dcc decoder fitting to ngauge loco

[uncle]

I have an ngauge old timer jupitor loco.Can a decoder be fitted,if so how &where

[Train Nutz]

Hi uncle,
    With an engine that small putting a N scale decoder in their is going to be a real tight fit if theirs any possible room. The only place you could put one would be in the tender. You might want to see if using a Z scale decoder made by NCE would work and fit the tender. If it does work the next step is going to hard wire it to the loco as this is not made to be DCC ready. The NCE decoders for Z scale are 4 function and are shorter in size when compared to a dime.  If your still interested in doing this you may want to call a dealer who installs DCC boards  to preform the installation if your not up to the task of doing this yourself.
                            Good luck,
Train Nutz...............................................

[r0bert]

nope, that won't work the jupiter's motor is in the tender, these locos really just are not good canidates for DCC conversion.  If it must be done, I would hardwire the decoder into a freight car, adding pickups to that car and just run the two motor and two pickup wires to the tender making the proper connections.

[fieromike]

I have an ngauge old timer jupitor loco.Can a decoder be fitted,if so how &where

If you are really determined to try it, you might try building up the wood bunker to make room for one of the super tiny German (not Lenz) decoders.  They are about 1/2 the size of a DZ123, but pricey...

Mike

[poliss]

Someone has already done it. Take a look at http://www.trainbuddy.com/Reference/decoding%20Engines/N440.htm where you will find full instructions with pictures. I shall be trying it on my Jupiter when I can pluck up the courage. :-)

[walthuston]

I have a new Bachmann H16-44 that I want to decoderize.  I have studied the insert that came with the loco, however, the PC board that came in the loco does not match the illustration.  Has anyone placed a decoder in this loco?  The illustration is for a PC board with the number N614X-IS001; my PC board is N613X#.  Obviously I don't want to fry a decoder so what's the key here?

Walt

[conradin]

This loco is not DCC ready.  Is it possible that they insert the H0 version of the insert?

Here is the H0 version:
http://hoseeker.net/assemblyexplosionbachmann/bachmannh1644diagrampg2.jpg

I once was thinking about putting a decoder in the old spectrum dash 8, there was no instructions.  I think the safest way that I thought of at the time was simply bypass any boards, PCB or not, of the loco, and directly solder to whatever applicances the loco has (motor, lights, etc).  Desolder the lights from the PCB, and get rid of the PCB.

But eventaully I dropped the idea and simply get a DCC ready version of the loco instead.  Not exactly plug and play but at least everything is clear, even without looking up the insert because the PCB has wire numbers printed on the places (contacts) where you need to solder.

I still messed up and fried the decoder.  I ended up asking Ginny to send me a replacement because the PCB also broke.  The contacts between the PCB and the motor are extremely fragile.  Word of advice to anyone who works on the Dash 8: the scotch tape that Bachmann put on for taping the PCB to the chassis is actually very important.  If you take the tape off and not be careful, you can simply break the copper contact of the PCB to the motor.  That's why the scotch tape is there, to prevent the PCB from moving.

Fianlly, why not ask the Bach man to upload the correct diagrams?

[walthuston]

The insert is not the HO version.  The loco has instructions for adding a decoder, but the PC board in the loco does mot match the instructions.

I have not yet figured out how to actually contact the Bach-Man.  What is the procedure?

Walt

[Hunt]

 

I have a new Bachmann H16-44 that I want to decoderize.  I have studied the insert that came with the loco, however, the PC board that came in the loco does not match the illustration.  Has anyone placed a decoder in this loco?  The illustration is for a PC board with the number N614X-IS001; my PC board is N613X#.  Obviously I don't want to fry a decoder so what's the key here?

Walt

Walt,
I have not yet seen the new Bachmann H16-44 so can not specifically help.

Nevertheless, as to your concern about frying a decoder… the two common ways to fry a decoder.
  1.   Create a short circuit; e.g. power can reach the motor brushes by some path other than through the decoder.
  2.   Applying power greater than the decoder’s rating to it.

To avoid frying use a programming track.

The insert is not the HO version.  The loco has instructions for adding a decoder, but the PC board in the loco does mot match the instructions.

I have not yet figured out how to actually contact the Bach-Man.  What is the procedure?

Walt

Walt,
The Bach-man will tell you he knows very little about anything DCC related.

To date, Bachmann does not support DCC beyond what you can find in the E-Z Command links and what is included with the product.

You contact the Bach-man by posting on this Board as he reads every post.  So when he reads you posts --- you have contacted the Bach-man. 

[conradin]

Another word of addvice, coming from someone who learned the hard way by frying his own decoder:

You need to create a programming track to avoid frying the decoder.

You basically hook up your DCC system to a short piece of track with the loco on it.  Whenever program the loco the loco will move a little bit to acknowledge the success of the programming. 

There is one differenmce between a programming track to a normal track which you merely hook up your DCC system.  What you need to do is to put a resister between the power supply and the track itself.  The resister, according to Bachmann, shouldbe a 100 ohm 10W Wirewound Resistor (or Radio Schack #271-135).

What I did is that I bought a terminal rerailer track.  Then I cut the red connecting wire of the DCC and solder the resistor in between one side of the wire (+ve or -ve it aint matter).    After that, you plug the doctored red connecting wire to the terminal rerailer track (now the newly made programming track).  Now you can safely program and test your DCC loco without the risk of getting it fried.

I also solder the cut side of the redwire back to one side of the resister, and then solder a contact fork on the other end of the cut wire.  After that I solder another contact fork on the end of the resister which does not have the re-soldered half red wire.   After that one uses electric tape and taped up everything, leaving just the two forks exposed.  Put a couple of  rubber caps on the two forks.

What all this does is two folds. When the red connecting wire (now with the resister) have the two contact forks covered, it can then serve as a connecting wire for your terminal track.  But when you take off the rubber caps and then put a screw and nut to hook up the two contact forks, the red connecting wire reverts to being a normal connecting wire, and you can use it back on the layout.

Of course if it is too much work, then do not bother with soldering contact forks and stuff, adn merely use a normal, undoctored redwire for normal operations, ie. one wire for programming, another for normal operation.

Hope this is helpful.

[Hunt]

Another word of addvice, coming from someone who learned the hard way by frying his own decoder:

You need to create a programming track to avoid frying the decoder.

You basically hook up your DCC system to a short piece of track with the loco on it.  Whenever program the loco the loco will move a little bit to acknowledge the success of the programming. 

There is one differenmce between a programming track to a normal track which you merely hook up your DCC system.  What you need to do is to put a resister between the power supply and the track itself.  The resister, according to Bachmann, shouldbe a 100 ohm 10W Wirewound Resistor (or Radio Schack #271-135).

What I did is that I bought a terminal rerailer track.  Then I cut the red connecting wire of the DCC and solder the resistor in between one side of the wire (+ve or -ve it aint matter).    After that, you plug the doctored red connecting wire to the terminal rerailer track (now the newly made programming track).  Now you can safely program and test your DCC loco without the risk of getting it fried.

I also solder the cut side of the redwire back to one side of the resister, and then solder a contact fork on the other end of the cut wire.  After that I solder another contact fork on the end of the resister which does not have the re-soldered half red wire.   After that one uses electric tape and taped up everything, leaving just the two forks exposed.  Put a couple of  rubber caps on the two forks.

What all this does is two folds. When the red connecting wire (now with the resister) have the two contact forks covered, it can then serve as a connecting wire for your terminal track.  But when you take off the rubber caps and then put a screw and nut to hook up the two contact forks, the red connecting wire reverts to being a normal connecting wire, and you can use it back on the layout.

Of course if it is too much work, then do not bother with soldering contact forks and stuff, adn merely use a normal, undoctored redwire for normal operations, ie. one wire for programming, another for normal operation.

Hope this is helpful.

From conradin instructions I take it he is using a Bachmann E-Z Command Control Center for his DCC command station.

Another brand of DCC command station will be different. Follow the instructions for your DCC command station.