Kato SD40-2 no longer responds to my controller

Model Railroader Electronics and DCC
1

My Kato SD40-2 kobo special no longer responds to my controller, i tried resetting it but nothing happened, and i tried to program it but the powercab ignores the locomotive and doesn’t read the CVs

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2

have you tried cleaning the wheels and track?

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3

If cleaning wheels and track don’t help, try running it on DC. If you don’t have a DC powerpack, you can use a 9V battery. If the wheels turn OK, it means the motor is getting power thru the decoder from the wheels. So either the decoder has been damaged or there is a programming issue.

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I cleaned the tracks and even tried a separate test track and it still doesn’t run, i hooked up a 9v battery and that also doesn’t work, but i did power the motor directly with a dc power supply and the motor works, so im thinking it could be the decoder

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5

Just to be complete:

Will the Powercab correctly control other DCC locomotives, and does it work both on program track and ‘on the main’?

Can you get access to a decoder tester?

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6

Yes, it can run my F7 with sound without trouble, and i can try to get my hands on a decoder tester

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UPDATE: i noticed the front headlight turns on anytime power is given, the powercab still doesn’t read it unfortunately

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8

Prioritize locating and using a decoder tester.

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9

I assume you checked all the internal wiring to be sure the motor is getting power from the decoder, and the decoder is getting power from the track pickups etc.

Maybe try plugging in another decoder and put the engine on the programming track and see if it can read any CVs. If so, that should mean there aren’t any shorts or other problems, so try running it on regular DCC with the ‘new’ decoder. If it all works OK, then it was the original decoder that went bad.

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You didn’t have the engine in a consist, did you?