hawksdown Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Hi AllHas anyone successfully converted this little icon to DCC, it runs well on dc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregd99 Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 i Have an old dock yard shunter that I don't run any more.I think the biggest challenge would be stall current. As I recall the lights in the house used to dim when I ran this little loco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LCDR Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 My fleet of R253s are some of the most reliable runners I have. They are fiesty little beasts, noisy - true, but can pull more than you might expect for a loco of its size! I think you might struggle to get a chip in it without it filling the cab and being visually intrusive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southernman777 Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Hi, I thought of doing this (I have a red & Black dock locos) but the chassis is live and I understand this might cause problems in converting it to DCC? The dock authority locos are great runners. (on DC). Has anyone succeeeded in doing this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The son of Triangman Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Conversion is a pretty easy job, the live chassis poses no real problems for conversion. Whilst I was at it I also replaced the bulb on one of my unboxed examples with a bridge rectifier, resistor and an white LED to reduce current consumption, it cost less than a quid for the bits. I see someone offers the same sort of lighting solution on a well known online auction site but for a lot lot more.It is definately possible and very easy to convert this loco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The son of Triangman Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 As LC&DR rightly says finding somewhere to place the decoder is the main problem without filling the cab with decoder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawksdown Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share Posted November 22, 2011 The son of Triangman said:Conversion is a pretty easy job, the live chassis poses no real problems for conversion. Whilst I was at it I also replaced the bulb on one of my unboxed examples with a bridge rectifier, resistor and an white LED to reduce current consumption, it cost less than a quid for the bits. I see someone offers the same sort of lighting solution on a well known online auction site but for a lot lot more.It is definately possible and very easy to convert this loco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawksdown Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share Posted November 22, 2011 Thanks to all for posts perhaps I'll have a go with a mini decoder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregd99 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 make sure that you check your stall current.i think that the shunter will take more rather than less. this might not be compatible with a "mini" decoder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poliss Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Size isn't everything. There are mini decoders with 1 Amp continuous and 2amp peak current.The standard Hornby R8249 is only 500mA continuous and 1 Amp peak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick_ling Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Had anyone succeeded in this yet what about with any of the new small decoders wood be interested to find it what decoders wiek best I love my dock authority shunter was the 3rd train I ever bought and still going strong on DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poliss Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Instructions for converting the Dock Shunter here. http://www.newrailwaymodellers.co.uk/Forums/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=38423 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruscul Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Hi, I thought of doing this (I have a red & Black dock locos) but the chassis is live and I understand this might cause problems in converting it to DCC? The dock authority locos are great runners. (on DC). Has anyone succeeeded in doing this? How do I isolate the chassis, I have fitted the decoder it worked once, but the next time I tried it on the track the control unit was flashing the number 10 and the shunter would not move.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishmanoz Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Hi Ruscul, welcome to the forums. Did id you follow the fitting instructions as per poliss's link? If it worked once, then it can't have been a live chassis problem. It wouldn't have worked at all. But that doesn't mean it hasn't shorted to something in there given the limited space. Check that out and insulate anything that might short accidentally. What controller is it that is flashing 10? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruscul Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Hi Ruscul, welcome to the forums. Did id you follow the fitting instructions as per poliss's link? If it worked once, then it can't have been a live chassis problem. It wouldn't have worked at all. But that doesn't mean it hasn't shorted to something in there given the limited space. Check that out and insulate anything that might short accidentally. What controller is it that is flashing 10? Thanks Fishmanoz, it's a Select controller. Yes followed the link and I have insulated with heat shrink. The v spring both sides, the red wire to brown wire connection, orange and black wires are insulated too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 @User_Removed A few pictures of youtr conversion would be appreciated as you seem to have made a good job of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishmanoz Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 So is it fixed now or still a problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruscul Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 So is it fixed now or still a problem? it's still a problem, in fact the following day the shunter would not run at all. Not sure where I have gone wrong. I am using a decoder harness. see photos attached Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The son of Triangman Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Crumbs, spaghetti! Was the loco a good runner on DC, did you check to see if there were any track pins causing shorts etc before conversion? Heatshrink on the right handside is too thick as well putting extra pressure on the motor brushes causing extra wear, you need to remove the old insulation sleeve and fit new thinner insulation to both sides of the brush spring. From what I can see the wiring to the loco is ok, the socket harness looks a right old mess, I would just hardwire the decoder in. Here's a Tri-ang-Hornby hymek I did earlier, someone had tried before but got it wrong so I started it from scratch lovely runner under DCC control. I would start from scratch again, making sure there is no contact between the brown wire and the live chassis casting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The son of Triangman Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 If it helps you could send it to me for the work to be done? Always glad to help forum members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poliss Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Hi Ruscul. I'd say you have a short somewhere. You don't need the plug on the harness. That can be cut off and the wires shortened to a more manageable length. If you're not using lights, then all you need are the red, black, orange and grey wires. If you want to keep the plug on the harness, for ease of swapping decoders, then you can buy a socket to plug it into. When soldering wires together, cover the joint with some heatshrink tubing and shrink it with the back of the soldering iron. The decoder itself should be insulated from any contact with metal. I prefer to use heat resistant Kapton Tape instead of ordinary electrical insulation tape. Always check, with a multimeter, that there is no electrical continuity where there shouldn't be any. Here's a different way to convert the Dock Shunter to DCC. Note that the return strip has been removed. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/85195-triang-hornby-r253-dock-shunter/ Here are some videos showing how similar Tri-ang motor bogies were converted. (Similar, but not the same.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcFMNK1Vb9s&x-yt-ts=1422579428&x-yt-cl=85114404 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7r9S574Hyw&x-yt-cl=85114404&x-yt-ts=1422579428 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruscul Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Crumbs, spaghetti! Was the loco a good runner on DC, did you check to see if there were any track pins causing shorts etc before conversion? Heatshrink on the right handside is too thick as well putting extra pressure on the motor brushes causing extra wear, you need to remove the old insulation sleeve and fit new thinner insulation to both sides of the brush spring. From what I can see the wiring to the loco is ok, the socket harness looks a right old mess, I would just hardwire the decoder in. Here's a Tri-ang-Hornby hymek I did earlier, someone had tried before but got it wrong so I started it from scratch lovely runner under DCC control. I would start from scratch again, making sure there is no contact between the brown wire and the live chassis casting. Hi Triangman (son of) yes it was a good runner on dc. Thanks for the advice hadn't thought about the track pins, but didn't see anything apparent. Agreed on spaghetti, I thought a harness would help with changing decoders if needed, but on reflection causes more grief than it's worth. Looks like a very neat job on yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The son of Triangman Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 No probs, glad you like my work, I try to keep everything neat and tidy. I hope you get the Dock Shunter going soon. I might do a step by step for making a Dock Shunter DCC and do a step by step circuit board for the LED headlight lighting as well, just trying to acquire a demo shunter for this purpose as I don't want to convert my mint locos. The hymek above has the Sapphire decoder in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary_Leeds Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 SoT, I have one if you want to take it for doing a conversion, its one of the later version red ones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The son of Triangman Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Sounds good Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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