New 44925 Bachmann mobile decoder won't put out???

[ftherrmann]

I've got a new 44925 decoder.  The motor controls work fine however I can't get any output from the white/yellow common blue wires? 

I've got it on the bench now and wanted to test it to make certain all is well before doing the install.    The light button on my Dynamis works great with my other decoders.   

Bum decoder or operator error?  Is there any thing I'm missing?

Thanks,

Fred

[Rangerover1944]

Sounds to me like the decoder is reading lights off, that's what those wires solder to. I would solder the wires together and see what happens when you push the light button on you throttle. If that don't work, reset the decoder to factory default, cv8 to 008 should reset to factory.

[richg]

Put your voltmeter probe on the blue and white or blue and yellow to read the DC voltage. No meter, connect a 12 volt bulb to same wires. Since you have a work bench, I have to assume you have the meter and bulbs. If you want to work at the component level, you should have both.
Even a 1k resistor and an LED with work in place of the bulbs.
I have an old ice pick type car voltage probe from a auto supply store that I some times use to read DC voltage. Same voltage, 12 vdc. A dim light always tells me low voltage. I have a couple 12 vdc Gel Cell rechargeable batteries at the bench for testing when I need a quick handy 12 vdc.

Rich

[Jim Banner]

...  I would solder the wires together and see what happens when you push the light button on you throttle ...

Solder the yellow and/or white wire to the blue wire and what will happen when you push the light button on your throttle is that the lighting output(s) of your decoder will be instantly destroyed.

Resetting the decoder makes sense.  Reset for this decoder may or may not be 08 into CV08 - check the literature that came with it.  Once reset, you can address it at address 03 with some confidence that it will received the digital commands.

Jim

[ftherrmann]

Want to first say thanks to everyone for responding!

I hooked up the decoder again and it still drives the motor and can be programmed.  It also accepted a CV8 8 reset.  I measured the Fwd/Rev light voltages and they both measured about 200mV. Needless to say not quite enough to drive my 16v lamps.  I also measured the current draw of the lamps I'm using and they draw about 35 mA at 16 volts which is well within the specs for the Bachmann decoder.

I also used a DC controller and got the same results.  Motor works, just not the lights.  This is the third decoder I've installed now and the first bad apple.

My latest install was a Tsunami 750 with a 1" oval speaker into the Bachmann N scale Series J loc.  A really sweet sounding locomotive.  This DCC stuff is really neat!  Set the accel and brake CV's along with the automatic sounds and it's hard to tell that it's not the prototype.  The install was a challenge.  I first tried the install into the tender without using the 300Mf capacitor and occasionally got some glitches.  After stuffing the cap into the tender (mind you not a bit of room left in the tender) I haven't had a single glitch.

I'm stuffing the decoder in an envelope and sending it back to Bachmann for an exchange.  It'll be interesting to see if they exchange it. 

I placed an order for some large traction tires (9-10mm) and they sent me 5mm tires.  I've left voice messages and sent emails asking them to send me the correct tires but haven't heard anything back yet after 3 days.  Hmmm,,,  is this normal customer service from Bachmann?

Fred

[richg]

...  I would solder the wires together and see what happens when you push the light button on you throttle ...

Solder the yellow and/or white wire to the blue wire and what will happen when you push the light button on your throttle is that the lighting output(s) of your decoder will be instantly destroyed.

Jim

That response really surprised me. That is how people with no electrical knowledge get into trouble.

Rich

[Rangerover1944]

...  I would solder the wires together and see what happens when you push the light button on you throttle ...

Solder the yellow and/or white wire to the blue wire and what will happen when you push the light button on your throttle is that the lighting output(s) of your decoder will be instantly destroyed.

Jim

That response really surprised me. That is how people with no electrical knowledge get into trouble.

Rich

OH MAN, geeez I thought the op had enough knowledge to know  "to solder the wires together ", not as a bunch, but to their proper mates, yellow to yellow blue to blue, he said the motor function worked so he must have some knowledge or at least read the instructions that came with the decoder.

Rich, As far as my knowledge Rich, I have installed 24 decoders on loco's alone about half with sound, and hard wired about half of those, (5 year olds can plug in a decoder if plugs are available) with all kinds of alterations , even added extra electrical pickups on Bachmann's "Old Tyme Village Express 4-4-0 when I added DCC to it so it would at least make it through the turnouts, talk about a challenge, for my granddaughter, because she loves the loco.  I've installed electrical pickups, configured my own, (other modelers wouldn't even attempt such a project) on cabooses, and passenger cars for interior lights. I've  also installed 1.8mm led's with flashing red lights with flashing headlights and sirens on my police, fire, and ambulance vehicles, just to name a few. And the last month I've been working on infra red device kits  to operate crossing gates and lights, so yea I have  achieved just a tiny bit of knowledge I suppose compared to the wizards and professionals on the MRR web sites, such as this, and yes I wouldn't be here except to learn form others in this wonderful hobby of their experience, wisdom, and knowledge and trying to help others along the way.

[ftherrmann]

Rangerover1944,

I didn't take the "solder the wires together" literally, but somebody with less info may have tied the common to one of the function fwd/function rev wires.  Needless to say that load (or should I say "No load" or even better "dead short") would exceed the decoder's specs just a little bit!   

I think you've been beat with the wet noodle enough now!   Just don't let the loose verbage happen again.   

Tanks for the info!

Fred

[Jim Banner]

On a forum such as this one, there is always a bit of a problem with not knowing how much each poster knows or what his background and experience are.  Nor do we know who the other 100 or so readers of the thread are or what their backgrounds are.  So sometimes extra caution is warranted.  It did not help in this case that the only wires mentioned in the first two posts on this thread were the blue, white and yellow ones.  I would hate to see anyone ruin a perfectly good decoder by following advice "as written" instead of "as meant."

Many of the long time posters here will remember the case of the young fellow who burned out five decoders in a row in an Athearn locomotive.  He insisted that he had isolated the motor and in fact he had isolated it by removing it and taping the frame under it.  But he "un-isolated"  the motor when he replaced the connecting bar across the top of the motor in order to make the headlight work.  It was another case of simple misunderstanding where we all believed he understood what he was doing but it probably resulted in the poor fellow blowing his model railroading budget for the next couple of months.

Bottom line, don't feel like someone is stomping on you just because he adds a bit of clarification.  We all want to help those who ask for our help by giving them the best help we possibly can.  I think most of us who offer help do so because we want others to be able to share a hobby that has given us a great deal of pleasure.  And if it takes more than one explanation to get the ideas across, then it is great that there are many people willing to make those explanations.

Jim