Why?

[jep1267]

Please allow me to rant a bit. Since my debacle of trying to convert my DC Bachmann Spectrum FM16-44 to DCC I will only buy DCC ready locos. Well I see this pretty little HO SW-8 at a LHS and HAD to have it (I went in the store for paint BTW, what can I say I needed change to buy the paint LOL). It's a Proto2000 and on the box it says, in black and white, DCC plug included.

I asked the guy at the counter what type of decoder (and if indeed it was DCC ready) I need he wasn't sure so he started to make calls and we discovered it was not just as simple as plugging in a decoder in and off you go as the words DCC plug included on the box would lead you to believe. He dug through his pile of decoders to see what would fit but found nothing. He put a call into Digitrax and found out what one I needed and ordered it...apparently it replaces the board that is in the loco. He felt really bad and offered the decoder to me at wholesale or cost or something so I went ahead and got it.

My rant is what is with these loco companies putting DCC ready on the box when the loco is not?

J.P.

[selector]

I can sense your frustration.  I believe we talked about this some months back, and I wondered why the industry doesn't adopt a standard for what "DCC-ready" should mean to all customers.  Early in my time on this forum, just two and a half years ago, there were lots of complaints about the P2K locos being nowhere near DCC ready.  Misrepresentation, if you ask me.

Dave knows what he is doing, so I hope he can help you get past this.

[Bapou]

I wondered why the industry doesn't adopt a standard for what "DCC-ready" should mean to all customers.

[CNW 6000]

I prefer to buy ones marked "DCC quick plug equipped" and then test the heck out of it.  With that method I've come across 1 bad loco out of the 30ish I have.

[Anonymous]

I have hard wired all mine except 1. The problem was; I have an Athearn SW1500 that I can't fit the shell on! The decoder takes up too much space, I've tried in the cab, in front of the motor, and I can't fit it. Oh well.

[Anonymous]

It is things like this why I insist my DCC power system run DC locomotives as well as DCC (DC over DCC). I can PARK my DCC locos anywhere and RUN one DC loco. At least it allows me to run them and make use of them, not just put them on the shelf. Some locos just dont convert! No room for the decoder. I have even seen where the copper contacts that run from the wheels to the motor are part of the motor mount. NO WAY to get a decoder in that one at all! EVER! Some locomotives just won't convert.

[ShadowNix]

You can get a decoder into ANY locomotive....you just gotta think outside the box.

David B

Totally agree with David on this one... I have now rewired 3 locomotives and wish I had done it from the start with them... many hours lost, as well as 2 fried decoders (ARGH!!!) trying to fix, when I finally decided to rewire.... the worst was the Rivarossi Heisler that was  "DCC ready" and fried the above decoders... I spent like 15 hours trying to fix it, only to finally realize that one of the leads from the factory touched the frame intermittently... meaning it would work on the programming track (without the shell), but when I placed the shell on ... well, you get the picture.  Learned a hard lesson about ALWAYS retesting on the programming track...

Brian

[sfrailfan]

You can get a decoder into ANY locomotive....you just gotta think outside the box.

David B

I agree. I have had some trouble getting some decoders to fit but I made it happen. To make it easier, TCS (which is the only decoder I use; I only put sound in dummy locos) makes a series of N gauge decoders that are strong enough for HO. I am going to try that as the only real fit problem I am having is on the older blue box Athearns; they are more narrow inside due to the thickness of the shell. But like I said I made it happen.

Furthermore I don't trust any "DCC ready" lables. I always check to see if the motor is properly isolated. I ripped out all the boards on all my protos and hard wired them just as if they were blue boxes, which is easy since half the wiring is done already.

[wedudler]

You can get a decoder into ANY locomotive....you just gotta think outside the box.

David B

But with sound decoders you run into some problems. I've installed an ESU micro loksound into an old run H0 Kato NW 2 . You have to do some milling!

These guys have build decoders in small engines. Click at the engine type and you see pictures and how to install: http://dcc-mueller.de/decoder/decode_e.htm

Wolfgang 

[selector]

But....but, the photos are in German.  Ich kanst deutsche spreche!

