Bachmann pannier tank decoder

[mikes rail]

Good evening

I have just got a new Bachmann pannier tank which is DCC ready fitted with a 8 pin socket. Having had a look under the bonnet as such there does not seem to be much room for a decoder. My other Bachmann pannier was pre DCC and was a hard wire job with a chip placed in back of cab. I would like to know what others have used, my first thoughts were to take out socket board and use space gained to hard wire chip in. Your views please good people.

Mike

[Xerces Fobe2]

I managed to fit a Bachmann decoder in a pannier however it was not easy! You will need to trim the decoder cover bask and ensure the wires do not kink. I had to do this a number of times until I got it right. - good luck with this!

 

XF

[Stevelewis]

I have  done  many decoder fitting jobs over several years  and have  found some small locos  ( and the  odd large one) a little difficult  due to space limitations.

 

One way I have overcome this problem in some  cases  is to  use a 6 pin decoder  and  a 6 to 8 pin harness, a 6 pin decoder  is  perfectly adequate for  many locos

 

The  DCC on board Bachmann   SR/BR  N Class has a factory  fitted 6 pin decoder, and  the loco will  haul 6 coaches  for  hours  without any problems.

 

Hard  wiring  is  a perfectly good  option as  well,  simply  remove   everything from the  chassis   except  the  input pickup wires and the  wires to the motor ( this  assumes  no  lights  etc!)  this will usually give  adequate  decoder  space.

 

Just  as  an  aside  the  Bachmann 0 gauge  Brass range  ( now  discontinued)  Locos,  do not  have  any circuit  boards  on board  just  wires  from the  pickups  to the  motor!  They run perfectly well in DC, so it often makes we  wonder why we  see pcbs in smaller scale  locos

[melmerby]

Good evening

I have just got a new Bachmann pannier tank which is DCC ready fitted with a 8 pin socket. Having had a look under the bonnet as such there does not seem to be much room for a decoder. My other Bachmann pannier was pre DCC and was a hard wire job with a chip placed in back of cab. I would like to know what others have used, my first thoughts were to take out socket board and use space gained to hard wire chip in. Your views please good people.

Mike

Don't see what the problem is.

I have three fitted with normal Decoders, Lenz Standard +

 

IIRC DP2X-UK also fits

 

Keith

[Mallard60022]

Well Melmerby, that's good news but perhaps you could just show or describe how you achieved this (and let us know if this was sound fitting - don't know if Lenz + is a sound dec) as I will be doing a few of these in the near future.

Thanks.

P

[melmerby]

Well Melmerby, that's good news but perhaps you could just show or describe how you achieved this (and let us know if this was sound fitting - don't know if Lenz + is a sound dec) as I will be doing a few of these in the near future.

Thanks.

P

Didn't notice the original post mentioning sound.

 

Keith

 

EDIT: photos

Brand new 8709:

 

 

And with her clothes off!:

 

 

Lenz Standard + decoder plugged in with a small piece of double sided foam on top of plug and decoder component side down. Wires folded back over motor - no problem!

[Mallard60022]

Cheers mate. Looks good; very tidy job. Think PMP's bunker method for speaker could be the way.

P

[corax67]

I squeezed Lenz Golds into the two of mine I use on my layout - whipped out the circuit board, hard wired having shortened the harness to minimum for neatness & mounted as shown in the the previous photo.

 

Locos are really reliable little runners too.

[melmerby]

I squeezed Lenz Golds into the two of mine I use on my layout - whipped out the circuit board, hard wired having shortened the harness to minimum for neatness & mounted as shown in the the previous photo.

 

Locos are really reliable little runners too.

You could try a Mini +, (I fitted a Silver Mini + in my fourth pannier, because I had one!), but I can't see any great advantage over the Standard + in a basic loco.

 

I agree about the chassis. Bachmann's 0-6-0s are pretty good runners.

 

Keith

[corax67]

I use the Gold only because my layout is a small shunting puzzle (which I used to show) and I have found they give me the best low speed control for all the small loco's I run. With them I can creep the loco and have pinpoint spotting for kadee uncoupling.

 

If all you are looking for is basic control then of course a standard decoder is by far the cheaper option.

[Jack]

I couldn't get the Lenz Silver into mine (I've got a stash I brought cheap when we lived in Germany), so resorted to using a TCS M4P 8pin from DCC Supplies, plugged the chip in, then put it in the space inside the left hand tank ... simples.

[melmerby]

I use the Gold only because my layout is a small shunting puzzle (which I used to show) and I have found they give me the best low speed control for all the small loco's I run. With them I can creep the loco and have pinpoint spotting for kadee uncoupling.

 

If all you are looking for is basic control then of course a standard decoder is by far the cheaper option.

Haven't found any problem with slow speed control on the Standard +. (TCS decoders - yes) I can't imagine wanting much less than one wheel revolution in 30 secs!

 

Keith

[doublecee]

I opted to remove the circuit board and hardwire her.