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riogrande
USA
4604 Posts |
 Posted - 11/06/2009 : 21:27:36
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I have some older Digitrax and NCE decoders and am trying to figure out what the heck I bought these for:
3 x Digitrax DH140 with bare wires and no plug
1 x NCE D104KRS says for KATO RS-2, C44-9W and Atlas U23B, Bachman Doodlebug.
I'm not sure why I would have bought bare wire decoders.
As for the NCE D104KRS, I only have one of the loco's listed and I'm selling that one, the KATO C44-9W, so I won't need the decoder for that. Any other loco's that might fit? I have P2k GP30's and SD9's. Atlas GP40's and RSD4/5's. |
Rio Grande - The Action Road
Atlas forum member since 1994 |
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k9wrangler
USA
2223 Posts |
Posted - 11/06/2009 : 23:00:59
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They're not heavy enough to be paperweights.... I recycled some decoders into different units, but found some didn't work as well in them.
Some folks use them to wire lights into passenger cars and cabooses and just use the light functions.
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Karl Scribner
H.M.F.W.B.I.C.
Sunfield Twp. Michigan
Signature image too big.
graphic by McCann
Just a grumpy old man playing with my toy trains!
Friend of SPIKRE |
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riogrande
USA
4604 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2009 : 08:37:16
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The DH140's are engine decoders which have wires, and should be perfectly fine for some engines. They were premium when they were first sold so I don't see why they wouldn't be of use. Perhaps I'll find some loco's in my fleet which don't have sockets and have to be soldered like my Walthers F40PH's.
The NCE D104KRS has a plug on the board so it must plug gracefully into a few others models besides the KATO C44-9W. I think that loco may be the only KATO I own that has a socket, unless the slightly newer SD45's have a socket. |
Rio Grande - The Action Road
Atlas forum member since 1994 |
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alsilverstein
USA
189 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2009 : 13:05:33
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The only mobile decoders that I use are manufactured by Digitrax with the exceptions of a couple of the older N scale Soundtrax decoders so I cannot help you with the NCE decoder.
On the other hand the DH140 is an old Digitrax premium decoder that has been out of production for many years. These were hard wired decoders and can in effect be used in just about any HO engine.
I usually recycle my older decoders into places where I want to be able to turn lights on and off, like in passenger cars, cabooses, EOT devices etc. I have also used older decoders to control turntable motors, street and building lights, and I have even used a couple of decoders in animation scenes like a little boy flying an airplane and a operating oil pump.
Using the motor output of the decoder I can easily control the speed of the oil pump or turntable. There are a lot of places on a layout where older decoders are great for animation and special lighting effects.
Al |
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seanm
USA
517 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2009 : 18:30:44
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| With the wired one, make a DC test track for new engines before they are decoderized. Hook the pickup wires to the bus through a DPDT to an isolated piece of track with the motor leads... Instant DC section a=on a DCC layout. |
Sean B. McCaskey
"No man is a failure
who has friends" ---Clarence
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riogrande
USA
4604 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2009 : 18:59:47
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| I'm not really sure why folks say use them for other stuff besides engines. Sean's idea isn't a bad one either. Has any one added decoders to the Walthers F40PH? If those don't have sockets, well, I have 3 of them and 3 wire harness decoders so maybe I could just solder them in and they will be all set. I'm guessing I bought the ones without plugs for Athearn blue box loco's of which nearly all of them have been sold off. About all I have left are two GP40-2's, and one of them is in many pieces. What about the RTR GP40-2's? I've read they are not DCC ready, those might have to be soldered too. |
Rio Grande - The Action Road
Atlas forum member since 1994 |
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DJCONWAY
USA
2092 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2009 : 19:39:58
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I'm still running Digitrax DN93 from 1995 in the N scale SD 40's I installed them in back then. They are helpers and do well MUed with the newest decoders. Not all that fancy but they do the job.
