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Post by stevew on Mar 11, 2024 16:36:48 GMT -5
Hi All,
Let me start by saying I'm very familiar with DCC, have worked with it in a few other scales plus it's part of my job. So I feel pretty confident about starting to install Z decoders.
My first attempt was a GP30 with a TCS decoder. What I found was that the motor pickups did not always make contact. The contact at the board is 90 degrees to the motor contact, leaving a very small amount of surface area to make contact with.
I "pinched" the motor leads in a bit to hopefully ensure that contact was made.
I also added solder to the tabs on the board and filed them down until the board fit snugly.
After that the loco would run in spurts, dying frequently.
At that point I said the heck with it and soldered wires from the board contacts to the motor leads. Now it runs well.
I guess my question is, am I alone in this experience? Any tips?
I ordered a few Digitrax decoders, they just arrived today. I'm going to see if I have better luck with their decoder vs TCS.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Steve W
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Post by husafreak on Mar 11, 2024 19:22:03 GMT -5
I have had better luck with Digitrax than TCS decoders. Hard wiring yours to make the loco run well is right at the heart of Z scale. Due to small tolerances and low power perhaps it is fiddly and not a good scale for the "plug and play" crowd. Good show BTW! You got your loco going  Zmodell also work great for me. |
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Post by tjdreams on Mar 11, 2024 20:15:46 GMT -5
Steve The motor contact tabs can be a bit of a pain to get just right but with a little bending and tweaking they can be made to work just fine. Its pretty much the same with Both TCS and Digitrax. Additionally where you added solder to the TCS board, the Digitrax boards tends to all ready have a little extra solder and may need a little filing down to fit.
Now with that said when it comes to the loco's I run at shows, I've found that constantly transporting them back and forth to and from shows can jostle the boards loose. So I have been removing the motor contact tabs from the decoder to prevent them from accidently contacting the chassis if the boards shifts and soldering wires from the decoder directly to the motor wires for a couple years now. I also drill and tap the chassis halves then attach a ring terminal to each half with 00-90 screws and solder wires from them to the board to insure proper power pickup.
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Post by stevew on Mar 12, 2024 17:21:51 GMT -5
Thanks for the replies and tips. The first thing I'll do is see how a Digitrax install goes out of the box. Then I'll make my decision as to which decoder to standardize on.
I'm not opposed to hardwiring them, it sure does ensure that contact is being made at all times. I was thinking about the huge number of AZL locos that I have and the thought of hardwiring all of them is a bit daunting. But I can do it in "shifts" I suppose.
I do like the idea of tapping the frame halves, I may give that a try.
As far as Zmodell goes, I'm familiar with their SW1500 decoder and need to order and install 8(!). Do they have other decoders available for AZL or MTL locos?
Thanks again guys.
Steve W
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Post by scanrail on Mar 12, 2024 17:46:21 GMT -5
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Post by stevew on Mar 12, 2024 18:52:24 GMT -5
Thank you for the reply Alex. I look forward to giving your decoders a try. Steve W |
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Post by cthsery on Mar 12, 2024 20:16:55 GMT -5
Alex's decoders are FANTASTIC!! They have made my RS-3's the sweetest running locos I've ever had!
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einot
Engineer
Posts: 104
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Post by einot on Mar 13, 2024 1:29:46 GMT -5
Alex's decoders are FANTASTIC!! They have made my RS-3's the sweetest running locos I've ever had! Would love to see a video! BR, Eino |
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Post by stevew on Apr 7, 2024 17:52:42 GMT -5
Today I installed 2 Digitrax decoders (my first attempt was with NCE). Out of the two one runs, the other needs to be tapped to keep it moving.
I've followed all of the instructions, watched videos, etc. Until I get a chance to try one of Alex's boards (which is on the way to me) I'm still frustrated.
Both also run at painfully slow speeds. No idea why. I'm using a Digitrax DCS210+ that was modified by Digitrax to limit the N scale setting to 10V. I'm using a UT6D as my throttle.
