Claudius17 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Hi All I’m a newbie to railway modelling having just taken it up in retirement. I am building a 4x2 n gauge layout with dcc and I’m really enjoying it. I have recently bought a Digitrax Zephyr Express to replace the Bachman E-Z controller I started off with and it is a huge improvement. I am, however, having a problem with my Sonic 56xx loco fitted with a Bachman 36-556RA chip. For no apparent reason the loco does not read the CV information on the decoder. It behaves exactly very much like a dc loco I.e. 0-max in a blink similarly to a stop. The chip is storing the codes that I insert when programming but these have no effect on the loco. Also the loco will not run backwards. As soon as this is selected on the controller I get a track short warning which clears when the throttle is cancelled. I have re programmed my other locos and all works very well. I have checked the chassis for shorts with a multimeter but I haven’t come across any, all wiring looks sound. Could it be the decoder? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpendle Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Hi, Did the loco work when you used the E-Z Controller? John P Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claudius17 Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 Hi John p yes but it has also worked with the new controller too. To be honest it has never really run smoothly since I bought it, despite running it in for ages in both directions. It ran far smoother with the Digitrax controller until it started playing up yesterday. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpendle Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Hi, In that case I would try a different decoder. My preference is for Zimo, so the MX617N or MX616N. The 617 is £20, the 616 is a lot smaller but is £32. The problem is that you might need to bend the pins as neither is a right angle connector (6 pin decoders with right angle connectors are not common). There's a thread on the N Gauge forum about fitting decoders to these models. Regards, John P Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claudius17 Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 Thanks John p I was thinking about trying a different decoder. Nothing to lose. Thanks for the recommendations. I’ll keep you posted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claudius17 Posted March 8, 2022 Author Share Posted March 8, 2022 Hi John P New decoder fitted and all is well. I fitted the same decoder (Bachmann 36-566RA) just to confirm our suspicions. I will probably change to a Zimo 616N in the future as the Bachmann doesn't appear to be as smooth running as my other decoders. All the Best Claudius17 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now