Bought an N scale MRC sound DCC decoder from a Hobby Shop in Ocala, FL. When I went to go put the decoder in the Kato engine after I had properly isolated the two halves, nothing. No response from the decoder, no lights, nothing.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
I live too far away to return it to the shop by hand, so I will return it by mail. If the second decoder doesn’t work, then I’m getting out of DCC permanently without ever having to try it.
MRC decoders don’t seem to be the best choice for some modelers. Many modelers have had bad experiences with them including me. They may not be necessarily inferior, but if I have a problem with something, I move away from the brand, and I have moved away from MRC.
Also, decoder installation is very fussy in such a small scale. I know it is done and I have done it, but you have to be very particular that you are doing everything right. One thing out of wack and you have fried it. Some things you can ‘wing it’ and get by with, but not with decoder installations. If you don’t check your motor isolation with a meter, you are asking for trouble.
gatrhumpy,
As I mentioned in the other thread, MRC decoders have not had a very good track record as far as DCC is concerned. I’ve heard more misses than hits in regards to their reliability. So, you should NOT gauge your DCC experience solely on them along.
I take it by your closing statement that you haven’t received your Power Cab yet? If not, why don’t you test the decoder out with the Power Cab first before mailing the decoder back to the store.
Also, do you know for sure whether the MRC decoder is a dual-decoder? It would need to be in order for you to test it out on DC. Elmer’s statement about the importance of careful installation is also very wise council.
Tom
Well I would not move away from DCC just because of one failure.
Try a straight DCC install (NO SOUND) and stay away from MRC for decoders.
The MRC units seem to have a high failure rate and a lot of DOA units for some reason.
Doing DCC installs in N scale is not that hard to do but it is very demanding in that you know where some problems are.
A single wire touching one of the frame halves will cause a decoder to go South.
Is this you first install ?
Don;t get out of DCC, stop using some of the WORST decoders ever put on the market. Try some quality decoders from TCS, NCE, or Digitrax before you scrape the idea of DCC - it’s not DCC causing your problems, it’s JUNK like MRC. They are as bad as the cheap train sets of the 70’s for turning people off to this hobby or a segment of it. I use mostly TCS decoders, with a few NCE and Digitrax, and I have NEVER EVER had a bad one out of the box.
–Randy
Stop holding hold back, Randy! Speak your mind! [(-D]
Tom
I was on a roll after the Genset thread - I hit this one afterwards and see someone wanting to scrap the whole idea of DCC because of an MRC failure, well, I keep on. I continued the roll in the thread about Tsunami startup sounds, too. Guess I’m on an anti-annoyign kick tonight.
–Randy
Randy,
I am considering buying an MRC decoder for my 1970’s Tyco loco. Are you saying that the MRC decoder is a good choice?
Rich
[(-D] [(-D] [(-D]
The two are about equal, technologically speaking.
How would I check the decoder for consistency?
Tom, I did get my Powercab, which is why I drove 2.5 hours on a Saturday to get a drop-in decoder for my N scale Kato SD40-2. I was excited about it working.
I got home, applied the tape to the engine as I should to isolate the two halves, and…nothing.
I did not check for motor isolation yet. How would I do that using a mutlimeter?
Well, I applied tape to the frame of the Kato as instructed in the MRCs directions. It’s a drop in decoder, so I assume that if the tape is applied correctly in the locations shown, that the decoder would work.
Yes, it was my first installation.
The whole reason why I got into DCC was for the onboard sound aspect.
NCE sells a nice little gadget to test decoders. Cost is approximately $20.00 street price. I have one and it came handy on some occasions.
Here is a link to Tony Trains Xchange: http://www.tonystrains.com/products/nce_other.htm
Gatrhumpy
Set the meter to read the lowest numerical scale on ohms and measure between the chassis and each motor wire. Should be infinite resistance.
Dave
It’s been pretty much covered. MRC exists so you have something to compare to. MRC is the Anchor of the industry IMO.
gatrhumpy,
When you say the MRC decoder is a “drop-in” decoder, do you mean that all you had to do was to plug the decoder into the 8-pin (2 x 4-pin) NMRA socket? Also, after you installed the decoder, did you first test the locomotive on your programming track in programming mode, or in regular operating mode?
FYI: It’s always best to test a DCC-equipped locomotive on your programming track in programming mode first BEFORE you operate in regular mode. This is because a decoder on the programming track receives less than full power; since your primary purpose for having it there is to 1) verify that your DCC system can read the decoder, and 2) program the decoder to a short and long address. If a decoder is somehow wired incorrectly or is faulty, you’re less likely to fry it in programming mode.
gatrhumpy, I did a little poking around for N-scale MRC decoders. Does the drop-in decoder you have resemble the one in this F3?
Tom
Notice that none of the top tier sound decoder makers, like Soundtraxx, QSI and ESU, have any specific N scale sound decoders? Why is this? Because they haven’t been able to cram it all in there AND meet their high standards. MRC just slaps them together and hope they work, at least until the warranty runs out.
N scale sound is still iffy at best, particularly for narrow hood diesels. Your best bet is to put the sound in a dummy unit where you can fit a better quality but slightly larger decoder - also a larger speaker - and consist it to a powered unit using a plain motor decoder - choices from several brands depending on the exact loco. There’s some overlap, but each manufacturer also has a few specific models tha tthe other guys don’t. With the limited space in N, you are best off using a decoder specifically made for your loco. In HO since there is more room I usually recommend inexpensive generic decoders and soldering the wires directly, vs a more expensive board repalcement. But there’s plenty of room, not many HO locos use a split frame design, and not many HO locos have the entire space under the shell filled with a metal chassis for traction. It is way easier in N scale to use a specific board replacement. Even then, manufacturers make changes from run to run, or the tolerances are off - the most likely thing happenign is NOT that the motor isn’t isolated, but rather the deoceder isn’t making good contact with the frame halves to pick up power. This happens with other brands of decoders from time to time as well, and in some cases requires adding a blob of solder to each of the points that is supposed to touch the frame.
–Randy
Dave - thanks for the reply. So I put the dial on the multimeter to ‘ohms,’ on the lowest setting, and place one probe on the metal chassis, and the other probe on the motos wire on the same side? What should the multimeter read?
Tom, when I say drop-in decoder, I mean that I take out the old printed circuit board (PCB) light board, insulate the top of the chassis to prevent electrical contact, and then replace with the new DCC decoder.
This is the decoder I got:
http://www.trainz.com/p-209868-mrc-1806-n-scale-dcc-decoder-wsound-for-kato-sd40-2.aspx
I basically covered the entire top and sides of the chassis that does not need electrical connections.
And I did try to program it on the programming track. On the NCE system I got, I pressed “Prog/ESC” four times, pressed 1 for “STD,” and it said wait. After ten seconds, it said, “Can not read back CV.”
I checked all my layout wiring, and it’s intact. I have several feeder wires (more than necessary for my small 2.5 x 4 ft layout). I even placed a coin across the track to ensure the circuit breaker trips, and it does.
Also, these are the sheets that I used for reference when I installed the MRC decoder.
http://www3.telus.net/HarrisFamily/SD40_2
The second link only isolates the chassis in the spot directly above the motor and between the flywheels. The directions that came with the MRC decoder have me isolating the chassis halves in six (6) separate places.