Digitrax Decoder in Athearn AMD P40

Model Railroader Electronics and DCC
1

I installed a Digitrax DH165AO decoder in my Athearn Genesis AMD P40 Diesel locomotive. There is no response (0) response when I use my Zephyr to run the locomotive using the address 03. I installed a number of DH165AO decoders in other locomotives and they worked. I now do aknowledge that nothing is wrong with the decoder, because I tested it in a programming track of the Digitrax DCS50 (Zephyr) and it read the decoder address. Someone please help.

2

I’m no electrical engineer but the problem might be that there are no electrical components on the circuit board. Is that a dummy board you installed there? [:-^]

3

Looks like the ones for sale in Factory Direct Trains web site.

I think it still needs a decoder plugged into it. It looks like just a board with no electronics? [banghead]

Rotor

4

Did you isolate the motor? I cant tell from the picture (because it is too far away) if you actually have connections to the motor. Can you take a better picture? Also, a picture from the side of the motor showing the lower wire would be good. That locomotive takes work to make it DCC compatable.

David B

5

Allaboard, listen carefully.

Please, slow down and do some reading on how to do decoder installs. Looking at this picture…

…you have NO connection to the bottom of the motor. To complete this installation, this is what you have to do.

  1. Remove the decoder.

  2. Remove the motor.

  3. Carefully remove the bottom clip from the motor (there will be a spring…dont lose it).

  4. Remove the 2 fingers from the clip.

  5. Solder a wire to the clip.

  6. Put 2 layers of electrician’s tape on the frame where the bottom of the motor once made contact.

  7. Replace the motor.

  8. Find the manual to your decoder.

  9. Read manual 2 times to make sure you are installing the decoder correctly (you didnt do this the first time).

  10. Reinstall the decoder as per the instructions.

  11. Let us know how it went.

David B

6

Did you try resetting of CV08 to 8…just in case…

7

Time expired…

8

Have you repeated your test on the programming track? You may have a loose connection somewhere.

I guess I have to ask this: when you read back the decoder address, was it 3? Did you try the write/read test - write a new address to the decoder and read it back? If you did that, then the engine will no longer respond to 3, but only to its new address that you set it to.

Try going through the procedure to reset the decoder back to “factory defaults.” That will put the address back to 3. Read back to verify that you can still read the address, and then immediately try running it as address 3.

You might also try hooking up a headlight. If you can turn the light on and off, that will verify that the decoder is connected correctly, and you have the address set right. Then you will have separated out the electronics from what may be a motor problem.

9

oops

10

[tup]