Just got a Zepher tried a 20 yr old Bachmann loco (new to hobby). Loco runs great on DC current with Bachmann power pack.
Hooked up DCC Zepher and throttled up loco, goes slow.
Set Zephyer to Loco 00 like book says
Why no speed on DCC but DC
First the loco hasn’t got a DCC chip in it. I have the same problem with my proto units without DCC chips. The loco was not designed to take in the frequency the system puts out and in return the motor makes a buzzing sound. This is telling you that the frequency is going through the motor and makes the motor very slow. Kind of like friction when you push really hard down on something and then try moving it at the same time. The DCC chip is designed to take in that frequency and use it on the motor as power and not a frequency.
James
The loco on the DCC signal is getting a “manufactured” signal, not a true DC signal. Also, your throttle on your DC controller controls voltage, up and down as you turn the knob. In the DCC system, the voltage to the track is constant so that all decoders get the same juice across the board. I’m not sure how it works, but the 00 address gets a doctored current from the DCC system and it must not seem to be as robust as the motor needs. If you increase the throttle, though, the loco should speed up.
The concept of running an analog, or non decoder equipped model, with a DCC system (sometimes called “zero stretching”) is quite simple. Because the voltage going to the track is very much like an AC signal, the voltage switches from positive to negative polarity all the time. By varying the number of positive or negative pulses relative to one another, you can make a DC motor turn forwards and backwards. The efficency of this process isn’t very good however, which causes the DC motor to spin much slower than it would if it were receiving a DC voltage of constant polarity. Older, larger motors are more problematic with this, and are also more senstive to damage to the newer more efficient motors are.
As a side note, I only use this method of running a train for simple testing purposes only. Although I’ve never damaged a locomotive motor while running one this way, I have heard some horror stories from others. Also remember the worst damage is caused by the locomotive sitting still. In this situation, the motor is receiving thousands of high curent pulses from both polarities which is what keeps the motor from spinning. While in this state, the motor will generate a lot of heat and will eventually fail if left unchecked.
Jeff
You are not running on DCC, but on analog under DCC control. Address 00 is for this purpose to run models without a decoder, but is is lame at best and is not great for the motor.