Hi all,

I bought some time ago two new 60946 (diesel) mfx sound decoder kits and installed them to my NSB NOHAB's 3137 and 3143. No problems or anything else with 3143, but 3137 has some strange issues.

All sounds and lights work like they should. First I thought it doesn't run at all on digital tracks. I had tried to run it with CS2 on quite low speed settings. I have set speedometer max value to 160 km/h and it did not start to move when speed setting was 60 km/h or so. Only motor sound and rpm raised. On analog track it ran, but it started to run with quite high speed, but was controllable. It was impossible to run it slowly on analog track.

Then some days ago I decided to test it again on digital track and for my surprise I was able to get it running when I set speed setting to around 80 km/h. There is obviously something wrong with this decoder or it's factory settings. I tried to modify some CV settings and speed curve settings etc. I was able to get it better, but not perfect. I would like to run this loco slowly also.

Is there some CV settings I should check or modify to get it running like it should? I had the very same settings than with 3143, but this 3137 runs very differently. No mechanical issues as both locos where basically new analog locos. No gummy gears. Both locos have 60944 5-pole motors and I have installed ball bearings to them.

Any ideas?

Regards,
Janne

Edited by user 19 August 2015 16:16:05(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Hi Ray,

That's a good idea. I will swap the decoders and see what happens. If then 3143 still behaves normally there must be something mechanically wrong with 3137. I just rotated both locos motor bogie wheels with fingers and they feel the same and rotate like they should. Gears are new as these locos are basically totally new. I assume something is wrong with decoder or it's settings. It's easy to test, but I will do it in next few days as I'm going to sleep now. I will inform here how it goes when decoders are swapped around.

Janne

Hi all,

I will try swapping the decoders today when I get back to home.

Janne

Hi Janne,

It sounds to me like there's something wrong with that decoder. Maybe you should just send it back for a replacement?

Hi Gordon, all

I have already tried to reset it back to factory default values. But it didn't help. I got good news today as the seller sends me a new decoder. I asked him to send me only the mfx decoder, but maybe he sends me a completely new 60946 set as he is a big eBay seller.

PS. Does someone know if these 60945/60946/60947 decoder sets are otherwise similar (PCB), but only the decoder itself is programmed differently (= steam, diesel or electric loco sounds)? The reason I ask this is, because I have a complete 60945 set without the correct mSD decoder in my 3084 DB BR 050 steam locomotive. Perhaps I could take this away from it and install that 60946 diesel sound decoder in it and use it with another diesel loco? I have two 3021 DB V200's and one 3081 DB BR 220 with 60944 5-pole motors without decoders at the moment. I could later install a complete 60945 kit to 3084.

Regards,
Janne

Hi all,

I got a new 60946 mSD set from the seller. I took only the decoder from this set and installed it in 3137 NSB NOHAB. This time decoder colour was green and not red like the previous decoder. Now it runs like it should.

Then I installed mSD set to 3081 DB BR 220 912-9. I didn't change this time original light bulbs to LED's like I did with both 3137 and 3143. I adjusted some cv values and modified this locos speed curve with CS2. I was able to get it running with very low speed also. So I got it working ok too .

There is one 60946 set coming soon and it will be installed in a new undriven 3021 DB V200 060.

Then there are three more locos waiting for decoder installations. Those have also 60944 5-pole motor kits installed already. Those locos are 3021 with repainted DB V200 045 "ONTRACK GARGO" body, 3021 DB V200 027 and 3050 SBB Ae 6/6 electric loco.



Cheers,
Janne