Bruce

You make it look & sound easy but you don't take in the main factor . I have paid too much money for my locos  for ME to try putting in a sound decoder ? ? ?

Thank you Bruce I really like reading your articles

Smokey Dawson      Australia

Bruce, thank you!

Hi Bruce,

I've enjoyed your column in the past and particularly this time.  

My only question was why did you choose to use an extra 750 ohms over the 220 ohms on the LokSound Select decoder?

Mick Jagger took care of my ears in the past so the sugar cubes have sounded good, now I'm looking forward to the oval I'm installing in my new version Atlas GP 38!

To the people who want to and are intimidated, go for it!!! It is a deep breath opening up your favorite locos.  Just go carefully and methodically.  You'll be glad you did!

Thanks again!

Nick

222 SMD is 2.2K ohms

Hi Bruce,

oops.....

Hope I beat the crowd.  Your answer will probably be that the 2.2 K ohms was too much resistance for a bright enough LED.

i also re-enjoyed 17 Tips.

Nick

Resistors

 Nick, that was part of the aborted resistor board plan. 

I have bypassed the onboard resistors so that I had the full function output available to take to the shell and connect to the resistor board.   But also, I was running to LEDs off of each function. Thus the onboard resistors would not work. 

 And then two, as you have noted, the built-in resistors are 2.2 K and I really wanted 750 ohms to achieve the desired brightness. 

Smokey

 I've been soldering and building electronic projects for 60 years.  And there's no substitute for experience. 

 My goal is to assist those who have a propensity to install. My goal is not to try and push people into doing things that they are uncomfortable with. 

 For example, in my path to MMR, I had to handlay a bunch of trackwork.  I'm glad I did it. I learned something in the process. I don't care if I ever do it again. And I'm not sure that I'm good enough to have done much more than a mediocre job. But it got the MMR done.  Your interest in electronics is probably similar. 

 The great thing about model railroading is that there are so many different tasks, skills and talents involved that there's something for everybody. And everybody doesn't have to want to do the same thing. 

 Keep having fun at what you like. 

 Thanks for reading and thanks for the kind words. 

There was supposed to be a figure 16

On page 22 of the column, paragraph 4 references Never-Stall lubrication on a similar Kato NW2. Here is the photo that got left out.

Thanks, Bruce...

Timely article as I have two RS-3 locos I'm going to be adding sound to and now I've got a road map...

Harry

Bruce

I'll try my hand at anything.Just made a manual throw switches ( 14 ) Installed and wired up for DCC every thing works fine  . set up lighting for some buildings( surprised myself) it worked.

I have found that I'm finding MRH is guiding me to explore more into the small wonders of this wonderful hobby.

You are the one who keeps  on reminding me to try , sometimes above my limitations , that's were my friend comes in.

Smokey Dawson       Australia

Thanks Bruce

Even though I'm not planning to use DCC on my new n-scale layout I found your comments on nano oil lubrication very helpful. 

Thinking it out

The technical details, while valuable, are not as important as your modeling of your thought processes during the project.

Well played, Sir.

Thank you all.

I'm glad you liked the approach.

decoder blues

Hi Bruce

Really enjoyed your installation article, as i have recently been doing quite a bit of engineering on some older Proto 2000 gp-30's to install a digitraxx decoder-- milling the frame weight, lights in the shell, etc.

I have a problem with a Prodigy (MRC) decoder. One day it woke up and decided to scramble all the sound functions. The motor and light still work normally, but all other sounds are at the wrong number, if present at all. The engine sound  is stuck on a 5 second repeating loop, or maybe on an Alco engine sound, while the bell and whistle are brake squeal or air release.

I've tried every CV  adjustment in the manual, with little or no response. My program track is not letting me read back any settings ( on this decoder or others- probably the fault of the program track itself)

Is this decoder hopeless? If i could just get it to pipe down, i could relegate it to  consist, but it's volume is on full blast, and pretty annoying. MRC will replace it, as they are good with Tech support. Can you think of anything i can do before sending it back to New Jersey?

Reset?

Try resetting the decoder.

CV 125 = 1.   Do it a couple of times at least.   If that doesn't work, scrap the decoder and upgrade to Soundtraxx or Loksound.   

Thinking thru a DCC decoder installation...

Bruce, you did a fantastic job describing how you went about installing the Lok Sound Direct decoder. What I really enjoyed were your Internet links to parts/supplies that you used during your installation. Can i ask you how you secured the decoder to the top of the motor??? I'm struggling with a similar situation in that using a Lok Sound Direct decoder in an Atheran RTR AMD-103/P42 doesn't give me much room to mount the decoder board on top of the motor; any suggestions??? One(1) other comment if I may; using the 50 pin in-line header was a Great suggestion. Looking forward to future projects. I may have to read some if not all your previous projects.

Once again; Great discussion. Bravo Zulu[BZ]

Bob

Thinking the a Dcc...

Thoroughly enjoyed your attention to detail. You mentioned using 'Rubber Coated wire" from Northwest Shortline​P/N wire 2951. I checked with Northwest Shortline and they didn/t have any listed. Would you know of any other source??? Thanx

BC

Rubber Wire

is available from my old store, Litchfield Station.

http://www.litchfieldstation.net/product/wire-28-awg-super-flexible-black-per-ft/