Is this a 'capacitor'? What could it be doing? - DCCing HAG re460

[Michanglais]

Hi everyone,

 

this is my first time posting in this part of the forum so I hope I'm in the right place!

 

I've got a few HAG DC re460s I would like to digitalise - mostly just for lighting but maybe one or two with sound.

 

However, I am a total novice! (Foolhardy?)

 

Anyway, I bought second-hand a loco that someone had retfrofitted with DCC. No sound, but lots of different lighting effects. Really, I'd be quite happy with just white lights all round (the loco is for a diorama and you'd never be able to see both ends at the same time). 

 

Anyway, I attach a photo with a component - don't know what it is - and wondered if it was a necessary part of DCCing? I don't think it's a 'stay alive' because the loco stalls rather easily at low speeds even on clean track.

 

I was kinda hoping to use his work as a sort of guide but really, I think I could make things simpler with just white lighting (his DCCing allows all the different Swiss white/red lighting configurations, which are numerous). 

 

I realise this is perhaps a bit left of field, but any advice/words of wisdom would be gratefully appreciated!

 

Cheers,

Michael

 

 

 

[Tony Cane]

On the assumption that there are two components in the red sleeve, a diode and a resistor, this appears to be a "stay alive" circuit. This is intended to power the decoder through brief failures in the supply from the rails.

[MartinRS]

It looks like a stay-alive capacitor which maintains voltage to the motor on dead frogs.

[mezzoman253]

Yes that looks like a self made stay alive. However unless the capacitor is of very high value (15,000uF or so) the run time won't be very long, a second at best. Hence your problem.

 

Unfortunately the capacitor doesn't show its value in the picture.

 

Rob

[JimFin]

22 hours ago, Michanglais said:

Anyway, I attach a photo with a component - don't know what it is - and wondered if it was a necessary part of DCCing? I don't think it's a 'stay alive' because the loco stalls rather easily at low speeds even on clean track.

It is a stay alive - which is an optional component, you don't need that as a matter of course, especially not with a loco of that wheelbase.

 

Stalling at slow speed suggests the stay alive is possibly not working, poor/dirty wheels/pick ups are the next possible reason or the decoder has not been optimised for the motor. To resolve that you would need to start investigating/changing CV's but have a good look at the connectivity between the rails and the motor first.