Kato EMD E9-A Decoder fried?

Speedrat Apr 29, 2020

  1. Speedrat

    Speedrat TrainBoard Member

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    Installed a DCC decoder (first timer) for my Kato EMD E9-A. Ran fine on DC track for half a turn and stopped. Conducted battery test. No power. So I assume I messed up something, so is there any way to isolate the problem? Did I fry the board or motor? Any way to tell which?
     
  2. David Cutting

    David Cutting TrainBoard Member

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    Can you post a picture of the install so we can take a look? If you remove the decoder and do a battery test on the motor you can rule out that part of the problem.
     
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  3. Speedrat

    Speedrat TrainBoard Member

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    Did the battery test on motor contacts and it runs...Whew! 2 Pics. One with decoder and one without. Without shows kapton tape install.
     

    Attached Files:

  4. David Cutting

    David Cutting TrainBoard Member

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    You should make sure what when the decoder is installed there is no continuity between the motor leads and the rails. For that you'll need an oscilloscope.

    It could also be that this decoder is not set up for DC operation (CV29, I think) what brand and model of decoder is it?
     
  5. Speedrat

    Speedrat TrainBoard Member

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    Hmm..ok no oscilloscope.

    It is a Digitrax DN163K0a. Didn't see anything about DC (one way or the other) in the instructions.
     
  6. RBrodzinsky

    RBrodzinsky November 18, 2022 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter In Memoriam

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    Did you install Kapton tape around the brass contact strips where the motor tabs come up? If not, you have a short between motor and frame, which will kill the board.
     
  7. Speedrat

    Speedrat TrainBoard Member

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    Yes one of my attached pictures shows the tape installation.
     
  8. David Cutting

    David Cutting TrainBoard Member

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  9. RBrodzinsky

    RBrodzinsky November 18, 2022 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter In Memoriam

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    The other thing to watch for is those pesky Grey plugs on Katos. They do not always keep the motor tabs in contact with the board. Most everyone I know ends up soldering the tabs to the board’s pads. You may just have lost contact once you started running
     
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  10. Speedrat

    Speedrat TrainBoard Member

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  11. Speedrat

    Speedrat TrainBoard Member

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    I wondered about that. Thanks for the tip. I will try that.
     
  12. Tad

    Tad TrainBoard Supporter

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    Just curious.

    Why would you put a decoder in the locomotive and then test it on a DC track?
     
  13. Speedrat

    Speedrat TrainBoard Member

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    Pick your poison.

    1. I don't have DCC set up yet.

    2. I was under the assumption that DCC worked on DC. Subsequently found out that's not always the case.

    3. I'm VERY new to the hobby and the amount of information that I don't know FAR outweighs what I do know. I'm reading everything I can but still in firehose mode. :)
     
    Last edited: Apr 30, 2020
  14. Pieter

    Pieter TrainBoard Member

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    Could be DC is switched off in the decoder , need DCC to switch on if it is the case. Depending on the decoder the functions is also very limited on DC. If there is a manual for your engine, see if there isn't any switches you need to move, probably have to take the shell off if there is. Some of the new engines comes with small switches you have to change between DC and DCC working.
     
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  15. JohnForsythe

    JohnForsythe TrainBoard Member

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    New to the boards myself and also getting back into railroading after a long hiatus.
    You don't necessarily need an oscilloscope to test your motor leads. A continuity tester on a basic volt meter will do the same. Before I wired up my first DCC decoder just a few weeks ago this is the method I used to insure the motor was isolated from the chassis. You should be able to do the same with any of your leads coming off your motor.
     

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