I’ve got 3 Athearn SD40-2’s, and ones a dummy. I want to MU them together, with electrical power, etc… transfering, DCC the locos, sound, both of which in the dummy, and have the whole 3 unit consist as one locotwo motors, sound, one DCC decoder.
How to do?
If I am understanding you correctly you want to MU the three units (really two) to run as one? If so, then it would depend on your DCC system. It would be impossible to explain on here but you could go to any DCC manufacturers’ website and download the intructional manual and look for the section on MU locomotives to find out how to do this. It’s really not that difficult a thing to do since all you are doing is programing each of the locos onto the same frequency. Good luck!
With only one DCC decoder? You can’t do that unless you have a 3- or 4-amp decoder, and I don’t know of anyone who makes a decoder that can handle that much amperage except in O or G-scale. You’d probably be better off using two separate digital sound decoders (DSDs) programmed to the same address. I made an A-B-B-A E-7 consist out of Proto 2000 powered A units and dummy B units. Each B unit has a SoundTraxx 150 DSD and two speakers mounted in it, with a third speaker mounted in the A unit. Because of the wiring that must run from the DSD to the A unit motors and speakers, the A and B units are now permanently connected. By programming both decoders to the same address, I can run all 4 locos as a set, or I can have two separate A-B sets with independent sound systems and can re-program one of the decoders to a different address if desired…
Actually you could run 2 HO Athearn’s locos on one decoder. They don’t draw but 200 or 300 mA max. So 2 would run easily on one 1amp decoder. It would just take more wiring effort than I would want to do, I would use 2 decoders, but if you insist you could do it. Just remember if you do it the two powered units will have to be always used together.
Actually you could run 2 HO Athearn’s locos on one decoder. They don’t draw but 200 or 300 mA max. So 2 would run easily on one 1amp decoder. It would just take more wiring effort than I would want to do, I would use 2 decoders, but if you insist you could do it. Just remember if you do it the two powered units will have to be always used together.
If you are going to use one decoder for two locos, you will still have to isolate the motor in the second loco as if it had the decoder onboard. With a little extra work you could make the second loco detachable by using a miniplug on high flex wire. You can set up the plug connection (motor polarization) at each end of the loco so it can run forward or reverse ot the master unit. After all that work you may just realize it would be better to just shell out $30 or so for a second decoder.
Being fairly new to DCC myself, I can’t add much more to this thread than what others before me have mentioned. But you can’t do wrong by going to SoundTraxx’s web site (regardless of what decoder you are using) and downloading (for free!) their DSD-150/DSX Owner’s Manual and seeing their solution for MU’ing. IMHO, it’s the clearest “book” I’ve seen on the subject.
You can find the manual on their site at http://www.soundtraxx.com/dcc/docs.html
You can do it. All you have to do is buy 6 Kadee 40 series metal couplers and install them on the locomotives, the dummy one too and connect wires to the couplers. Now conect these wires to the DCC plugs if they have them or wire them for DCC and in your dummy unit connect the wires to the decoder and connect wires from the decoder to the sound system. Then you can only run the units together on a DCC layout or seperately on a DC layout.
Hope this helps.
Better off using a separate decoder. It will be simpler and you may want or need to operate the locos independently one day.
Have seen two wired together in O scale with one decoder. Small wire with sockets installed where the MU hoses are. Looks good and they are really “MUed”. The main reason to do this in O scale is that the decoders cost $70. An HO decoder runs around $17.
I’ve got 3 Athearn SD40-2’s, and ones a dummy. I want to MU them together, with electrical power, etc… transfering, DCC the locos, sound, both of which in the dummy, and have the whole 3 unit consist as one locotwo motors, sound, one DCC decoder.
How to do?
If I am understanding you correctly you want to MU the three units (really two) to run as one? If so, then it would depend on your DCC system. It would be impossible to explain on here but you could go to any DCC manufacturers’ website and download the intructional manual and look for the section on MU locomotives to find out how to do this. It’s really not that difficult a thing to do since all you are doing is programing each of the locos onto the same frequency. Good luck!
With only one DCC decoder? You can’t do that unless you have a 3- or 4-amp decoder, and I don’t know of anyone who makes a decoder that can handle that much amperage except in O or G-scale. You’d probably be better off using two separate digital sound decoders (DSDs) programmed to the same address. I made an A-B-B-A E-7 consist out of Proto 2000 powered A units and dummy B units. Each B unit has a SoundTraxx 150 DSD and two speakers mounted in it, with a third speaker mounted in the A unit. Because of the wiring that must run from the DSD to the A unit motors and speakers, the A and B units are now permanently connected. By programming both decoders to the same address, I can run all 4 locos as a set, or I can have two separate A-B sets with independent sound systems and can re-program one of the decoders to a different address if desired…
Actually you could run 2 HO Athearn’s locos on one decoder. They don’t draw but 200 or 300 mA max. So 2 would run easily on one 1amp decoder. It would just take more wiring effort than I would want to do, I would use 2 decoders, but if you insist you could do it. Just remember if you do it the two powered units will have to be always used together.
Actually you could run 2 HO Athearn’s locos on one decoder. They don’t draw but 200 or 300 mA max. So 2 would run easily on one 1amp decoder. It would just take more wiring effort than I would want to do, I would use 2 decoders, but if you insist you could do it. Just remember if you do it the two powered units will have to be always used together.
If you are going to use one decoder for two locos, you will still have to isolate the motor in the second loco as if it had the decoder onboard. With a little extra work you could make the second loco detachable by using a miniplug on high flex wire. You can set up the plug connection (motor polarization) at each end of the loco so it can run forward or reverse ot the master unit. After all that work you may just realize it would be better to just shell out $30 or so for a second decoder.
Being fairly new to DCC myself, I can’t add much more to this thread than what others before me have mentioned. But you can’t do wrong by going to SoundTraxx’s web site (regardless of what decoder you are using) and downloading (for free!) their DSD-150/DSX Owner’s Manual and seeing their solution for MU’ing. IMHO, it’s the clearest “book” I’ve seen on the subject.
You can find the manual on their site at http://www.soundtraxx.com/dcc/docs.html
You can do it. All you have to do is buy 6 Kadee 40 series metal couplers and install them on the locomotives, the dummy one too and connect wires to the couplers. Now conect these wires to the DCC plugs if they have them or wire them for DCC and in your dummy unit connect the wires to the decoder and connect wires from the decoder to the sound system. Then you can only run the units together on a DCC layout or seperately on a DC layout.
Hope this helps.
Better off using a separate decoder. It will be simpler and you may want or need to operate the locos independently one day.
Have seen two wired together in O scale with one decoder. Small wire with sockets installed where the MU hoses are. Looks good and they are really “MUed”. The main reason to do this in O scale is that the decoders cost $70. An HO decoder runs around $17.