VicZA Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Hi All, I am not sure if this is truly a DCC issue or not but I will attempt it here ... I have two locos, one is the Stirling Single from Rapido (DCC Sound version) and one is a Bachmann 8750 Pannier Tank that was DCC ready and is now fitted with a Zimo DCC chip. I use a Hornby R8213 for control. The TANK really responds very well to the controller and speeds up and slows down in both directions very well and even crawls along with almost no jutter but the SINGLE does not and often only reacts sporadically, or not at all, to the controller .... Could there be a logical explanation here? Thanks Victor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnb Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Are the wheels and pickups really clean? Is the track clean and level? All matters vital for successful DCC operation. Intermittent issues can often be tracked back to dirt in the system somewhere. Does the Single always give problems at the same location? If so check the track for level and dirt. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VicZA Posted April 16, 2019 Author Share Posted April 16, 2019 42 minutes ago, johnb said: Are the wheels and pickups really clean? Is the track clean and level? All matters vital for successful DCC operation. Intermittent issues can often be tracked back to dirt in the system somewhere. Does the Single always give problems at the same location? If so check the track for level and dirt. John No, the single gives problems in all kinds of random locations ... if it was a track issue would it not be the same for all locos on the track and not just the one? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Maybe get in touch with the person that does Rapido repairs. His name and details are in the Rapido Stirling Single thread. You don't want to be messing about with a model that cost nearly £350 IMO. Jason Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnb Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Not necessarily as the Single has a rather different wheel arrangement to the tank and may react in a different way to imperfections. Although I would expect the rigid wheelbase of the tank would also be sensitive to track issues. Do the problems occur on straight track or on curves or on points or are they completely random? My first checks would be the state of the wheels, then the pickups, are they clean and always in contact with the wheels? Are the wheels always in contact with the track. My suspicion based on what you say is that there may be a connection/pickup issue with the loco. What Jason said while I was typing this is a good idea, contact the repair man, before you start any tinkering other than checking the basics. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 This is the chap to get in touch with. I think that's still the case anyway. https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/profile/34777-rapidorepairsuk/ Jason Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VicZA Posted April 16, 2019 Author Share Posted April 16, 2019 18 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said: This is the chap to get in touch with. I think that's still the case anyway. https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/profile/34777-rapidorepairsuk/ Jason Thanks ... I will make contact and see what he can advise ... hope he is still active as it shows that he was last active in Nov 18 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete the Elaner Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Zimos have a good reputation for smooth running & my experiences with Bachmann & Hornby "DCC Fitted" locos are bad because the decoders they have used have been cheap rubbish. Do you know what chip is actually fitted to the Single? I suspect Rapido are a bit more choosy about which decoders they use but it would be nice to find out what is inside. If you can read the manufacturer & model codes then that would be useful. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HLT 0109 Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Could be that adjusting the CV values in the Stirling Single would help - particularly the motor control ones. Careful reading of the appropriate decoder manual will guide you through the process. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Holliday Posted April 17, 2019 Share Posted April 17, 2019 I'm certainly no expert, but the controller being used is the Hornby Select, which is very much an entry level controller, and I believe has some issues with more sophisticated chips. Might the Single have been set up with CVs that the Select cannot manage. I would suggest finding somewhere you can run both locos with a higher end DCC controller, and see if the symptoms still appear. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete the Elaner Posted April 17, 2019 Share Posted April 17, 2019 1 hour ago, Nick Holliday said: I'm certainly no expert, but the controller being used is the Hornby Select, which is very much an entry level controller, and I believe has some issues with more sophisticated chips. Might the Single have been set up with CVs that the Select cannot manage. I would suggest finding somewhere you can run both locos with a higher end DCC controller, and see if the symptoms still appear. I did not know an R8213 was a Select. Reading CVs will not be possible so you can't query it for manufacturer/model code. It is definitely worth paying attention to your pickups. These would have been more of a challenge when designing a single than an 0-6-0 & a good electrical contact will always produce better running. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted April 17, 2019 Share Posted April 17, 2019 On 16/04/2019 at 16:52, VicZA said: ...Could there be a logical explanation here?... There will be, but there is an insufficiency of information to provide it. My first guess at the most likely cause would be a poor connection causing the problem, rather than pick up, since there is collection from wheels on both loco and tender. One simple thing you can do is to part and remake the loco to tender connection a couple of times to see if that improves matters. If there is an improvement but not a complete cure, repeat a couple more times and retest. If that's no good then call the repair service. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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