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Post by zoinks007 on Mar 12, 2017 17:13:02 GMT -5
well, this thread has certainly gone all over the place. Zoink, any progress on repairing your loco? Greg Hey, Greg...thanks for asking.
No, but I've not had a chance to crack it open just yet either. Kids home from college for spring break so we traveled out of country. Back now. Probably will look into it early this week, tho.
Thank you, Rob, for mentioning assistance. Hopefully it won't need any and is just a sprung pickup. That definitely fixed one of my SD70's, so perhaps that'll work here. These are certainly small packages with tight tolerances, so checking here first for anything obvious seems most sensible.
In fairness, I had another loco, a GP-30, that needed a little re-seating. Then it ran like a champ. So I'm hoping for something similar here.
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Post by zoinks007 on Mar 4, 2017 13:24:40 GMT -5
Having serious drooling issues over those PRR sets (you can probably tell by my avatar). Although worth it at twice the price (and would be twice the price once sold out on fleabay), it's a chunk, but I'm savin'... I tend to run freight, but those are too hard to pass up.
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Post by zoinks007 on Mar 4, 2017 13:18:47 GMT -5
Would you offer undecorated versions of these units? Better, unpainted?
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Post by zoinks007 on Mar 1, 2017 15:47:54 GMT -5
The question goes back to when the unit was built. The first production run has a chassis casting issue that could cause it to degrade of time, just sitting on the shelf. You could have one of these. Contact AZL support. Which could be the case, since the units came with the outer white cardboard wrapper. My GP9's are like that, but locos like the SD70's and SD40's had no such wrapper. Those being newer releases, I assume AZL no longer ships using that wrapper. I'll peruse the forum to see if there is a discerning characteristic of the older chassis, and if so, I'll see if I can get them fixed.
Sounds about like mine...so there may be a systemic issue somewhere. Or it's a rabbit hole. I'll take my shell off and see what I can see.
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Post by zoinks007 on Mar 1, 2017 11:29:29 GMT -5
In my specific case, the locomotives were brand new (hence the required break-in). I suppose there's nothing wrong with buying used, but I've not done it myself. I've not removed the shell, but if it stills seems off, I'll do just that. I can see some flashing perhaps slowing up some gears, or maybe the contacts were a bit off. I've even read that (rarely) the motor can misalign if not seated completely. So some things to check. This particular locomotive isn't completely fubar, just a bit off in the one direction. Noticeable, but not debilitating... I'd run it, for sure. But there has to be a reason it's off, and that's what I'd be searching for. Can't see a snap-on tank issue. If the tank were dragging, it would drag both directions I'd think. And looking at this specific model, there is obvious clearance. So not an issue for this little guy in my case.
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Post by zoinks007 on Feb 28, 2017 15:50:54 GMT -5
Ah, and that makes sense. Once explained, it seems obvious. Clearly there is no voltage regulator (or anything of the kind) on the decoder, so the only way it could run a DC motor is modifying the PWM duty cycle. That would not decrease peak voltage, just the duration the peak was applied to the motor (fooling it into believing it is accepting less voltage). Pretty ingenious, actually.
Melted windings...been there with other motors. Spike current, and resulting heat, are your enemies, for sure.
Excellent explanation of CV5. Makes sense.
Great post...
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Post by zoinks007 on Feb 28, 2017 15:22:50 GMT -5
Today the mailman brought me two new GP38-2's, and as I usually do, I put them on a "figure 8" break-in layout and ran them for an hour. Unit #1 is awesome. Unit #2 is awesome backing up, but moving forward it's half speed, and nowhere nearly as smooth as #1, or even itself moving in reverse. This is after 30 minutes in the forward direction, 30 minutes in reverse, then back to forward (to see if it cured itself).
Diagnosing loco issues over the forum can be a crazy thing to attempt. I'm wondering, though, if there are common issues like this and if it's just a matter of more break-in time. I've not removed the shell to see if there happened to be an electrical contact issue, since it ran better than locos I broke in that had contact issues. Or, to say it another way, it ran well enough that I didn't suspect contacts. It just doesn't run great (like its sister) in the forward direction. Half speed or so, maybe approaching 3/4. Noticeably slower, though.
So my question is more of a general nature...when you are breaking in your locos and they don't run as well in one direction or the other, is it usually a matter of perhaps too much lube in a truck on one side or something (straw grasping), likely poor electrical contact in that direction, or just needs more break-in time to seat gears or some other moving part? Or an alternative I've not considered?
Hoping I didn't find the surprise in the Christmas pudding (to reference another loco issue thread). Even if so, nice loco and I'll work with it.
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Post by zoinks007 on Feb 28, 2017 13:22:19 GMT -5
Thank you, Mark. I didn't realize the shaded value was default, but (doh) it makes sense now. I do have the MTL loco, but the vast majority of mine are AZL, so once I get some AZL decoders in I should be good to go there. Meanwhile, I'll take your advice to goof off with the MTL loco. I've been playing catch-up with all of the DCC posts but didn't recall that one mentioning track voltage until I re-read a post you made down in the mix, talking about the purple wire (third or fourth function). Gotcha...
Thank you for the help.
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Post by zoinks007 on Feb 28, 2017 8:51:08 GMT -5
Being brand new to DCC, and after reading a lot and trying to make the best decision I could on equipment, I ended up purchasing the Digitrax Evolution duplex radio starter set. I have a single DCC-capable locomotive at present, and I'm looking forward to hooking the command station up and seeing it actually work.
Some questions for the experts, if I may...
