I was told by somebody on this form that the older Blue Marklin Controllers aka Transformers would damage the decoder in my digital steam locomotive BR 52 3416

I went to the hobby shop "John's Photo and Hobby" and they only use the older Blue transformers! They got 2 of them!

The locomotive worked fine! The stuff said the older blue transformers are not a problem to use.

Can anybody add more information to this subject and suggest the best model number to pick? Like the 6631?

thank you

Danny

There is the metal blue and the plastic blue. The metal blue are the ones you should avoid. It is the voltage pulse when reversing that is the issue.

The real issue is mixing old decoders with old transformers, the old decoders could not handle the voltage pulse most of the time. Newer Marklin decoders have robust circuits that can handle the voltage pulse.

Those of us that have a mix of older and newer decoders are wary. If you only use new Marklin stuff, you could be OK.

Many other decoder brands are known to make short lived but excellent smokers...

I use the plastic light blue transformer and I should be OK. Even then, I try to avoid using expensve digital locos with my light blue transformer.

I would recommend to anyone who buys somewhat expensive new locos (that are therefore covered by warranty) to invest in a new gray transformer, no. 6646.

(I wanted to insert a picture here that I have on my computer, but the system won't let me. Why? I also cannot paste a picture here. Why is that?)

Have a good Sunday everyone.


Here it is, thanks to very helpful feedback from Alsterstreek

(Sorry for the size....)

Edited by user 06 September 2015 21:03:58(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

"Uomo avvisato, mezzo salvato..."

(A man who has been warned is a man who has been half-saved...)

but we are here to enjoy the hobby and avoid smoking the decoders of some expensive locos.

As a result, JUST to be safe and not to give Marklin an EXCUSE to void the warranty, personally, I think it is best not to use the old metal blue transformers.

That is my view.

Other people are at liberty to do otherwise.

1) The old blue transformers (metal) should NOT be used with any modern digital equipment
- The reverse voltage (on most models you had to push down on the control) is activated as long as you push on the knob. This can cause a voltage spike of a duration that is high enough to cause damage to electronic relays/decoders.
- The old transformers did not have a circuit breaker. The only indication of a short was when the red indicator light would dim.
- The old transformers allowed for the inversion pulse to be activated without the knob first being moved to zero, which can cause damage, as the decoder can in some circumstances not determine whether it is the inversion pulse or just higher voltage, which can burn out certain parts of the decoder circuit.
- By now, many of these classic transformers have potential issues with the condition of the mains wire and the internal wiring of the transformer.

2) The old blue transformers (plastic) can still be used, but under certain circumstances.
- These models often had a circuit breaker, but the question of whether it would cut in quickly enough makes this questionable.
- These transformers were still made for older standards and with changes to the mains voltage, may now produce voltage in excess of the designed operating voltage, which can be critical during reverse pulse.
- Some transformers still emitted the inversion pulse for as long as the knob was held to the right of zero, while newer models emitted a momentary surge.

3) The newest white transformers are designed to operate under the current mains voltage standards and will give you the correct operating voltages and inversion pulse.

If using a 220V transformer with a step up transformer, make sure that your step up transformer is not producing more voltage than the transformer can handle.
A step up that converts 110V to 220V will produce 240V if the source is 120V.

In some circumstances using the older blue transformers, it might occur that instead of providing a pulse sufficient to provoke the reverse command, the transformer may generate a surge that will cause the locomotive to move at very high speed.

I recommend that you search for 6647/6001 transformers/power supplies that can be bought from broken up start sets. This is a reasonably cheap way of upgrading.

Regards

Mike C