Things like draw bridges, turn tables, of other animated accessoties (oil wells?) are nice uses for limited decoders. |
 Do your part buy stuff! |
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steve turner
4031 Posts |
Posted - 11/08/2009 : 20:08:12
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The only issue i have with old decoders is they are not silent run. Putting a loco to the rails with a non silent decoder really is a gripe.............enough to maybe make me change it out. In time |
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riogrande
USA
4604 Posts |
Posted - 11/08/2009 : 21:47:42
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quote:
Originally posted by steve turner
The only issue i have with old decoders is they are not silent run. Putting a loco to the rails with a non silent decoder really is a gripe.............enough to maybe make me change it out. In time
Wouldn't it depend on what loco they were in? If it was a KATO, well, those run pretty silently already! |
Rio Grande - The Action Road
Atlas forum member since 1994 |
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DJCONWAY
USA
2092 Posts |
Posted - 11/08/2009 : 23:32:56
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| The noise comes from a harmonic of the pulse frequency, some motors will hum, or buzz. Some of the ilder decoders do not have a motor frequency adjustment. Just be glad your hearing is good enough to hear the buzz, if you can. |
Do your part buy stuff! |
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riogrande
USA
4604 Posts |
Posted - 11/09/2009 : 00:56:14
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| ok, so people are tossing their older decoders from the late 90's because they made their engines noisy? joy. I didn't realize the decoders of the time were that bad. |
Rio Grande - The Action Road
Atlas forum member since 1994 |
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steve turner
4031 Posts |
Posted - 11/09/2009 : 01:20:48
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| Pretty much all decoders today are silent run.......Atlas decoders at first were not silent run. The electrial buzz generated by decoder through motor is very annoying especially if you have a quiet runner to start with.When silent run came out that was an exciting time just like when BEMF came out on decoders.Decoders have come along way......they were big bulky , hardwire only, pricey and lacking in todays features. In the old days even the locos had tobe worked on as many motors were not isolated from frame and not DCC friendly. Today DCC is a piece of cake at 1/2 he price with way more features. |
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DJCONWAY
USA
2092 Posts |
Posted - 11/09/2009 : 08:19:47
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quote:
Originally posted by riogrande
ok, so people are tossing their older decoders from the late 90's because they made their engines noisy? joy. I didn't realize the decoders of the time were that bad.
They are not bad -- just a little limited by today's standards. I have yet to replace a decoder because the new ones do this or that. |
Do your part buy stuff! |
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riogrande
USA
4604 Posts |
Posted - 11/09/2009 : 12:47:34
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| Well, for example I could see how some loco's would benefit from modern improvements like the BEMF feature, especially Athearns. But some loco's are quite good in running characteristics so the older decoders don't need those newer features to make up for the deficiencies of Athearns motors, and would work fine in Stewarts, KATO's and even some of the decent Walthers engines. |
Rio Grande - The Action Road
Atlas forum member since 1994 |
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seanm
USA
517 Posts |
Posted - 11/09/2009 : 14:54:52
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The silent running issus is not so bad the older ya get (grin) Loosing high pitch sounds has SOME advantages. (smile)
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Sean B. McCaskey
"No man is a failure
who has friends" ---Clarence
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wjstix
USA
2188 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2009 : 10:31:05
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On some of them, like Soundtraxx LC decoders, you can adjust a CV to change the pitch of the hum. Sometimes that allows you to move it to a range where it isn't so noticeable.
Take a look at the decoders you have carefully. Sometimes if you trim back the covering a little near where the wires come out you will see that there's a nine-pin harness with the wires coming out of it that is plugged into the decoder. You can remove this and plug in a nine-pin harness with an eight-pin receptacle attached to it if you don't have any engines (like Athearns) that require a hard-wire installation. |
Stix
BNSF / CP to you...CB&Q / Milwaukee Road to me !! |
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Topic |
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Older decoders, what to use them for.
