Hornby DCC chips running on DC & Piko DCC question

[Returning to the hobby.]

I had a Hornby 0-6-0 J52 tank engine from the widely available Hornby East Coast Pullman trainset. I was told that you can use Hornby DCC fitted locos on DC controls but when I tested this loco on a DC strip of track the chip blew after less than 3 seconds running! The chip was fine under DCC so I am wondering what I could have done wrong?

 

Also I am wondering if anybody here has experience with PIKO DCC, what systems are they compatable with as I was considering buying one of the DCC ICE3 starter sets.

 

 

Cheers, Stef

[Pete the Elaner]

The older Hornby chips lack compatibility with systems from different brands.

It sounds like your Jinty was DCC fitted when you bought it. Hornby have been known to use up their stock of old chips for their DCC fitted models so if you have any more, they may want re-chipping.

 

As for the failed decoder, what DC controller were you using when it failed? I believe (but may be wrong) that chips do not like any type of pulsed DC waveform.

I have run some of my Hornby-chipped locos on a test track powered by a cheap Beatties controller I was given. I would be nervous about using either of my feedback controllers.

[Taigatrommel]

The Piko DCC infra red unit is made by Uhlenbrock- it's a rebranded IRIS. I think there is an adaptor to run it with LocoNET, but a quick google hasn't found me a link. I also know for certain it can run with the Uhlenbrock Intellibox and some Marklin digital items (via another LocoNET adaptor).