DCC ready????

[lipp]

I have a EMD F40PH that is supposed to be DCC ready. I was just wandering what that means? when I opened my LOCO to check out putting in my decoder NO.44913 I see nothing to hook it to. Does it hook into the PCB assembly or am I just totaly lost??? any help would be great....

[the Bach-man]

Dear Lipp,
There should be a socket on the circuit board. Remove the shorting plug and replace it with the decoder plug.
Have fun!
the Bach-man

[lipp]

there is no plug on the circuit board that i could see

[Hunt]

DCC Ready means the motor brushes are isolated from the power pickups and there is some means to accept the installation of a decoder be it socket, solder pads, wires or something else. The easy way to isolate the motor brushes is to isolate the motor.

Note the second picture in this link.
http://www.tcsdcc.com/decoderpics/Bachman%20Spectrum%20F40PH/bachman_spectrum_f40ph.htm
Your locomotive may have two 3-pin wire jumps instead of a plug.

[lipp]

my circuit board looks nothing like the one in that picture... mine looks more like just a light board...

[Hunt]

my circuit board looks nothing like the one in that picture... mine looks more like just a light board...

What is the Item No. and wording on the box label?

[WoundedBear]

If the loco is equipped with the 8 pin socket, then Lipp has the wrong decoder. The 44913 is for hardwiring into place.

The 44915 is the one with the 8 pin socket.

If you don't have a socket on the circuit board, as shown in the photos, then you need to identify your wires and solder the decoder to the pads of the board or splice into the wires directly.

Sid

[lipp]

i'm not sure what the item no. is but i'll look when i get home. the wording on the box says DCC ready deisel locomotive. it's the spectrum set in the black box with the cover flap over the front. i'll get more info later when i get home.

[Hunt]

...

The 44915 is the one with the 8 pin socket.

...

Sid,
Is it a socket or is it a plug? 

The 44915 has one end of the wiring harness connected to the decoder but on the other end is a NMRA 8-pin plug.

[WoundedBear]

Sorry.....plug is correct......The circuit board has the socket....or should. Slip of the fingers.....was too early when I posted that....lol.

Sid

[lipp]

ok the set item # is 01104 The Patriot Amtrak The box word for word says " a DCC-ready F40PH diesel locomotive with operating headlight, diecast chassis and eight wheel drive. I have the loco sitting in front of me. if you look in the product manuals on this sight under diagrams spectrum F40PH(old) that is this loco exactly. please help!!!!

[tomcat623]

sounds like the home depot syndrome to me-----someone buys a new item, puts an old or broken one in its package and returns it for a refund. they get a new unit and you get #@$%!ed.

[Stephen D. Richards]

sounds like the home depot syndrome to me-----someone buys a new item, puts an old or broken one in its package and returns it for a refund. they get a new unit and you get #@$%!ed.

Yep!  I have both types of Bachmann Spectrum F40PHs.  What you have is the one with just the light board and it probably has not been made DCC Ready!     

[Jim Banner]

lipp, it seems to me you have two choices.  If you can return the set and get one with the correct locomotive, then that is the easiest.  If you cannot return the set, you can still install DCC in the one you have.  Being that it is an older locomotive and possibly used, I would first make absolutely sure that it runs fine on dc.  This will likely involve cleaning the wheels and cleaning the half circle bronze springs that contact the bottom of the body.  (These springs are about an inch long and 1/8" inch wide and there are four of them.  If they are missing or are jammed up between the halves of the frame, then somebody has had the locomotive apart and reassembled it incorrectly.)  If the locomotive runs fine on dc, then and only then proceed with installing DCC.  If your decoder has a plug, it may be easier for you to just cut it off than to exchange decoders.

I have converted a number of the older Bachmann F40PHs to DCC.  If you remove the light board, there is lots of room for a decoder.  I usually replace the lights with LEDs anyway (don't forget the resistors.)  If you have a locomotive with a stobe light on top, you may prefer to use a decoder that can produce this effect for you.  Here in Canada we don't have that problem - no strobes on VIA locomotives.

As far as taking your F40PH apart, it is very similar internally to the B'mann Baby Trainmaster shown in the link below:
http://members.shaw.ca/sask.rail/dcc/tmaster/tmaster.html