DCC Equipped FT-A shorting out

[Sanityfree]

I picked up a DCC Equipped FT-A from the hobby shop, I put it on my track, turn on my Zephyr, and it shorts out. Repeatedly. I don't have a working DC power pack on hand to see if it works on that, but I'm guessing it won't. I popped the shell off and didn't see anything obviously wrong, except that the rear pickup wire colors are reversed. The connections are correct, but the black and red wires are on the wrong sides.

I'm completely new to the hobby and don't really know my way around the inside of a loco very well. The hobby shop sold it to me as new but deeply discounted due to missing packaging and documentation. I don't have a registration card to enforce the Bachmann warranty. The hobby shop is willing to take it back for a full refund, but I'm hoping to find a solution that doesn't involve another 75 mile (one way) drive up there to end up without a DCC loco.

[daxdog]

I had the same problem with a DCC equipped FT-A. I ended up sending it back to Bachmann and they replaced it.

[Hellhound]

I had an FT-A that totally smoked the DCC board. I was running a 3 amp power supply so the board burned until it was an open circuit which then allowed the locomotive to run as a DC unit minus the headlight. I opened up the loco and connected the LED headlight directly to track power through a 1000 ohm resister.

[Doneldon]

insane-

If I understand your post correctly, and I acknowledge that maybe I don't, the reversed wires on your rear truck explain the shorting out. The fix is just to make sure than right-side pick ups are wired together and left-side pick ups are wired together.

You can fudge a DC power supply with a surplus wall wart from some old cell phone, Walk Man or whatever, and you won't even need to take the shell off. Just find one which outputs about 12 volts DC. Cut the plug off and touch the wires to your rails. Your DCC system should NOT be connected to the layout when you do this; you'll probably find it easier to put the loco in question on a separate piece of track and do the test there. You'll only need to make contact for a moment. Depending on the size of your wall wart, your loco will run or at least lurch, indicating that it will run on DC. It won't matter if the wall wart isn't exactly 12 v because this will be a very quick test. However,you might blow a light, depending on the wall wart's output, how the loco and DCC board are wired and the voltage of the bulb. If you have any questions about that you should probably just disconnect the bulb for the test.

  Good luck.
                                             -- D

[Joe Satnik]

A Train Show trick for testing HO locos that others have reported: 

Bring along a fresh 9 Volt battery, momentarily touch the terminals to the wheels, motor should spin, wheels should turn. 

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik