I have written previously in this list about my disastrous early attempts at
working with DCC. Today I am reporting some success.
I now have five standard gauge locomotives running on DCC. This is a mix of
steam and diesel, two with sound, everything from factory-installed DCC to
DCC-ready to a retrofit of a 17-year-old loco that had never heard the term.
Oddly, the toughest has been the loco that came with factory-installed sound
and DCC. I bought it because I figured I could study it and see how the pros
do it. I put it on the track and ran it happily for 15 minutes or so, blowing
the horn, etc. Then it stopped. The sound still worked fine, but the loco would
not run and the headlight would not come on. This loco, I knew from the
packing materials, had a Lenz decoder for the motor and a Soundtraxx sound
decoder.
Obviously the latter was working but the former was not, which seemed to rule
out the possibility of dirty track, broken pickup wire, dead throttle, etc.
So I took it apart and tested everything on the programming track. Believe it
or not, it appears the problem was that the Lenz decoder was not seated well in
its socket. Since it mounts over the motor with double-sided tape, could it
have been seated just enough to work initially and then vibrated just loose
enough to stop? It hardly seems possible. Can anyone think of another
explanation? Anyway, it runs now and toots and dings happily.
Experience being a dear teacher, here are some observations that may help
someone else:
1. The first loco I tried (the disaster) was too difficult in terms of room
for the decoder, etc. and I made it worse by making a poor decoder choice. I
should have started on an easier one.
2. The not-really-large amount of time invested since the initial disaster in
bulding a foam cradle for working on locos upside down, a programming track
with a good solid electrical connection to the Lenz unit (instead of a floppy
peice of flex track and alligator clips), an ammeter setup for measuring
slipping amps, etc. has all paid off big time.
3. Thoroughly practice controlling, programming, etc. a factory-equipped loco
before trying to put a decoder in yourself. With the cryptic nature of the
documentation on throttles, CVs, etc., knowing how to operate everything takes
one big unknown out of the process when you then do your own installation. For
example, I finally realized that one problem that I was having -- reading back
addresses -- was due to misunderstanding the manual, not to a problem with
the decoder or my installation. Once I figured out how the throttle worked,
addresses read like a champ.
4. "Mechanical" handling of the screws, tiny wire, etc. is still by far the
toughest part for me. Tiny screwdrivers, wire strippers able to handle 30-gauge
wire, etc. exist. Getting the ones I was missing ended a lot of aggravation.
I also bought a good supply of extra screws. The gravity here is so strong it
just eats them up.
5. Use sockets for the decoders, mini-connectors for wires to headlights,
etc. It is so much easier to wire and solder that way and then plug everything
together at the end.
Naturally, I learned all these things the hard way by doing them in inverse
order from what hindsight now suggests would have been wise.
Anyway, today I was double-heading, blowing whistle signals, ringing the bell
in the yard, and basically just showing off with stuff like coupler clank.
Who needs coupler clank? Well, remember the basic rule -- the difference
between
men and boys is the cost of their toys!
So I feel like I am starting to come to terms with DCC, and have begun to
experience and enjoy its advantages.
World War II buffs may see an interesting analogy. My first loco was like the
Dieppe Raid or the Kasserine Pass battle -- a disaster of unmitigated
proportions that had to be experienced to understand what it really took to
defeat
the DCC foe. SInce then, I've gone after a series of progressively more
challenging objectives -- Sardinia, Sicily, Naples, etc. -- building strength
and
skill along the way. I think I am ready now to return to the continent -- to
lick
the narrow gauge engines which were the main reason for getting involved with
DCC in the first place. Omaha Beach, here I come.
More news as it happens.
Lee Rainey
Free Men FreeLance FreeMo
**************
Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape.
http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489
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