Quick review: ESU 53900 Decoder Tester

Model Railroader Electronics and DCC
1

Greetings,

I do all my own decoder installations - both plastic & brass. I had a newer decoder that I wanted to test before installing it, as well as a handful of older decoders I had tucked away in a drawer. I decided to pick up a ESU 53900 Decoder Tester from Litchfield Station - Cost: $44.

The decoder tester is very simple to use. It’s powered from the track output from your DCC system (Power Cab shown below) and will accept all the following DCC interfaces (from lower right to upper left):

  • 8-pole NEM 652 socket
  • 6-pole NEM 651 socket
  • 12-socket terminal block
  • 21MTC connector
  • Next18 socket
  • E24 socket
  • PluX22 socket
  • SUSI plugs (“facilitate the direct test of optional SUSI modules as well as the connection to another circuit board”, per ESU website)

It also includes on-board:

  • LEDs (for verifying functionality of AUX1-7 & AUX10-12, sound, and direction)
  • Coreless motor
  • 20mm speaker (with switch options Off-100Ω-8Ω)

And it’s NOT just for ESU decoders. It will test any decoder that can be connected to the above interfaces.

Here’s an overhead view of the ESU decoder tester board (under natural room lighting) showing the LEDs illuminated while testing a Loksound 5 decoder with F8 activated. The speaker wires of the decoder are connected to the speaker outputs of the terminal block:

For the price it accomplishes a lot. And it’s a 1/4 of the cost of a TCS decoder tester.

If it isn’t obvious, I’m VERY happy with the purchase and consider it $$$ well-spent. And, whether yo

2

Tom,

I have the prior version, and love doing all my programming via it.

Glad to see the updated version added some additional functionality.

3

Hello All,

Thanks for the review.

I have an MRC decoder tester but it doesn’t have the functions; motor and speaker, along with all the input options.

Just ordered one for myself.

Hope this helps.

4

Did you receive your ESU decoder tester yet?

Tom

5

Hello All,

Not yet…

The seller I ordered from is closed for the holidays- -not back until after the new year.

I trust this seller and if things are “back-ordered” they let me know.

So, still waiting…

Hope this helps.

6

Hello All,

Just got it in my hot little hands today.

Haven’t had a chance to hook it up and use it.

After reading the instructions- -yes it happens!

I’m considering powering the tester from my NCE ProCab system via a set of jumpers with alligator clips to the rails- -rather than having to tap into the bus wires.

Let you know how that works.

Hope this helps.