Your decoder experiences, please.

[Sir TophamHatt]

23 hours ago, melmerby said:

Another vote for Lenz & Zimo, both do everything they should. Ones I avoid: Hornby, TCS, Digitrax and any "own brand" or other really cheapos

This is me too.

I buy whichever I can find the cheapest of at the time of needing to buy.   Although I was forced to use a Digitrax one in a loco (Bachmann Emily), which barely had space for the motor let alone anything else.  That runs "okay", although haven't done any proper testing.

Edited March 20, 2019 by Sir TophamHatt

[Chamby]

My thanks to all the responses.

 

I have taken your advice and ordered a bulk supply of Zimo decoders today.  I have a busy weekend ahead of me!

 

Phil

[Barry O]

I programme chips via a SPROG. No problems with any chips so far (but the Lenz ones do have some internal funnies not normally viewable froma  hand set).

 

I won't use Hornby or Bachmann - they are poor. I have a TCS one but it came out of a loco I was fitting sound to and seems to have been dead when it arrived here.

 

My Digitraxx ones are in American locos and don't have a "speed kink".. is that because I use a Digitraxx system to operate them?

 

Baz

Edited March 20, 2019 by Barry O

[melmerby]

20 minutes ago, Barry O said:

.

 

My Digitraxx ones are in American locos and don't have a "speed kink".. is that because I use a Digitraxx system to operate them?

 

Baz

No

It may be the variety you have don't exhibit the kink.

What type are they?

Mine were all small profile ones suitable for N scale up, although used on small 00 locos (GWR 48XX etc.)

The TCS ones were however a varied selection, M1P, T1, DP2X, EU621 etc.

 

[roundhouse]

I use Digitrax decoders in my American n scale with generally few issues. I use the transponding feature to work the Surroundtraxx sound system.

 

In my Uk N scale I have used the Hornby decoders in the Farish class 168 DMU's and they were OK to start with but over time they have become erratic so are being replaced with Digitrax DZ 125 / 126 harness decoders.  Those locos with 6 pin sockets have generally been fitted with Bachmann decoders but more recently i have been using Zimo decoders. As we don't tend to do much shunting on the UK layout these decoders have been fine.

 

In American HO scale I am tending to use Tsunami Econami decoders when adding sound but generally I had fitted Digitrax decoders when first starting in DCC back many years ago and these decoders are still in use being cascaded to other locos when sound has been installed.

 

I have a few TCS decoders but a number have had odd lighting issues such as not being able to turn off headlights even after a factory reset. Fine in UK steam locos that don't have any lighting functions.

 

In Czech HO we are using mainly Zimo sound decoders but one or two have Loksound decoders as these came factory fitted.

 

 

[peach james]

I've generally been using NCE decoders for the last while.  I've used a fair # of DN121 (Digitrax), which worked fine in the application, and some Digitrax sound decoders, because they are programmable including what sound files I used (they're not used for railway sounds...).  I have a few TCS decoders, but the current install plan is NCE decoders.

 

Digitrax, in particular the DN121's, seem to fry themselves over time.  I'm asking for up to 650mA, which should be fine on a 1A decoder, but isn't over time...  Some of mine are 18 years in use.

 

James

[Butler Henderson]

On ‎20‎/‎03‎/‎2019 at 16:20, Barry O said:

I won't use Hornby or Bachmann - they are poor.

Current Bachmann decoders are rebadged ESU ones and perfectly reliable IME.

Edited March 22, 2019 by Butler Henderson

[dj_crisp]

Lenz or zimo for me. Very happy with them and no failures.

 

10 (!) DCC concepts failures so will never go there again. I'm replacing them with lenz standards.  One of the problems in buying bulk is choosing wrong... alot of cash up in smoke.  

[Barry O]

1 hour ago, Butler Henderson said:

Current Bachmann decoders are rebadged ESU ones and perfectly reliable IME.

They have been chopped about so don't have full functionality. 

Baz

[Pete the Elaner]

9 hours ago, Butler Henderson said:

Current Bachmann decoders are rebadged ESU ones and perfectly reliable IME.

I heard they were ZImo, so maybe they have changed yet again recently? That's the problem; they tend to change without notice so by buying Bachmann, you don't really know what you are getting.

 

Both my Bachmann decoders are relatively old now. 1 is 21-pin & the other is 8 pin but both ignore CV3. For me, this makes them completely useless as a loco decoder. They seem to be ok controlling lighting in my DVTs though.

They have put me off from buying Bachmann decoders for good.

[Izzy]

Bachmann seem to have used several different makes over time. Soundtraxx, ESU, and now Zimo. Which it is depends on the particular decoder. So there is no consistency between either features, functions, or their general motor control. 

 

Now I just use Zimo. Silly, and false economy in the long run, to do anything else, especially while there is a selection of them, size/type, at £20. I’ll admit I would be upset if they were all at the more normal past prices of about £35, but would still do the same now, just have less to spend on other things......

 

Izzy

[Pete the Elaner]

I have just bought an older Bachmann loco marked by a factory label as DCC fitted.

JMRI read the decoder as an ESU LokPilot, but did not seem to be sure about exactly which type.

I have read that Bachmann used to fit ESUs so this seems to confirm it was an ESU re-badged to Bachmann.

