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Decoders causing short circuit


Darthtrainspotter

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Hi

Recently had a very annoying issue. turned my layout on, I use an Elite with DCC Concepts Alpha power and two circuit breakers. kept showing up a short on the main layout. Anyway, after an hour of fault-finding, it all boiled down to a Bachmann class 25 loco. Took it off the track fine, no short, put it on shorted.

Changed the decoder and fingers crossed all is fine. My query is, I have about  50 locos of all shapes and sizes always on the track, in sidings and sheds etc. When the layout is in used all the track is powered up. Does having a loco sat on a powered track for long periods without moving cause issues or have I just been unlucky with a duff decoder.

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A decoder sitting on track is essentially booted up and listening out, so fully functional. This activity places a standing load on the controller which if it senses a fault generating a short will react just as if you placed a coin across the rails. The more locos drawing a standing load the less power is available to run the fleet.

 

I have no idea how an Elite interfaces with the Alpha kit so cannot comment apart from this...

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