Hi everyone!
I recently purchased a Bachmann Spectrum 45 Ton switcher with DCC. In the package there was a notice that the "suppression capacitors and inductors should be removed...". I have also seen the subject of capacitor/inductor removal to improve locomotive performance mentioned several times in the forums.
I did a search in the forums and found several references to capacitor removal but none specific to the 45 Tonner. They mostly referred to steam engines. Also, several of the references spoke about identifying connections between the track leads and the extraneous capacitors. There are seven capacitors and two inductors on the 45 Tonner board but I couldn't find any connections between any of them and the track pick-up leads.
The aforementioned instruction sheet also suggested that the buyer go to either the Bachmann web site or the NMRA web site for further information.
The Bachmann site has a single paragraph referring to the capacitor removal, and the single picture provided looks nothing like the circuit board in the 45 Tonner. I searched the NMRA site but couldn't find anything relevent.
So, my question is: can anyone provide advice on which capacitors should be removed?
Here are pictures of both sides of the board. I hope they are clear enough. I may be wrong in my identification of C2. The printing is blurred but I can't find any other capacitors on the board.
Thanks.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Sorry - the other side of the board somehow got left out of my post. I will try again.
Edit:
Success
The inductors are the long copper things on the left of the bttom picture. They need to be repalced with jumper wires as they are in series with the motor wires, although I've not had to remove those. The capacitors are arounf C6 and C7 on the top pic - look where the orange and grey wires connect to the circuit. I think those are the two but without a closer look to see the traces I can;t be sure, so don't cut anything off just yet. Also look on the back of the motor where the wires attach, usually that's where Bachmann puts them, right ont he motor, but with limited space I think the ones are the circuit board are the culprits.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Hi Randy
Thanks for your input.
I have had the motor out to repair the orange wire where it was (supposedly) soldered to the motor terminal. There are no capacitors attached directly to the motor.
I think that my problem was that I was looking for a connection between the capacitors and the truck power which I now realize was not correct. Your reference to the motor wires made much more sense, so I went back and tested C6 andC7 and voila! They are indeed connected to the motor leads.
So, next question - is it safe to remove C6 and C7?
Thanks again
Yes, it is safe to remove those. Removing them makes even the basic Bachmann DCC decoder work better - for installing a true quality decoder, especially one with BEMF, it is almost essential that the capacitors be removed. The board in my 44-tonner looks different, the capacitors were in a different location. But mine is an older version fo the single motor, it still has incandescent bulb headlights.The caps i mine were reagular leaded components, not surface mount, removign them actually gained additional decoder space, although the little TCS MC2 had no problems regardless.
Randy
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
The two capacitors have been removed and the engine runs much better.
Take care
With the caps out of the circuit, the two inductors are not an issue. Caps and inductors make a tuned circuit. No caps, not a problem.
Be advised, some Bachmann locos have one cap, some two and some three. Some locos now have the caps and inductors hidden in the loco.
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.
Bachmann has been putting them in all their locos worldwide the last couple of years, (I don't know why). These RF (radio frequency) chokes are only required in Europe and Japan and maybe a few other places. They're intended to filter radio noise from the motor which can cause interfference with radio and tv broadcasts (I don't know how true that is anymore with today's can motors.. It's never really been an issue here in the US as far as I know. As I remember from the 60s and 70s when I lived in Germany, you could hear the noise on AM radio and see it on tv as a noise bar that went across the screen. Vacuum cleaners were also notorious for doing this too then.
Jay
C-415 Build: https://imageshack.com/a/tShC/1
Other builds: https://imageshack.com/my/albums
Swedish Custom painter and model maker. My Website:
My Railroad
My Youtube:
Graff´s channel
Maybe they stopped requiring them in some countries? In Germany I remember the chokes in all the Maerklin locos I had, Fleischman, Lima, Lilliput and Rivarossi too when I switched to 2-rail DC, but remember I'm talking about 60s-early 80s when I moved to the states.
I don't know why Bachmann started putting them in everything, maybe it's just more cost effective for them and let the customers yank them out if they want. Anybody removed them from the newer GPs, boy what a PIA.
You can always go ask the Bachmann reps at the Bachmann forums.
Search for mrr forums in the UK and EU and see what they say. I have.
Again, the inductors are not an issue with no caps. Any residual capacitance is negligible.
My new Spectrum 4-6-0 with on board Tsunami had five caps. I just clipped all.
Some make far to much a deal out of this.