I cut off all capacitors and chokes and do not add anyback.They are for radio frequency supression.Mine all run fine without any.Some people think the chokes you get in kits help protect the decoder. The decoder has built in over load protection. Put them on if you want. As I said, I don't and have never lost a decoder other then by my screw ups.
Eric

So do I, but that should not cause his problem. On the 3021, the choke is a large oblong device on or near the input from the pickup shoe, I recall. Again, I don't see that causing a problem with the decoder whether it is there or not, but I would remove it if you have not already done so.

One caution make sure that the function common (blue) is not connected to the chassis in any way. If you are using the chassis for the ground on you lights, the blue should be isolated and insulated.

Hi folks, Latest News Flash!! - I thought I would give it one more try this evening and hey presto, we have lift-off

Admittedly, I have the lighting wires the wrong way round, but that is a minor issue. It turned out to be the earth black wire which was not connecting properly

I have cured that by attaching it into the screw hole which held the old reversing unit and tightening the screw, giving a secure fastening

Once again, thanks to everyone for all their patience and advice

I am glad that I perservered.

Without your tremendous encouragement, I would have given up hours ago.

Onwards and upwards is all I can say. Bring on the next loco. I shall continue with the easier ones first. Once I have some of those done, I shall look at doing something maybe a bit more complicated, Loksound, maybe

Congradulations! As I said a while back, you are now also in a position to do you own repair work as need arises. Ah, now let's see, which spare parts (brushes, tires, motor covers & armatures(rare)) can you amass for your supply room?
Eric

Well, I am back on the railways this morning. I have rewired the lighting wires so that the correct headlight shines for the direction of travel.
For anybody who might be interested in converting in the future, here is a list of the lessons that I have learned the hard way -
It is better to locate the decoder somewhere first! I know it sounds like a trivial issue, but the wiring is extremely flimsy and for the likes of me, with hands like the proverbial bunches of bananas, everything leaps uncontrollably all over the place. I am sure that those of you who have converted before can vouch for this.
Now, attach the wires to the necessary locations. It just means that the wiring ends up less tangled and therefore, the installation will hopefully be a lot neater.
Since my locos are pre 1984, none of them have the 8 pin interface plug fitted. This meant that I had to cut off the interface plug attached to the decoder. The result is that the wires are rather short, especially for the longer locos. I needed to splice the wires to the existing wiring. On reflection, I would definitely advise buying the ESU extension harness It is about €3.
Anyway, what do I think of the result?
I like the independence of the digital control
I like the slow running characteristics, although they are obviously not as good as my new digital starter set BR01 loco. I have kept the 3 pole LFCM. I may look at changing it in the future, but I have a lot of locos to convert, so that is not a high priority.
The old light bulbs do flicker quite a bit, but I suppose that is a small penalty
The motor does seem to run quieter than when it was analog. Could that be wishful thinking on my part?
Conclusion: Definitely worth the effort. I shall proceed with converting the others.
Once again, a big thank you to Ray, Eric, Ron and others who encouraged me to persevere.

Hi Alan,

Well done.

Ian.

Alan,

When you have a chance can you post a few pictures of the conversion?


Regards,

Thomas

Hi Alan


I currently stay in Johannesburg (so called West Rand) and work for an engineering company. I use to sell mining timber to Gold Fields (Kloof and Driefontein mines) some years ago. Its about time you return for a visit!