Dixie Dean Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Hi everyone. I have a Bachmann 350 Desiro which is fitted with an ESU Loksound chip. I got it out to run around today and it refuses to move. All the sounds are functioning as normal, but the motor unit refuses to move, whether connected to the other carriages or not. Does anyone have any suggestions as to possible fixes? In any case I have no idea as to how to remove the body to check the board or the wires to the motor. Does anyone know how to do this? All help very gratefully received. Dixie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil S Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Firstly: With Sound Decoders such as the ESU range, they have a programmed -period of 'start up sound during which no movement will take place ... this can be quite long, depending on the desires of the person who programmed the sound sequences. Do the other sounds respond when various function buttons are pressed? Does the directional lighting work? (Does the coach interior lighting work correctly??? - if not, then there may be a problem with the connections between coaches. Alternatively, test the decoder with 'Pure DC' from a 9V battery either held across the power car's wheel set, or across a piece of track on which the power car is placed. - the motor should run at a reasonable speed, and in the opposite direction if the battery is reversed .... expect lights and probably sound to work too - therefore again there may be a 30-60s second delay before movement starts (unlikely to be as long a 60s with an electric loco - bit some diesels take a long time to start and run normally at idle) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie Dean Posted July 18, 2015 Author Share Posted July 18, 2015 Hi Phil. You're quite correct, it does go through its start up procedure and then the run up, that bit where the unit starts to accelerate and makes that funny almost "emergency vehicle" noise, when it should start to move but doesn't. It doesn't move in either direction. All the other noises are working correctly, but without any movement of the unit. I'm not sure what the lights are doing, I'll check. So I'm OK to put one of the 9v batteries across the wheels and it won't damage the decoder? I'll await your confirmation before I do so. I was wondering about taking the body off, disconnecting the leads from the motor (if possible) and just applying DC to the motor direct just to see if it works, but I've no idea how to get the body off. Dixie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRman Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Feeding pure DC at anything under around 14 or 15 volts will not damage the decoder - 9 volts from a battery will be fine.From the sound of it (no pun intended), the feed to the brushes may be at fault; possibly a broken or detached wire from the pcb to the brushes, seeing as how the power is getting through from the tracks to the decoder (otherwise there would be no sounds at all). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
charliepetty Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Did it work before you put in the 21Pin decoder? if so try the decoder in another locomotive, if still issues try resetting CV54 to 0, press 1 and it should shoot off!!!!!!!!! BUT Have a track long enough, 5 feet ish should do for this. Charlie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil S Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 If you do not have the instruction sheet with the exploded view which shows where the screws are located, which need to be removed, then go to the Bachmann Website and download a fresh copy. As SRman has already confirmed, 9V dc APPLIED TO THE WHEELS will not damage the DECODER - By factory default , analogue running is usually enabled on decoders (it is part of the settings in CV29) .... therefore a 9V battery is ALWAYS a clear and safe test of a an analogue (unfitted) or DCC-fitted loco, and especially useful when the DCC number is unknown. (The caveat being, that if it still does not run the motor, that the analogue mode has been disabled .... but this still causes no damage to the decoder, it just means furhter testing needed) Note that the 9V should NOT be applied directly to the motor IF the decoder is still connected .... because that would feed 9V back into the decoder, from the 'wrong end' and MAY cause damage. In this case (your 350) - as well as checking for undamaged wiring to the motor, from the decoder ( a meter will allow continuity measurement when off the track) - also chek foe any GRIT from ballast, or snippetts of wire (eg resistor leg offcuts which are magnetic, that may have got into the geartrain. If you have an ammeter available (especially easy with a RRampmeter, but equally easy with a 9V battery and simple ammeter - MEASURE the CURRENT being taken when the loco is supposed to be stationary, and then when it is supposed to be moving .... with and without the lights turned on, to see if there is some other wiring fault in the unit. The coaches are connected in the correct ABCD order ????? (or just the power car being terested) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie Dean Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 Hi all. I'm out on Sunday visiting at the moment but as soon as I get in I'll get the body off and investigate further. charliepetty - yes it has worked fine previously in this unit. I'm a bit of a DCC newbie but learn fast. I have an NEC unit. How do I reset CV54 to 0? When I get home I will download a guide to my NEC and check this out. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie Dean Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 OK I've just watched a video and now know how to change CVs. Charliepetty do I program CV54 to 0 and then exit programming and press 1 or F1? Can you be quite prescriptive as I have never done this before? Thanks all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie Dean Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 Also, I've now found a info sheet by South West Digital which explains the CV54 procedure. I'm now taking the body off to check the wiring. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie Dean Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 I've had the body off but that didn't appear to be off much assistance as the two wires from the motor go straight to the PCB which is sandwiched between the floor and the seats. I've reassembled it but now the sound doesn't get as far as the UFO type noises it makes when it sets off. Seems to stall before then. I'm perplexed. I might wait until the morning and empty all my railway storage boxes to find the original DCC chip and try it with that, unless anyone has any other suggestions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie Dean Posted July 20, 2015 Author Share Posted July 20, 2015 PhilS - unfortunately there doesn't appear to be a service sheet for the 350 in OO gauge (although there is one for N!) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie Dean Posted July 20, 2015 Author Share Posted July 20, 2015 I've tested the motor with a 9v battery and its OK. But I need to get the drive shaft back into its receptacle on the motor - anyone done this before, it seems quite difficult Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie Dean Posted July 20, 2015 Author Share Posted July 20, 2015 OK, its running again and re-assembled. Had to resort to strong light and large magnifier! Just going to try all 4 carriages to see if lighting is working correctly. A really big thank you to everyone for your contributions. I suspect it was the motor pcb connections. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie Dean Posted July 20, 2015 Author Share Posted July 20, 2015 Oddly, all working again except when going around a curve when it stops, apparently unable to collect juice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mick Bonwick Posted July 20, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 20, 2015 Oddly, all working again except when going around a curve when it stops, apparently unable to collect juice. That sounds suspiciously like a wheel-to-pickup problem. Are you able to see that the pickups are always in contact with the wheels, no matter which lateral position the axles are in? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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