I finally found an Athearn F3 AA set from a hobby shop online. This item is new but is was built in 2003. I plan to convert to DCC I don’t think it is DCC ready.
My question is am I going to have to tear down the drive train clean and lube or was Athearn using synthetic lube by then. Oh well I guess I’'l have it tore apart for encoder install I might as well go the whole way.
Anyone have any suggestions or tips for Athearn’s of this era of production? The only Athearns are only a year or so old.
I’d certainly check the status of the lube. Most likely it’s OK, but if it’s hardened then needs replaced. Just pull the covers off the bottom of the trucks.
DCC install is a snap. I used the NCE DA-SR on mine and soldered the connections. Watch for potential shorting locations where the wires are close to the metal frame.
Biggest issue with DCC is dealing with the lights. Athearn still uses the bulbs, which look nice, but often fail quickly. One way to limit that is to dial your DCC output down a volt or so. I run mine at 12.5 volts.
I can’t say for certain; but, these are only 10 years old, if you have the manufactured date correct. This is long after the big jump to DCC occurred and adding a decoder my just be a plug and play event.
MLehman, would you have added a resistor to drop the voltage? The other option would be to replace with L.E.D.s, which would be the route I would go.
I am assuming these are Genesis units since they are F3’s? Athearn RTR does not offer an F3, only an F7 - all Genesis units are DCC ready and it will be easy to install a decoder in them. The gear lube issue should not be a problem based on my experiance. I have similar locos that I have run very little in that time and they always run fine.
Athearn Genesis units built in 2003 were semi-DCC ready.
You needed to change the light board which did not have a DCC socket.
There were a number of drop in DCC units available, The major issue was if the unit had one or two headlights.
Some of the drop in DCC boards were not comapitable with Athearns’ low voltage lights and resistors may have been needed.
There were other DCC units that had different wiring curcuits on them to accommodate the Athearn bulbs.
I have been in touch with Athearn a couple of times to find out which of the various drop in DCC boards would they recommend.
Athearn will NOT make any recommendations, they will talk around the bulb issues and tell you different options, but they will NOT recommend any specific board. I assume this is due to liability issues.
Athearn was really late incorporating the DCC plug in onto their light boards.
Yes these are Genesis, if I need to replace the light board I will probably go with a soundtraxx and hard wire. This will be my first hardwire DCC conversion. Does a replacement of bulbs lights with LEDs require a resistor? In the process of research for the wiring fro DCC, should be fun.
My CRS is kicking in here, but I’m pretty sure the factory bulbs are 1.5 volt. The step-down from 12 volts on DC with the factory light board works OK, but once you swap in a decoder with those bulbs, you’re typically dropping from 14.5 volts or better with teh default voltage settings on most command stations. Athearn basically gives you DC lighting in crude form, but if you go with DCC, you’re on your own. That’s where the reports of fried bulbs come from. The easiest solution is to turn down the DCC voltage.
I did add resistors to my F unit installs with the factory bulbs. Don’t remember exact values but in the typical Ik range IIRC. However, I didn’t learn about turning down the DCC voltage until late in the conversion process, so still lost some bulbs. I replaced a few with Miniatronics 1.5 bulbs, but the are not the same size as the factory ones. If you’ll never be running your locos elsewhere, then just adding resistors for the factory lamps and turned down the voltage is a good way to go.
However, if your motive power will be seeing action elsewhere, then you may want the more robust alternative of LEDs. Now, I just replace those tiny bulbs with SMD LEDs. If you don’t like their typical look, add more resistance and they start looking much more like a bulb in terms of illumination.
There are a few decoders that now offer resistance on the board. Ulrich has a neat little board that provides resistance for multiple lights. Other than that, yes, the LEDs will need resistors added. Don’t be afraid to use 2000, 3000, or higher ohms of resistance to see what it looks like.