DCC, and Diode Keep Alive type system etc...


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NP2626

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DCC, and Capacitor Keep Alive type system etc...

I would like to connect a Keep Alive, Power Extender, Current Keeper capacitor circuit type of system to my Bachmann DCC 0-6-0 T Porter switcher. The decoder in the locomotive is not a SoundTraxx decoder per George Bogatiuk of SoundTraxx and he did not know who made it and suggested going to Bachmann for information. Bachmann is slow about responding to questions! The decoder has the following on it "C2R2" and there is no receptacle for plugging a Keep Alive KA4 to it.

I realized after posting this thread that it's Capacitors and not Diodes.

My question is how do I hard wire this device to the decoder?

Here are a couple photos of the Loco and Ddecoder. Look at that tiny little Motor! (It's the silver cylinder with black ends, just behind the decoder).

HPIM7942 (Small).JPG HPIM7943 (Small).JPG
 
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I called Soundtraxx about installing their current keeper in a non soundtraxx decoder and told me if I had a schematic diagram of the decoder they could help me otherwise no.

George
 
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NP2626 said:
I would like to connect a Keep Alive, Power Extender, Current Keeper capacitor circuit type of system to my Bachmann DCC 0-6-0 T Porter switcher. The decoder has the following on it "C2R2" and there is no receptacle for plugging a Keep Alive KA4 to it.

My question is how do I hard wire this device to the decoder?
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Assuming that decoder uses NMRA standard color on the wires, the blue wire (positive) of the KA4 is easy. It goes to the blue wire coming off the decoder.

To find where the other wire goes, follow the black and red wires going into the decoder. NMRA standard says this is track power coming in. Those wires have to go through a rectifier before powering the decoder. The rectifier is usually a square component on the board. The black and red should eventually go to two corners of it, diagonal from each other. The black w/white stripe wire should go to the opposite diagonal that does not lead to the blue wire.

Had to use pink because drawing tool doesn't have b/w strip.
rectifier.jpg

As I said this assumes they have used NMRA standard color wires. You will probably have to follow the circuit board traces to the rectifier component. Once found I would use needle probes on a volt meter to verify the rectifier has a standard pin out. I do not see a rectifier in the picture, so it might be on the underside.
 
Iron Horseman, I assume the Square in the drawing you made, is of the rectifier on the decoder and not of the decoder itself? Per Bachmann yesterday, I found out the decoder they used was made by Lentz (Their Spelling). My guess is Laura meant Lenz and not Lentz.
 
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NYC_George said:
I called Soundtraxx about installing their current keeper in a non soundtraxx decoder and told me if I had a schematic diagram of the decoder they could help me otherwise no.

George
Click to expand...

Mr. Bogatiuk has been very helpful to me, every time I have called on him to ask a question!
 
The C2R2 is not the decoder, it is simply a circuit board. The decoder is very small and to the right of the motor in the photo with the loco heading to the top of photo 2; or, on the top of the loco with the loco in photo 1, heading east, the black thing with wires leading to it, Dah! Sorry I was confused. I sent an email to Bachmann asking how to remove the shell. They sent an email with photos and instruction that must have been for this locomotive as it had been previously made as the instructions made no sense! Confusion, will be my Epitaph!
 
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NP2626 said:
The C2R2 is not the decoder, it is simply a circuit board. The decoder is very small and to the right of the motor in the photo with the loco heading to the top of photo 2; or, on the top of the loco with the loco in photo 1, heading east, the black thing with wires leading to it, Dah! Sorry I was confused. I sent an email to Bachmann asking how to remove the shell. They sent an email with photos and instruction that must have been for a this locomotive as it had been previously made as the instructions made no sense! Confusion, will be my Epitaph!
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Oh! I see it now. It is enclosed in black plastic "shrink wrap". That confused me too.
 
So, I sent an email to Lenz on March 29th, asking about the decoder Bachmann has installed on this locomotive, hoping for information on how to connect a Capacitor system to the loco and have heard nothing back, yet.
 
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April 16th and still nothing from Lenz! I might change the Lenz decoder for someone else's to get this job done!

