Ok my new challenger just took a major dump. Everything was running fine until I went through a switch that I had gone through 30-40 times. Then for some reason my MRC Prodigy Advanced system shut down. Now I can not get my engine to do any thing. Even when I reset it back to defalt, I can not get anything out of it. All I get is the two front # boards light up and that is it. Great that I just bought it TODAY!!!
I have read every post on here about the challenger. Now that this has happend I am Very Unhappy!!
Should I take it back to the LHS and ask for a refund?
It is funny how many people buy products without doing any research. If you search these forums, you will see that there are many, many threads dealing with the Athearn Challenger and Big Boy.
Is it junked? As it stands, yes. You probably wont be able to revive it…but if you do, for how long?
Repeat after me. MRC DECODERS SUCK.
The problem is the MRC pos sound decoder that Athearn has put in these units. All it takes is the smallest voltage spike or short to reset, destroy, fry, let-out-the-smoke, or generally mess up these abominations of decoders.
Now, you have a choice. You can return it to where you bought it and possibly get another one. But this doesnt fix the issue, just a new unit that will run…but for how long?
If I were you, I would purchase a digitrax decoder (DH163) and plug it into the challenger (after ripping out the MRC). See if the unit runs on that decoder…(it wont have sound…it is just for testing). If it runs well with the Digitrax decoder, then I would consider it a candidate for a better sound decoder. The Athearn Challenger looks great, so you need to match it with sound that sounds great. I suggest you buy a Tsunami Heavy Steam. You wont have any issues with THAT decoder.
James I had the same problem with my Big Boy. Have you tried it on DC only? I resat my decoder using the hand held controler on my DC line. LHS runs all the engines on DC first if there a decoder problem then DCC to fix the decoder problems. My BLI Class J had to be done the same way.
Dirty track and if the tender tips a little can cause the decoder to act up. My likes to turn the sound off or change the whistle at will. Might all so check to see if there is a small spark at the frog on that turn out when (if you get the Challenger going) the Challenger goes over it. My Peco’s sparked, I used clear nail polish to fix the problem.
One thing I fid that seems to have helped a lot was adding around 3 oz of lead to the tender. With 10 fixed tender wheels the tender wants to string in a turn, out side wheels tip up and causes a spark then decoder problems. Plus there are less problem spots on my track because the tender is making better contact. Come to think of it, whistle has not changed on its own after I added the weights and sound has stayed on.
I will not be as hard on the Decoder as Dave but I do think later on the decoder will come out. But for now it and the Big Boy are doing fine (crossing my finguer and knocking on wood)
I’m not convinced you are really re-setting the decoder. My guess is you are doing everything correctly, but that MRC isn’t taking the direction from your controller. Unless, you are using a programming track with booster…? I’d do the cudaken fix.
Ok here it goes. I work on it for about 2 hours trying to rest it and nothing worked before I posted. Well this morning I went up and rest it on the PG Track and it did not work. So I tried it over and over and over about 6-7 times none stop!
125:1 125:1 125:1 125:1 125:1 125:1
Then I turned my MRC system off put the loco back on the main then turned it back on and it was reset.
For you guys that have this problem again try doing what I did. I guess doing it over and over was the trick.
I have also had this problem with another decoder that was not MRC.
Hmmmm, thanks, I think I’ll try that. I don’t think I ever tried it more than three times in a row. Now where did I put that Challenger? I would like to see mine just make a single loop.
James, not sure where I read it but some PG tracks do not have the needed power to reset some decoders. That is the reason K-10 runs them on DC with MRC 9500’s then on to the PG track. My BLI Class J did the same thing. On the PG track the Super Cheif DCC could not read any CV’s and local cub memeber told me the decoder was shoot. But I told him “it runs fine od DC” so we placed it on the DC line of K-10 and it ran like a champ. Back on to the DCC PG aand we could read the CV’s and it lives again.
I have had my BB for around 3 weeks now. That would mean I have around 63 hours of run time on it by now. More than likely 100, on my days off the bench see’s around 6 hours a day. It is not my best engine as far as pulling power and still has it quricks (changed the whistle sound 2 times tonight) but you got to love the sound of the drives going out of sink and then going back in sink.
Let me know what happen, the 4-6-6-4 is on my wish list.