dcc decoder tester

[lucy 1]

Hi,

  Has anyone used any type of decoder tester?
If so which brand and why did you like it?

    Thank you, Lucy 1

[Hunt]

With the decoders available today you can test them in a locomotive; but, for those times you want to know for sure about a decoder that is not working as you expected, then a decoder tester is useful. However, you need more than just a basic decoder tester.

Here is one way to build an enhanced decoder tester, http://www.tonystrains.com/technews/enh-dtester.htm

Keep in mind you need an easy way to change out the speaker as all sound decoders do not use an 8 ohm speaker.

[Jim Banner]

I use one all the time.  I built my own using a 12 volt gear motor for the motor load and 12-16 volt 60 milliamp grain-of-wheat lamps for functions.  What I like best about it is knowing that the decoder I am about to install actually works.  If a decoder supplied by a customer does not work on my tester, I do not waste time installing it and there is no argument about which was bad - the decoder or the installation.  I even test the decoders that I provide.  If I plug in half a dozen decoders one after the other and one does not work, it is pretty hard for the manufacturer to claim that I somehow damaged the one decoder but left the others intact.  And while the decoder is still connected to the tester, I can program it using Decoder Pro on an old laptop connected to the tester via a LocoBuffer-USB and a Zephyr. 

[Nathan]

Since most of my decoders are NCE, I use the NCE tester.  I mounted it on a small 'electronics' box I got at a local electronics supply store an added a 4 pole, double throw switch to it for checking additional functions that the large scale decoders I use have.