ESU 3.5 Micro

[Bobartist]

Hi All.

 

I've a Bachmann Jinty  fitted with an ESU 3.5 sound decoder. Fitted about 2 years ago but due to layout building it's probably only run an hour or so in total.  It worked fine up until last night, but suddenly decided to run very erratically, ie: hardly moved, then shot off like a jackrabbit, then slowed and stopped sound and movement altogether. Thought that a suppressor may still be connected to cause this but opened up the bonnet and it/they appear to have been removed.

 

Read the settings and re-programmed them (to the same settings) as a sort of 're-boot'. Now I can get all the sounds, except the chuff sound and the loco won't move at all. Have a Prodigy Advance DCC system.

 

Any ideas and am I missing something stupidly obvious ?

 

BTW as a just-joined newcomer, I've looked through all the relevant forums (I think) but can't see anything relevant to my request. So if I've missed something earlier, apologies and a referral link to any previous discussion would be appreciated.

[Lady_Ava_Hay]

My first suggestion would be to take the Jinty to another DCC layout that does not have the Prodigy to test that the command structure is OK. Then I would disable DC running ( don't ask, I can't remember how to do that changing CV's ). Don't be tempted to try a factory reset. If this decoder is older, it may not have the facility to do a factory reset back to the original, modified running settings.

 

Who wrote the chip project? If you know who that is, it might be worth contacting them.

 

Last but not least, if the decoder is undamaged ( no magic smoke and no melted plastic ) then a re-blow will work.

[Bobartist]

Thanks for that David.

 

Good point about a reset. I'd probably have lost even the static sounds I have got !

 

I'll try your suggestions and come back when I've something to report.