Zimo Issues

[spice1977]

I regularly install sound into all my locos and tend to use Zimo primarily. I have had this issue before twice and has always resulted in a repair from the supplier at ,my cost but here goes.

 

I installed a 21pin MX644 into a Dapol 08, all working fine, fully tested and packed away. I then installed a Plux22 with the adapter board to increase amps available to the motors on a Heljan 20 and again all working fine - lights sounds fully running for both. Both then packed away in original boxes.

 

I got them out again today as I decided to sell them as I am never going to have the space for O gauge - not what I would want anyway so went to test them and this (on both)

 

As soon as the loco address is selected the motor rocks back and forth without moving the loco. The lights and sound will not work, and then the controller overloads (Signatrak ACE). On the Dapol its 21 pin and therefore the wiring has not been touched - there are no shorts yet other 21 pin decoders work just fine with it. On the Heljan 20 it is hard wired to the plux adapter - soldered and there are no shorts. The decoders behave the same on the ESU tester rig.

 

I have been searching everywhere to find others who have had this problem and to find out what actually causes it. Both decoders read fully using JMRI. I will be arranging to send them back to get sorted but just find it odd how this can happen to a boxed loco - any suggestions?

[Paul80]

Hi

 

Not got an answer but I have had a couple fail whilst in storage or more likely fail as soon as a stored loco is put on the track. Also had a couple fail during installation, and I know how to install them correctly so know I did nothing wrong. I suspect it's a QC issue but can obviously not prove that so had to pay for their replacement. Don't know of any other electrical product that they are allowed to get away with that though to avoid a warranty claim. After all their product is sold to be installed by the customer so the blanket response that the customer did something wrong is not correct, but who is going to test it in law. I don't think ESU are quite so quick to blame their customers though so if they can do it why not Zimo.

[spice1977]

I've personally installed over 60 locos; mixture of ESU, Zimo, Soundtraxx and TTS chips from various suppliers. I've only had two Zimo fail on installation and that was down to errors on my part - both repaired by the supplier and a couple of TTS that have blown. Since then I've started using Kapton tape instead of insulating tape and realised you cannot fully cover TTS as they overheat - so I now cover the circuit board and secure the chip with two thin strips of Kapton. I've had no ESU failures yet - but I prefer Zimo as I find them easier to program (within Decoder Pro anyway) - just my personal preference. 

 

When I've had failures before there has usually been some kind of visual sign of it - in these cases there is none. Some on FB have told me it could be down to static, in which case I need to buy an anti static wristband or similar.

 

 

[Ray H]

Probably a silly question but have you tried a factory reset on one or both.

 

We had something similar to the described problem happen at our club a week or so ago.

 

The loco had been running the previous time it was tried but then refused to do anything on the layout or programming track when we next went to use it. I did a factory reset, the decoder then worked and just needed the number to be reset.

[spice1977]

Yeah I have reset both several times. Occasionally similar symptoms in the past were caused by issues surrounding DC running being enabled - so I always turn that off as a matter of course now. I have reset with both the Signatrak controller and Decoder Pro using a Sprog.