Digitrax decoder failure

[MLW]

Should have said DIGICRASH instead...

I don't have many Digitrax decoder in my loco (only 2) and one just failed.
Loco was working fine and after sitting for a while doing nothing its now dead.
No power to the loco, no lights, no humming nothing at all. All other loco are working just fine thank you very much.

I put the loco on the programming track, reset the adress to 3. Nothing
Reset CV08 to 008 nothing. Check all wiring = fine. Check for shorts = none.

Its an archaic, old DH123. So, is it ""normal"" to go dead like that?

All my other loco are powered by NCE. No problem there.
For my next sound loco it will be LOCKSOUND. Don't want to go
to that haslle again!

Thanks

 

[ICG/SOU]

I had a brand new DH123 poop out on me. I was told that the -12x series (by my local hobby shop) have more problems they've seen than say, the -16x series. I bought a TCS T1 in its place, and have not had any problems. Most of my fleet have T1s, excluding some of the P2K units, and a handful of Digitrax models.

 

[Cjcrescent]

Should have said DIGICRASH instead...


Its an archaic, old DH123. So, is it ""normal"" to go dead like that?

All my other loco are powered by NCE. No problem there.
For my next sound loco it will be LOCKSOUND. Don't want to go
to that haslle again!

Thanks

I'm not going to say, "That's strange!", but I will say that except for a TCS M-1 and 1 NCE decoders, all of my others are DH-123's (24 of them), and except for the 2 that I fried my self due to a mistake on my part, I've never had ANY go bad on their own. I've been using them since they were released, and have no complaints.

The only other reason that I could see that would cause them to go bad would be overheating due to your motors running at or close to their peak amp draw. (What loco is involved?) Our club have had several DN-142's go bad in some HO locos that were running like that.

I always do a stall current test and a running test on any loco I'm about to install a decoder in, to make sure it's at it's advertised amp draw. I've had to get new motors for several locos that weren't in their advertised amp draw. Early P2K's, esp the PA's and the E's were bad about drawing 2 amps or more. Even some "can" motors are not necessary hi-efficent motors and have had to replace them as well. I've even got an old Pittman DC-195 (seven pole) open frame motor that at it's stall only draws .75 amp.

 

[kbkchooch]

Should have said DIGICRASH instead...

I don't have many Digitrax decoder in my loco (only 2) and one just failed.
Loco was working fine and after sitting for a while doing nothing its now dead.
No power to the loco, no lights, no humming nothing at all. All other loco are working just fine thank you very much.

I put the loco on the programming track, reset the adress to 3. Nothing
Reset CV08 to 008 nothing. Check all wiring = fine. Check for shorts = none.

Its an archaic, old DH123. So, is it ""normal"" to go dead like that?

All my other loco are powered by NCE. No problem there.
For my next sound loco it will be LOCKSOUND. Don't want to go
to that haslle again!

Thanks

Cheap fix.....Put the decoder in a padded envelope, add 10 bucks and mail to NCE, they will send you a new NCE decoder......see the NCE home page for details.

 

[MLW]

Sorry for the above rent. Am getting very P-O at my Digitrax equipped loco
(installed on an altas C425 of all thing!)

It's the second time that the Digitrax equipped loco are acting up. The first one was a run-away. Now this.

No derailment, nothing funky, no smell of something burning. I installed the decoder last year, it's the "plug" you insert and away you go. Worked fine until this.

I don't know what happen and why it won't accept any programing. It's dead as a door knob.

The NCE equipped one run like a swiss clock and I have had (knock on wood) no issue whatsoever.

I'll do some scenery on the layout instead...

 

[Cjcrescent]

Contact Digitrax. Even though it's out of warrenty, if the story you tell them is good enough, they may replace it for free.

 

[UP2CSX]

I'll have to agree with CJ on this. I've got 10 Digitrax equipped engines and haven't had one fail (except for me doing something dumb) in almost three years. You've either had very bad luck (possible) or your engine is drawing too much power for the decoder to handle (probable). Having the decoder at or near the 1 amp limit for a period of time will eventually fry something. Do you know how much power your C425 was drawing at stall current? Even modern locomotives sometimes have one that's a dog and the motor is drawing way more power than normal. I always test mine for stall current in DC mose before I install a decoder. I know if it's at or near one amp, I need to work on the motor if it's old or return it for warranty service if it's new. Not knowing how much amperage your engine draws at stall speed is an invitation to burning up decoders.

As has been said, Digitrax will replace the decoder for $10 or free if you have a good sob story. But, if the problem is the locomotive, a new decoder will just lead to another failure. Also, the runaway issue is very common with all decoders. The fix is to disable dual mode (DC/DCC) detection so the decoder will only see DCC current. No more runaways if you do this.

 

[MLW]

Problem solve

I just solved the problem.

Went to my LHS and got an NCE KRS-SR decoder.
It has 8 pin drop-in decoder. It's a perfect fit.

All the NCE great feature, crisp control, silent running, torque compensation etc..

