DCX77L decoder - where have they all gone to?

[Penfold]

Hi, 

About 10 months ago I persuaded a CTE  DCX77L to fit inside my Farish J94. 

(The decoder sits on top of the upper brush housing beneath the cab roof)

 

I have now added another J94 to my stable and want to convert it but it appears that none of the UK suppliers have stock of the DCX77L or are listing it as discontinued.  

Can anyone shed light please as to the supply status of these being imported for UK sale?

 

Failing that,  has anyone else fitted a different decoder into a Farish J94 and if so which model and where did you manage to locate it?  

 

Thanks,

Penfold

[Nigelcliffe]

A DCC dealer I know told me that his decision to stop selling CT was because they are a pain to deal with:  both ordering and warranty support.   Other dealers may have reached similar conclusions.    Tran (CT) have history of being difficult; absolutely superb at electronics miniaturisation, but rubbish at many other aspects of business. 

 

Alternatives:  Order from Germany or Austria (for delivery and tested by you before end of Oct so you're sure of consumer law protection).  Small decoders from Zimo (eg. MX616), Kuhn or D&H.  

 

 

[Penfold]

Thanks for the reply. 

I have the Zimo 616 in my Class08 and it fits nicely up inside the cabside where black shrinkwrap masks it. It won't however fit in the J94 - I have plasticard dummies made for each potential vendor as a dry fit test before ordering but I did offer up the 616 for real but the cab roof wouldn't go back down hence fitting the DCX77L.

 

As you suggest, it looks like I may need to import for myself. 

 

Thanks,

Penfold

[nick_bastable]

many moons ago I fitted a Poole era Farish J94 by reducing the main chassis  block behind the smokebox   by a few mm   ( from memory my first conversion)  a TCS M1 fitted nicely

 

Nick

 

 

[Paul80]

The single sided CT decoders do make it easy to squeeze them into some tight situations, but unfortunately they got themselves a bit of a reputation for dieing at a drop of a hat, even next doors cat sneezing was a good enough reason for them to give up the ghost. 

 

I suspect the dealers just got fed up with all the returns and just stopped selling them.

Edited September 10, 2019 by Paul80

[Penfold]

Thanks Nick and Paul.

I will start looking at milling out the smokebox end and possibly some off the chassis if I can to create some space. Sounds like I dodged the bullet so far with my CTE so probably good to have a backup plan for when the smoke escapes from it.

 

Thanks,

Penfold

[Penfold]

Update: A Zimo MX616 will actually fit in the cab of a Farish J94 but only if you remove the front and rear fixing clips and superglue the cab roof back on. 

 

It ran beautifully for 5 minutes and then died but that is my fault entirely. I am sharing the shame so that others may avoid the pain.

I used a digihat on the chassis brush and having twisted, tinned and then soldered the grey power cable into the recess I applied the heatshrink.

Tested ok with meter - no open circuit between decoder tag and chassis - so I wired the rest and checked through. I settled it all back in for a few minutes with my test plank on DC controller and once happy swapped out with the DCC controller where the running was perfect. I changed the default from 3 to 5 and set the direction as a test. All good for a few mins, happy chappy and then it stopped. Dead as a dodo, pining for the fjords, kernackered.

On stripping down and putting under a big magnifying glass I found a single strand of the copper wire on the grey feed had been sticking out after soldering and had punctured the heatshrink. It had then only been a matter of time until the inner wheel rim made contact and popped the decoder. 

Lesson learned = file your soldered connection flat before fitting heatshrink just to be safe.

 

Chuffing annoying!

 

 

[nick_bastable]

searching through I found a J94 block mid my first conversion with a TCs M1 

 

 

 

you can see the slither of the chassis removed

 

Nick

[Paul80]

With the reputation that CT decoders have for failing and for the difficulty of getting warranty support from CT I hope it does not become a big problem for the N-Gauge Society as they chose CT to make the custom PCB with built in decoder for their new Hunslet shunter, hope they did a better job of the design and build quality than there usual quality.  Especially as being built as an all in one custom unit there is no option to change the decoder should it fail in the future.

 

PS. Sorry to hear you killed your Zimo, that one is not cheap is it.

 

Paul

[Penfold]

Hi,

Not cheap @ £32.

I did ease the chassis around the brush so it didn't pinch the heatshrink and also added a kapton wrap before fitting digihat. Alas tbe problem was on the outside edge of the brush retainer.

I have ordered a replacement and need to get some more kynar now.

[melmerby]

I'd stick with Zimo for miniature decoders, I do not rate the TCS M1 at all!

[Penfold]

13 hours ago, nick_bastable said:

searching through I found a J94 block mid my first conversion with a TCs M1 

 

 

 

you can see the slither of the chassis removed

 

Nick

Nick, did you have to shorten the front pickup plate screw to stop it trapping the M1 or did you rely on the through bolt only for the front?

[nick_bastable]

Posted 4 hours ago

I'd stick with Zimo for miniature decoders, I do not rate the TCS M1 at all

 

first loco i chipped 9 years ago would not use one now 

 

 

Nick, did you have to shorten the front pickup plate screw to stop it trapping the M1 or did you rely on the through bolt only for the front?

 

to be honest can not remember  but  think I  shortened the screw 

 

Nick

[Penfold]

All is good now.  I have redone the install using an ESU Nano  decoder which fits well under the cab roof. It runs well.

 

Thanks for the moral support folks.