I am having great ongoing difficulties with the subject equipment. I installed a decoder initially and the engine ran really fine. After a few days off, I started up the engine and got smoke and electronic burn smells. The decoder was dead - would not even respond to the programmer. Put the DC board back in and the engine worked fine. Fast forward a few months, got another decoder and installed. Worked fine the first day - I thought problem solved. Then a few days later, running the engine again, got some intermittent shorts, the smell and smoke. Interesting thing is that this time the decoder still works - responds to programming, light functions, etc but will not run the motor. Installed the DC board again and the engine worked fine. Reinstalled the decoder, reprogrammed repeatedly, and have reset to factory defaults but with no success. I have installed the decoder IAW the supplied Digitrax instructions which do not specify installation of any Kapton tape. Really like this engine but really frustrated. Where do I look next - engine chassis or another decoder? Any and all comments welcome. Dave C
sounds like the motor contacts is shorting with the frame.i would use the kapton tape around the motor contacts.some where it's touching,i have a sd 60 that done the same thing.
I used TCS decoders with very little issues on the few I have. And I did put Kapton tape on the frames around the motor leads.
I have two of the Atlas MP15dc engines and two of the same decoders. I got them at the end 2010. I just installed the decoders and I never used the Kapton tape supplied. Never had a problem. The others most likely have the answer to the dilemma. Maybe the two frame half's touch when the decoder is installed?
Hi Dave, I feel you pain. I have 3 Atlas MP15s and they are great runners but there is precious little room for the motor leads between the frame halves. 2 of mine were a piece of cake re. decoder installs but the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] was a royal pita. Very minor differences in the shape of the motor leads will either prohibit the tabs from contacting the small motor pads on the decoder (best scenario), or worse contact both motor pads, or worst contact the frame. The latter is what it sounds like has happened in your case. Small bits of Kapton tape are a good hedge in the small areas between the frame halves and the motor leads on this locomotive. For me, the tape saved the magic blue smoke in my “problem child’s” second decoder. I was then able to experiment with minor mods to the motor leads so they would contact the decoder pads correctly. Brian