Loco 3208 is back in service

I'll see if Digitrax would send me an NCE decoder for the DH123 that's kaputt

Now I'll shop for a LOCKSOUND sound decoder

 

[diburning]

What is your DCC system?

I've noticed that NCE and Digitrax have issues with each other. The club that I belong to has a digitrax layout. Whenever the layout shorts out and is reset, the NCE equipped locomotives try to run away. (I have a Proto 2000 SW9 with a NCE SW9-SR decoder and it likes to run away when the layout is started up or when it shorts and is reset.)

I've noticed that the same thing happens with digitrax equipped locos on a NCE system.

Also, is your locomotive an Athearn or an Athearn Blue box? Athearns generally draw more current than other brands and if it draws too much, it will fry any brand of decoder. If I were you, I'd go with a fancier decoder that can handle up to 1.5 amps so that it doesn't fry if the loco draws 1.1 amps.

I use mainly (current production) DH123P/DH123PS/DH123Ds for my locos and have not had a problem with them. If you have the older DH123 that only says DH123 on the blue shrink wrapping, without a letter after it, please be aware that it is a 10+ year old decoder (1998 vintage). If you bought it used, then it probably isn't digitrax's fault.

 

[kbkchooch]

What is your DCC system?

I've noticed that NCE and Digitrax have issues with each other. The club that I belong to has a digitrax layout. Whenever the layout shorts out and is reset, the NCE equipped locomotives try to run away. (I have a Proto 2000 SW9 with a NCE SW9-SR decoder and it likes to run away when the layout is started up or when it shorts and is reset.)

I've noticed that the same thing happens with digitrax equipped locos on a NCE system.

Funny, last Digitrax layout my engines visited, the hosts engines ran away often, my NCE equipped engines did not. Now everyone needs to check 1 thing on any engine with DCC if they experience a runaway. Did you turn the DC function off? If not, shame on you!

If you have the older DH123 that only says DH123 on the blue shrink wrapping, without a letter after it, please be aware that it is a 10+ year old decoder (1998 vintage). If you bought it used, then it probably isn't digitrax's fault.

Then who's is it? Hmmm, they built the decoder, they made the money off it, and their name is on it. You cannot fault physical wear (no moving parts) nor installation. (if it were installation, it would have failed years ago) I've used Digitrax, NCE, TCS and Soundtraxx decoders for years, for myself and others and have replaced almost all the DH123's on my roster due to failures. Each of these engines got a new D13SR as a replacment and none have failed since. I've got older still Digitrax decoders still performing yeoman service (DH121's and DH83's). My conclusion? There is something inherantly wrong with the DH123 series. And yes, it's Digitrax's fault.

 

[MLW]

Sounds plausible to me!!

In any case now I have only one loco with a Digitrax decoder and will see when I have to change it.

Whatever works right? For me its NCE that's all.

 

[Cjcrescent]

My conclusion? There is something inherantly wrong with the DH123 series. And yes, it's Digitrax's fault.

Still have to disagree, Karl. As I said, I've been using them since they came out, ('96?) and have only lost 2. Both due to MY mistakes.

Frankly I believe that over 90% of the "problems" I've read about the DH123's has to do with operator error. We have a Digitrax system at the club, and we all use Digitrax decoders almost exclusively, most being DH-123's. (Got a real good deal from Digitrax.) Not counting the running we do during the rest of the year, we run a show from generally Thanksgiving until the end of January, 10 hours a day, 7 days a week, with only Xmas and New Years off and the only failures we have had are overheated motors. We haven't lost a decoder yet during these shows.

 

[kbkchooch]

Still have to disagree, Karl. As I said, I've been using them since they came out, ('96?) and have only lost 2. Both due to MY mistakes.

Well then, I guess we would have to agree to disagree then, as our experiences support both our points of view.
Sometimes I wonder if its just dumb luck. Kinda like my sister having a major engine failure in a fairly new Japanese car, yet I had a pair of Chevy Vegas, both went over 150,000 and still ran great when I sold them. Both situations fly in the face of the norm.

 

[Cjcrescent]

Well then, I guess we would have to agree to disagree then, as our experiences support both our points of view.

Yes we can do that Karl. Its like what was the better car, the Mustang, or the Camero? Everyone has their favorites.

Sometimes I wonder if its just dumb luck. Kinda like my sister having a major engine failure in a fairly new Japanese car, yet I had a pair of Chevy Vegas, both went over 150,000 and still ran great when I sold them. Both situations fly in the face of the norm.

You got 150K out of two Vegas???????? Wow! My wife and I bought one right after we were married, and it fell apart before it was paid for!!!

As for dumb luck, I do agree with that!

