capacitors in the Spectrum 4-6-0?

[NevinW]

With every DCC conversion of the 2-8-0 I had to cut a capacitor to get it to run correctly.  When I put the decoder in my 4-6-0 I don't remember seeing a capacitor on the circuit board.  It runs OK but not great.  Before I open the tender up again to look (and figure out how to pack the decoder back in correctly) are there any capacitors on the 4-6-0 board that need snipping?  -  Nevin

[SteamGene]

I think Bachmann says that all of their boards have capacitors.
Gene

[richG]

http://www.tonystrains.com/technews/loconews/bachmann-revisit.htm

There may be a photo of the decoder on the 'Net but I have not found it yet.

Rich

[NevinW]

I opened it up this morning before work and sure enough there is at least 3 yellow capacitors 1 large and 2 small.  Now which do I cut?  The big one? All three?  I wish they would standardize theses circuit boards.  -  Nevin

[richG]

I opened it up this morning before work and sure enough there is at least 3 yellow capacitors 1 large and 2 small.  Now which do I cut?  The big one? All three?  I wish they would standardize theses circuit boards.  -  Nevin

Maybe this might answer your question.
http://www.gatewaynmra.org/dcc/engines/bach-280.htm
http://www.gatewaynmra.org/dcc/engines/bach-shay.htm
http://members.shaw.ca/sask.rail/dcc/2-8-0/index.html
http://home.neo.rr.com/mrwithdcc/con280.html

Maybe the 2-8-0 has a similar decoder. When you solve he issue, take a digital picture and using a photo application, note which capacitor as this issue will come up again.
Apparently Bachmann is not addressing this issue. If they have, I must have missed it.
I will be at a model railroad show this Saturday and I will ask a Tony's Trains rep and see if I can find an answer. This is about the best I can do.

Rich

[r.cprmier]

If you simply bypass that decoder adapter jigger and hard-wire your decoder to it's respective intended connections, you will not have that problem. Oh yes..  It can be done.  Think about what you would do if you were installing into a brass locomotive pre-decoder anything.

Rich

[richG]

With every DCC conversion of the 2-8-0 I had to cut a capacitor to get it to run correctly.  When I put the decoder in my 4-6-0 I don't remember seeing a capacitor on the circuit board.  It runs OK but not great.  Before I open the tender up again to look (and figure out how to pack the decoder back in correctly) are there any capacitors on the 4-6-0 board that need snipping?  -  Nevin

What is the brand and model number for the decoder? I do not want to assume as you said you installed the decoder in the 4-6-0. Maybe a photo of the decoder would help.
Could there be an issue with the decoder configuration?

Rich

[NevinW]

It is a Train Control Systems M1.  The decoder is fine.  The question is which capacitor to clip on the 4-6-0.  TCS has a nice picture showing the installation of their DCC decoder in the Spectrum 2-8-0.  It shows the yellow capacitor that needs to be clipped.  It is probably the big one on the 4-6-0 circuit board.  I just want to make sure before I go after it.   That web site with the picture is: 

http://tcsdcc.com/decoderpics/bsse.html

As an aside, TCS makes good decoders.  Nevin

[richG]

It is a Train Control Systems M1.  The decoder is fine.  The question is which capacitor to clip on the 4-6-0.  TCS has a nice picture showing the installation of their DCC decoder in the Spectrum 2-8-0.  It shows the yellow capacitor that needs to be clipped.  It is probably the big one on the 4-6-0 circuit board.  I just want to make sure before I go after it.   That web site with the picture is: 

http://tcsdcc.com/decoderpics/bsse.html

As an aside, TCS makes good decoders.  Nevin

It looks like you have your solution. Good to know.

Rich

[SteamGene]

I'm not an electronics person, but cutting a capacitor on a locomotive in the US or Canada does no harm.  Cut them all.
Gene

[Jim Banner]

I agree with Gene - if in doubt, chop them out.  (And I am an electronics person.)

But for those who just can't stand to modify their locomotive in any way, there is another solution if your decoder supports CV09.  It is the ultrasonic ("silent") motor drive that causes problems.  Reducing its frequency is a solution.  You can lengthen out the motor pulses by increasing the value of CV09 until the capacitors no longer have an effect or until you can longer stand the noise.

[TonyD]

I thought this was what the NMRA was organize to do? standardize issues like this. It seems every 2 or 3 months someone is inventing a better mousetrap. DCC has been around- +10 years? Still no common connectors, plugs, or any thing the modeler might have to tackle in routine use, nevermind customizing. I am sitting on the dcc fence, and will spend no more money on it until everyone get thier ducks in a row.....I am happy with quantum making noise while it rolls on DC, why couldn't we have used that as a baseline, and get technical from there if and when the modeler can? Copywrites and royalities? I can't help but think this hi tech stuff intimidates lots of new people from spending the big bucks, which is how new models get to the production stage......

[SteamGene]

Tony, I couldn't agree with you more.  Once upon a time all quality steam picked up on one side of the locomotive and the other for the tender.  The draw bar was on the locomotive and the pin on the caboose.  Everybody except Mantua fed power from the tender to the loco via a brass drawbar and wire. 
It would be very nice if Bachmann, Proto, BLI, Athearn, and all other steam loco builders would agree, or NMRA would dictate a mating system that was uniform.  I would sell a bunch of locomotives if I could buy ones that would mate instantly to the Bachmann 16V. 
Gene

[RAM]

Yes it would be nice if all locomotives used the same dcc plugs, and tenders had the same drawbars and connecters.  How ever it is not up the NMRA to dictate that.  How ever you would think that all spectrum tenders would work with any locomotive.  You should not have to cut this or that and add things to get them to work.  We must face the fact that changes are a must.  As long as they make things better, than it is better for all in the long run. 

[grumpy]

I installed the LCS M1 decoder in my 4-6-0 and we took out all the capacitors and it runs just fine.
Don