A selling point to me of the Digitrax system was the claim it ran "all scales". However, upon reading the manual that's really indicating G - N scales, not necessarily Z. When I purchased the system, I also purchased the optional Z voltage reducer. I didn't know if I'd need it or not, but for $20 it seemed like good insurance.
So, my questions (2):
1) Is the Z voltage reducer necessary, or are today's AZL locomotives OK at running N-scale 12 V signals (everything I can find indicates N-Scale runs 12V PWM alternating current)? I can't seem to get a reading on the decoder...seems to indicate 12V would be fine.
2) My single locomotive has the TCS MZA4 decoder. I've read over the specification sheet, and aside from trying to digest the myriad of CV's, I'm not sure what address is programmed into the decoder at the factory. I can run this thing all day long, but if I don't hit the right loco decoder address, I'm not going to see a lot of activity on the track. What's the factory decoder address setting? I'm going to assume that's in CV1? One byte...versus two bytes one could program into CV's 17 and 18... (Yes, I'll be figuring out how to reprogram that, but was hoping to just run it out of the box to make sure all worked.)
Thanks for any hints/tips...
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Post by zoinks007 on Feb 28, 2017 7:57:53 GMT -5
Happy to... These are the original shots, un-resized so you can zoom in to better see detail... I'd hoped to get a tour (assuming they would allow it), but nobody was nearby. Just idling there, however, you could really get a sense of how powerful this locomotive really is...
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Post by zoinks007 on Feb 27, 2017 10:23:05 GMT -5
I took this last June (2016), when driving by a crossing where it was sitting, waiting to head out. This was so new the paint odor was strong, and there were chalk marks still on the trucks. It sat idling, probably for its maiden trip (or very close). It was quite something to see up close and idling, so much so I went and purchased the same AZL model that very day. I have several more images of different angles I can link if anyone is interested...
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Post by zoinks007 on Feb 24, 2017 15:15:12 GMT -5
TCS decoder will run on dc. True...I converted an MTL GP-35, since I had an MZA4 on hand. Reading the instruction page, it says you can, so I did. And it does.
I'm truly not impressed with the MTL locos, and I'm sad to say so. I have the GP-35 and the F7 A/B, and they're loud, a bit cranky, and nowhere as smooth as any of the AZL locos I have (SD70's, SD40's, Mikado, GP 9/30/38, and F3 A/B). The AZL locos are by far superior. I initially had trouble with one SD70ACe and one GP-30, but after re-seating the motor contacts and fully breaking in, they both went from zero to hero. It'll be AZL from now on...
DCC too. High time to modernize.
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Post by zoinks007 on Feb 24, 2017 12:59:34 GMT -5
This seems to be an age-old argument, that newer isn't better, the old ways were best. But in the end it's what you're used to, or what you're willing to learn. For some, learning new things is difficult and "the way we've always done it" is best in their minds. For others, new technology offers new innovations and excitement.
I'm guilty. I've long lamented the decline of quality kits, the demise of Floquil (hello Tru-Color!). Half the fun was building the scenery.
But now I've discovered 3D printing, and all that's really happened is the way I model changed. Even better, I have complete flexibility with what I design versus building what someone else provided as a kit. So I choose to accept the change and look towards the innovations that can come from it.
As for DC versus DCC, that's an exciting option for me, and I just did purchase a Digitrax Evo 5 radio duplex unit and am converting several locos over. I was never really one for the ops, more for building. But this opens up a whole new vista for me. I'm especially exited to jump into building my own electronics (arduino), an even greater challenge.
So I hear what the old boys are saying, and I respect their wisdom and experience. I just don't agree any more. Times do change, and while some good things die off, other good things grow in their place. Different, but not necessarily worse or not worthwhile to explore.
Besides, with the terrific AZL drop-in board design, one can switch back and forth at will (forgetting for the moment the DCC decoder may work with DC...I've not tried it yet, waiting for my decoders to come in). Nicely done, Rob.
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Post by zoinks007 on Feb 21, 2017 15:08:13 GMT -5
New guy here... I'd been out of the hobby for about 25 years, and what I'm finding happened is amazing. So I'm trying to get up to speed on DCC, and how an arduino might control things (BS in EE, MS in CompEng). Being a die-hard scratch builder (am hand laying my Z track), I love the idea of building something along those lines. I'll have to spend some quality time with Google.
But the walk down memory lane is awesome. I once wrote a book that described how to interface 6502 assembly with AppleSoft. Was a huge Orca fan (Mike Westerfield is a friend of mine). Anyone remember Beagle Brothers? I did my senior project interfacing a Radio Shack SP0256 speech processor into my Apple //e. For my master's thesis I redesigned and implemented a FFT processor (actually fabricated it...still have some of the chips).
So talking arduino's and NANDs is like coming home. Of course I forgot everything I ever knew (Karnough maps, anyone?), but I'm excited to get back into it.
Sorry for co-opting the thread, but this particular thread is hugely cool to me. Hoping to figure some of this stuff out! And thanks for the heads-up on the scarcity of the MZA4 decoders...I have a MTL GP and a couple F7's, so I read about the decoders being hard to find and found a few.
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Post by zoinks007 on Feb 21, 2017 9:16:25 GMT -5
I had to vote for the 1500 as well (hopefully a PRR version!).
But I'd also suggest steam, all sizes but especially the 2-6-0 size (mid-range). The huge crowd pleasers are great (who wouldn't want a UP 2-8-8-2?!), but the mid-ranges were more common, especially for eastern roads.
That y'all asked my opinion is awesome, and thank you!
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