[sfrailfan]

and I have my hands on some pre-baffled 1/2 inch 0.2 watt 32 ohm speakers that put out amazing sound quality.

David B

Really? Could you let me in on which ones and where these could be had?

Although I will have plenty of room since there won't be anything in my way. I noted before that I only put sound in dummy locos. More accurately I'm about to do my first 2. -9s that just never ran smooth enough for me ( I had a post about a year ago on these -I found that noise but it was still filled with rattle ).

So, can I put in 2 or 3 speakers... will that give me a richer sound, just maybe turning down the volume?

[dinwitty]

 DCC ready will NOT mean DCC installed. The DCC makers auoghta make a cross-list for reccommended decoders online. Pretty much why if I want DCC that I look for the lokie already WITH the DCC. But with all my DC lokies here, ha, rotsa ruck, it will be checking a list or  some body hacking to make one fit.

 

 

[Anonymous]

You can get a decoder into ANY locomotive....you just gotta think outside the box.

David B

Hmm....  I suppose I could put the decoder on the outside!

I might try covering the windows so you can't see in and putting the decoder up there.  Extending the wires would be a pain, maybe I'll just but a new loco!

It doesn't run really good, so it might not even be worth it in time and energy. (And sanity!)

[jfallon]

I have hard wired all mine except 1. The problem was; I have an Athearn SW1500 that I can't fit the shell on! The decoder takes up too much space, I've tried in the cab, in front of the motor, and I can't fit it. Oh well.

Tyler, what kind of decoder is it? I have installed a Digitrax DH123 under the hood of an Athearn SW1500 by removing the light and rebending its support to hold the decoder. The DZ series decoder would fit with no problem, and I know Lenz, NCE and others also have small size decoders. 

[Gandy Dancer]

I suppose I could put the decoder on the outside!

I've actually done that, sort of.  Back when decoders were really big and bulky (unlike today with all these tiny simple things), to make it fit I had to cut it into three pieces. This particular decoder had a resistor and capacitor that could be changed to "tune" the decoder to the locomotive motor.  I put plugs through the roof of the model and mounted these two components on the outside and disguised them as air tanks. 

I might try covering the windows so you can't see in and putting the decoder up there.

I've got several locomotives that are done like that too.  It was easier than cutting up the decoder and hiding it under the window sills.  These were all pre-cab interior models so All one could see in the cab was the drive shaft of the locomotive anyway.

[R. T. POTEET]

. . . . . . . . . . the photos are in German . . . . . . . . . .

Huh?????

[Dave Vollmer]

But....but, the photos are in German.  Ich kanst deutsche spreche!

...oder Deutch sehen...!  Du hast gesagt, dass die Bilder auf Deutch sind!  Sehr lustig!

[Anonymous]

I wondered why the industry doesn't adopt a standard for what "DCC-ready" should mean to all customers.

And make all CV's the same. Across the board.

[Medina1128]

You can get a decoder into ANY locomotive....you just gotta think outside the box.

David B

This reminds me of the 1968 Super Stock Darts/Barracudas. You could order them from select Dodge/Plymouth dealers. I read an article on how the factory installed 426 Hemis in these cars. They literally stood on the shock towers and beat the inner fenders in with a sledgehammer. I guess if you think outside the box, you can fit anything into anything.

[ShadowNix]

But....but, the photos are in German.  Ich kanst deutsche spreche!

Ich KANN (ja) Deutsch sprechen.... (wrong verb tense).... Die Photos (oder Bilder) sind sicher auf Deutsch... du kannst diese Photos richtig gut anschuaen.... man muss kein Deutsch sprechen, dieser Photos zu verstehen!

:)

Brian

[jep1267]

But....but, the photos are in German.  Ich kanst deutsche spreche!

Ich KANN (ja) Deutsch sprechen.... (wrong verb tense).... Die Photos (oder Bilder) sind sicher auf Deutsch... du kannst diese Photos richtig gut anschuaen.... man muss kein Deutsch sprechen, dieser Photos zu verstehen!

:)

Brian

Ich wies nicht  

J.P.