I bought an Acela and added DCC - it's now anemic with the the speed dropping by about 1/2. The decoder is a Bachmann. Is there anything I can do to get the speed back up or can I only run in DC?
Thanks
VW
If you have an advanced DCC sytstem, try changing some of the CVs. If you have an E-Z Command or other basic system then maybe a friend or you LHS can help you out. But, the Bachmann decoder does not support many CVs, so you may be out of luck unless you get a little better decoder.
Actually I noticed the same thing with my acela and a digitrax decoder, it was quite slow and was supprisingly out run by a pair of sd60s pulling a 50car train! However I haven't even looked into a solution yet. Just wondering if it might be something in the acelas circuit board? I also notice it has a very realistic yet odd amount of momentum with the decoder even though the decoder has no momentum programmer in.
I'm glad this was posted. I referenced the same problem/concern in a post I made earlier today. I have this EXACT problem with my HHP-8 locomotives. This is why I have yet to switch to DCC with the Acelas.
I would say that the track voltage needs to be higher but my Atlas AEM7s run at their prototypically maximum speeds on the same system. (I have a NCE Power House Pro).
People keep telling me to check my CVs but what other CVs are there to check? I've set my MAX Voltage at 255 for all HHPs and the best they'll do is just under a hundred. Under DC they easilly did their prototypical speeds with power to spare.
DC control varies the voltage to the track while DCC has a set voltage. Most DCC systems do not put out more than about 14.5 to 15 Volts while DC systems that I've used put out up to about 18 Volts. Herein may lie the answer. If it wasn't for the performance of the AEM7s I would have made the adjustments already.
I'm worried about adjusting the output voltage from my command station because I don't know what that'll do the lamps on my locomotives or the decoders themselves.
It will release the "magic" smoke from the components .Voltage is equivalent to pressure. How much wattage does your system put out and how much wattage (VA) does your system use up in powering multiple trains ?
Quote from: Jhanecker2 on January 11, 2010, 08:31:31 PM
It will release the "magic" smoke from the components .Voltage is equivalent to pressure. How much wattage does your system put out and how much wattage (VA) does your system use up in powering multiple trains ?
I'm not sure what the wattage is that my system puts out. It's a powerhouse pro from NCE and according to them it puts out about 14.5 Volts. Can you explain the reasoning in your question further as it may help me to understand more clearly or even help me find a solution to this issue on my end.
Thanks!
Kyle