 

Running is noisy & jerky. I factory reset the decoder & read in all CV settings. CV3 was set to 8 & CV4 set to 6. As with other Bachmann chips I had seen, acceleration was just about non-existant no matter what I set CV3 to. Max value for this seemed to be 64 (I understand ESU do not use the same acceleration values as all other brands). Even at this value, it did not bother with getting there gradually. Deceleration seemed to be ok though.

This is the 3rd of 3 "Bachmann" chips I have had which seem to ignore CV3.

 

This has to be one of the worst decoders I have used (second only to a Hornby R8245) & has has confirmed my usual principle of steering clear from factory-fitted decoders if possible.

 

 

[RAF96]

Pete

R8245 is the Hornby Sapphire and a reliable if tad expensive decoder. Did you mean R8215 which was awful and often used in factory fits even after the better but still basic R8249 decoder appeared.

[Pete the Elaner]

22 minutes ago, RAF96 said:

Pete

R8245 is the Hornby Sapphire and a reliable if tad expensive decoder. Did you mean R8215 which was awful and often used in factory fits even after the better but still basic R8249 decoder appeared.

Yes, you are quite right. It was the R8215. It only worked 1 way on my NCE & was factory fitted in a Stanier tank quite some time after the R8249 had replaced it.

It gave me the impression that manufacturers were willing to use old stocks of inferior decoders to sell as "DCC fitted" models & I have avoided them like the plague since...

Until this S/H purchase which has re-inforced my belief.

[SRman]

I have two Hornby Sapphire decoders, which are reasonably competent efforts, but not really good value, in my opinion. All other Hornby decoders (those that are still living, anyway!) are relegated to use as function-only decoders in things like DMU Driving Trailers, centre cars or dummy Driving Motors. All of my Hornby decoders (apart from the Sapphires) were acquired in DCC-fitted models that were on sale for less than the cost of the non-DCC versions of the same models. The models themselves were upgraded to better decoders.

[melmerby]

1 hour ago, Pete the Elaner said:

Yes, you are quite right. It was the R8215. It only worked 1 way on my NCE & was factory fitted in a Stanier tank quite some time after the R8249 had replaced it.

 

That's where one of my duff DCC fitted decoders came from. Where Hornby sent two in return.

The loco was on sale at less than the DCC ready version.

 

[Butler Henderson]

1 hour ago, SRman said:

I have two Hornby Sapphire decoders, which are reasonably competent efforts, but not really good value, in my opinion.

Unless you stumble across them in a sale typically by a toy of the market seller and they are significantly less than half price. Re Bachmanns decoders the current 21 pin is an ESU (blue pcb) annoyingly with same ref number as the previous not so good Soundtrax (green pcb) but yes the Next18 and I understand the 6pin are Zimos. As for them being cut down in features it would be useful if someone gave a list of features that have been left out of each, certainly programming them on Decoder Pro as the makers decoder nothing I want to set has ever returned a value of 255

[Butler Henderson]

3 hours ago, Pete the Elaner said:

I have just bought an older Bachmann loco marked by a factory label as DCC fitted.

JMRI read the decoder as an ESU LokPilot, but did not seem to be sure about exactly which type.

I have read that Bachmann used to fit ESUs so this seems to confirm it was an ESU re-badged to Bachmann.

 

Running is noisy & jerky.

Maybe needs the back EMF cvs tweaking   - see http://service.Bachmann.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/decoder_settings.pdf

Had the same experience with a Standard 4 4-6-0, which had run okay on test but in front of a crowd of viewers at York promptly kangarooed along the layout and was quickly withdrawn from service. Resolved that by swopping the decoder with a Lenz from a diesel, the Bachmann  decoder being okay in the diesel.

[Pete the Elaner]

1 hour ago, Butler Henderson said:

Maybe needs the back EMF cvs tweaking   - see http://service.Bachmann.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/decoder_settings.pdf

 

I could quite possibly improve it with some adjustments & thank you for the link, but this is not really the point.

The decoder simply does not work as it should. It does not respond properly to CV3 which is a fault it shares with my other Bachmann decoders.

 

I bought it for someone who wants to try DCC & has acquired an old Lenz which has no display so will not have the ability to adjust CVs.

Many modellers try DCC by purchasing or borrowing older, used equipment & a couple of factory fitted locos. A loco which runs poorly out of the box due to a rubbish decoder is a bad example for anyone new to DCC.

[pauliebanger]

4 hours ago, Butler Henderson said:

Unless you stumble across them in a sale typically by a toy of the market seller and they are significantly less than half price. Re Bachmanns decoders the current 21 pin is an ESU (blue pcb) annoyingly with same ref number as the previous not so good Soundtrax (green pcb) but yes the Next18 and I understand the 6pin are Zimos. As for them being cut down in features it would be useful if someone gave a list of features that have been left out of each, certainly programming them on Decoder Pro as the makers decoder nothing I want to set has ever returned a value of 255

 

ZIMO decoders re-badged as Bachmann are the full deal - they have all the same features as the ZIMO equivalent.

[NoelG]

Lenz Silver+ and LokPilot have both proven excellent for precision motor drive, especially at low speed. but I source Lenz and ESU from German retailers as their pricing has been more competitive than UK stores. (eg modelbahnshoplippe and kieskemper). Sometimes decoders turn up on amazon.de at keen prices.

 

https://www.modellbahnshop-lippe.com

https://kieskemper-shop.de