has one capacitor that I have yet to try.
Anybody else found similar problems with Bachmann Steamers and DCC???

[dstaley]

I haven't yet tried a Lenz or an Atlas decoder, but I did put a plug-n-play Soundtraxx in a Spectrum light mountain and noted that the instructions included disconnecting those series capacitors. I followed the instructions, and didn't have any trouble.

I have a consolodation and another light mountain using digitrax decoders (one DH123 and one DH163IP) and I don't think I disconnected the capacitor on these. All have worked great so far.

[dstaley]

I haven't yet tried a Lenz or an Atlas decoder, but I did put a plug-n-play Soundtraxx in a Spectrum light mountain and noted that the instructions included disconnecting those series capacitors. I followed the instructions, and didn't have any trouble.

I have a consolodation and another light mountain using digitrax decoders (one DH123 and one DH163IP) and I don't think I disconnected the capacitor on these. All have worked great so far.

[cacole]

I don't have that particular Bachmann engine you had trouble with, but I have put Lenz, Digitrax, SoundTraxx, NCE, and TCS decoders in many other Spectrum HO-scale engines with no problems. A place you might find an answer to your question is Tony's Train Exchange (www.ttx-dcc.com) and look through his "Tony's Tips" messages. Bachmann has been known to mis-wire their decoder sockets in some engines. I guess that's the price we have to pay for cheap Chinese labor.

[cacole]

I don't have that particular Bachmann engine you had trouble with, but I have put Lenz, Digitrax, SoundTraxx, NCE, and TCS decoders in many other Spectrum HO-scale engines with no problems. A place you might find an answer to your question is Tony's Train Exchange (www.ttx-dcc.com) and look through his "Tony's Tips" messages. Bachmann has been known to mis-wire their decoder sockets in some engines. I guess that's the price we have to pay for cheap Chinese labor.