 

[Espeefan]

Interesting. I have a majority of Digitrax decoders in my non-sound locos. Never had a failure out of either DH or DN 123s. Runaways with some early 121's after a short or layout powerup. Fixed this by turning DC mode off, as has been said earlier in the thread & elsewhere. Something inherently wrong with the design? I don't think so. There are just too many out there & have been for too long. Check the loco current draw. Make sure there is nothing weird on the circuit board if there is one. Sometimes there are unfriendly electronics, or you have to cut traces on the board. Look at the technical bulletins on Tony's Train Exchange's website. Lots of interesting stuff there. I did fry one in a brass steamer once. Runnning too close to the peak amp draw for too long. Ended up re-motoring, & end of problem.

I also use NCE, TCS, have installed Lok Sound, Use QSI and of course Soundtraxx. Never seen an "inherent problem" in any brand.

Regards,

 

[MLW]

Like I said before: NO technical or any other problems with the tracks, the wrirring, the Loco, the DCC command control unit, and the layout. Everything works perfectly and a dozen loco, including the ones with sound are NOT affected. Only the two with Digitrax.

Regardless. I contacted Digitrax about this.

Digitrax charges a fee to repair and/or replace the decoder. Wiith shipping and the fees to get another Digitrax decoder of the same vintage/level is a non-issue for me. It's going in the garbage since it's way cheaper that way then the value of a replacement decoder from the same manufacturer with the aforementioned fees.

For me its NCE all the way


Episode closed

 

[beiland]

This afternoon I was playing with a few of my trains,...running 3 different trains at one time on my still existing plain old DC layout. One of those trains was a SF passenger train pulled by an ABA set of BLI blueline locos with both A-units having sound, BUT NO dcc. I really liked their sound, and it got me to wondering (AGAIN) if there was a way to put motor decoders in these bluelines,...dual decoders?

I realize that many have said this is impossible, but just today I ran back across this posting that makes it sound possible,..
https://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/744/p/258359/3440289.aspx#3440289https://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/744/p/258359/3440289.aspx#3440289
********************
That was the crux of the matter when I started this thread a few years back.

At the time, I was ready to pull out the factory installed sounds and lights decoder and the after-market motor decoder and install a single sound decoder, but I never did.

The big problem with the dual decoder system was programming a consist of two or more Blueline locos. It is next to impossible. My solution was to simply program the same long address in each loco in the consist. That has worked well for me ever since.
Rich
**********************************

Could a knowledgeable DCC person take another look at what the gentleman claims to work?

I have also replied to this other forum discussion asking the gentleman if he is still operating his F7's in this manner??
What I am asking Rich, is about his work-around. Are you saying that you are able to operate your ABBA Santa-Fe consist by simply using the same long address for the decoder equipped A units in that consist? In other words this works for this particular consist, but still won't allow these locos to be consisted with others??

I might be able to live with this plan for these particular locos, and it might save some money?

If so is there are more up-to-date motor/motion decoder one might put in those stock blueline locos (rather than the ones Rich utilized a number of years ago??

https://groups.io/g/NCE-DCC/topic/bli_blueline_ho_diesels/96935894?p=Created,,,20,2,20,0&jump=1

*************************************

Adding a motor decoder to a blue line is easy. I’ve done a few for the club. Most have a plug where you plug in the motor decoder. The trick is to lock the on board sound decoder. Cv 15 and 16 are factory set to 0. Once you get the sound to your liking, set cv 16 to a number . I always use 2. Now plug in and program the motor decoder. You are good. Here is the problem. If you ever want to unlock the sound, you must change cv 15 to 2. When they match, they are unlock, but cv15 us the only cv you can change when locked. To relock the sound, change 15 to 0 and it’s locked again. It sounds confusing but it works. We have a few in the club and they work fine. If you try to change cv16 when it’s locked you will get frustrated.

 

[beiland]

So here is a selection of Digitrax mobile decoders I have still new in their packages. I fully imagine I want to put the same decoders in the two A-units,...what would anyone recommend?

DH 121 P (have 2)
DH 123 P (have 2)
DN 163 PS (have 3)
DH 140 (have 3)

Of course I would also consider NCE mobile decoders?

 

[Smudge617]

So here is a selection of Digitrax mobile decoders I have still new in their packages. I fully imagine I want to put the same decoders in the two A-units,...what would anyone recommend?

DH 121 P (have 2)
DH 123 P (have 2)
DN 163 PS (have 3)
DH 140 (have 3)

Of course I would also consider NCE mobile decoders?

If you go onto the Digtrax website they have a table which tells you what decoder works/fits which particular loco.

 

[Smudge617]

Should have said DIGICRASH instead...

I don't have many Digitrax decoder in my loco (only 2) and one just failed.
Loco was working fine and after sitting for a while doing nothing its now dead.
No power to the loco, no lights, no humming nothing at all. All other loco are working just fine thank you very much.

I put the loco on the programming track, reset the adress to 3. Nothing
Reset CV08 to 008 nothing. Check all wiring = fine. Check for shorts = none.

Its an archaic, old DH123. So, is it ""normal"" to go dead like that?

All my other loco are powered by NCE. No problem there.
For my next sound loco it will be LOCKSOUND. Don'to go
to that haslle again!

Thanks

If the Decoder is not older than 1 year, they will replace it for free