Now I'm working on installing a Digitrax PX108-2 Power Xtender in my Bachmann 2-6-0. This has a Soundtraxx Sound decoder in it, George Bogatuik has emailed me a photo of this decoder with a a Soundtraxx Keep Alive system wired into it. The Keep Alive has Black and Blue wires all of these types of devices have one black wire. The other wire might be red, blue, or some other color. Can I assume polarity wise that the black wires are all the same?

Thanks!
 
The Lenz decoder fitted as a factory installation, has probably been set up by Bachmann's factory to suit their requirements. I asked Soundtraxx about CV settings on the sound decoders they provided to Athearn when they began installing them to the RTR line of locos and was told Soundtraxx only supplied them to Athearn's requirements and the settings were left to Athearn's factory. They did inform me that the ones so provided were based on the first edition models.

So Bachmann is probably the ones to ask. Good luck.
 
I have found Bachmann not to know much about their non-sound equipped DCC locomotives. It took forever for them to determine who had sold them the Lenz decoder they put in my 0-6-0T
 
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Toot, You might be confusing the issue here. I'm not talking about the 0-6-0T that has a Lenz decoder in it. I asked:

Now I'm working on installing a Digitrax PX108-2 Power Xtender in my Bachmann 2-6-0. This has a Soundtraxx Sound decoder in it, George Bogatuik has emailed me a photo of this decoder with a a Soundtraxx Keep Alive system wired into it. The Keep Alive has Black and Blue wires all of these types of devices have one black wire. The other wire might be red, blue, or some other color. Can I assume polarity wise that the black wires are all the same?

So, I'm wondering if someone can answer this specific question? Thanks in advance!
 
NP2626 said:
Now I'm working on installing a Digitrax PX108-2 Power Xtender in my Bachmann 2-6-0. This has a Soundtraxx Sound decoder in it, George Bogatuik has emailed me a photo of this decoder with a a Soundtraxx Keep Alive system wired into it. The Keep Alive has Black and Blue wires all of these types of devices have one black wire. The other wire might be red, blue, or some other color. Can I assume polarity wise that the black wires are all the same?
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I would not make that assumption. I know the black wire of the Soundtraxx decoder is for track power. So it is reasonable to guess that the Power Xtender would also have one wire to track, but I would certainly read the manual before I made that assumption.
 
Right now I have these types of devices from TCS, Soundtraxx and Digitrax, All three of them have the black wire going to the same side of the plug that plugs into the decoder.
 
I'm going to go ahead and wire this thing up, i guess if something gets screwed up, it will be my own fault! Thanks for the help!
 
Power Xtender (Small).JPG

I was successful in attaching a Digitrax PX108-2 Power Xtender to my Bachmann 2-6-0 with Soundtraxx decoder. I attached the Black Wire, where
you see the Black Wire attached in this photo and the PX108-2's Red Wire, was attached where you see the Blue wire in the photo. I want to thank Larry Pucket and Iron Horseman for their help in this endeavor. The Power Xtender PX108-2 is slightly smaller than either the TCS Keep Alive or the Soundtraxx Current Keeper and that was the sole reason I chose the PX108-2.

Even though this loco had 3 divers per side and two trucks on the tender picking up juice from the track, this loco would stop at almost every turn-out without the Power Xtender. The Power Xtender made this loco as good a runner as any locomotive I have.
 
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After around three weeks of waiting, Lenz finally came back to me and has stated that the decoder installed in my Bachmann Porter 0-6-0T is not one of their decoders! So, now it's back to Bachmann with this information. Essentially, I feel like I am all on my own with this endeavor! We have a manufacturer who has no idea who makes the parts in their products. I understand how this can happen when your manufacturing plant is overseas. However, I would think that the engineering/design team should know this stuff!
 
wombat457 said:
You mean, the products someone else makes that they just put their name to.

You'd think they would, wouldn't you...whether they are made oversees or not.
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I have no idea if this is the case; however, I assume that this loco is Bachmann's design. I say this because I don't see another company touting a loco that looks the same as this one.
 
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