DCC Stop start problem

Model Railroader Electronics and DCC
1

Hi I have an Athearn PA1 with an MRC sound decoder in it.

When I close it up the train runs then stops (sound and motion) then restarts etc. The length of time for the runs changes.

I have resoldered all the connections, but when i removed the speaker the train ran fine. Plug the speaker back in and it stops and starts again.

Has any one come across this problem before and if so how do I fix it?

Thanks Guy B

2

Sounds like a decoder problem to me.

There are quite a few on this forum that don’t think very well of MRC decoders. I had one once and I won’t ever buy another one because of the problems I had with it. You might want to do a search using MRC and check it out.

3

Guy,

You might try cleaning your track. The reason I say this is that my Atlas HH600/660 switcher (DCC w/sound) kept cutting out and restarting at a certain area of my layout.

It acted just like a short; traveling only a very short distance each time before shutting down and restarting. However, it turned out that the track was just dirty. Once I wiped down that section with a soft cloth and 91% alcohol - poof! - the problem vanished.

You might also check for a pinched speaker wire that could be shorting to the chassis.

Tom

4

Also try doing a reset of the decoder. Sometimes they just get scrambled and need a smack in the head :slight_smile:

5

Thanks Guy’s.

i will go back and look at my train and track and re evaluate.

Your assistance confirms some of my ideas but also gives me new avenues to explore.

Thanks

6

I think the fact your PA is an Athearn may be your problem … not the fact that it’s an Athearn, but rather the Athearn PA’s had the sintered iron wheels which were noted for their poor electrical conductivity unless they were really clean.

Give those old wheels a good cleaning - running them on a moistened cloth just isn’t enough. You need to run a wire wheel in your Dremel around them to get them polished up. An even better suggestion would be to replace them with a set of nickel silver ones.

Sound systems are VERY sensitive to even “iffy” electrical contact - much more so than just running the engine.

Mark.

7

I have an Athearn PA with the same problem. I’ m going to run power wires to the dummy B unit trucks, for extra power pickup, but I need to get metal wheels for the dummy, which has plastic wheels now.