Hi all, I just received one of the 2011-run Climax locos with factory-installed sound. It has a cooling fan in the tender which runs as soon as the loco sits on the track and gets current. The noise it makes is not very loud but when the sound is switched off you definitely can hear it and that is very annoying. Is this cooling fan really necessary on a loco that is only run short lengths indoors or can it be deactivated without danger to the electronics? Best regards, Peter
Peter,
Several members do remove the fan for various reasons, including to make room for batteries. The way you plan to use yours should present no problems.
Have a great time with your new locomotive!!
Loco Bill
Hi Loco Bill and thanks very much. Do you know if the cooling fan can be deactivated by some CVs? Regards, Peter
Peter,
Sadly I do not know much about DCC. Maybe Kevin Strong or one of our other DCC experts will see this and can help.
Bill
I'm not seeing anything in the CV list for the Climax about turning the fan on and off. It's possible it's tied to a lighting output on the decoder, but I highly doubt it. My guess is that it's tied to the track power, probably through a bridge rectifier and maybe voltage regulator.
You're not going to hurt anything by removing the fan. I took mine out to make room for electronics (QSI Titan, G-wire receiver, batteries, and speaker) and haven't had a lick of trouble with it. That's running it outside in the "fairly warm" Colorado sun. (Every time I say "'hot' Colorado sun," I'm chastised by my friends in Arizona who insist I don't know what "hot" is. Actually, I do, which is why I don't live in Arizona! ;) )
Later,
K