I installed a Digitrax DZ123 DCC decoder in my Kato Mikado in the boiler. I followed all the instructions and isolated all the leads. I even followed through with checking resistance/continuity between wires.
I have been trying to run it to get it loosened up. The problem is that it keeps randomly stopping on my layout and my work loop with N scale Atlas Truetrack. Just before I ran the Mikado each time, I cleaned the track.
I have done the following things:
-Cleaned the track, so dirty track is not the problem
-Checked continuity/resistance of wires on DCC decoder
-Checked continuity of Atlas Truetrack on my work desk
-I added weight to the front of the locomotive to get more weight on the front of the drivers.
The random stopping happens on both curves and straight track. Something is wrong, otherwise it would not keep stopping. I’m not sure if it’s me or the Digitrax decoder. I have NEVER had good luck with Digitrax. I hope it’s not the decoder and it’s something that I’m overlooking.
What DCC system are you using? Does the loco restart itself shortly after stopping or do you have to give it a push or do something with the throttle to get it moving again? Does the headlight (if equipped) go out when the loco stops or does it stay lit?
I’d jumper from track power to the decoder input connections and try that with the wheels turning in the air. Then you would know if you have a power pickup problem.
Check your drawbar. If you don’t have the nubs orientated correctly on the front tender truck, you will loose half of your pickup wheels. I avoid this dependence by introducing bypass wires from the tender to the light board. David B
The loco light goes out. Most times it starts going again on it’s own (about 80% of the time). The other 20% I have to help it. Every time though the light goes out and it just stops. Do I need a capacitor across the motor terminals?
I cleaned the wheels with both alcohol swabs and the bright boy. I took all the blackened neolube (or whatever was on the wheel treads) off the wheel treads, and they’re shiny and clean.
Put another loco on the layout, idling with its headlight on. Watch that headlight as you run the problem engine. If it stays on, then you’re losing power on the problem engine. If it blinks off, you are getting a momentary short. My guess is a loose wire inside the engine.
You did mention running it to get it loosened up. If the engine is really gummy, that could be your problem. The DZ123 is a small decoder and can’t handle much of an overload. Have you cleaned and re-lubricated the gears? A never-run engine could have been in the box for years.
Stick with the alcohol swabs on the wheels, by the way. Don’t use a Bright Boy. It’s abrasive, and will eventually pit the smooth wheel surfaces.
I run it on an inside loop of my small layout. The other loco is a diesel, and it has no problems. I reset the decoder, and it only stopped once in about five minutes of running so far.
Maybe I’ll take apart the…
You know what? It’s the loose weight inside the boiler that I cut off (the part you have to remove to install the decoder inside the boiler), that even though I insulated, apparently I didn’t insulate it enough. I’ll put Kapton on it and see if that fixes the problem.
Look at your locomotive’s drivers. The early runs of the Kato Mike’s had poor driver contacts from the tread to the axles.
If this is a early run unit you will find that the drivers have two very small tabs that run from the axle to the metal treads. Lots of times this tab does not make good electrical contact and therefor the locomotive does not pick up power. Kato has driver replacements that have improved power pick up.
Replace them and you will improve the operation. Replace them if your unit has the old style drivers.
For some reason they ran good on DC but with a DCC decoder the pickup problem shows up.
I checked the weight, and that’s what it was. Even though I insulated the bottom of the removed metal weight when I added it back into the boiler, it was still shorting. So I wrapped the entire metal weight and secured it with a dab of hot glue. BAM! No more stopping.
The problem that I’m having now is that the front driver wheels are slightly out of round because I had to take them out to make sure the wheels were in gauge (proper distance apart from eachother). Having to take out the crank pins every time to try to adjust the wheels to make sure they’re round and not wobbly is a royal pain in the butt.
The Model Power 2-8-2 that I have is heavier, runs quieter, and is very smooth. It’s better than my Mikado from Kato.
WOW, having to adjust the front driver more than once, sounds like someone is using a heavy hand in adjusting the gauge of the drivers. Get a new set of drivers! Once you start to move the wheels on it axle is will become more prone to movement each time you adjust it. Really can’t see how you would get the drivers out of round by adjusting the gauge of the driver.
It was actually easy to get them out-of-round. Once you take out the drivers, you have to twist them slightly to pull them apart to get them in gauge.
The Model Power Mikado my friend has did not have this problem. I almost want to trade mine for his. I would add a Bachmann medium tender to it (the Model Power Mikado) and add a Tsunami decoder to it.
No because when I take the driver out of the wheel bearing, it rolls. I can see the axle, and it’s smooth relative to the transverse motion of the wheel. What is NOT smooth is when looking at the wheel from the top down, it has a slight wobble to it in the horizontal plane. I have tried correcting this, but cannot.
It’s very frustrating, because A Kato Mikado should run like a swiss watch. However, I get this wrrrrr, WRRRR, wrrrr, WRRRR sound, a slight wobble on two of the four driver wheels, and it slows down noticeably on curves. The bearing blocks that support the axles are also wobbling. I tried putting a small amount of Scotch tape on the bearing blocks, but that did not help the wrr-WRR-wrr-WRR-wrr-WRR sound nor the slowdown of the loco around curves.