Newbie - DCC Conversion

[SkitchHas]

Hi there

 

I'm hoping someone might be able to give me some ideas...

 

I uesd to love model railways as a kid and I've recently had a spark of interest in this again so I've decided to take up the hobby again. I decided on buying a train set off ebay just to "get an idea" of things again. Anyway, long story short, after doing a lot of research etc, I discovered the differences between DC and DCC etc and I've decided to go down the DCC route.

 

That left me with this set I'd purchased off ebay, before I knew the difference, which is only DC. I did some reading up and came across this:

https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/hornby-dcc/decoder-installation-guides/r2298a-virgin-hst-decoder-installation

 

I've followed that, as far as I can see, to the letter, and when I put the train on the programming track (using eLink), it found it, it read all the CV's etc and I gave it a new code (0014) - I thought, excellent, it's looking good, should hopefully work!

Switched to track, light came on (havent made any changes there) so obviously power, tried to move the train and nothing except it disconnected the DCC unit... Thought it might have been a one off so I closed everything down and restarted. Same thing happened.

Tried a different loco - already DCC - this worked absolutely fine! Put the one I'd just converted onto the track again, same thing happened...

 

So, obviously I've done something wrong but I've no idea what. I don't think its the wiring as if it was then surely it wouldn't have registered it etc in the first place and I wouldn't have been able to give it a new CV? or would I?

 

Do I have to do anything else in particular within the eLink setup for a converted DC ... It's the Virgin HST in the guide above btw.

Thanks for any help!

[Chrissaf]

Did you test the loco on DC first before you started to convert it. Being a second hand ebay purchase, then the loco might have an underlying fault. If it didn't (doesn't) run under DC control, then it certainly isn't going to run when a decoder is fitted.

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All locos should be fully tested on DC first, before fitting a decoder as the decoder will mask any faults that might be present.

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Also, since the decoder goes in series between the wheel pickups and the motor. The wheel pickup side of your wiring modification may be perfectly OK (decoder red & black wires) as indicated by the fact that you can read and write CVs. But maybe the motor side of the decoder (orange & grey wires) has a wiring fault / error. Just to be crystal clear.....the decoder blue, green, white, yellow & optionally purple wires do not go anywhere near the motor.

[2e0dtoeric]

Just a thought - probably wrong again, but still -

I don't have the HST set, it's too 'new' for me - but

As it has a power car at each end, (even though one is a dummy) does it need a decoder at each end as well?

Does a DCC controller see the circuitry for the lights (diodes resistors, maybe an anti-flicker capacitor, and led's) in a dummy as a short circuit - which would cause the controller to shut down.

[SkitchHas]

Yes it worked ok on DC.

I’ve sussed it! seeing as it picked up the chip ok and allowed me to programme it etc, I took a look at the orange and grey wires again after you mentioned that was what controlled the motor etc so I decided to just remove them again and redo it and it’s fine now! So I must have done something wrong or not soldered one of them on correctly first time round.

 

eric - I’ve not done the dummy car yet, this was my First attempt at trying it but I believe the dummy one does also need a chip for the lights etc as well. I’ll get to the next now I know this one works

 

thanks

[2e0dtoeric]

You might have difficulty getting the dummy's decoder to behave. It has been reported that it needs a 'load' (ie motor) before it will programme.

The way around it is to prog the decoder in the motor car, transfer it to the dummy, then put another decoder into the motor, and do it again.

OR - if you have a long enough prog track - put them BOTH on, with no coaches, and do both at once. That sometimes works.

[96RAF]

Whether you can program a dummy car without a motor load depends upon the decoder and/or the controller. Hornby kit will program without a motor.