I presume the decoder went poof, but what do you folks think?
NCE Pro Cab, Walthers Mainline F40 with OEM ESU decoder.
I took all the trains off the rails for a major cleaning. When I put them back on, all but one worked fine. The bad actor would hesitate in multiple places around the main.
I put it on the programming track to modify top and middle speeds. It gave me “Cannot read CV” message on multiple CVs.
Exit programming and put loco back on track. No response to commands.
Tried reprogramming, reset, setup. No change, still unresponsive.
If the decoder is dead, my heart is not broken. I was thinking of upgrading to a decoder that has HEP mode anyway. (To me, selling a DCC F40 without HEP is unconscionable!)
So is the decoder toast? And does anyone have a recommendation for a sound decoder with HEP mode?
ESU did have a rash of ‘defective’ decoders sometime during the ‘covid’ years. You might contact them and they may help you out with a credit or replacement.
Is there a way you could try running the engine on straight DC to see if there’s any response there?
Both ESU and Soundtraxx have various options for ‘revving’ the prime mover while still maintaining speed control. Not too sure about TCS WOWsound. I have several F40s with older ESU Select decoders with the option but I don’t often use it. Usually only the trailing engine would be supplying HEP, anyway.
As long as you have your F40 opened up you might want to look into a Scale Sound speaker? Made a very nice improvement in my Rapido engines!
If the locomotive did run, but hesitated around the layout, the decoder couldn’t be totally dead. The Cannot Read CV issue can happen when NCE cabs think there is a short. Sometimes this can have to do with any loads (motor, lights, etc.) in the circuit not being detected properly. I would double check the circuitry in the loco to make sure there isn’t a short or broken wire.
As far as decoders with HEP, I would recommend Soundtraxx Tsnuami2. Those have full HEP functions for both Straight-to-8 and seperate diesel generator sounds, and are really user friendly for programming. I use them almost exclusively for my trains.
Major cleaning of the locos or the track?
If the locos, how, specifically, did you clean them? Did you clean the wheels? What methods and materials did you use?
One loco hesitating in multiple spots around the layout sure sounds like poor pickup, and trying to program a decoder that can’t “hear” the programming commands clearly (due to that poor pickup) could have unpredictable results.
The motor was fine 5 minutes earlier. Besides, it is totally unresponsive, i.e. no lights, or sound either.
I cleaned everything; wheels on locos and cars, and track. I used mineral spirits on a felt pad. I may have used more than necessary, so when I re-cleaned I used isopropanol. I re-cleaned because the hesitation looked like a contact issue to me, too.
I suspect that the apparent decoder problem is coincidental.
Edit: I would use the HEP. My previous DC F40 had Modeltronics sound, and I wired in a 12V battery so it would have the prototypical full throttle roar. I like F40s.
There is another thread currently active in which Walthers Mainline locos with privately branded ESU decoders are exhibiting similar problems. As Ed mentioned, ESU had acknowledged a problem with a series of its decoders. Something to investigate further.
Well, here’s the happy ending. I didn’t investigate a warranty claim from Walthers, because I really wanted to have HEP mode on myF40. I bought a Tsunami 2 21-pin decoder, which was a drop-in on the DCC-ready board. My usual setups are addressing, disabling auto start, adjusting sound volumes and speed/throttle adjustments. These all went without a hitch. Hitting F16 enables fast RPM for HEP, and I’m as happy
