Hey Mark,

as you can see this is obviously alright by Bachmann. I also purchased a DCC doodlebug with couch and they both came with EZs and baged rapidos in the box.
Here in Germany we have an old speech, literally translated:

"Just one swallow doesn't make the summer yet"

Lets wait and see what comes next!

Best regards
Mathi

Yeah, thats right!
If anything failes a reset cures back to standards.
BTW, I didn't like the behavior and changed it. Loco sits on tack and I turned on the DCC and switched to speed step 1 the loco started their two engine one by one while running. That was so unlikely to me and I configured it this way: Loco on track, DCC signal on track, all bells and wistles and lights are in working order but not the engine. Usually if one turns on speed step one the loco should start running slow as desired. Now just the engines fire up at step 1 and the loco begins moving initially at step 2.
Thats what I appreciate so much. It only can work if one makes CV2 workable before that, otherwise one is not able to set the CV2 down.
So you have to tinker with the CV-settings like I did to make it work properly.
Don't hesitate to ask again if you have any probs with it, ok!

Best regards
Mathi

Hi!

Since there was no response to my problem I played around with the CVs and found out something:
Due to the two motors in this engine is it hardly possible for a decoder to run them both the same creep speed. Although is it possible to slow the engine a little bit more with the factory settings.
I choosed the speed tables in CV29 and activated in CV25=12 the exponential speed curve 3. Then I cut down the full speed CV05 to 90 and now the loco does not start running on CV2=0. I increased the value up to 4 and now the engine begins softly to start rolling.
The next to do will be tinkering with the usual CVs for BEMF and probably there is some more creep to get with.
Two motors are never the same due to manufacturers tolerances. If you buy 3 absolutely same engines and you run them you will find them running differently. A single motor can be handled by a good decoder very slow, a turn of a wheel in 25 sec. or more.
On the other side will older engines never reach such creep abilities due to 3 pole motors and awkward gearing and the lack of flywheels.
I hope this all may help some of you mates with similar probs!

Best regards
Mathi

Hello!
My first sound engine is pretty nice but I wonder how to get more creep ability out of it beause the start up speed on step 1 is a bit to fast and I'm convinced it could be slower.
So I was checking up diverse CVs but there was no change to it. What me also wonders CV2 is set to 0 and the engine is still running then.
After reading the Soundtraxx manual about this certain matter I was playing with the CV10, 209 and 210 but no cure. Is it useful to play with CV213/114? I'm using the 3 point speed table via CV29 and therefore is no effect on switching down the CV66/95. Cutting down CV5 slows the engine a little bit but I feel there's more to tickle out of it.
So hopefully depending on your experience with this matter I'm asking honestly for some advice!

Best regards
Mathi

Hi!

I've found the same problem with my 4-8-4J's: the insulation on these very tiny wires between loco and tender is sort of scrappy and could make contact to the metal loco body.
So I took some colourless nail enamel wich my wife hase no longer in use and painted a thin layer over the wires.
Since then I never had any probs with these locos and there was no reason for me to switch the wiring.

Best regards
Mathi

Hi!

I've had this problem some years ago. I unsoldered a Bachmann decoder in order to replae it wirh a better one. My mistake was soldering at first and omited to mark each wire. All the 7 wires are black instead of colour coded.
I then looked into another Bachmann loco with decoder in the tender and all wiring was black either.
I then followed every track on the pcb and so I found out which wire belongs to which function.
This sounds hard but it turned out much easier than expected if you are experienced in the matter of decoderizing.

Best regrads
Mathi

Yes, the DZ123 is a bit cheaper but has no speed stabilisation, the DZ125 is markably smaller but there's no space problem in this loco.

Hello!

I have DZ123 and DZ125 in mine and both they are doing good jobs.

Best regards
Mathi

Yes, it is confusing but what I was talking about are the caps between the motor tabs, nit those on the pcb for light control or something.
I hope I made it clear enough.
BTW: Not always is the cap obsolete. I've solderd a decoder into a very old german Arnold class 103 directly on the pcb and everything was fine. Some months later when I was maintaining this loco and removed the pcb to get down to the motor I found a cap on the backside pcb which I haven't recognised before. Well, I clipped it off, reassembled the loco after maintainance was done and then put it back in the wall cabinet.
About 7 months later I grabbed this loco out again to let it run on my layout. Tell you what: the loco was totally crazy and it took me 3 almost sleepless nights before I've got the clou.
Out of my bed and the iron heated on and I soldered a cap back on the pcb.
After all the loco was ok again, go figure.

What I wanted to say in few words:
It is not recommended to remove the motor cap but in most locos it is.

Regards
Mathi

Hi!

I can just tell about my experience with DCCing several 300 locos:

Usually is it not necessary to remove the coils but in most cases have the caps between the motor contacts to be removed. Ich remove and bridge the coils only if I need to get more space for a decoder in the loco.
I never had problems with unremoved coils but in most of the cases with cap left in because they can disturb the decoders finetuning abilities and causes the model havoc.

Best regards
Mathi

Hi!

This will help you to figure how to remove:

http://mvns.railfan.net/dcc//bach280_dec_inst.pdf


Best regards
Mathi

Hi!

That plastic cover should insulate the motor from shorting between both of the chassis halves which are the two poles from the rail.
You can prevent shorting by some taping.

Regards
Mathi

Hi!

I use some by my wife no longer used clear nail enamel for many purposes when decoderizing locos. I brushed it on all that wires from body to tender and never had probs with shorts again.

Regards
Mathi

Hi Rich!

This is the very difference! You said they've 12V DC directly to the motor and fried the decoder.
ok, I would not recommend this to an unexperienced tinkerer, but I said not more than 3-4 volts. In many cases is 1-2V enough to check if the motor starts turning, most of them don't need more power.
I would NEVER use full power and I did it less than a split second just to see its working
I did this with DZ, Uhlenbrock, Lenz, Kuehn and D&H-decoders without any troubles but if you want to stay on the safer side unplug the decoder before doing so.
If a motor does not turn with app. 3V DC there must be something wrong with it and you have check it anyway.

Regards
Mathi

Well,

the M1 manual says you have to write the number 2 into CV 8 to reset the decoder to factoey standards.

I would very carefully put power direct to the motor contacts while the decoder is attached. I did this very often with no consequences but I used not more than 3-4 Volts DC and this low voltage obviously does not harm the decoder. I did it just some split seconds only to watch if the motor starts turning. If you use more power.........................I don't know, probably you will toast it, as skipgear stated.

Regards
Mathi