I may hook up my NCE system to see if the results are different.
I did a reset on all of them, turned off BEMF, and towards the end (before I had had enough) I started trying recommended settings for motor control CVs. No matter what I'm maxing out at about 20 scale MPH.
I welcoime any thoughts anyone may have. I really want to get this ironed out before it's time to wire up the new layout.
Steve W
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Post by tjdreams on Apr 7, 2024 18:21:46 GMT -5
Steve Check to make sure you didn't accidently put it into switcher mode I don't have my manuals with me right now but i think its F6 that switches it into Switcher mode which reduces max speed by like 50 % I think its CV 54 that can change the mode settings but i don't remember what it's supposed to be set at.
David
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Post by stevew on Apr 8, 2024 8:02:01 GMT -5
Steve Check to make sure you didn't accidently put it into switcher mode I don't have my manuals with me right now but i think its F6 that switches it into Switcher mode which reduces max speed by like 50 % I think its CV 54 that can change the mode settings but i don't remember what it's supposed to be set at. David David, I thought about that and will check that today. I haven't used Digitrax decoders in a long time so I need to refer to the manual closely. Thanks Steve W |
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Post by stevew on Apr 14, 2024 7:54:41 GMT -5
I finally decided to dig into the problem yesterday. After much chasing around the layout with a multimeter it all came down to the Digitrax DCS210 failing. 😞
I hooked up my NCE system and everything worked fine.
I'll hold off on further testing until I get a power supply with a lower rating. Sure don't want to cook any motors.
Thanks for the help.
Steve W
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Post by BAZman on Apr 15, 2024 11:15:20 GMT -5
You literally took the most finicky loco to start with.
I had issues learning Digitrax at the Club build after(and still) using NCE. I looked up the system and found a U-tube of an unpacking and test turn on: . At 12-14 minutes is the starting point.
First that came to mind was you either are on Program Track (because AZL locos draw so little current that you can on the Digitrax 100mA limit of Prog Track
Next was the Track Power wiring. Make sure it truly the connect holes.
And, Obviously, Track Power LED on both Throttle and Command Station indicate.
I assume that not Loco 0 or Analog could ever be out-of-box.
If you have a Programming Track, great. If not, get one because you can’t use the layout with other electronics attached.
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Post by stevew on Apr 15, 2024 16:31:30 GMT -5
You literally took the most finicky loco to start with. I had issues learning Digitrax at the Club build after(and still) using NCE. I looked up the system and found a U-tube of an unpacking and test turn on: At 12-14 minutes is the starting point. First that came to mind was you either are on Program Track (because AZL locos draw so little current that you can on the Digitrax 100mA limit of Prog Track Next was the Track Power wiring. Make sure it truly the connect holes. And, Obviously, Track Power LED on both Throttle and Command Station indicate. I assume that not Loco 0 or Analog could ever be out-of-box. If you have a Programming Track, great. If not, get one because you can’t use the layout with other electronics attached. Hi Jeff, Thanks for the video and for your thoughts. With the NCE system working fine now, now I have to get a decoder or two installed successfully. I didn't realize the GP30 was that finicky. I have a ton of AZL locos, which one(s) are better to start with in your opinion? I actually posted last night about additional frustrations but deleted it. I was pumped up about not getting one loco (besides the one I hardwired) to run right. It seems to me that you have to have the perfect amount of solder on the pads. Too much and it gets spit back out towards the rear of the loco. Too little and then you have to hold the board down just to get it to run. I never expected complete plug and play, but only getting one out of 6 locos to run well (by hardwiring) I'm ready to give it a rest and revisit it at a later time. I don't seem to have my usual high level of patience. I do have an RS3 decoder from Alex, that may become my next test bed. Hearing all of the praise about his decoders gives me some level of confidence. And it's not like I'm not used to small fiddly bits. Heck, I dabble in T scale too. Thanks again, much appreciated! Steve W |
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