Do all of the different decoder manufacturers use the same wiring codes on their decoders. In other words if you followed the installation instructions of one manufacturer would the color coded wires be the same as another? Thanks in advance.
Decoder compatibility is set by the NMRA so the colors of the wires are the from one decoder to another. I have decoders from Digitrax, Bachmann, NCE, Lenz, etc and the wire color codes are all the same.
Thanks so much.
The wire colors are “only” a Recommended Practice, but I would be surprised to find a decoder that didn’t follow it. You do need to be a little more careful in assuming that the wires already in a loco match properly, especially in older locos.
There are some decoders that do NOT follow the NMRA guidelines…so be careful.
It is always a good idea to read the manual if you are unsure.
David B
The SoundTraxx Micro Tsunami I have use purple wires for the speaker.
The LokSound Micro decoders use brown speaker wires.
The function light wires for most decoders are white and yellow. I have only three different brands of decoders and the main seven wires are the same NMRA colors.
Extra functions on some decoders will have different colors.
Yes, I learned many years ago, if all else fails, read the manual that comes with the decoder before you throw the manual away. People have torn open the bag for decoders and threw away the documentation.
Rich
99% of problems with ANYTHING would be solved if people would just read the manual. Not sure what the aversion to reading is - I love to read. I’m ALWAYS reading.
–Randy
The decoder wire color code is an NMRA recommendation only, but most decoder vendors adhere to it. That, however, is not the entire story.
About a year ago, I bought an Athearn ‘DCC ready’ diesel, with a plug to a shorting board that had to be removed and replaced with the decoder of choice (pluggable). I could not avoid noticing that the short cable in the Athearn loco used a completely scrambled set of colors - two wires even the same.
Researching this a bit, I found: 1) a decoder with the standard (JST?) plug worked just fine, could only be plugged in one way - idiot proof; and, 2) Athearn has since corrected the problem, or nonproblem.
There was of course no ‘manual’ that could have shed light on this. It does help to know a bit about what is going on, tho.
jrc
RTFM - Read The Fine Manual.
If you don’t have a paper copy of the manual that came with the decoder, it’s easy enough to find one online and download it. That will resolve any ambiguity about wire colors. Really, these days, there’s no excuse for not having the right set of instructions at your fingertips. Don’t assume. Verify.