OK, DCC newb question.
I am old school and run DC. I bought this loco off Ebay and it seems to run a bit roughly, although once it's running for a few minutes at a decent speed it seems to smooth out.
So question #1 is: Is this a DCC Loco?
I am using an older transformer (power supply):
It has always worked well for me, and I'm not really interested at this point in moving to DCC.
This transformer has settings for Low and High Resistance and Half and Full Wave. The idea is that for DC locos, the Half Wave setting allows more controlled slow speeds - which it does well. I'm not 100% sure what the low and high resistance do.
So question #2 is, if the loco is DCC, can it run ok on DC? I was led to believe it could, so maybe this loco just needs a little cleaning, lubrication?
Is anyone aware of how a DCC loco might react to the low/high resistance and half/full wave settings?
The rest of my locos are DC.
TIA
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Based on your first photo I do not see a DCC decoder there. The green PC (printed circuit) board has diodes for directional lighting and an 8 pin "dummy" or jumper plug (J6) in the "NMRA socket" where a DCC decoder would normally be plugged in.
I would do a cleaning/lubrication anyway and continue running the locomotive in order to get her to run smoothly.
Good Luck, Ed
That is not a DCC decoder.
Hello All,
DCC, definitely not.
Definitely DCC "Ready".
If it were equipped with a DCC decoder it would be plugged into where the dummy plug is located on the PCB just next to the "J6".
I agree, a good cleaning of the gears could help.
Then a light application of lubrication; I use White Lithium grease applied sparingly with a toothpick to the worm gears on the top of the gear tower.
Then let it run for anywhere from a half-hour to an hour, in both directions, to allow for a break-in period.
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
We must have some very experienced and savvy DC users here besides Sheldon, goes by the name 'Atlantic Central'. However, with a little luck, Sheldon will see this and reply to you as to whether your DC setup needs some adjustment to get the best out of the locomotive as it is configured. This last is in italics because some engine boards in DC have devices that cause problems with some operating systems, I think Bachmann Spectrum steamers come to mind in some instances.
I greatly appreciate all the helpful responses!!! Thanks!