Hello all, Really having difficulty with the TCS CN-GP decoders...I'm going to use a lot of them, as I prefer the older Kato frames on the GP30/35....The directions are pretty clear, the 5 wires aren't confusing, I'm isolating the two motor leads with tape.....Any tricks out there......My local hobby store will do the work for me but this is MY hobby....Feeling kinda useless right now.......
My last two I did I ended up tearing out and putting in Digitrax DZ126 using existing light boards ( in Atlas/Kato RS3/11 etc) Both showed no shorts but would not run or light. I sent them to a friend to check out, one was dead and another he got to run but could not control it ie it was full speed as soon as power applied. Unhooked, and wired in the 126's, and no issues in either engine. Both ran right from the get go with no changes.
The TCS CN-GP decoders work fine. Just dont use electrical tape to isolate the motor. I was a rookie once...lol
I recommend testing the decoders prior to installing them. I've done many CN-GP installs on a number of different models. Below is a link to those that I have documented. http://n-scale-dcc.blogspot.com/search/label/Decoder: TCS CN-GP
I have had nothing but trouble with them. Just pulled 4 from Atlas GP's and replaced the frames with DCC ready frames and replaced with DN163.
Okay, Now I don't feel too bad.....These are not difficult at all, but even the one that I sent to TCS a few years ago and they installed it then sent it back won't work correctly....And all it has done is sit in the box....I'm going to try another one tonight, I only require about 25 of these...... AND thank you nscalestation, I'll put your site on my favorites for sure......
I need a couple of these decoders too but with the mixed results that I see so far I'm hesitant to even try. Thus far all I have done is the drop in, replace the light board, decoders. Nothing too difficult. No soldering or frame modifications involved. The CN-GP was going to be my next step. Now I think I'll wait till others weigh in with their experiences.
Sometimes, and this can effect several other drop in decoders, the point where the decoder makes contact with the frame is not good enough so the actual power is not transferred to the chip as well as it needs to be. This is often cased by the chassis cast having a slightly larger gap where the decoder clamps in. I have found this with kato and atlas chassis as well. To over come this I flash a little solder on the pad and, if necessary file it down again to ensure a good tight connection. A bad connection on the TCS CN-GP can cause all the issues mentioned above. But they are great chips so its worth the effort. James.
The sets I have installed all have had tight connections, I to have had to flash a little solder on a few....It's really the first step I check....But I certainly will check again.....I'll try another one tonight, as I didn't have time last night....I have nine more sets to try......
I prefer the kapton tape that can also be purchased from TCS, to help insulate the motor from the frame. I've installed several of these TCS CN-GP decoders without any issues.
I've done three CN-GP installs into GP30/GP35 mechanisms. They are surplus to me now but are nice and heavy and run well.
I was hoping have more people weigh in about these decoders. Maybe bumping this thread up will cause some others to comment.
They are far the decoder I have to most often reset. I always use custom speed tables, and they have an internal bug that has been documented by myself and others. Besides not responding properly to the custom speed table, they often take off at max speed and can only be helped with a full reset. My Digitrax, Zimo and CT Electronik have no such issues. Greg
While I've not tried the TCS CN-GP(but I will be, oh yes, I will with a dozen older Atlas and Kato locos) decoders yet, I've had than my share of other TCS, Digitrax and Lenz decoders perform the max speed from a dead start routine. Since I only run DCC locos down on our club layout or on other club's layouts at train shows I haven't even tried to figure out the reason. It's a pain but a quick fix with the reset then reloading the speed table stored on the laptop. The few folks at the club who have installed the CN-GP decoders have been happy with them.
Yeah, I keep JMRI close ha ha! But this is the only decoder brand that I regularly have to perform a complete reset on when it goes wonky... and my test layout is a simple loop with no electrical weirdness... Greg
I tried one of these decoders. I tried for a few days to get it to work. The loco would program but it ran at one speed, backwards, or not at all. I tried adjusting CV's, full resets and checking the isolation. The only LED to work was the rear board one. I put the locomotive in the case without a shell as a constant reminder to never visit older Atlas locomotives ever again. I am not hating on TCS or Atlas, but for me it's a lesson learned.
They especially do not like high current motors, my guess is that it screws up the BEMF. That said, i have turned BEMF off and it did not solve the problem. Most decoders leave the BEMF sensing on all the time though, it's just the motor response that can be changed. Greg