robgoo said:
Woodie,
Thanks for the help. The manual says it is set up for 14 speed steps with the address of 3. So I should use this factoring setting? One thing, when I reinstalled the motor after isolating it, the decorder was buzzing and getting hot. I take it that it is not isolated. But i can not figure out why it is not isolated.
thanks,
Rob
Does the loco have a metal chassis? You will need to check if the chassis is "live", and supplying power direct to the motor. But as you say you put it in the DCC track (with decoder installed) and away it goes, the DCC track is AC power. Not DC, as the motor requires. Do you have a multimeter? (or just use an old 12 V globe). Touch the chassis, and either track. If the globe lights, then you've probably got a problem. But I doubt that will be it.
Select loco address "3" from your DCC controller. Do NOT enter any leading zeros. Just "3". (by doing that on mine, it differentiates between long and short address when selecting the loco. Mine is NCE, though, and if I want a long address I must enter 0003). Remember, also, the "default" loco address in the decocder is 3. It may have been changed at some stage. So program the decoder with a short address of, say, 100, and use that. Use a full 3 digit address (no leading zero) so as to avoid any confusion. (but not greater than 127 of course). I don't know if the decoder you are having problems with supports long address or not.
You will need to set your cab controller to 14 speed steps too, unless you program the decoder to 28 speed steps. However, I understand using 28 speed steps from your cab controller, on a 14 speed step decoder, produces a different problem from what you describe. It'll still go, but the headlight flashes on/off for each incremental speed step (or something like that), and the decoder still should respond to a speed step of 0. (i.e. bring the loco to a halt).
Set the loco address etc on the programming track, of course.
BTW........ you mentioned that it is and "older" decoder, and I'm assuming it has been used in another loco at some time in the past?