I just received my first Athearn Genesis F-7A with sound (just the A, no B unit). Looks great! Runs funny. My problem is that it is constantly slowing down and then speeding back up. Made especially obvious by the sound of the brakes being applied. Kind of like a someone driving a stick shift for the first time. It started out with a lot of engine and gear noise under that LOUD sound system. I checked the gear boxes in the trucks and noted they were very dry. Lubed the gears and cleaned the wheels and took it back to the layout. Same problem of accelerating and stopping. Cleaned all of the track with my CMX clean machine and a bright boy. Problem persists all over the layout, not just in specific spots. Oh yeah, feeder wires to every section of track. All other engines with sound and without run fine. Any ideas?
Thought I would add a note and bump myself up once in case anyone has any ideas. Put in an email to Athearn too.
What makes me believe this is an engine problem and not a track problem is that usually the sound will cut out when it is a track problem. Here you can actually hear the brakes squeal as it slows down and then it picks up speed again.
With having these troubles right out of the box, it sounds like you should return the engine as defective. Genesis units are very reliable. I’ve not heard of any real problems with them.
The sound decoders in Athearn products are known to have all manner of problems, from being unable to be programmed to losing control during operation. Try resetting the decoder and see if that helps any.
A reset and a replacement usually fixes the MRC Sound decoders. I am using a NEC drive and a Soundtraxx sound decoder in my Genesis F units. Fixes all of the problems.
The chips in these are not up to par. Besides the sound (pretty bad to my ears), I have had personal experience with three F’s that were sent back for chip replacement new out of the box.
Why Athearn sticks with MRC is beyond me. Those chips are not, in my opinion, even of the same planet as QSI and Soundtraxx.
Rob
I HAVE A BRAND NEW ATHEARN SD45 WITH MRC AND IT SOUNDS AS GOOD OR BETTER THAN MY BLI SD40S.IT DOESNT PROGRAM THE SAME THO.ON YOUR F UNITS TAKE OFF THE SHELL AND JUST CK THE PLUGS AND WIRES INSIDE.MAKE SURE THERE SRE NO LOOSE PLUGS OR KINKED OR BROKEM WIRES.I HAVE A BLI SOUND CAR THAT QUIT AND I CKED THE PLUGS AND THEN IT WAS FINE.
I have 9 different Athearn Genesis F units in my collection (F-2’s, F-3’s and F-7’s). Here is one thing you can check…
Pull the front coupler off and then remove the shell from the body. Take a look at the decoder and notice how all of the wires that lead to it from front trucks, rear trucks, lights, and the motor are all connected to the decoder with those tiny black plastic clips. It might be possible that you have a bad or lose connection with these black clips trying to hold the wires their respective tabs. Try soldering the wires (hard wiring) to the tabs, this way you know you truely have a good electrical connection.
If that doesn’t fix the problem, return the unit and ask for a replacement.
Michael
[#ditto] The FIRST thing to do with any such problem is a reset. It’s actually a good idea with any new engine, as the factory and/or hobby shop may have tested or demonstrated it and not done a reset, so you could have all sorts of strange CV values.
Just in case you don’t know how, here’s a link to Tony’s site telling how to rescue / reset ANY decoder: http://www.tonystrains.com/technews/dec_rescue.htm
I have to agree with Michael here. However soldering the wires may present a problem if that doesn’t fix it. Will Athearn stand behind it after this modification? Ken
I just posted a subject regarding the exact same problem I am having. Does yours only do it at high speeds? What type of DCC system are you using??
This is a long-shot possibility, I suppose… but here’s what happened to me on an Atlas locomotive. Brand new. Same jerky running symptoms you’re describing. I sent it back to Atlas for repair. The nice folks there told me they could find nothing wrong with it, and returned it to me. Amazingly, it now worked great!!!
Then one day… same jerky running starts again. I realized what had happened. I had the locomotive programmed on two throttles! They were fighting with each other for control of it, and that’s obviously what I had done the first time around. Sheeeesh.
Might be worth checking.
Thanks for all the advice, gentlemen. I tried the reset to factory settings suggestion and the problem decreased. Meaning, it didn’t happen as often but still happened.
Romeospete: You described the exact problem I am having, though it does not seem to matter what speed step I am set at. I am using the NCE PowerCab (the entry level system) and was really beginning to wonder the same thing about power. Maybe this engine is such a power hog that my little 5amps isn’t cutting it. I am running only the A unit, did not buy the AB. Wish I had done a little more research before purchasing although it is a beautiful engine and not too dear in price.
JXTRXX: I only have the one cab so shouldn’t be experiencing the problem you suggested. Something to keep in mind down the road as I expand the system though, thanks.
Have not heard back from Athearn yet, but will post if they respond.