DCC and Atlas Locomotives

[D Cody]

Changed over to DCC on my layout and am having problems with 4 of the 5 locomotives. They worked fine on DC and was very quiet. Now they still work great but they have have a horrific whining noise coming from them.
I have trid to lube them, no different. Taken them apart several times, still the same. Took the only one that was quiet apart to see if there was anything different, NOTHING!

These are Atlas GP30 in "N" scale
Mrc Prodigy Advance 2 Dcc
TCS CN-GP decoders

Am I missing something in the programing or is this normal.

Thank

Dean

[UPBigBoy]

Originally Posted by D Cody

Changed over to DCC on my layout and am having problems with 4 of the 5 locomotives. They worked fine on DC and was very quiet. Now they still work great but they have have a horrific whining noise coming from them.
I have trid to lube them, no different. Taken them apart several times, still the same. Took the only one that was quiet apart to see if there was anything different, NOTHING!

These are Atlas GP30 in "N" scale
Mrc Prodigy Advance 2 Dcc
TCS CN-GP decoders

Am I missing something in the programing or is this normal.

Thank

Dean

Are they still set to run as DC only units, if so there is a possibility that you are hearing the motors making a noise. Put them, one at a time, on a programming track and make sure they are set to run on DCC.

Jim

[Espeefan]

Are you running them in consist? if so, try turning off the BEMF. Their website also says the most common install problem for this decoder is the motor not being fully isolated from the frame. You might want to try using a meter and tesitng for continuity between the brushes and the frame. You could also try contacting TCS directly. is there any way something could be rubbing? It's easier to miss than you think. Guess how I know

[bnsf971]

Did you isolate the motors? CN GP is not a plug and play board, you will need to do some work before using them.

[D Cody]

Thanks for the information folks. Tried everything suggested, no luck.
Sent an e-mail in to TSP.
Hope they have got an answer. I will let you know if there is a cure!

Thanks again for the great response.
Dean

[TrinityJayOne]

Originally Posted by Espeefan

Are you running them in consist? if so, try turning off the BEMF.

I use TCS decoders exclusively and don't have any issues with the BEMF in consists, I just speed match the locos first.

Funnily enough my GP39M was a noisy little bugger (electrical buzz) with the stock Atlas decoder, but then went completely silent with the TCS replacement. I used the ASD4 though, so I imagine you're working with one of the Kato-made Atlases. With that in mind, I think this link may be of help -> http://trainweb.org/passengercars/Bearingblock.pdf


EDIT: I haven't actually tried the above process, but I intend to. While my GP39M is quiet, I have a few other short locos that have become noisier since I dismantled them.

[D Cody]

Thanks a lot , I am going to try this and see what hapens
Got E-mail back from TCS with a big "not our problem must be Atlas!"


Dean